Being a mom has been an incredible but sometimes lonely journey for Blessing Adesiyan, 31, of Birmingham, who welcomed her second child, Dekanmi, in January.
But she knows she’s not alone – and now she’s bringing moms together to inspire and enable each other to “thrive beyond motherhood.” That’s the goal of Mother Honestly, a new “think tank/mamahood” Adesiyan just launched offering online content and offline “activations” like local meetups, fireside chats and workshops.
She got the idea weeks into her maternity leave from her career as a chemical engineer, when she grew tired of spending long days in pajamas without meaningful adult interactions.
“It was an aha moment where I was able to put myself in other people’s shoes.”
Instead of bonding with other moms over play dates and tummy time, she wanted to talk big picture – their dreams, ambitions and more.
“Even though my No. 1 role is mom, I am more than that. Where do I have that conversation?” she says. “I feel like Mother Honestly’s role is to really pull moms of all shapes and forms into the fold and say, ‘You are relevant, you are empowered, you have the resources here to grow and develop and continuously nourish your mind.'”
Mother Honestly’s website will feature profiles of local mothers plus career and entrepreneurship advice, health and wellness tips and other resources for moms. Its online community – already about 2,000 strong on Instagram – will have multiple in-person get-togethers each month.
“I’m really excited,” Adesiyan says. “I see my job as just to be an activist for moms everywhere.
Photo by Diana Liang Photography