How old are your kids and how long have you lived in Westport? We have lived in Westport for eight years now and my kids are 14 and 17.
What has been the most difficult age with your children to date? What helped you overcome the challenges at that time? I think every age comes with its own set of challenges – but the bigger the kids get, the more real it all becomes. I’m pretty happy to have the Middle School years behind us. These years are tough for kids to navigate and it’s challenging for parents to step back and not referee the day to day. As a mom you inherently want to step in and make everything is OK, yet foster a sense of independence and resilience for your kids. What helped me? My psychologist mother-in-law and a close group of friends who were honest and could relate.
What is your favorite family activity to do in Westport or the surrounding towns? Late night DQ runs.
What was your most memorable family vacation and why? Traveling to Israel with 20 family members for my son’s bar mitzvah was a once in a lifetime experience. We couldn’t have chosen a more meaningful way to honor this milestone. The trip was extra special as my brother lives in Israel with his four kids so it was a real joy to watch my kids get to spend time with their cousins and soak in their culture. Family is everything to us.
What is the best white lie you have told your kids? I don’t know, maybe my SAT score?
What is your proudest mommy moment? To be perfectly honest- my proudest moment as a mom was my decision to downsize my business in NYC and transition my time to working more from Westport. These years are precious and they fly by way too quickly, so spending as much time as I possibly could with my kids while still maintaining my career was my goal. Someone once told me to never give up my career as it’s really hard to get your foot back in the door later in life. While my priority has always been my children, it’s very hard when you have a thriving business and a staff who depend on you to have the guts to change directions. My decision to work more remotely from Westport enabled me to not miss out on the little moments. I’m just so glad I did this at an age where the kids really needed me and felt my presence at home. And I also feel incredibly grateful that I didn’t have to give up my career altogether in order to have more flexibility with my children.
What’s your favorite app right now- for you- and for your kids? Hands down, Instagram! I live, love, swear by it, like a millennial. I’m a very visual person so I love the inspiration (and distraction) this provides me throughout the day. I really love how you can connect to so many cool ideas, people, places and things going on all over the world (all while standing on line at the grocery store!)
As for my my kids- these days it’s Uber!
What’s your can’t live without beauty product? Much to my daughter’s dismay, I am really not a beauty junkie. It’s a good day if I put on a little mascara and concealer. However, the one thing I am religious about is my scent- I love my Amber oil which I get at Whole Foods (it’s a steal at $17). It’s clean, light and a little bohemian. But when I want some real beauty inspiration, I log onto to daughter’s blog: www.coatoflove.com as she’s always up on the trends.
What’s your favorite restaurant for a family dinner? A night out with friends? These days a night out to eat with our kids is similar to a night out with friends. Thankfully we have raised two foodies – and our kids are now at an age where they appreciate a good meal. However, this also has its downside when Uber Eats shows up at the house for them with dinner from The Pearl! Our favorites, all in heavy rotation are Jesup Hall, The Whelk, Kawa Ni, Bodega and The Spread.
What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you? I can hold my own with anyone on the ping pong table.
If you weren’t doing what you are today, what do you think your career path might have been? I love to bake and used to dream about owning a chic little bakery selling gourmet donut holes in tons of fun flavors and fillings- someone should take this idea and run with it- I’ll do the PR!
What is your most marked characteristic? Probably my creativity, but I hope people would say that I’m down to earth.
What is your greatest regret? Having to miss my Senior prom (that I planned and organized) due to an unfortunate Peach Schnapps incident at my best friend’s pre-prom party.
What is one piece of advice you would pass along to other moms? Trust your maternal instinct- it’s usually right. When you feel something in your gut – go with it! Moms really do know best. And get a psychic. I swear by mine.
How did you end up where you are now in terms of your job, or whatever passion project it is you might be doing?
Twenty years ago I started a fashion and lifestyle PR firm in the city called Keri Levitt Communications (www.kerilevittcommunications.com). We have worked with everyone from Ralph Lauren to Fendi and have launched numerous brands- including Uppa Baby for all the new moms out there! The focus throughout my entire career has always been in making people and brands shine through creative marketing solutions. My passion has always been on the creative side and working with companies to help bring their brand to life in the most dynamic way possible. The world of media has changed significantly over the past several years with the influx of social media and while we are entrenched in the world of new media, we are really excited to spread our wings and to begin a new division of the agency that is focused on event design, planning and production.
I am an entertainer at heart- whether it’s my child’s 4th rainbow themed birthday party, a holiday dinner for 30 or Kim Kardashian’s wedding celebration. With the debut of Keri Levitt Events, our goal is to bring our love and expertise of branding, design and production together with our creative flair for elevating everyday entertaining. There is nothing more important than celebrating special milestones surrounded by those you love, and if I can help people design and create these beautiful moments than that just feels incredibly right and rewarding for where I am in my life right now.
For more information and to see a little snapshot of who we are and what we do, check out www.kerilevittevents.com and stalk us on Instagram @kerilevittevents and @kerilevitt
