Her Story: Hilary Kennedy
her |həː, hə| pronoun 1 used as the object of a verb or preposition to refer to a female person: Her heart is beautiful.
Our December EBF Christmas Celebration was incredible last night! Thank you to all the volunteers who helped make it such a special evening! I love looking out into the room and seeing how God is touching hearts and lives through the unique stories brought by our monthly speakers. God does something special in our hearts every single month when we gather together—and that’s exactly why Equipped by Faith exists.
I loved having my friend Hilary Kennedy join us for this holiday gathering. Hilary is beautiful and talented—but above all, she has a heart of gold. She is an Emmy Award winning TV host on Eye Opener and the Four Minute Buzz as well as being a contributing host to The Country Network. She has appeared on Access Hollywood, Extra, The Rachel Ray Show, and has even published her own book, Career Diary of a TV Host: 30 Days on the Job. Outside the TV studio, she is a style blogger, a big UFC fan, a wife, and a new mother to an adorable baby boy.
Hilary shared her heart with us last night and a big portion of the evening was spent talking about motherhood and the challenges she and her husband experienced while trying to get pregnant. This is a subject that is not often talked about and so many women in the room have been impacted by their own miscarriages and infertility issues. More than anything, God reminded us that whatever we desire—whether that be a baby, a family, a husband, a job, a career—we need to put Him first, and He will always take care of the rest.
I had such an incredible time with each of you last night and love Hilary’s heart and story. Read more from Hilary in our Q&A below!
Q&A with Hilary Kennedy
1. What do you think you were put on this earth for? What is your biggest dream?
I think I was put on this earth to be an encourager. Whether it’s encouraging friends during challenging times or encouraging our viewers through stories that offer a bright moment in their day, encouragement is one of the things I feel God put me here to do.
Biggest dream? My biggest dream is to raise a godly son. I’ve been praying for him to love, know, and serve God all the days of his life for years before he even existed! :) I also hope to have a lifelong career in the media/entertainment business as an outward Christian…something not always easy to do.
2. What are some of the obstacles you have had to go through to get to this point?
The business I’m in is highly competitive, and there are standards placed on women that are much harder than the standards placed on men in the business. I’ve worked for some truly difficult and unscrupulous bosses with no regard for honesty, which made standing up for my beliefs a challenge at times. And of course, I’ve made mistakes and taken jobs that I knew didn’t bring God glory, and I’ve had to learn the hard way that not every opportunity is a good one.
3. What motivates or inspires you?
My family definitely motivates me…especially now as a first-time mom! I want my son to be proud of his mother and see Christ at work in our family. My husband is an entrepreneur and much more creative than I am, so he inspires me to think outside the box more often. And I’m motivated by seeing progress in the things I invest my time in—in fitness, in friendships, and in finances!
4. What do you want to be remembered for?
I hope I am remembered by a willingness to take time for others. It’s become more challenging lately with a newborn, but I never want people to look at my life and think I was too busy to spend time doing what mattered…giving of my time, talent, and treasure to other people.
5. What advice would you give other women searching for their purpose, passion, & faith?
Spend time in the word. It doesn’t have to be a 30 minute sit down Bible reading; it can be as easy as looking at the daily scripture on your Bible app first thing in the morning and thinking about that verse throughout the day and asking God to reveal to you what He wants you to learn from it concerning your purpose. Ask for prayer from those you know will really, truly bring your requests before the Lord! And thank Him in advance repeatedly for the things you are believing in Him to do in your life. Just because you don’t see it right now doesn’t mean He isn’t already working behind the scenes to put it in motion!
6. What has been your greatest achievement in life?
I think my greatest achievement in life was helping take care of my grandparents at the end of their lives. It sounds kind of strange to say that, but it was the biggest honor to get to be by their sides as they prepared to go home to meet Jesus. It was the longest, most difficult year of my life, but taught me the most about love, sacrifice, and finishing the race well.
7. How does what you do reflect what God placed on your heart to share with the world?
I spend every morning covering the latest news headlines—and most of them aren’t happy stories. But I love to pepper each broadcast with a little humor, an uplifting story of hope, or highlight someone who did something brave. I believe God put me here to encourage, so if I can add encouragement to the news people need to hear, then I feel I’m doing what He placed on my heart.
8. What books are you reading?
Faith in the Spotlight by Meghan Alexander
Everybody Always by Bob Goff
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara (a book about the Golden State Killer…slightly different from the other two, LOL!)
9. How do you stay encouraged & faith filled?
I love keeping a journal where I write down my prayer requests and then mark down with dates and times which prayers were answered and how they were answered. I look back at these often for reassurance of God’s goodness and to remind me that He will never let me down. I also try to schedule coffee or lunch to learn from other women who are further along in their life and Christian walk. And my husband and I do a devotional and prayer time together every night before bed, even when one of us is out of town. This has really been an amazing practice for our marriage and keeping us filled with faith in God’s abilities to do anything!
10. Favorite scripture of the moment (or ever)?
"Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy." Psalm 126:5
I hope you enjoyed these inspiring and powerful words from Hilary’s heart. I can’t wait to see you after the holidays when we return next month for Equipped by Faith on January 9th with Meshali Mitchell!
XO-
Sabrina
