Today’s guest is Ingrid Silva, the Harlem-based ballerina who was born in Rio de Janeiro, and began dancing at 8-years-old, after a neighbor fatefully told her mother about a nearby dance class.

Noted for her natural talent from the very start, Ingrid ended up dancing for the next 10 years before moving to New York at 18 after being awarded a scholarship to the Dance Theatre of Harlem’s summer program.

Despite not knowing any English when she arrived, and wrestling her own doubts and criticism, Ingrid has gone on to receive countless accolades in the dance world. This includes having her hand-painted pointe shoes exhibited at the Smithsonian. She’s also helped create a series of community-building organizations, including podHER and Blacks in Ballet.

Through motherhood, Ingrid has found newfound strength and fame—she’s gone on to create a new community—Dancers & Motherhood—alongside 3 fellow dancers, and appeared on the cover of Vogue Brasil in all of her pregnant glory—which is when we first discovered her nearly four years ago.

In today’s conversation, we talk to Ingrid about her incredible career journey, her mother’s undying belief in her, how she found pride in her Blackness after moving to the U.S., and her ultimate goal of changing the dance world—for the better.

Be sure to follow Ingrid at @ingridsilva

Today’s episode is brought to you by three mom-owned brands we love—Tubby Todd, Minted, and Ritual. See a list of their exclusive offerings for our listeners, below.

~Check out Minted.com and use code MOTHER24 for 20% off holiday cards and MOTHER15 for 15% off gifts and more through December 31, 2024.
~Visit Ritual.com/mothermag for 25% off your first month of Ritual.
~Head over to TubbyTodd.com and use code MOTHERMAG15 for 15% off your next order.

Please follow, rate, and leave us a review!

For more on Ingrid’s inspiring career + life story, check out these great interviews:
OWN (YouTube)
Postpartum Production (podcast)
We and the Color (YouTube)
Nike (YouTube)
Brene Brown (website)

For more stories about motherhood and so much more, visit mothermag.com and follow @mothermag on Instagram.

The MOTHER Podcast is produced by Em Roberts and Ali Alquiza.

Today’s guest is Sarah LaFleur, the Founder and CEO of M.M.LaFleur. We spoke at one of her NYC stores, in front of our first-ever LIVE podcast audience!

Raised in Japan, Sarah worked in corporate consulting at Bain and had a short stint in private equity before giving business ownership a try.

After recruiting designer Miyako Nakamura, the pair set off to create a brand of stylish, high-quality clothing for professional women. They launched M.M.LaFleur in 2013, and have gone on to hit revenue milestones in the tens of millions.

Beyond her business story, Sarah’s motherhood journey is something to behold. This includes raising “triblings”—a.k.a. three children who were born 7 weeks apart—thanks to surrogacy and her own pregnancy happening at the same time.

It’s a wild story that we can’t wait to share with you.

We hope you enjoy our first—but definitely not our last—live podcast recording!

Follow Sarah at @mmlafleur and @sarahmlafleur on Instagram.

Please follow, rate, and leave us a review!

This episode is in partnership with M.M.LaFleur, an NYC-based fashion brand built on the core belief that when women succeed, the world becomes a better place.

Today’s episode is also supported by Hey Freya — use code MOTHER20 for $20 off your first purchase at heyfreya.co and follow along at @heyfreya.co on Instagram.

For more stories about motherhood and so much more, visit mothermag.com and follow @mothermag on social.

For more on Sarah’s inspiring career + motherhood story, check out these great interviews:
Marie Claire (article)
How I Built This (podcast)
Leave Your Mark (podcast)
Inc. (podcast)
Plucking Up (podcast)
She Speaks (podcast)
Drink Like A Lady (podcast)
The Big Move (podcast)

The MOTHER Podcast is produced by Em Roberts and Ali Alquiza.

Today’s guest is Joanna Ho, the best-selling author whose children’s books cover topics such as familial roots, oppression and justice, and the importance of representation—especially for fellow Asian Americans. After years of rejection, her first book, Eyes That Kiss In The Corners, became an instant New York Times Best-Seller in 2021. She’s gone on to publish 9 other books for children and young adults, including her most recent release, We Who Produce Pearls: An Anthem For Asian America.

Written in her signature lyrical style, the book covers the rich, nuanced, and incredibly diverse history of Asians in America and includes a very detailed section in the back that urges children and adults to go deeper with guiding questions and additional research.

In today’s conversation, we talk to Joanna about finding strength in becoming a single mom, embracing the beauty in her Asian American identity, the power of representation in kid-lit, the devastation of book bans sweeping across the country, and her ultimate goal of sparking revolutions—both big and small.

Follow Joanna at @joannahowrites

Please follow, rate, and leave us a review!

For more stories about motherhood and so much more, visit mothermag.com and follow @mothermag on Instagram.

For more on Joanna’s inspiring career + life story, check out these great interviews:

Kidlit Happy Hour (podcast)
KQED (YouTube)
Scholastic (YouTube)
Publisher’s Weekly (website)
MOTHER (website)
The Horn Book Inc. (website)
We Need Diverse Books (website)

The MOTHER Podcast is produced by Em Roberts and Ali Alquiza.