Kelley Riley grew up in a funeral family, through which she acquired an understanding of the importance of compassion around grief at a young age. She graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a business degree in 2009, and went on to attend the Hallmark Institute of Photography, graduating in 2010. In 2011, Kelley ran an orphanage for a non-profit organization in Malawi, Africa.

After returning to the United States, she pursued an Occupational Therapy degree, which she completed in 2016. Kelley lived in San Diego working as a one to one therapist for young boy with Cerebral Palsy. In 2020 she moved from San Diego, California to her current home in Maine, and she now works for Northeast Cremation Services helping families navigate the loss of their loved ones.