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Interview With Fox News Contributor – Kim Keller

Kim Keller from Roadkill Goldfish goes to battle for our kids! She is an activist who uses her connections & talents to equip & educate the public. Read on!

This past year when I spoke at a high school, it caught major media attention. A booking agent and close friend connected me with social media expert Kim Keller from Dallas, Texas to help keep the momentum going. With over 20 years of experience as a public relations professional, reporter, writer and even a cancer survivor, Kim is a major go-getter and has become a close friend. You may have seen her on Fox News, Good Morning America, the Blaze, or the Dallas Morning News just to name a few. You will love her wisdom, whit and expertise on how parents can protect their kids in today’s digital world.

 

Kim, how did your blog start?

Several of my friends encouraged me to write a blog that shared funny stories about my life and perceptions. Plus, blogging was cheaper than psychotherapy, so I figured, why not? My lifetime career fantasy has always been to be either an investigative journalist or writer for Saturday Night Live, but I really didn’t want to deal with death threats or late nights in a television studio. The blog let me do a little bit of both without the risks.

 

Hilarious Kim!  How did your blog go viral?

kim keller

Image: Instagram

I had been writing for only four months, and then God announced he had other plans for the blog. I was pretty disgusted by Miley Cyrus’ raunchy performance during MTV’s Video Music Awards, and I wrote a post based on a conversation I had with my daughter. The post was a message that girls don’t have to act like the Mileys of the world to get attention or be seen as valuable, and it was a tongue-in-cheek apology for being my kid’s mom, not friend.

The post had more than 2 million views within the first 36 hours, and within in a week, it had been read by more than 4.1 million people around the world. It struck a chord and hit a nerve. Hundreds of parents from across the globe thanked me for taking a stand, and haters made some really nasty comments and threatened me for speaking out against culture’s efforts to hyper sexualize our children.

 

I can relate Kim.  Hang in there!  How did you handle the public feedback?

The media frenzy lasted about two weeks. The negative response was awful because much of it became very personal and threatening, and some of the media outlets that covered the story were a bit patronizing. I wanted to run and hide, but a friend reminded me of when God told Moses the Israelites would win the battle as long as Moses held his hands in the air. Moses got tired, his arms started sagging, and things didn’t go so well on the battlefield. However, Moses’ friends stood beside him and propped his arms up for him. I had lots of people “propping me up” through prayer as I did media appearances defending the message behind my article.

The opposition likes to bark loudly, show their teeth and lunge like rabid wolves at those who disagree with them; however, I discovered they were just a bunch of whiny Chihuahuas pulling on a short leash. Hooray, God!

 

You’re so right!  How did all this turn into a ministry?

I spoke about my experience at church a few weeks later, and after my presentation, a woman thanked me for my ministry. I never considered my blog or speaking out to be a ministry, but God sure did. Since then, it’s been my mission to teach parents and their kids about the impact today’s culture has on our communities and give them the tools and courage they need to change it. It’s reflected in all my blog content and in my speeches.

 

What makes your messages unique?

God gave me a very diverse life experience. I spent half of my life without Jesus, doing and believing all the stuff that goes along with that worldview, and I spent the other half with Him. I gotta tell you, the second half has been much better. I think the experience of having lived in both worlds helps me connect with more people.

The professional stuff has been helpful; I’ve been a news reporter, media spokesperson, college instructor and local actor. But I think my messages are most shaped by my role as a mom. My husband and I have a teenage daughter and tween son, so we’re in the trenches with every other parent who’s fighting to raise well-balanced and Godly kids. We’re definitely not perfect parents, and we’ve made our share of mistakes, but we keep going.

 

What upcoming projects are you working on to build your platform and reach more people with this message?

I still post once or twice a week, but I’m branching out into more public speaking because I feel that conversations are much more effective than anything I can ever write. I’ve got two presentations: “Social Media 101” teaches parents about today’s social media landscape and how they can better protect and educate their kids in the digital wild west; and “Mamas, Dramas, and Messy Media” educates adults about how today’s media and culture impact our kids and what they can do to fight back.

I hope to be able to bring these messages to more groups in 2015 because I feel it’s critical that parents KNOW what’s going on out there and can DO things to make a difference for their kids. I also want to empower them to speak out without fear because it’s important that their voices be heard in this world.

 

I completely agree.  You’re the sister I never had.  Is there anything friends and other believers can do to support you?

Pray. Prayer is always important. Everything else falls off the rails without it. People can also follow the blog at www.RoadkillGoldfish.com and share my content, or they can spread the word about my presentations so I can empower folks in other communities. And if they feel led, they can make a gift to support the blog and its outreach.

 

One last thing. I have to ask…What’s the story behind the name, Roadkill Goldfish?

kim kellerA college boyfriend broke my heart, so I decided to get a fish and name it after him. When the fish died, I would be able to flush it down the dorm’s toilet and have emotional closure. It was all very symbolic. However, the fish didn’t die as planned. He lived for a few more years. I was moving out of an apartment and carrying his bowl down a flight of outdoor steps when I tripped. The bowl went flying into the parking lot just about the time one of my neighbors was pulling in. He crunched my fish under the tires of his Ford Festiva.

WOW! Thank you Kim for your dedication to help educate us on how to thrive in a sexualized culture. Keep up the great work!

Question: What are some ways you have helped protect your kids in today’s high tech media world? You can leave your comments by clicking here.

 

2 Comments
  • Kirk Rogers
    Posted at 12:11h, 05 January Reply

    We are missionaries in Africa and raised our kids there. They were largely insolated from the negative effects of American culture. When we would return to the States they had a more objective perspective from which to view American culture. They actually felt sorry for kids who had to grow up here. Now they are grown, and of course American culture has affected them, but not nearly to the degree that it does those who are raised immersed in it from day one.

    Our children have turned into moral, productive, hard-working adults – and most importantly they know God. Three of them are missionaries or preparing to be. I think our experience can be helpful to those who raise their kids in the U.S. Parents must love their kids enough to strictly limit their exposure to popular media. Most would say they are concerned about limiting their kids’ exposure to drug and tobacco use, prostitution, pornography, arsenic and cyanide. Some even purposely limit their kids’ exposure to GMO and sugar-filled foods and drinks. And they do that in spite of their kids’ whining for these toxic things, “because all my friends are doing it.” So why can’t they limit their kids’ exposure to Internet, TV, movies, social media, and video games?

    They can. But they don’t, either because they are lazy, or they don’t understand how dangerous these things are, or they don’t really love their kids as much as they love themselves. I suspect that often it is all three. When the kids push their parents in these areas till the parents say things like “I have to pick my battles,” and “That’s not a hill I’m going to die on,” they, the parents, have lost the war. That hill that wasn’t worth dying on may be the one that kills their kids. Possibly for eternity.

    The corrupt culture around us has won. The family has lost, and the kids will turn out to be practical atheists, mind-numbed robots obsessed with popular media and easily controlled by the state. Saddest of all, they will live lives without God. So I believe it is possible to protect our kids from the corrosive culture of our time, without producing out-of-touch socially awkward adults. But it takes a lot of work, and a lot of backbone. The stats showing how many kids raised in “Christian” homes leave the faith when they become adults – showing they probably never had it to begin with – prove that most parents aren’t up to the challenge. Very sad.

    • Tina
      Posted at 10:54h, 06 January Reply

      Kirk!

      Your post literally gave me chills! I couldn’t agree more with the thoughts you shared. There are so many different reasons why this major media impact is hurting our teens and toddlers.

      When I speak, many adults came up afterwards and said the same overall theme…”I never knew! I didn’t think negative media affected our kids this much!!” Parents and pastors and school administrators would email or call me afterwards informing me that many good changes have happened because the students started to think differently about WHAT they allow into their minds.

      Back to the parents…many parents are also trying to raise kids while both working…so the kids are basically raised in child care or at school all day. We can see what is currently being taught in school and that’s why so many parents are now homeschooling. However, some parents BOTH MUST work and kids are left being raised in our ungodly culture. Parents feel trapped.

      Then, you’re completely right, other parents just don’t care. They are exhausted or ignorant or just want to look after themselves and our kids are greatly paying the price. SO many teens have told me they WANT their parents to be involved in their lives, but they are not. I’ve had kids tell me their parents filled their backpacks with DRUGS and said “sell it all or don’t come home.” SERIOUSLY!

      What we CAN do is to continue to educate our teens, toddlers and the parents who are interested in raising kids to respect others, make wise decisions and be world changers. We must press on. I truly believe that our youth today will be the ones to save our generation. To cause the curse to be broken! People to find freedom. Let’s keep pressing on!! AWESOME AWESOME POST! Thank you Kirk!

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