Kelly Anne Hume on Strength in Vulnerability, Meditation & Sourdough with Peanut Butter

Fashion director and creative consultant Kelly Anne Hume brings a rare balance of aesthetic precision and emotional honesty to everything she does. In this conversation, she opens up about the inner transformation that motherhood sparked, the practices that keep her grounded (including early-morning meditations and Ayurvedic cooking), and how she navigates the fashion world while prioritising family. With daughter Bea by her side, Kelly reflects on what it means to lead with strength, softness, and sincerity.

Name: Kelly Anne Hume
Date of Birth: 22 May 1983
Place of Birth: Sydney, Australia
Occupation: Fashion Director & Creative Consultant

1. What is the best mothering advice you have received?
My own mother always said, “I am your mother, not your friend.” While I hope Bea and I become close friends as she grows, right now my role is to be her mother first and foremost. I try to make decisions with her best interests in mind—not just to be liked.

2. How do you unwind after a busy week of work?
I work Monday through Thursday, and Fridays are for time with Bea—and for some self-care. We do a Mums and Bubs class at my local fitness studio, and the serotonin boost from strength and HIIT training has become essential to me. It’s my best stress relief.

3. What has surprised you most about being a mom?
I didn’t anticipate how deeply I would be transformed emotionally and spiritually. Motherhood made me reassess who I am, and the love you feel for your child is impossible to fathom until you experience it.

4. What are your favourite indulgences?
Massages—even the non-fancy ones, a glass of good red wine, and delicious food. I don’t compromise when it comes to what I eat.

5. How has your working life changed since becoming a mom?
I’m far more selective about the work I take on. I don’t travel internationally for fashion weeks anymore, and I rarely attend events. Bea comes first, always. But I do love working and truly believe no one is more efficient than a working mum.

6. What is your morning routine?
I wake early to meditate and have tea with Pic’s Crunchy Peanut Butter on sourdough. Once Bea is up and dressed, she’ll play while I get ready. I eat two boiled eggs on the way to preschool—my husband hates that!

7. Is there a moment or event that radically changed the way you saw the world?
Attending a meditation retreat after a tough year completely shifted my outlook. Through Kelee meditation, I realised my stress and health issues were connected. I learned the art of detachment, and it changed my life.

8. What is one thing you are loving right now?
Laura Brand’s The Joy Journal. It’s full of beautiful sensory and craft play ideas for kids. During isolation, it’s helped me be the mum I always wanted to be.

9. How do you ground yourself in stressful times?
Meditation, intense exercise, and nourishing, calming foods. I eat according to my Ayurvedic type—think daal, curry, or congee. I also find calm walking in nature—our home backs onto a fire trail.

10. What is your biggest fear as a mama?
I try not to parent from fear. But I want to keep evolving so I don’t pass my own unresolved issues onto Bea.

11. What is your favourite photo of your family?
A selfie we took during a backyard picnic on our wedding anniversary. We were a couple when we married, but Bea made us a family.

12. What is in your bag right now?
The usual: Burt’s Bees lip balm, Prescriptives concealer, Aesop sunscreen and hand balm, sunglasses, roasted fava beans, an apple, and my DYLN water bottle. Plus, my iPhone—though I often want to throw it out the car window!

13. What is on your playlist?
In the car, Bea rules—so it’s Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift. When I’m alone, I listen to The Goop Podcast, Russell Brand, Brené Brown, and The High Low with Pandora Sykes and Dolly Alderton.

14. How have your notions of what it means to be a woman changed over your lifetime?
Before marriage and motherhood, I equated womanhood with owning your sexuality. That evolved. Now I believe being a woman means showing strength through vulnerability, and embracing femininity without sacrificing success. I love being a woman—and especially the mother of a girl.

Kelly wears Two Gold & Diamond Letters here 

 Film photography: Bea (4)