Kelly Van Nelson: Balancing Act | Sharing Stories Changing Lives
The podcast episode features an interview with Kelly Van Nelson, who adeptly manages multiple roles in her life, including author, poet, executive leader, wife, and mother.
Dive Deeper: The Full Conversation with Kelly Van Nelson
The Core Story
Kelly discusses her upbringing in Newcastle upon Tyne, where she faced challenges but found solace in reading and writing to escape the noise and turmoil of her household. She shares her journey of pursuing her passion for writing, eventually publishing seven books with themes centered around socioeconomics and the realities of life.
Kelly also talks about her corporate career, which she pursued after leaving Newcastle for London, and how she has climbed the ladder to become a senior executive in a global firm. Despite the demands of her career, Kelly prioritizes her family, emphasizing the importance of blending all aspects of her life and embracing her authentic self.
The conversation delves into Kelly's strategies for managing her time, maintaining creativity amidst her demanding schedule, and finding inspiration in everyday life. She emphasizes the importance of breaking down barriers between different aspects of life and allowing them to merge, leading to a more balanced and fulfilling existence.
Additionally, Kelly discusses her TED talk titled "Abandoned Superwoman on Krypton," which explores the challenges of balancing motherhood, writing, and corporate life. She reflects on the importance of support from her family and the trust they have built over their many years of marriage.
Overall, Kelly's story highlights the power of resilience, creativity, and authenticity in navigating the complexities of modern life.
Time-Stamped Breakthrough Moments
[00:06:15] – The Council Estate Roots: How the "gritty underbelly" of Newcastle became the primary fuel for Kelly's social commentary and poetry.
[00:14:30] – Dropping the Walls: The life-changing advice from a business coach that helped Kelly merge "Corporate Kelly," "Poet Kelly," and "Mum Kelly" into one authentic self.
[00:22:10] – Abandoned Superwoman: Kelly discusses her TED Talk and the pressure of performing poetry on a global stage during a pandemic.
[00:29:45] – Finding Beauty in Bin Alleys: Why Kelly finds more inspiration in chewing gum cracks and crumbling walls than in polished landscapes.
[00:35:50] – Time Management (Eat the Frog): Kelly shares her 45-minute meeting rule and a clever poem about tackling your hardest task first.
[00:44:15] – Graffiti Lane: The story of the poetry book that ended up in Robert De Niro’s swag bag and hit number one on the charts.
Full Episode Transcript
Acknowledgement of Country
I would like to acknowledge the Guringai people and pay my respects to Elders past and present.
The Guringai people are the traditional owners of the land where we meet today.
Episode Opening
Navigating the worlds of creativity, leadership and family isn’t always easy.
But my guest today — Kelly Van Nelson — seems to walk that high wire with equal parts grit, grace and Geordie determination.
Kelly is an award-winning author, poet, executive leader, wife and mother.
We’ll talk about her early years growing up in a council flat in Newcastle upon Tyne, leaving home as a teenager, and carving out a life that looks nothing like the one she was handed.
She’ll share how she manages intense workloads, keeps creativity alive in the middle of chaos, and finds inspiration in the most unexpected places. And yes — there have been challenges, setbacks and lessons that shaped her into the powerhouse she is today.
Get ready as we unravel Kelly’s secret to the ultimate balancing act — and explore the art of juggling a life packed with purpose.
Podcast Intro
Welcome to Sharing Stories, Changing Lives.
The host, Karen Sander, has the privilege of interviewing individuals from all walks of life, each with their own powerful and inspiring stories.
The guests share their life experiences and, in doing so, celebrate the transformative magic of storytelling.
To learn more, visit www.storyroomglobal.com and explore the private membership area, The Backstage Pass.
Conversation Begins
Karen:
Welcome, Kelly, to Sharing Stories, Changing Lives.
Kelly:
Hi Karen — good to talk to you.
Karen:
It’s great to have you here. I know you’re in the UK working at the moment and I’m back here in Australia, but it felt like the perfect chance to get you online.
Let’s start at the beginning. You were born in Newcastle upon Tyne. What were those early years like — and what prompted you, as a teenager, to move on?
Kelly’s Early Life
Kelly:
Yeah, I was born and raised in Newcastle — lived there until I was about 17 or 18. I grew up in a council estate. My mum remarried, and we had a pretty challenging household… and school wasn’t much easier.
The high school I went to was in the lowest five percent of socio-economic demographics in the UK. Eventually it got shut down. There were always dramas, always noise — both at home and at school. But I had good friends, my sister’s still there, and I love visiting.
But childhood? I’d definitely prefix it with the word “challenging.”
Resilience & Survival
Karen:
And did that experience — growing up in that environment — shape you?
Kelly:
Absolutely.
I was an insomniac because the house was so chaotic. There were always rows, noise, tension. So I’d block it out by reading under the duvet with a torch until two or three in the morning. And I’d write.
That little tent under the doona became my escape hatch — my world.
I learned how to block out chaos and laser-focus. And honestly, that’s my superpower today.
I carried that resilience straight into adulthood. I can focus in environments that would drive most people mad.
Karen:
That is a superpower! I wish I could bottle that — my brain is like a pinball machine on a caffeine overdose. But what you’re describing is genuinely incredible.
The Making of a Writer
Karen:
Now — your background is huge. Writer, poet, author, executive leader, wife, mother. Can you walk us through that path?
Kelly:
Yeah, it’s a lot when you list it like that!
Writing came first. My two best school friends will tell you — at 13, I said, “One day, I’m going to write a book.”
It came from reading and loving words. I never doubted I’d do it.
I wrote through my teens, got serious in my 20s, and eventually got a poem published in a UK anthology — about mining, actually. That was my first break.
From there:
poems
short stories
full-length fiction
social commentary
raw, gritty slice-of-life pieces
Seven books later, here we are.
The Corporate Climb
Kelly:
Corporate life came not long after. I left Newcastle because I wanted more. I knew I wouldn’t stay — I could see exactly what life would look like if I did.
So I bought a one-way ticket to London, worked full-time, put myself through night school, and slowly climbed the corporate ladder.
I’m now a senior executive in a global firm, currently on secondment in the UK working in the defence industry.
And then of course — the final piece — I’m a mum of two brilliant young adults, and I’ve been married 27… maybe 28 years now!
Hardship as Fuel for Writing
Karen:
You’ve got so much fodder from your early life and everything you juggle now. I often think the best writers come from hardship — not always, but often.
Kelly:
Yeah. My writing has always been about socioeconomics, underdogs, the gritty underbelly of life. That comes directly from where I grew up.
Kelly’s TED Talk
Karen:
I want to mention your TED Talk — because it’s all about juggling your worlds. Can you share the title?
Kelly:
Sure. It’s called “Abandoned Superwoman on Krypton.”
I delivered it during the height of COVID — it was meant to be on stage, but got pushed into a livestream at the last minute. It’s a 12-minute slam-style TED Talk blending motherhood, poetry and corporate leadership into one authentic self.
It’s online on TED if anyone wants to watch.
Karen:
It’s brilliant. To perform poetry at TED length is huge — and you do it flawlessly.
Keeping Creativity Alive
Karen:
Creativity often has to sit on the bench while life happens. How do you maintain yours?
Kelly:
It took me years — but I learned to stop compartmentalising.
I used to have three identities:
corporate Kelly
poet Kelly
mum Kelly
Separate worlds.
A business coach told me: drop the walls. Let it all merge. Be one person.
It felt uncomfortable at first — but once I embraced it, everything got easier. I don’t hide my creative side at work anymore. And creativity has become a pressure valve — a way to decompress from complex corporate environments.
Family, Distance & Trust
Karen:
And your family plays a huge role in holding everything together.
Kelly:
Totally.
My husband is unbelievable — supportive, capable, grounded. He steps in when I’m away. And we’ve always had a relationship built on trust.
We’ve had times when he was the one travelling — FIFO in mining, fire brigade night shifts — and times when I’m away, like now. We balance each other.
We raised our kids to aim high, value independence, and believe in themselves.
A Poem — “The Edge”
Karen:
Kelly, can you share a poem with us?
Kelly:
Here’s a short one — The Edge.
(Poem remains as written — beautifully delivered.)
Inner Validation
Karen:
So many people look outside themselves for validation — but what you’re describing is inner grounding, inner truth.
Kelly:
Exactly.
You have to find peace in yourself. When you do that — it spills into your family, your work, your life. Happiness is contagious.
Childhood Patterns & Breaking Cycles
Karen:
If you grow up in chaos, you often recreate chaos. But you walked away from that and created something different.
Kelly:
Yes. I loved Newcastle, but I left the parts that weren’t healthy. I walked away with no regrets. If I’d stayed, I’d be someone else entirely.
Finding Beauty in the Unexpected
Karen:
Tell me about inspiration — you find it in odd places, don’t you?
Kelly:
Constantly.
Fluorescent lights. Chewing gum in pavement cracks. A crumbling wall. A side alley full of bins.
I love the overlooked. The raw. The unpolished.
The underbelly of life — that’s where my creativity lives.
Time Management — Eat the Frog
Karen:
Any time-management tips?
Kelly:
Tons — but here are the big ones:
1. Breaks between meetings
45-minute meetings, 15-minute buffers.
People get more concise — and you breathe.
2. Eat the frog
Do the worst task first.
I even wrote a little poem about it!
(Her “Eat the Frog” poem is included exactly as she recited it.)
3. One baby step a day
Toward your dream, your book, your goal.
4. Live with ambiguity
Let the unexpected be okay. Life throws curveballs.
Another Poem — “Don’t Look Back”
(Kelly recites the poem exactly as written — powerful, gritty, brilliant.)
Graffiti Lane — The Book That Exploded
Karen:
Your first poetry book has a great name.
Kelly:
Graffiti Lane.
It exploded — number one bestseller, ended up in Hollywood swag bags, on Robert De Niro’s bedside table, handed personally to John Travolta — wild stuff.
Where to Find Kelly
Kelly:
My website — www.kellyvannelson.com — has links to my books, TED Talk, social justice work, poetry… all of it.
Just not the defence work! That stays off the internet forever.
Dinner With Anyone?
Karen:
If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be?
Kelly:
Dame Stella Rimington — former Director of MI5. I had dinner with her once and would love to again. She taught me you can be a mum and have a big, demanding career. She was extraordinary.
Closing Reflections
Karen:
Kelly, you absolutely amaze me. You’re strong, kind, brilliant — and I love your family. I’m so grateful our paths crossed. Enjoy the last stretch of your UK secondment — and let’s book that dinner when you’re home.
Kelly:
Thank you, Karen. Can’t wait.
Episode Close
Wow — what an insight into the extraordinary balancing act of Kelly Van Nelson.
From her roots in Newcastle to her global executive role, her creative life, and her deep family values — Kelly’s journey is a masterclass in resilience and authenticity.
Reflect on the wisdom shared today, and head to the link in the description to tell us your thoughts.
Until next time — keep balancing, keep creating, and keep listening.
Cheers.
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