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Steph Claire Smith on the Beautiful Chaos of Motherhood
The KIC co-founder shares the Melbourne rituals, family favourites and tiny reset moments shaping life with Harvey, Billie and the brand’s new Cremorne studio.
Steph Claire Smith is not asking for much this Mother’s Day, which may be the most mother thing about it. Harvey turns five on the day itself, Billie is nearly one, and somewhere between birthday candles, baby cuddles and the first coffee of the morning, she is hoping for a small miracle: a slow start, coffee in bed, the kids close by, a cup of tea with her own mum and, if the day allows, an afternoon class at KICStudio.
“It’s the perfect little escape,” she says.
Nothing too grand. Nothing too glossy. Just the version of Mother’s Day that makes sense when life is full, the laundry is never finished and a few hours to yourself can feel more luxurious than a weekend away.
Right now, Steph is parenting two very different little people at very different stages. Billie is in that almost-one stage where everything she does feels charming, even when it is objectively not helpful. Harvey is nearly five, which means big feelings, bigger questions and plenty of moments that require Steph to take a breath before responding.
“Billie’s at an age where she can do no wrong,” Steph says. “Who can be angry at a baby? But Harvey’s at an age where there is a lot of direction and correction constantly happening, and I’m trying to be really mindful of ensuring he doesn’t feel like the more ‘difficult’ one or that we favour Billie in any way.”
That is what makes her feel so relatable. Not because she has it all sorted, but because she is paying attention. She is in it, right there in the daily tangle of it, trying to notice what each child needs while making sure one does not feel overshadowed by the other.
She has recently pulled breastfeeding back to mornings only, after “nine months of Billie refusing the bottle,” and wonders if that played into Harvey feeling as though Billie was getting more of her.
“We’ll see if anything switches,” she says. “But back to your question, it’s a beautiful, overwhelming, magical, chaotic time.”
The good parts still knock her sideways. Watching Billie look at Harvey, for one.
“It absolutely melts my heart,” she says.
Steph has spent years as one of Australia’s most recognisable wellness figures, first as a model and creator, then as co-founder of KIC with Laura Henshaw. The brand has always pushed for a more human relationship with movement, away from punishment and comparison, and toward something that leaves you less at war with yourself. But motherhood has changed the stakes for Steph.
“Before becoming a mum, I used movement as a way to find mental clarity and give me energy,” she says. “I’d prioritise my wellbeing as a way of showing up for myself. Now, it’s so much more than that. Moving my body is what helps me show up for my kids. It’s my way of resetting, so I can be present and patient, which is something I’m working really hard on.”
That is where KICStudio, which opened in Cremorne in April, starts to feel less like a brand extension and more like a response to the reality of her life now. The mirror-free space is built around somatic movement, breathwork and classes designed to work with the nervous system rather than against it, but for Steph, the point is simpler: it gives her somewhere to put the noise down.
At the start of each week, she books her classes in as non-negotiables. It sounds disciplined, yes, but it is also practical in the way mothers understand immediately. If the time is not claimed early, the week will take it.
“Our classes are grounded in somatic movement, so they’re designed to work with your nervous system, not against it,” she says. “The energy shift is absolutely surreal. It leaves me feeling grounded and recharged. I truly believe it helps me show up as a better mum.”
Work has changed too, although Steph’s glass-half-full instinct is still there.
“I feel like I can tackle almost anything,” she says. “The most important thing in life is our health and our baby’s health. If they’re okay, I’m okay. Haha.”
There is a full-circle feeling to this new chapter. Steph and Laura built KIC around a kinder approach to wellbeing. Now both are moving through motherhood themselves, with Laura recently welcoming her first baby, Atlas. What once felt like a philosophy now has the texture of lived experience, shaped by broken sleep, feeds, work calls, snack negotiations and daycare drop-offs.
Steph’s own rituals are refreshingly real. Right now, she loves drawing and colouring in with Harvey, a small pocket of side-by-side connection that opens the door to a shared focus and a little time that feels entirely theirs.
“I’m such a creative, so it’s special to share this passion with him,” she says. “It encourages me to put down my phone, be fully present, and enjoy the genuine chats we have while we’re sitting there drawing.”
She is convinced he will be an artist. “He’s actually so talented,” she says, with full mum conviction.
The flip side is one of Steph’s best admissions. She is not as into play as she thought she would be.
“I always had such an imagination as a kid myself, and I love so many childish, nostalgic things still as an adult,” she says. “I thought I’d get lost in play for hours. But unless it’s something that I also enjoy, like colouring in, for example, my mind gets over it so quickly and I struggle to stay present.”
Plenty of parents will recognise that one immediately. You can adore your children and still find pretend play exhausting. You can be devoted and still need 45 minutes where nobody asks you to be a dinosaur, a doctor, a customer or the keeper of snacks.
From the outside, Steph’s world could read as wellness empire, studio launch, family life and all the clean lines that come with it. Her actual Mother’s Day wish list is disarmingly ordinary: coffee before chaos, a few minutes to move her body, time with her mum and two small people who rearrange the whole day before it has even begun. Nothing elaborate, just the rarest gift of all: a little time where nobody needs her first.
Steph Claire Smith’s Melbourne Motherhood Map
For the places, rituals and local haunts shaping Steph’s Melbourne motherhood chapter, here’s her city map.
Coffee order: An almond cappuccino from Baker Bleu, her go-to near KICStudio and KIC HQ. She is off dairy while breastfeeding Billie, but the order is holding strong.
The double shout-out: Baker Bleu again. According to Steph, it is “honestly that good.” The Hawaiian pizza also gets a very enthusiastic mention.
Where she takes the kids: MoPA in Nunawading, which Steph describes as a “bougie play centre” that is not too loud or overstimulating. Harvey loves the crafty activities, and there is a soft-play area for Billie too.
Family dinner fallback: Grill’d, because some nights the best family dinner is simply the one everyone will eat.
Her reset spot: KICStudio in Cremorne, where Steph books her classes at the start of each week and treats them as non-negotiable.
At-home unwind: An infrared sauna in the backyard, sometimes with a book, sometimes with a KIC meditation, sometimes with music and a few rare minutes to switch off.
Favourite family walk: Along the river in Warrandyte, where Steph has family. It is beautiful, easygoing and comes with an excellent playground nearby.
For more Mother’s Day inspiration, browse our edit of thoughtful gift ideas, then treat her to a well-earned reset at one of Melbourne’s best wellness spaces.
