Today we’d like to introduce you to Terri Petty.
Hi Terri, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My story really started with content creation. I was getting dressed every day, finding new inspiration, trying different outfits, exploring new scenery, and creating with my sister. For a while, that was enough. But eventually, I started feeling frustrated because I knew there was so much more creatively that I wanted to explore.
I didn’t just want to style an outfit. I wanted to design clothes, create party favors, develop concepts, direct, build things, and be involved in the creative process behind the scenes. I was also creating and managing so much for my son—from his branding and content to his sports journey—and I realized I was constantly using different parts of myself.
The problem was, I kept trying to figure out which one of those things was the thing. I thought I needed to choose a box and become really good at staying inside of it. I tried to make myself fit into one identity, and honestly, it became frustrating. I felt like I was constantly trying to figure out what I was supposed to be instead of paying attention to who I already was.
So I stopped trying to force the answer.
I just kept showing up.
I showed up as a model. I showed up for my son. I showed up for collaborations. I showed up at creator events. I showed up creatively, even when I wasn’t completely sure what I was building. And somewhere along the way, I started learning more about myself.
I realized that I had actually gotten away from who I was because I was so focused on trying to define myself.
When I finally sat with myself and asked, “What do you actually want to do?” the answer wasn’t one thing. And that was the answer.
I started leaning back into the things that genuinely made me feel creative—fashion, design, storytelling, directing, styling, branding, sports, and all of the things I naturally gravitate toward. Eventually, I realized I had been looking for a brand when the brand was actually me.
That was the shift.
Instead of trying to figure out how to bring all of these different interests together under one label, I decided to simply bring myself into every room. That’s where The Fly Mom™ really started to make sense.
The Fly Mom™ isn’t just about fashion or motherhood. She’s the woman behind the scenes—the engineer, the creative director, the fashion lover, the model, the sports mom, the brand builder, the woman negotiating brand deals, the one on the sidelines cheering, and the one figuring out what comes next. She’s all of those things at once.
For a long time, I actually think I was so focused on showcasing my style that people didn’t realize how much life was happening behind the scenes. I was working, raising my kids, managing school schedules, traveling for football, building brands, creating content, and still finding ways to express myself creatively.
So now I’m unwrapping all of it.
This is me on the sideline. This is me in engineer mode. This is me creating. This is me in fashion. This is me behind the scenes. This is me being a mom. This is me figuring things out in real time.
And I’ve learned that being a Fly Mom™ doesn’t mean putting yourself on hold because you have children. It means understanding that motherhood is one part of who you are—not the end of who you get to become.
Ironically, the more I stopped trying to fit myself into one box, the less stressed I became. I stopped asking myself what I was supposed to be and started allowing myself to be who I actually am.
I’m still figuring things out. But now, instead of trying to choose one version of myself, I’m learning how to make room for all of them.
And honestly, it all started because I got bored—and I knew there was more creativity in me that needed somewhere to go.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it absolutely has not been a smooth road.
There have been obstacles with money, time, family, work, and even figuring out which direction I wanted to go. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that success isn’t always as simple as making more money.
At one point, I was working as a Safety Engineer on a really good project. The job was about two hours from home, so I was driving two hours there and two hours back every day. I was working a lot of overtime and making more money than I had ever made before. Financially, things were looking really good. I was finally able to do things for my kids and put money toward the things I wanted to build for our family.
But I was exhausted.
I barely slept. I barely had time for myself. I missed an entire football season. I barely had time to create content, and I wasn’t able to be present for a lot of the moments that mattered to me.
And eventually I had to ask myself: What is the point of having the money if I don’t have the time to enjoy the life I’m working so hard to create?
That was a huge turning point for me.
Eventually, I was able to find a job much closer to home—about ten minutes away—and suddenly I had something I hadn’t realized I was desperately missing: time. After spending almost a year essentially putting everything else on pause, I finally had room to get back to creating, being present with my kids, going to their games, and reconnecting with myself.
That experience taught me that balance is something I’m constantly going to have to work at. There isn’t always a perfect formula. Sometimes you have to sacrifice one thing temporarily to build another, but you also have to recognize when the sacrifice is costing you too much.
Another struggle has been navigating people and relationships along the way. As you grow, you start to notice that some people genuinely believe in you, while others only show up when they see that something is benefiting you. Learning to recognize the difference without allowing it to distract me has been important.
I’m really grateful that I have a tight circle. My sister and my brother have always been a huge part of my support system. We joke that we have our own little content crew because we genuinely support each other, share each other’s work, show up for one another, and celebrate each other’s wins.
But ultimately, I’ve had to learn how to keep showing up even when nobody was watching.
There were plenty of times when I was creating content, pursuing opportunities, or trying something new and had no idea where it was going. There were bills, kids’ sports, missed games, work demands, exhaustion, and a million things happening behind the scenes. Sometimes it didn’t look feasible at all.
And that’s probably been my biggest struggle: showing up without knowing what the outcome is going to be.
I’ve learned that consistency doesn’t always look glamorous. Sometimes consistency is creating when you’re tired. Sometimes it’s going to work and coming home to your kids and starting over the next day. Sometimes it’s missing an opportunity because your family needs you. Sometimes it’s taking a step back so you can come back stronger.
But I keep reminding myself of the end goal.
I always joke that I’m going to be the “rich Fly Mom.” I don’t know exactly how I’m going to get there yet, but I know I’m going to keep showing up until I figure it out.
I’ve never really envisioned a traditional retirement for myself. I want to continue creating, building, and working because I genuinely enjoy having something to pursue. And a huge part of my motivation is my children. I want to invest in them, their interests, their dreams, and ultimately create opportunities for them that I may not have had.
So yes, it has been hard. But I’ve learned that if you want an uncommon life, you have to be willing to do some uncommon things.
You have to stay focused when things get messy. You have to keep your head on straight when things are going well. You have to be careful who you allow into your circle. And most importantly, you have to stay true to yourself.
Because the hardest part isn’t always getting started.
Sometimes the hardest part is continuing to show up when you still can’t see where it’s going.
And that’s exactly what I’ve done.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I often describe myself as a multifaceted woman of taste. I’m a Fly Mom™, an engineer, creative director, brand architect, fashion curator, model, entrepreneur, and, honestly, a jack-of-all-trades.
My work doesn’t fit neatly into one category, and that’s probably the thing that sets me apart the most.
Professionally, I’m a Construction Safety Engineer, and I’ve worked on major projects from the ground up. I understand how to walk into a space, identify what needs to happen, create a plan, and help bring it to life. That same mindset shows up in my creative work. Whether I’m building a brand, developing a campaign, creating an event, styling a shoot, or designing something from scratch, I’m always thinking about both the vision and the execution.
Creatively, I do a little bit of everything. I have my own clothing line. I’ve created everything from artwork and fashion concepts to custom chip bags, party favors, and other creative pieces. I’m a photographer and the creative director behind a lot of the work I do. I’ve also built my son William’s entire WC3 brand and identity, from the visual direction to the content and overall brand experience.
I’m also a model and brand muse for multiple brands. I love being in front of the camera, but I equally love being behind it. I can be the person wearing the clothes, directing the shoot, taking the pictures, developing the concept, and figuring out how the brand should be presented.
Fashion is another huge part of who I am. I’m a fashion curator because I genuinely have an eye for putting things together. I love style, but for me, fashion has always been bigger than just wearing something cute. It’s about storytelling, creativity, confidence, and how you present yourself.
And then there’s the side of me that people don’t always expect. I’m funny. I’ve made music. I grew up around a lot of boys, so I was never afraid to get my hands dirty, play sports, build things, or figure something out. I’ve never really subscribed to the idea that because you look a certain way, you’re supposed to behave a certain way.
Growing up, I experienced what I would call the “pretty girl” assumption—people sometimes assume that if you’re attractive, you must be delicate, incapable, or not willing to work hard. I’ve always been the opposite. I’ve never been afraid to work for what I want, learn something new, or figure something out myself.
That’s probably one of the things I’m most proud of.
I think people are sometimes surprised by how much I actually do because they don’t expect it from me. But I’ve always been someone who will figure it out. I don’t necessarily need the perfect circumstances, the perfect team, or someone to tell me how to do something. If I don’t know how, I’ll learn.
At the core of everything I do, though, is creativity and building something bigger than myself.
A lot of what I’m doing is connected to my children and the legacy I want to create for them. I want to build generational opportunities—not just leave them with things, but teach them how to create, how to build, how to think bigger, and how to use their own gifts.
I’m proud of the fact that I’ve been able to create so many different things while being a mother, maintaining a career, and continuing to evolve creatively.
What sets me apart is that I don’t believe I have to choose one version of myself.
I can be the engineer in the morning, the creative director in the afternoon, the fashion girl at night, and the mom on the sidelines in between. I can build a brand, direct a shoot, design something, negotiate a deal, put on heels, get my hands dirty, and then go home and be Mom.
That’s what The Fly Mom™ represents to me.
It’s not about doing everything perfectly. It’s about being a woman who refuses to put herself in a box—and refuses to put her dreams on hold just because she became a mother.
I’m still discovering all the things I’m capable of. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned about myself, it’s this:
There isn’t much I can’t figure out.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I think one of the biggest risks I’ve taken has been betting on myself.
I’ve never been someone who waits until everything is perfectly lined up before I move. If I did, I probably wouldn’t have done half of the things I’ve done. Starting businesses, creating brands, putting myself in front of a camera, stepping into creative direction, building my son’s brand, pursuing collaborations, and continuing to create while working as an engineer and raising my children have all required me to take chances without knowing exactly what the outcome would be.
For me, risk isn’t necessarily about being reckless. It’s about being willing to believe in yourself before there is proof that everyone else should believe in you.
There have been plenty of moments where I could have played it safe. I could have stayed in one lane professionally. I could have decided that because I was a mother, certain dreams needed to wait. I could have stopped creating when things weren’t immediately making sense. Instead, I’ve continued to bet on the idea that there is something bigger on the other side of consistency.
And sometimes betting on yourself means taking a step backward before you can take three steps forward. I’ve had to make decisions around work, time, money, family, and my creative pursuits that weren’t always comfortable. There have been times when I didn’t know how something was going to work—I just knew I couldn’t stop.
That’s really my philosophy: I don’t need to know exactly how I’m going to get there. I just need to trust myself enough to start moving.
I’ve also learned that the biggest risk isn’t always failing. Sometimes the bigger risk is never finding out what you could have become because you were too afraid to try.
I’m still betting on myself. I don’t know exactly what the final picture looks like, and honestly, I don’t think it’s supposed to be completely clear yet. I’m building it as I go.
But I know I’m not going to look back and wonder what would have happened if I had just tried.
I’d rather take the risk, learn from it, adjust, and keep going.
Because at the end of the day, I trust myself to figure it out.
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