Carrie Underwood on Being a Wife, Mother and Superstar: 'You Can Have It All'

Carrie Underwood is a proud wife, mother and reigning country music superstar, and she hopes her life and career can serve as an inspiration for other women, regardless of their occupation. The 36-year-old, who just brought her stunning Cry Pretty Tour 360 to her hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, proudly juggles multiple roles, and wants to prove to others that, with a little work, it is possible to have it all.

"I feel like there's a lot of women who feel like they have to give up [having a family] to follow their dreams, and hopefully they can see that you can juggle," Underwood confessed to The Tennessean. "I'm not gonna lie. It's hard, but you get people around you who will help and be a part of your family. You can have it all. We are living the dream."

Not that it's necessarily easy. The wife to Mike Fisher, and mom to 4-year-old Isaiah and 8-month-old Jacob, insists on being the one to get up with her children during the night, and staying as hands-on as she possibly can throughout the day, until she takes the stage. It's a delicate balance, with some trial and error along the way, but she never considered any other option.

"I never knew what it was like to be a mom and a wife and a woman in this business until I became those things," Underwood said. "It makes me respect those women that I grew up idolizing even more, and I didn't even know all that they had on their plate."

Underwood grew up idolizing women like Loretta Lynn, Reba McEntire, Martina McBride and more – women she pays tribute to with a medley of hits she performs night after night, with her opening acts Maddie & Tae and Runaway June joining her on stage. But those women served as far more than musical inspirations. Instead, they served as inspirations for her entire life, even though she didn't know it at the time.

"Women in this industry carry a lot on them," Underwood acknowledged. "I think that's something people don't really think about. You see us on stage, and you see the rhinestones and the makeup and the hair; you don't see all the hours that went into everything else."

The Cry Pretty Tour 360 will wrap up on Oct. 31. Find tour dates by visiting Underwood's website.

Photo Credit: Getty images / Erika Goldring