Cincinnati Mom Collective

I love Cincinnati for far too many reasons to list, but mostly, it just feels like home. I stepped foot onto UC’s campus as a freshman in 2002, and I’ve never left. I’ve worked at UC through my bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D., and can’t imagine not being a Bearcat. My most favorite job of all is raising my 3 incredible children (Gabriel James, and twins Ayla Meryem & Ari Kerem) with my husband Serkan. He’s from Istanbul, Turkey, so we’ve had to navigate all sorts of cultural and travel fun in our time together. My passion for health, wellness, and fitness has lead me to roles with the American Council on Exercise and as an adjunct professor, with my continued purpose in life is to help people find ways to feel and be their best selves. As a busy twin + 1 mama, I hope my experiences can resonate with you!

Christen Woodard is a wife and stay-at-home mom of 4 children. Christen works as a doula, home-birth assistant, and midwifery apprentice. She has a passion for advocacy, providing assistance for new families. She has a deep love for reading, new cleaning products, and Summer time.

Claire Krawsczyn is a mother, entrepreneur, author, and native Cincinnatian. I'm on a mission to help women feel confident as both mothers and business owners. In December 2020, I published my first book, Expectant Entrepreneur: How to Grow a Business and a Baby, to help fellow business-owning mothers prepare for the arrival of a new baby. I'm a proud graduate of Mount Notre Dame High School, Ohio University (BSJ, BA), and Georgetown University (MA). I wouldn't be the person I am without my husband, Adam, our daughters AJ & Lena, and our pup, Avon Barksdale. Photo Credit :: Claire Krawsczyn

I consider Canton, OH to be my hometown, but my family moved a lot around the State when I was a kid.  My husband, Simon, our son, Marshall, and I have called the town of Wyoming our home since 2014. Our daughter, Gretchen, was stillborn in September 2019, and we miss her every day. I work full-time as a preschool intervention specialist. Outside of work, my family loves going to parks and playgrounds around the city, as well as the Zoo and Museum Center.

I was born in New York and lived in several states before settling down in my favorite city of all time – Cincinnati! I have an interracial family that consists of my amazing and talented husband (Derek) and our beautiful, silly daughter (Adilyn {2009}). I work full-time in Human Resources in addition to owning the Cincinnati, Dayton, & Louisville Mom Collectives, write and illustrate children’s books, love to volunteer, and am a registered and certified nutritional consultant (RNC/CNC). I still do my best to be the best mom and wife I can be! I love art museums, the theatre, reading, and Cincinnati parks. I’m a foodie and always love trying new places to eat. I hope other moms find either enlightenment or humor from my posts!

I was raised in the small town of Highland Heights KY. With influences from across the river, I grew up with a passion for sports, the arts, Ballet, writing, hiking, and nutrition. I now reside in the city of Alexandria KY and look towards the Queen City for many of my resources in raising two well rounded little ones. My marriage has blessed me with a little girl and a little boy. I am currently a stay at home mother and aspire to be a career woman when they reach school age. For now, I work hard on their preschool curriculum and the family's health.

I am a born and raised Cincinnatian living in Reading with my husband and daughter. I even stayed local for college and earned my Bachelors of Fine Arts at Xavier University. After graduating, I worked at the Cincinnati Art Museum where I met my husband of 4.5 years. Currently, I'm a full time working mama with a side hustle that allows me to focus on my passions of art, education, and kids. My favorite things in the world include doing art projects with my little one, playing board games, listening to music, watching reality tv, eating good food, making good food, and watching documentaries about good food.

Erica Black-Johnson was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, and lived in Columbus, Ohio for about 10 years, where she worked for State government. She has a Bachelors degree in Public Administration with a minor in Professional Writing, and has completed coursework toward a degree in Information Systems Management. Erica currently works in customer service and resides in Colerain Township. She is a widowed mother of 3 young men and enjoys music, singing, reading, and writing.

Living the crazy #momlife with two school-aged kiddos. You can mostly find me with coffee in one hand and a laptop in the other, all while trying to teach both kids! But, we are moms, right? Multitasking is the name of the game. I'm excited to share this experience with you all!

I was raised in both the South and Midwest, so I say things like “finer than a frog’s hair” and  “ope, lemme just squeeze past ya there” respectively. I reside within the city limits of Cincinnati with my two children, Penny and Yukon, as well as three cats, two guinea pigs, and a tortoise. My family loves going to museums, making art, and traveling often. I have a BA in Anthropology and an MA in Creative Writing, both from NKU, which is  also where I now work as a secretary. Some of my interests are culture, dance, languages, and literature. Photo Provided by: Jasmine Williamson

Born and raised in the Queen City, I'm in love with its accessible big-city amenities and small-town sense of community. I worked in marketing and communications at a local bank before becoming a stay-at-home mom to two boys. I spend my time investing in my faith and family, with a side of my favorite things: writing, reading, exercise, enjoying good food and wine, encouraging other moms, and exploring my hometown.

I was raised in the quaint little town of Walton, Kentucky but as an adult, I moved all around Northern KY and even to Cincy before landing right back where I started when my daughter was born. I am a single mom to my miracle baby girl who was born in 2017, when I was 39 years young. I am a Xavier grad…Go Muskies! And, when I’m not momming, I work full time as an x-ray tech at a Cincinnati hospital. I enjoy photography, antiques, crafts, and writing. For fun, we like to have picnics and explore local parks, attractions, and events. Photo Provided by: Jenny Parker

Kate Mock Elliott is a wordsmith, theatre artist, musician, and designer based out of Cincinnati, OH. She has two young children who fill her heart with love and her head with all the worst-case-scenarios that she can never protect them from. She has a critically-acclaimed one-woman show called seXmasCards, because why wouldn’t you talk about sex in your Christmas cards? She fuels the capitalist machine as a marketing professional for a construction firm, and volunteers on her Community Council and with her Unitarian church.

Lauren is a recent Cincinnati transplant, having grown up in Atlanta. One of two mothers to a sassy toddler, she loves writing, cooking, gardening, and anything that makes her laugh. Photo Credit :: Lauren Gay Barber

Currently a stay at home mompreneur, I am always on the lookout for ways to incorporate multiple streams of income into my life so that I may continue to have the flexibility and availability I enjoy with my two young children. I founded Transparent Investment Solutions, LLC and Renewed Fitness Vibrations, LLC to help me live out my God-given purpose; offering individual different tools that will help them achieve their dreams and goals. My personal goal is to be an example to other women so they too can achieve financial independence and live the lifestyle they were destined to live. Always seeing myself as a student, I also want to inspire others to be inspired to find their own way in life, while passing on what whatever I have learned. My favorite quotes that motivate me are: " It's not over until I win" and "You can achieve all things through God".

Hi, I’m Sarah, mother of wee-gans. My husband and I are not Cincinnati natives; I grew up across the country in a military family and my husband in Mexico. We recently bought our first home in downtown Lebanon that we are attempting to transform into an urban farm. We have been vegans for three years and have raised our children on broccoli and spinach. Yes, don’t worry, we do get enough protein and take a B-12 supplement! I do have plans to homeschool my kids in the coming years and help guide them on their journey through life. I am on a journey of zero-waste and believe in spreading kindness. If I sound like a bit of a flower child, you’d be right! I even make my own deodorant! If you ever see me at the park, come say hi. I’m not the cool mom at the park, but I will always be the kind mom.

Cincinnati has been my home for the last 20 years, and thanks to all the friends we have made here, I am happy to call it my hometown. I am Mom to three middle and high school age kids. (Within minutes, I will be the shortest person in our household.) Life is never boring at our house. We homeschool the two youngest, and our oldest just started high school. The kids enjoy everything from volleyball to tennis to banjo to archery to gymnastics to computer gaming, which means I spend a lot of time driving. When I’m not doing that, I squeeze in a few of my other loves–exploring our city, crafting, reading, kayaking, hiking, gardening, traveling, and teaching people to take good care of their skin through my Mary Kay business. Oh, and of course writing!

I was born and raised in Alabama, lived in New Orleans and then relocated to Cincinnati post-Hurricane Katrina an experience that taught me how being exposed to culture and diversity can build empathy into a person. I married a generous, humble, hard-working man, Brett and we moved to Kenya, Africa where our years spent working overseas have shaped my soul in more ways than I can articulate. We are back in Cincinnati, investing in building a non-profit organization, and raising two sons and a daughter. I value the diversity among the city and the ways I witness a community of efforts to build up the people. Jesus is my anchor; I love quality time, sharing heart to heart;, traveling the world remains a passion; witnessing community loving one another well encourages me; I value the love of health and fitness and Plexus fuels a stronger version of myself; and photography is a lens I use to invest into the hearts of others at T Ralston Photography.

I am originally from Northwest Ohio and met her husband in the beginning of my freshmen year of college. He is a born and raised Cincinnati west-sider. He took me home to meet the family that December and I fell in love with her husband and Cincinnati. It was an easy decision to make as to what city we would live in after I was done with school. We have been married since 2008 and have lived in Cincinnati since 2009. I have three wonderful boys. When I am not driving my boys around the city to have an adventure, I enjoy sewing, crafts in general, taking pictures of my family, debating with my husband over who is using a word correctly (and often getting out the dictionary), coffee, and great conversation.