CHEERS! with Avery Woods
Episode: filming our family | kay + tay dudley
Date: September 22, 2025
Host: Avery Woods
Guests: Kay (K) and Taylor (T) Dudley
Episode Overview
In this heartfelt and candid conversation, Avery Woods sits down with popular family content creators Kay and Tay Dudley (aka K&T) to discuss the joys and realities of sharing their family life online. Topics range from their unlikely beginnings in the world of social media, the evolution of their content, navigating parenthood (including blended family dynamics), Kay’s health journey, setting and respecting boundaries with their children’s privacy, and the balance between documenting real life and maintaining authenticity. The episode is packed with relatable stories, laughter, vulnerability, and practical insights for parents and creators alike.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Getting Comfortable in Front of the Camera & Life Updates
- K’s Third Pregnancy: Kay shares her late-pregnancy symptoms (“the waddle is kicking in”) and reflects on differences between her pregnancies, noting her current baby's breech position (03:02).
- Origins of “K and Tay”: The name stems from their nicknames for one another and personal connection (01:57).
2. The Unexpected Shift to Social Media Careers
- Starting Out: Neither had social media experience; they began by doing trends “as a hobby” and made a New Year’s resolution to post daily videos—never expecting a career (04:07).
- On Monetization & Public Perception:
- “I don’t even think I knew how you monetized.” – K (04:34)
- “There is a big misconception...unless you’re doing it, you really don’t know how it works.” – K (04:51)
- Life Change and Opportunities: Kay describes how social media “changed our life, night and day”—for example, allowing her to meet the Backstreet Boys thanks to Tay’s secretive planning (05:19).
3. Authenticity and Content Creation Style
- Choosing Realness Over Performance:
- “We just film our life. That’s all we have time to do.” – T (07:39)
- The most interesting moment of each day is posted, keeping things genuine and current.
4. Relationship Story & Blended Family Dynamics
- How They Met: Met in a bar through mutual friends in a small town; K was 19, T had just returned from deployment in the Air Force (08:08).
- Kay’s Journey as a Single Mom: Balancing multiple jobs and raising her daughter, Kinsley, before meeting Taylor (09:10).
- Step-Parenting:
- “Being a stepparent is a role people just don't understand unless you're in it.” – Avery (10:19)
- Taylor’s unhesitant acceptance of Kay’s daughter is highlighted as unusual for his age (12:03).
- Both couples share emotional first moments blending families, bonding with their stepkids.
5. Navigating Privacy for Their Kids Online
- Balancing Sharing and Protecting:
- Avery and Kay both discuss not showing older children online, emphasizing child safety and mental health (18:09; 18:49).
- “There’s no winning in this industry … you just have to do what you feel comfortable doing as a parent.” – K (24:15)
- Kinsley is entirely uninterested in social media and “deliberately kept off camera” per her wishes and co-parenting agreements (20:23).
- Ellie (the youngest) appears “when it’s natural”—never a requirement for content.
- Community Critique & Double Standards:
- “You don't love them as much” – classic accusation when children are absent from online content (23:35).
- Both Kay and Avery voice that criticism comes whether sharing or not sharing children.
6. Dealing with Online Feedback and Protecting Mental Health
- Comment Practices:
- Neither reads comments much anymore, especially outside their own communities, due to mental health impacts (28:28).
- Immediate blocking of negativity has created a mostly positive space (“I have no tolerance for it. I will block them.” – K, 29:01).
- On Block Culture: Both share no-nonsense approaches to trolls and blocking negativity (29:43, 29:54).
7. Family Life, Parenting, and Content Boundaries
- Future Approach with Kids On Camera: They plan to follow the kids’ leads—if they don’t want to be in videos, they won’t be (31:23).
- Content as a “Daily Documentary”: Tay was inspired by his VHS-dad upbringing: “It’s like a documentary. It’s like home videos.” (33:14)
- Public Misconceptions: People assume children left off-camera are unsupported, when in reality, content captures only a tiny slice of real life (34:45).
8. Health & Personal Insights
- Kay’s Lupus Diagnosis: Diagnosed right before pregnancy, Kay describes symptoms and how her current pregnancy has actually improved her remission (38:59).
- “I feel 10 times better right now than I do when I’m not pregnant.” – K (39:42)
- Postpartum Challenges: Under-discussed realities of pain and postpartum contractions (57:34), tongue and lip ties, and social media as a surprising source of helpful advice.
9. Marriage, Teamwork, and Quality Time
- Romanticizing Everyday Moments: They cherish small moments as dates, given busy parent-life (65:56).
- Work-Life Boundaries: They maintain a strict weekday work schedule and prioritise family time outside those hours (67:29).
- Independence: Each has solo routines (Taylor edits/plays games; Kay spends time with Kinsley/friends), keeping a healthy balance (67:07).
- Sleep Training: Praise for “Taking Cara Babies,” a resource that “changed our life” (68:41).
10. Lighthearted & Personal Rapid Fire
- Who’s Funnier?: K is unanimously voted funnier—T’s humor is more private (71:12).
- Parenting Style: K admits to being stricter, more anxious—the “helicopter” mom—while T tries to co-parent supportively but not authoritatively (72:09).
- Romantic Gestures: T loves gift-giving and is “more romantic” (73:42).
- Night Out vs. Night In: T craves outings (FOMO); K prefers being cozy at home.
- Who cries more at milestones?: K—a self-described crier for all emotions (74:47).
- Favorite Fast Foods: Kay orders a fully loaded bean burrito at Taco Bell (with extra onions, cheese & red sauce—but “not extra beans!”); Taylor prefers grilled cheese steak burritos (75:46-76:09).
- On Reality TV: They’ve been approached but worry about lack of control over portrayal and edit (“If I had rights to determine how I was portrayed, then I’d probably be for it. But it just doesn’t sound appealing.” – K, 77:48).
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “We just film our life. That’s all we have time to do.” – Taylor, on authenticity (07:39)
- “There’s no winning in this industry … you just have to do what you feel comfortable doing as a parent.” – Kay (24:15)
- “It’s like a documentary. It’s like home videos.” – Taylor (33:14)
- “You only see what the camera is pointing at and that’s it … there’s so much going on beyond the lens.” – Kay (32:01)
- “We romanticize any time together we get.” – Kay (66:09)
- On negative online comments: “If you liked a mean comment, I probably blocked you, too.” – Kay (30:08)
- “I would love to be able to just see myself healthy and not feel like crap all the time.” – Kay, on lupus (70:45)
- “I’m not a good helper … Kay’s like, ‘I need you to motivate me.’” – Taylor, on home workouts (50:25)
- On delivery and postpartum: “The contractions after you have the baby. Nobody ever told me … and I was like, this is bad.” – Kay (57:34)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- Pregnancy Experiences & Dynamics: 02:14–03:45, 38:59–41:24
- Social Media Journey & Authenticity: 04:07–08:06
- Blended Family Story/Parenting: 08:08–16:25
- Children’s Privacy Online: 18:09–24:50, 31:23–34:45
- Handling Online Negativity: 28:28–30:33
- Family Channel Philosophy/Daily Life: 33:14–35:15
- Health/Lupus Discussion: 38:59–41:24, 70:28–70:45
- Self-Care & Skin Routine: 60:49–62:16
- Preparation for Baby & Nesting: 62:16–64:15
- Rapid Fire Fun: 71:12–77:48
Tone and Atmosphere
- Conversation is warm, open, and conversational—plenty of humor, mutual support, and shared vulnerability.
- Kay and Tay offer practical, honest takes on real family life that balances career, health struggles, and privacy within a world that expects—and judges—so much.
- Avery’s tone is supportive and empathetic, especially around parenting, blended families, and social media pressures.
Closing
Avery wraps by affirming K & T’s authenticity and positivity, encouraging listeners to follow them (@kayandtay) for more relatable, documentary-style family content, especially on Instagram.
For listeners:
Expect a heartfelt, relatable deep dive into parenting online, mental health, partnership, and the real-world impacts of sharing life on social media—punctuated by laughs, candid admissions, and plenty of real talk.