Kelly Mendel

Love Yourself: A Conversation with Kelly Mendel Robert: Kelly, what did “Love Yourself” mean to you when you wrote it on your face? Kelly: I believed then, and I still believe now, that it’s hard to share love and kindness with anyone else if you don’t love yourself first. Kindness and respect matter so much in how we connect with people, but you have to do some work on yourself before you can truly give those things to others. Robert: What was happening in your life when you chose that message? Kelly: I was in my 20s and early in my career as a meeting planner. I had worked in operations, but I was starting to realize event planning was where I was meant to be. Personally, I was dating my now-husband, and life felt good. I was really finding myself and my direction. Robert: Why did you choose to put the message on your face? Kelly: Part of me wanted to go all the way. A lot of people were writing on their arms, and I remember thinking, if I’m going to do this, I want to really do it. I could have written “be kind,” but that felt like a message for everyone else. I wanted the message to be for me. Before I could be kind to other people, I had to love who I was. Robert: What does loving yourself look like for you now? Kelly: It means understanding that I can’t be everything to everyone. I’m also a person who needs attention. That might mean working out, journaling about how I want to show up, making time to read, or playing roller derby. I want my kids to see that I can have hobbies and things that are mine, too. I can’t keep pouring into everyone else if my own cup is empty. Robert: Has the meaning changed as you’ve become a wife, mother, and leader? Kelly: I think it has deepened. Loving yourself isn’t only loving the things you do well. You also have to love yourself through the moments you get wrong. Becoming a wife, a mom, and a leader has taught me that you need compassion and grace for yourself so you can move forward instead of staying stuck in mistakes. Robert: If you had to name what this message means to you today, what word would you choose? Kelly: “Becoming” really resonates with me. To love yourself is to allow yourself to grow and become something else. I still feel like that younger version of me is there, the creativity, curiosity, and desire to find new opportunities. But now I have more experience, responsibility, and confidence. The spark is still there; I just have stronger footing underneath it.