Our community is comprised of entrepreneurs and artists and creatives – folks who have chosen incredibly difficult professional paths that often don’t offer any safety nets or guarantees. Nonetheless, we regularly hear that being a parent is a far greater challenge and so we asked some of these folks to open up to us about the things they’ve done as parents that they feel will have a meaningful and positive impact on their child.

Johnecia Mason | Preemie Mom & Development Manager

As the mother of three boys, who all were born prematurely, I think starting our nonprofit, Rodney’s Gift, has been one of the most important things I’ve done to impact my children. My first son passed away 12 days after being born due to his severe premature status and this prompted me to start the nonprofit. This nonprofit seeks to bring awareness about premature births within the black and brown communities. We seek to provide information on healthy pregnancies before, during, and after a mother has given birth. We also look to provide scholarships for those students interested in neonatology or pursuing a nursing degree with interest in working in the NICU. We also provide grief resources for parents who have suffered infant loss. Read more>>

Shannon Savoy | Certified Narcissist Abuse Recovery Coach | Business Owner | Minister | Mentor

I have the pleasure and blessing of helping to raise two amazing children, Amari and Jadon. They have entered young adulthood and it’ is awesome seeing them grow. I get to witness their wins and their “losses” and how resilient they are and have always been. They are “Army” brats, the children of two veterans, as well as, a bonus dad that is a veteran. They moved to new environments (duty stations), had to make new friends often, attend different schools, and say goodbyes to best friends. They have witnessed my wins and losses, ups and downs which had an effect on them as well. It wasn’t easy, but now they can see why sacrificing then is paying off now. Read more>>

Angela Mullen Batson | Life Stylist (Life Coach and Wardrobe Stylist)

I believe the most important thing I’ve done is rededicate my life to God. I’ve always believed but I was at a really hard place in my healing journey and decided to re dedicate my life. I wanted peace, I wanted to live in purpose and commit to a lifestyle where I become more intentional with my style of living. I needed to cultivate more balance so I could show my children to value life! Read more>>