Inside Brandi Carlile's private life with wife Catherine Shepherd and their 2 kids

Catherine is British actor Jack Shepherd's daughter and she was raised in London where she attended James Allen's Girls' School, and she also trained in ballet. She originally pursued acting as an on-set extra and eventually acted in the Paddington franchise. The actress also wrote for The Shrink Next Door and for a short film titled See Me.

She was a coordinator for Paul McCartney's foundation, and she helps Brandi run her organization called Looking Out Foundation. Catherine is also a musician like Brandi and the two often enjoy jam sessions together, although they haven't put out any music together yet.

The two first met over the phone before they met in person, while Catherine was working for Paul McCartney's organization. Brandi had called up the charity to donate items for an event that she had called Fight the Fear. They duo was in contact for about a year, during which Brandi assumed that Catherine was an older woman in her mid-60s. When they finally met in person during a charity event, the sparks flew. They got married in September 2012, only three months after their engagement. 

Evangeline is the couple's firstborn, and the muse behind Brandi's song "The Mother." Brandi revealed on Shondaland that motherhood was a journey for her and shared: "The love that I feel for Evangeline is insane. It's intense, it keeps me up at night. But it wasn't innate, it wasn't immediate, and it was hard to learn." Evangeline also has musical gifts and was featured in the live music video of the song and sat next to her mother on stage as she performed the song during Farm Aid 2020 On the Road. Evangeline also sang the song with her mother at The Mothership Weekend in 2023. Brandi often features her daughter on social media, as she helps her with gardening and doing handy work around the house.

Brandi shared in her essay for Parents that Elijah brought the family absolute "joy," and she expressed: "I never felt a pang of the anxiety, guilt, or confusion that we wrestled with the first time. Eli was enormous. Almost 10 pounds! She was a dream baby. We call her 'joy bomb' because she has just exploded joy into our world and she's finally taught our serious little Evangeline how to belly laugh." The sisters have a sweet bond full of warm embraces and cuddles that Brandi documents online, and the duo enjoy dressing in matching outfits as they dance to Swan Lake together around the house.

Although Brandi loves being a mother, she also opened up about the learning curve that came with her new role. She revealed to Parents: "There's some serious pioneering involved here. I wish there had been more for me to read or to absentmindedly absorb through TV sitcoms, movies, and ads — things that could have prepared me for the strangeness of being wholly responsible for a child without much representation or mirror to show me what it would look like." She advised fellow LGBTQ+ parents: "Keep on moving the world forward and being honest about your family and your experience. Be clear and vocal about the importance of cultural representation."