Hi, I’m Kalyn

MEANT TO BLOG

Welcome to my little slice of the internet! Ever since I can remember, I have always loved writing and photography. As a little girl, my journals were filled to the brim with poems, songs, diary entries, drawings, and photographs created by yours truly. I have always loved adding my creative flair to the world (and my wardrobe). It would come as no surprise that despite struggling through a Biochemistry major in college, I would fall in love with blogging (and what we now call) content creation.

I first started a blog while in college, (an ode to the Blogspot days). It was like a journal I kept to help me get through the long days of analyzing data in science labs, but for the world to see. I loved that I could add photos, and change fonts, to make my own creative masterpiece with every blog post. At the time, blogging was not monetizable, so as I entered the real world, life and my job got in the way. I slowly forgot about my college blog. During the course of that time, I married my husband, and my daughter was born.

In 2017, as my firstborn headed off to preschool and I found myself working from home as a stylist for Stitch Fix, I felt called to get back to my blogging roots. After writing a ten-page dissertation explaining why it was a good idea for me to start a blog, I (lovingly) presented it to my analytical, financial planner, husband, and Style Her Strong was born.

Welcome, friend! I’m so glad you’re here!

Here at Style Her Strong my goal is to welcome and inspire you by sharing my favorite things. I am a true lifestyle blogger who loves to share classic and timeless style for the whole family, (bonus points if everyone coordinates), travel adventures, healthy recipes, home decor, quick workouts, and my honest take on motherhood.

Whether you found yourself here when searching for family photo outfits or the best New England fall destinations, I hope you sit back, browse for a while, and leave feeling inspired! I’m so glad you’re here!

Discover family travel guides, easy fitness tips, beauty favorites, bedroom makeovers, and timeless style for women, kids, and men!

Behind the blog

I like to think of my blog name, Style Her Strong, as a three layer cake.

The first layer, the foundation of Style Her Strong, is my relationship with God. Every day I strive to take one step closer to the woman and mother that God created me to be.

Style Her Strong is inspired by the Bible verses found in Proverbs 31:25-31. These verses remind me of the type of faith I want to have, life I want to lead, and wife and mother I pray to be.

“She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instruction with kindness. She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness. Charm is deceptive and beauty does not last, but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.”

The second layer behind Style Her Strong’s name is inspired by my daughter, Lilly. I want to style HER (Lilly) to be strong. When starting my blog in 2017, Lilly was my only child. Now I am blessed with my son, Lane, as well, so I want to style THEM (to be) strong. My hope for my children is that they grow to be strong in so many ways – strong in their relationship with the Lord, a strong sense of self, physically strong (and healthy), and to have strong leadership. I pray daily that I can also be strong in seeing the direction God is leading their lives as I help guide them to be the amazing people God has created them to be.

The third (and most decorated) layer of my blog’s name is inspired by my love of style, fitness, and adventure. My goal is that you leave here feeling inspired to put together an outfit you may not have thought of otherwise or a workout that you might have been too weary to try on your own. One thing that I have found rings true in my life, is that when I feel my best; whether from the endorphin rush after a great workout, or a pulled together outfit that gives me an extra boost of confidence; I am less worried about myself and able to focus on and give more of my positive time and attention to others, rather than worrying about my own insecurities. I hope when you leave Style Her Strong’s site, you leave with a smile and a bit of inspiration to make the world a more beautiful place. I hope I can help style you to be strong!

Get to Know Me

LOVE TO RUN

Boston-qualified, 6 x marathoner, 8 x half marathoner

COLLEGE IN NORTH CAROLINA

majored in biochemistry & swam D1

MY DAD

was a tennis pro, so I grew up playing all the sports. I still love to play tennis, pickleball, and golf

BORN IN

San Diego, moved outside of Pittsburgh as a little girl

PREVIOUSLY WORKED AS

a stylist for Stitch Fix & a personal trainer (I still teach fitness classes)

MET MY HUSBAND

at the gym, where I worked as a personal trainer

NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD

live in the same small town I grew up in, but I love raising my kids here

HEALTH & FITNESS CERTIFICATIONS

NASM, ACSM Personal Trainer, ACSM Health Fitness Specialist

Meet Our Family

Our family of four lives in a small town just outside of Pittsburgh. The town gives major Stars Hollow (Gilmore Girl) vibes, with a pretty gazebo and quaint shops, especially during Christmastime. We are currently in our fourth year of renovating our home, and it has been so much fun creating spaces that feel true to our family! To no surprise, it’s full of classic blue and white grandmillennial decor.

We also have three furry members that complete our family – Maggie, our Golden Retriever, and Albus and Alastor, two brother kittens!

I believe that the greatest memories in life are the experiences you share with the ones you love. For this reason, I am passionate about traveling as a family.  We take several family trips throughout the year that range from ferrying over to Bald Head Island, North Carolina (a small island off the coast of North Carolina where golf carts and bikes are the only means of transportation), swimming with sea turtles in Maui, shredding fresh powder in Quebec, leaf peeping throughout New England in the fall, or visiting one of our favorite historic hotels for a long weekend getaway.

We also have many special family traditions that we look forward to every year, like apple picking and heading to our favorite pumpkin patches in the fall. I hope my kids remember these traditions fondly as they grow up, and maybe even want to carry them on with their own families one day.

When I am not running my kids around or blogging/creating content, I love to run and lift weights and I still teach several Boot Camp classes a week. I also love to golf and play racquet sports like tennis and pickleball. Most days you can also find me taking our golden retriever, Maggie, for a walk while pushing Lane in his favorite blue push car around our neighborhood.

Now married for over ten years, I met Alex when I was a personal trainer at our local gym. He had just moved to the area from Cleveland, Ohio and I often joke with him that I was only interested in him because he was “the new guy”. Jokes aside, I am so thankful for him and everything he does for our family. He is a financial advisor, and has set our family up in such an amazing way that provides us great peace of mind and the opportunity to create such a beautiful life together. Alex is the best dad, always taking our kids out to ride bikes or to the playground and teaching them new things, like how to shoot a basketball or tie their shoes. He is the most supportive husband and spends part of his weekend helping me shoot content for my job.  He is an avid golfer, and I pray that one day we will be gray-haired living in a cute retirement community with the only worry for the day being the decision of whether to play golf or pickleball together.

Lilly is currently 10 years old and the best big sister. She is so creative and smart. She loves music and currently plays the piano and flute. An excellent swimmer, Lilly’s favorite stroke is the breaststroke. We call her the breaststroke queen! She has also been dancing since she was three! She is quite the cat lady, and you will often find both of our kittens snuggled up with her. We love our artsy athlete who is getting bigger every time I blink! You can also find us in matching outfits, that Lilly often requests to wear!

The comedian of the family just turned 3 years old. He keeps us on our toes and makes us laugh constantly. He loves to make up songs while driving in the car, can name any construction vehicle, and loves making friends. He is so outgoing, thrives in social settings, and has been enjoying his first year of preschool. He also loves playing soccer, riding his bike, his dog, Maggie, and playing with toy cars. He perfectly completes our family of four!