If you're a parent, there's a good chance you can relate to Kristina Kuzmic. From poking fun of dealing with demanding toddlers to being sarcastic over the issue of moms breastfeeding in public, Kuzmic brings humor to the ups and downs of parenthood.
Kuzmic, a well-known video comedian and motivational speaker, is expected to speak Friday at an event in Tacoma.
"It's all inspired by real life. I think that's why people can relate," said Kuzmic. "The point of the funny videos is to make people feel less alone. It's not just to make you laugh; it's to make you go, you think your kid is weird? All kids are weird. You don't love motherhood every single day? That's normal. That doesn't make you a bad mom. That doesn't make you ungrateful. It would be weird if you liked every single moment, because some of it is hard and disgusting."
When she went through a divorce and became a single mom, Kuzmic started making cooking videos and quickly realized she wasn't feeling authentic in those videos, because everything had to be perfect. That's when she started making videos about parenting, and actor Ashton Kutcher shared one of her videos and quickly became popular. She now has 2 million followers on Facebook.
Kuzmic built an internet following not just for her humor, but because of her vulnerability by sharing her struggles of being divorced with two kids and feeling inadequate as a mother.
"When I was broke and depressed and my kids were little, they were two and three, I actually had a list of pros and cons of how my suicide would affect my children. I actually cringe to think that there were things on the pros list, because I was so convinced that I was such a piece of crap that my kids would deserve better. My kids would be better off if I was gone," said Kuzmic.
Kuzmic got through the dark times to become the source of encouragement to so many people. As she travels across the country on "The Hope and Humor Tour," she's hearing the impact that she's had on people, including a woman who said Kuzmic's videos saved her life.
"She went into detail and told me she had written her children goodbye notes after she dropped them off at school, and she headed to this bridge. She had a text ready to send. All she had to do was copy and paste it, and she turned on her phone. And as she turned on her phone, her Facebook page was on, and it was one of my videos, and she watched it. She said, ‘I walked off the bridge,’ and said she would never get to that place again. To hear that, it's overwhelming for me," said Kuzmic.
Kuzmic has remarried, and a few years ago, she welcomed a new baby to her family.
"Back when I was struggling, I was the girl everybody pitied. And to go from the girl everybody pitied to the girl that people now look to for hope and encouragement is mind boggling to me. It's insane," said Kuzmic.
But she reminds people her life is far from perfect.
"Social media has caused us to all want to paint our life as perfect and show the highlights. Share your story. Share your mess, because there's beauty in that mess, and there's healing in that mess, and people need to know it," said Kuzmic.
And just like the videos that she shares online, her live show is filled with nuggets of wisdom, encouragement and reminders that parents should give themselves more grace.
"It's not just a comedy show,” said Kuzmic. “There's a lot of comedy in it, but I thought if people are going to take the time to buy tickets and come see me, I want to leave them feeling better. I don't want to leave them with just entertainment. I want to leave them feeling stronger, braver and more confident to face whatever life or parenting throws their way."