When you think of transparency, strength, and greatness, of someone who truly wears their heart on their sleeve throughout every step of the way, you might think of the badass woman that is Kellie Gerardi. And if you don’t, well, you should. Not only is she one of the first 100 women in space, but the astronaut’s transparency about her fertility struggles has made her a pillar of hope and bravery for women going through their own fertility journeys. She’s been open about everything from her IVF to raising her 7-year-old daughter, Delta V, and going on so many adventures both on Earth and in orbit.
Related story
Angela Bassett on The Truth About RSV & Parenting Adults: 'Encourage Them to Be Part of the Conversation' (Exclusive)
Her latest adventure? Joining Royal Caribbean as godmother of its brand new ship — fittingly called Star of the Seas! Gerardi may have partaken in the longstanding tradition of blessing the ship and all its crew and patrons, but she blessed SheKnows with an exclusive chat! In speaking with her, it’s clear that what you see online is exactly who she is: hopeful, inspiring, and full of smiles. She isn’t afraid to show life’s realities — both ups and downs — to her many fans. The icon spoke on all things Star of the Seas, how she continues to be so open on social media, her IVF journey (and new pregnancy!), and more.
SheKnows: It’s so wonderful to meet you. How are you?
Kellie Gerardi: Likewise! I am fantastic. I was just telling someone my cheeks hurt from smiling, and it just feels very special to be here today. So I’m having an incredible day.
SK: Can you tell me a bit about how you ended up becoming the Godmother of the Star of the Seas?
Gerardi: I have to say this past week has probably been one of the best weeks of my life, and I mean that truly. About a week ago, I got the call from Royal, specifically a FaceTime from Michael Bailey, the CEO of Royal Caribbean, and it was just such an immense honor. I was shocked by the ability to have this opportunity and to be a part of something so special. I did feel like it was a little bit of kismet in timing because it coincided with the same day that I received that incredible opportunity. I also found out after a very long and difficult secondary infertility and IVF journey that I’m pregnant and about five weeks along with the newest member of our family. Hopefully, all goes well. So it just felt like everything coming together in such a special way, and, I’ve just been on cloud nine for the last few days.
SK: How are you feeling?
Gerardi: So far, so good! I’m feeling surprisingly energetic, no sign of morning sickness of any type, which is great. I’ll take that all day long, especially at sea! I’ve been feeling fantastic that the team here has been just so wonderful, and I am getting chills just getting ready for the naming ceremony tonight and watching some of the rehearsals. It’s really hitting home that I get to be a part of something so special today.
SK: That’s amazing! What gave you the courage to share such personal parts of your life online?
Gerardi: Undergoing IVF especially, but on the heels of nearly eight years of secondary infertility and having experienced all aspects of the spectrum, often either keeping something completely private and navigating that just by myself in isolation, or another time, sharing that early and having to “unannounce” after a pregnancy loss. I feel like I have tried every angle of either being very transparent or very private. For me, it just felt right at this point in my life to share very transparently what the giant thousand-pound elephant was that was in my life, especially on the heels of a space flight, and having such a large platform.
Gerardi: I feel very grateful that I’ve been met with so much compassion and support. I think this is so often a journey that women navigate in isolation, and it’s one that can be very physically, emotionally, and often financially such a burden. It’s something that I feel like I’ve been able to benefit from such a wonderful and supportive community around that has created a space for me to be very open, very vulnerable, very transparent, and in turn, be met with compassion and grace and empathy, and not only towards me, but towards each other. I think that, to me, has been the most special part. So often on the Internet, you know, it can be rare to see universally-positive comments. And so it’s not something I’ll ever take for granted.
SK: Something I feel like people forget is that you can feel both the good and bad emotions at once. How do you remind yourself to honor both the joy and the pain without minimizing either?
Gerardi: I don’t know that I’ve found the perfect recipe for it. But I try to give myself a lot of grace, I think. There are days when my mindset is just stuck on, ‘It’s not fair. This is not supposed to be where I am right now. This was supposed to have happened years ago or months ago. It just wasn’t the way it was supposed to go.’ And then I have to reset my mindset and kind of recenter myself in gratitude, in optimism, reminding myself how grateful I am for all of the things that are currently in my life, the family that I have and the things that I still have to look forward to. Just tapping back into that resilience. I have a vision for my life that I’ve always had, and I have a goal for the family that I believe is waiting for me. So when I don’t reach my goal and when obstacles happen, I’m not changing the goal; I’m changing the protocol. I refuse to believe that any of those dreams that I have are not meant for me. It’s just not necessarily in the time that I expected.
SK: I love that. That’s a beautiful reminder for a lot of people.
Gerardi: Aw. Thank you!
SK: I’ve seen videos of you and your daughter conducting experiments. How do you nurture her curiosity? And do you have tips for other parents trying to nurture their children’s curiosity?
Gerardi: I have to say, 7 has been such a fun age. I say that about every age. I’ve never been heavy-handed with trying to force a love of space or science on her. I do try to meet her where she’s at and just understand what her natural curiosities are. What does she have questions about? What excites her? What gets her imagination turning? Then I try to nurture that, fuel that, and let that keep building and compounding. It really melts my heart when we’re able to have those moments where suddenly she’ll ask a question. She’ll be like, ‘I wonder what would happen if x-y-z,’ and I’m able to say, ‘You’re right. That’s an excellent question. Let’s find out!’ And we can do that together. So that’s been a fun way to share my love of science and space with her in a way that feels very organic to her interests.”
From space flights to ship christenings, from science experiments with her daughter to sharing the raw truths of infertility, Kellie Gerardi embodies what it means to live with equal parts courage and joy. She reminds us that adventure and bravery don’t come without vulnerability, and that being open about the hardest parts of life can be just as inspiring as the highlight reel. Whether she’s in orbit or at sea, she’s blazing a trail for women everywhere — and showing us that maybe the sky isn’t the limit, after all.
Before you go, check out these celebrity parents who welcomed rainbow babies after experiencing pregnancy loss.
More Stories from Parenting
