About Kelly

Kelly was born in November of 1988 in Colorado.

Around 8 & 9 years old, Kelly made the best web outline in class and her teacher hung it up for the whole world to see. That year was when she realized she wanted to be a writer, and that she had an aptitude for writing.

Kicked ass in English class all the time, but hated everything I was reading. The only thing I actually did like was the Kite Runner, which I would always read while the teacher was talking. But I struggled to enjoy books because so many of them were awful dystopias that just made me sad. 

Started my college career at Colorado State University – Pueblo. I originally signed up to be an English major and then dropped it, because I struggled so much my first year. 

Around the end of my Sophomore year, an English professor approached me with a paper of mine and asked me what my major was. When I told her I was undecided at the moment, she told me that I should be an English Major. Her advice all based on a single paper I wrote for her.

In Summer 2012, I took my first trip abroad with my favorite English professors. We traveled around France and Spain for two whole weeks reading books and writing our thoughts.

This trip made me want to be a travel writer. At the very least, I wanted to see the world. The following winter, I went on the search for how I could travel and write and make a living. I ultimately decided to join the Peace Corps.

After five years, some of which were very painful, I graduated from CSU – Pueblo!

I also started my first blog, Travel Branyik, which I still pilot today.

A year after graduating, I moved to China to serve in the Peace Corps. I was assigned as a brand new volunteer to a brand new school in Chongqing City. I taught oral English to high school students looking to work in the tourism industry and found out I probably wasn’t such a great teacher.

After two years, I learned how to speak Mandarin Chinese and by the time I left China, I could have conversations with my friends and strangers in Chinese.

After I returned home in the summer of 2016, I started writing my first book and started my first full-time job as a content writer.

I had a challenging, and exciting, service in Peace Corps. But there was so much unknown and so much frustration in my time as a Peace Corps Volunteer, I decided I could use what I learned and create a help guide for others looking to join the Peace Corps.

I brought together stories from various volunteers in various countries of service and made them into a book called, It Depends: A Guide to Peace Corps. This book has been purchased by hundreds and is updated periodically to stay recent for new volunteers.

That same year, I moved from Content Writer to Production Coordinator and Copywriter, thus moving into video producing.

After losing my job in 2019, I returned to China to work as a teacher for EF English. This time, I live in the bustling metropolis of Xi’an, China. This was cut short by the pandemic. From the beginning of 2020 to March I was confined on my own to my apartment.

In May 2020, I flew back to the states after being in China for just 8 months.

The year 2020 was a crucial time for me because I started writing a lot. In October, I started writing for Elephant Journal as a way to cope with my emotions. In November, the month of my 32 birthday, I started writing my second book, and first novel, The Lost Pleiad.

On November 8th, 2021, I started my exciting career as a Content Writer for Semrush. As a long-time user of this fabulous marketing tool, I was thrilled, and it was one of the highlights of my year!

After honing my SEO writing craft with one of the top marketing toolkits in the industry, I accepted my new role at Rimo3. Here, I’m in charge of content development and strategy with a focus in SEO and SEM.