Kristen Bailey | The Grit and Grace Project

Remembering September 11: Overcoming Anxiety as an Aircrew

When I first started flying as a flight attendant, I was sent to New York as the last batch of attendants hired as JFK crew. My first day of flying? September 11, 2015. Joining one of the major airlines used during the terror attacks on that fateful day, my first day of work was to be a lesson in the necessary skill of overcoming anxiety as a flight attendant. When faithfulness triumphs over fear, true bravery is born. The flight crews who kept working in the air after those tragic crashes told us something with their lives: We must remain faithful to whatever it is we’re doing, despite our fears, or we might freeze. A Lasting Impact I was a new hire, […]

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Combat Loneliness with Connection—Tips from a Flight Attendant

By Kristen Bailey / Relationships

My first trip to Frankfurt as a flight attendant surprised me, an intrinsically valuable experience that taught me strategies for combatting loneliness both at home and abroad. I’d worked the flight overnight, finding myself in the German city for the first time. The rest of my crew was busy, leaving me alone for the day. This fine day in Europe, I learned that while loneliness is an epidemic in our modern era, it doesn’t have to be. Here are a few tricks I now regularly use no matter where I am in the world. 5 Tips to Avoid Loneliness 1. Talk to people. People are the greatest resource on the planet! I’d already started my “research” on the aircraft crossing the Atlantic.

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When Did Caring for the Earth God Created Become Political?

By Kristen Bailey / Life & Culture

I’ve been obsessed with the oceans and conserving them since the first time I watched “The Little Mermaid.” Paddling out with dolphins and sea turtles just solidified my obsession with the sea. Growing up in a beach town in Florida, I studied environmental journalism. The week of Christmas, I strolled the beaches of Maui near “Pu’u Keka’a” or Black Rock. The islands of Molokai and Lanai slept in the distance with sailboats between us. A few clusters of white coral rolled up toward my feet in the sand. The crowds still hung back from visiting the islands due to the pandemic, leaving most of Maui to myself. There in the greenery that separated the walking path from the shoreline, I saw it.

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newborn baby attached to mother's chest in a blue sling, one of the joys of being a new mom

The Joy Series: The Unexpected Joys of Being A New Mom

By Kristen Bailey / Motherhood, HerStory

I am not going to lie, I did not have motherhood on my life’s radar. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that it wasn’t until a couple of my closest girlfriends, feminists, and boss babes in their own right had their babies that I thought, “Maybe I should have a kid too.” “Should we try to have a kid?” I asked my husband, jokingly. We had no idea how our lives would change by meeting our little boy within the following year, but I can’t deny I was surprised by the joys of being a new mom. It isn’t easy and can be exhausting, but don’t let social media fool you: Being a new mom is not all hard, not all struggling,

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fashionable woman in a dress with a blue coat over her shoulders and sunglasses and a hat embodies the art of dressing for yourself

The New Elements of Style: Dressing for Yourself

By Kristen Bailey / Life & Culture

In today’s fast-paced world, fashion trends come and go at lightning speed. But there’s a shift happening—a growing movement towards sustainability, individuality, and embracing what we already have in our closets. Y2K style is making a comeback with Gen Z, while millennials are sticking to their beloved skinny jeans. Amid these diverse trends, the truth about fashion lies in the power of adapting old elements into something new. The fashion world is evolving, forging new elements of style with the importance of quality basics, the ethical handling of fast fashion, the allure of secondhand shopping, and the empowering essence of dressing for ourselves. The New Elements of Style There is power in quality basics. Timeless and well-made basic pieces are the foundation

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woman sitting on couch breastfeeding her baby

Postpartum Weight Loss While Breastfeeding—Achieving the Impossible

By Kristen Bailey / Motherhood

I thought I’d prepared for every scenario of having a newborn—almost. Enter breastfeeding. There was nothing natural, sweet, or easy about the breastfeeding learning curve I faced. I consoled myself through weeks of clogged ducts, antibiotics for mastitis, and flow worries with two thoughts: my baby’s brain and immune system will benefit from this, and I’ll lose postpartum weight faster burning so many calories. Yet, only one of those assumptions was true! Contrary to all I’d heard and read, I learned quickly breastfeeding doesn’t necessarily make you lose weight. As a mom approaching her baby’s first birthday with a few pounds to go, I’m here with a dose of perspective about the postpartum weight loss journey while breastfeeding. As I navigated the

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A Flight Attendant’s Tips for International Travel with a Baby

By Kristen Bailey / Motherhood

Babies on planes. Just the thought gives child-free folks a headache and parents anxiety—especially those who are bringing their little one on board an aircraft for the first time. Even though I’m a flight attendant, I still felt serious anxiety taking our 4-month-old baby on his first international trip. After three years of border closures, however, my husband and I couldn’t contain ourselves any longer: we had to get to Japan. I’m here to share some tips that’ll help parents take their little one on their first long-haul flight, no matter the destination. How To : International Travel with a Baby 1. Set yourself up for success when packing. I gave myself a minimum of one full day for packing, but started

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Strength Under Fire: 5 Marriage Lessons from a Firefighter’s Wife

By Kristen Bailey / Relationships

Growing up in a military town, I swore I’d never marry a military guy. I didn’t want anyone owning my husband more than I did. Years later, I found myself falling for another type of man, one who runs into fires when everyone else rushes out. There were lots of things I didn’t know before falling for my firefighter, but thinking about it now, the lessons I’ve acquired as a firefighter’s wife are valuable for any marriage. I learned quick that being a “fire wife” wasn’t for the faint of heart. When my new date was called to work the wildland fire in Paradise, California, he told me he’d text me with updates. Five days ticked by with no messages as I

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Choosing to Be Vulnerable Takes Courage—Especially After a Bad Breakup

By Kristen Bailey / Relationships

The sun set behind the golden California hills out windows of the conversion van as I stared out, stunned. He was breaking up with me. We’d traveled across the country from New York to California together, modern day pioneers as “van lifers” going from national park to national park. We’d talked about getting engaged and moved all my belongings into his family’s place while we apartment hunted. Now, his words were as surreal as the sunset itself. Newly Single and Homeless “I need to just do me for a while. I haven’t been selfish enough.” As the minutes and devastation sunk in, I realized I was in trouble far worse than just my broken heart. I was homeless. “Where am I supposed

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Take Your Friendships to Another Level with a Heartfelt Dinner Party

By Kristen Bailey / Life & Culture

My college days centered around food. Cooking with the international students on campus, I forged lifelong friendships and learned recipes for dumplings I’d use well into adulthood. Something about our conversations shared while chopping green onions and brewing hot pots strengthened both our bodies and souls. Adult life seems disconnected, busier, and less social. It’s full of instant meals and quick conversations. Nutrient- and communication-starved. A Loneliness Epidemic Hosting the occasional dinner party could be a simple and elegant way to jumpstart the well-being changes we need, injecting the benefits of close community and good food into our emotional, mental, and relational health. Dinner brings everyone together, encourages them to spend time getting into entrees and entertaining conversation that doesn’t happen anywhere

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My Promise to My Unborn Son

By Kristen Bailey / Motherhood

Hey Buddy, We can’t wait to meet you! Daddy and I are preparing your room, daydreaming of when we can all play in it together. Sitting here in anticipation of what life will look like for us, I wanted to share a little bit about what you can expect when you get out here. While we are going to hike, play with LEGOs, and go to the park by our house all the time, we are also going to make sure that you have openness in your life, Little Guy. Openness means so much to us because it created the life we have today—it even brought Mommy and Daddy together. Daddy’s family moved from Guadalajara to San Francisco before he was born,

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Recognize Your Emotional Triggers So They Don’t Interrupt Your Life

By Kristen Bailey / Life & Culture, Best Of

I never would’ve believed it if I hadn’t experienced it. Our bodies store trauma through associations with dates, places and seasons. For some, the holiday season is their trigger season. Personally, as the weather transitions from summer to fall, even if it’s the furthest thing from my mind, I sense my trauma sneaking up on me in unexpected ways like headaches, negative self-talk, bad moods, lethargy—you name it. But even as these seasons approach, we can find ways not only to survive, but thrive during them. Identify Your Emotional Triggers One of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves in a triggering season is self-awareness. My trauma occurred when my boyfriend took his own life, deeply engraining painful dates into my subconscious,

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New Mom Survival Guide: Boundaries that Will Keep You Sane

By Kristen Bailey / Motherhood

The pregnancy struggle is real. Doctors, books, and apps prepare us for the aches, the weight gain, the stretch marks, but fail to warn us about one of the sneakiest struggles as a new mom, unsolicited advice. “Oh man, you think you’re tired now. Just wait till the baby is born.” “Let me tell you, giving birth was just awful. So, what happened to me was…” “Just wait until….” “You know, you really should…” Well-meaning friends, family, Instagram influencers, and even strangers chime in with advice on how pregnancy and child-rearing should be handled. We mothers are tasked with protecting ourselves and our children from unsolicited advice and comparison, learning to appreciate the good while protecting against the unhealthy. Balance Advice with

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How to Practice Peace When the World Feels Chaotic

By Kristen Bailey / Faith, Best Of

“Deal in reality yet keep the faith,” was the mantra of my pastor in downtown San Francisco during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Everyone suffered through it differently, some more than others. For me, the world seemingly descended into madness. The temptation was fight, flight, or freeze. As a flight attendant deemed “essential worker” amid the throes of 2020, I was forced between faith and fear every time I pinned on my wings. It was a choice between shutting my eyes or keeping them wide open. Finding Footing Amid Chaos As a flight attendant, being on the pandemic “front lines” taught me ways to practice peace. While Jesus was spirit-led in His pursuit of peace, He was also very intentional. In

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Toxic Positivity: Is Your Optimistic Comment Doing More Harm Than Good?

By Kristen Bailey / Faith

Full of pitfalls and different perspectives, there’s nothing like a pandemic to leave us speechless for supportive words. I found myself on the giving end of toxic positivity when my friend lost her business due to the COVID-19 closures in downtown San Francisco. Next, she suffered a massive leg fracture. There were no words as I watched her losing her apartment and struggling to figure out what to do next with her life. Coming over to help her cook dinner, I sprang to clean up the broken glass in the kitchen sink. She told me not to worry about it from her wheelchair. Struggling with her crutches, she came into the kitchen. “Look at you! You’re getting around so well,” I told

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Tools You Need to Find Healing from PTSD

By Kristen Bailey / Life & Culture

*Trigger Warning: This article mentions suicide and self-harm* I am no trained therapist, but I am also no stranger to trauma. A triad of trauma began in my life when I moved overseas as a missionary. Before two years on the field were over, my husband left me. The trauma of divorce. Abroad. Alone. My next boyfriend, a fellow English teacher working with me in Tokyo, struggled with mental illness. I found his body after he committed suicide. I would go on to my own unsuccessful suicide attempt and years of self-harm. My perspective of pain shifted even further when, years later, I was sexually assaulted as a flight attendant in a foreign country. All of this to say, I’m no licensed

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My Dad’s COVID-19 Miracle Reinforced My Faith

By Kristen Bailey / Faith

The weather was perfect, a gentle breeze blowing over Las Vegas on a 70-degree April day. My chiffon and muslin skirts swirled in clouds of white. Just beyond the pillars and waterfalls of the Valley of the Falls at Mandalay Bay stood my soon-to-be new husband waiting at the altar. There was another man I had to see first. My dad, standing just out of sight of the guests, met me and took my arm. Only some of the guests knew every paced step we took up that aisle was a miracle. Was it only this last September when I saw my dad, gray hair, full beard, with shining eyes sealed shut as he lay hooked to a ventilator, fighting for his

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