On today’s episode, you’ll get to hear one of the realest conversations we’ve ever had about motherhood and life. How does your life change as you go from being single to getting married and having kids? To get the real deal, I spoke to nonprofit founder and mater mea mom Nana Eyeson-Akiwowo and branding and marketing strategist Antonia Dean.
Nana founded African Health Now in 2005 to promote healthcare for people of Pan-African descent living in the U.S. and on the continent, and Antonia has worked for such esteemed brands as Calvin Klein, Mustela, Vera Wang, and Michael Kors. You can find Nana on Instagram @neyeson and @africanhealthnw, and Antonia on Twitter @antoniainc.
WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT…
Why Nana and Antonia are constantly looking for diversity in the media their kids consume
Brown Characters On The Screen Doing Things: Dora the Explorer, Paw Patrol, Blaze and the Monster Machine. (Tell us about the books and TV shows you guys watch that have brown characters for kids—we talked about Bino & Fino after the show, but is there anything else?)
Marley Dias’ 1000 Black Girl Books drive —Nana’s nonprofit helped send Marley to Ghana!
Nana: “I have to create a culture around my kid that allows her to see the beauty within herself, because I can’t wait for Hollywood to create it.”
How kids’ environments affect their gender identity—girls wear dresses, not denim shirts, according to Nana’s daughter Omolara
What a move to the suburbs can mean for black children
The video we did with Nana that inspired this podcast: Real Talk: What No One Tells You About Motherhood
Can women just be honest about how hard motherhood is?
The realest part about motherhood is that you’re changing, and you don’t even realize you’re changing
How modern motherhood is affected by Instagram filters and social media
How Antonia and her husband managed to become “fully developed humans” while being together since they were 17 years old
How Nana and Antonia think their friends who don’t have children view them now
Why everyone needs to start napping now before they have kids
Why Antonia wishes she had more time to enjoy her newlywed time before becoming a mother
Creating a rhythm that makes it easier to work as a family unit. Antonia: “So much of being married and having a family is being co-workers.”
A brief explanation of Snapchat (This conversation is the reason why I’m on Snapchat, you can follow me @anthoniaaki)
Nana and Antonia share what they want new moms to know about motherhood
THINGS THAT GAVE US LIFE…
Antonia: Kat Williams getting beat up by a kid, and the kid’s hilarious response to said beat down.
Nana: Cardi B “beating the crap verbally” out of Peter Gunz on the Love and Hip Hop: New York reunion.
Anthonia: Decided to end on a Black Girl Magic moment: I loved seeing Nana and Antonia connect and vibe with each other during our breaks. I really like being in spaces where Black women can meet, make connections, and collaborate with each other to make something bigger than the two of them, whether that’s a friendship or a business-related endeavor.
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PAST PODCASTS
mater mea podcast episode 001: “Child, Please”
