About Me

Welcome! I’m so glad you’re here.

Hey, nice to meet you! I’m Karlee Parks. I’d love to do this in person—hopefully, one day we can—but for now, this will have to do.

I’m married to an incredible man who’s everything I dreamed of as a kid—smart, strong, secure… the list could go on forever. We live in a small town and are building the life we always wanted together. It’s not all roses, but it’s real, and I guess you could call it a “Cowboy Kind of Love.”

My life didn’t always look this way. My story is a bit complicated, but who doesn’t have some mess in their past? It’s the reason I created Western Vitality, and I want to share that journey with you.

The first few years of my life were pretty normal—mom, dad, and a little brother I adored. But my parents divorced soon after that, which set off a series of events that shaped where I am today. My dad remarried, and my stepmom adopted my brother and me. They had three more kids, and this became the family I grew up with.

I was raised on the back of a horse, competing in most of the western riding events and competitions. On the outside, it looked like we had it all together. But on the inside, my brother and I never got the emotional care we needed.

Meanwhile, my biological mom was out of the picture for six years, raising three more kids of her own. This made me the oldest of eight. During those years, my stepmom did most of the “raising” to the 5 children living in my house at the time, but it wasn’t a fairy tale. It was more like a “Cinderella story”—if Cinderella had a brother and both were treated differently than the rest. My stepmom had her own demons, and we were often on the receiving end of them. Her marriage was falling apart, and everything finally hit the fan when I was in high school. Another divorce, another life-shaking change.

At the same time, my brother fell seriously ill. This brought my biological mom back into the picture, and slowly, our relationship started to grow again. My stepmom moved us out of state after the divorce, but after over a year of emotional and mental abuse, I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to escape back to my dad. I wasn’t thrilled about it, but I had no other choice. I finished high school completely shut off from the world, battling my own demons.

***Now to clarify, I do not hold any hate for any of the people who raised me. Every single one of them had their fair share of mistakes along the way. But I do hold a deep love for all of them. Yes, even my stepmom. And my mom and dad too! All of them play a special role in the person I am today. Their mistakes do not define who they are as people. In the end, we are all just trying to do the best we can. I thank them all for raising me at all!:)

After graduation, I pulled even further into myself, carrying a lot of doubts and low self-worth. I spent my days hiding in the gym, behind the weights and mirrors—until my husband came into my life and completely changed things. I’m not saying anyone needs a man to fix their past, because that’s not true. But he helped me get out of my own head. He told me the truth, even when I didn’t want to hear it, and he had perspectives I’d never considered before. Once I opened my mind to his ideas, everything around me started to shift for the better. Pro tip: marry someone who lifts you up and makes you better, not someone who just fuels the fire. Even with all the doubts I had from watching broken marriages around me, I knew I wanted something different—and I found it.

I don’t blame my parents for what I went through. They had their own struggles to deal with. It’s not their job to fix me; it’s mine. So I made a promise—to be different. To marry the love of my life and make it last forever. And sure, we’ve had our share of trials, but we keep moving forward, and we never quit on each other.

That’s why I’m here with you. There are so many women out there just like me—whether they’ve lived through similar struggles or just want to make a change like I did. I’ve made it my mission to inspire others, to become a better person, wife, and mom—not just for me, but for everyone around me. I want to be better than my past, and I’m here to help you do the same.

Some fun facts about me:

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I have been a faithful member my entire life. I love to talk about Jesus!
I HATE raw tomatoes. There is nothing worse on this planet than a nasty, raw tomato.
I love to sing. I come from a long line of very musically talented individuals. My grandma can actually yodel!
I believe music is one of the greatest blessings to this world!
My mornings are my sanctuary. You won’t see me sleeping in very often.
I train horses and dogs full-time. I LOVE my horses. Most days the dogs are kind of a job, but sometimes I love it!
My heart lies in the Reined Cow Horse world. For those of you who don’t know what that is, you should google it. It’s far too complicated for me to explain here.
I know I will have achieved my ultimate life goal when I can look out my kitchen window and see my horses grazing in my pasture.
I was 19 when my husband and I got married and we are 8 years apart. I say this proudly as we were told by many that I was too young. If you know it’s right, do it!
My favorite color is burgundy. I got married in December and my colors were burgundy and pine green. It was the dreamiest Christmas wedding you’ve ever seen!