The Modern Phoenix First-Time Mom Rites of Passage with Jay Ell Alexander
Jay Ell Alexander lives in Richmond, Va. with her husband, Chris, 15-month-old son, Chris, Jr. and their pup, Luna. She is the Founder and CEO of The Vaughn Strategy, a public relations strategy consulting firm and the owner and CEO of Black Girls RUN!
I brushed shoulders with Jay two-ish years ago at RebelleCon, and I know you will find her to be as authentic, lovely and magnetic as I did back then. It was very cool to have a conversation with her on the other side of motherhood about ALL the surprises this “hood” had in store for her and all the ways it changed her. Her 15mo tries to break down the door to get to her during this interview, so it feels appropriate that much of the convo was like a juicy first-time mom tell-all. Jay is ambitious and juggling two different businesses while also making her own health a priority, so this one is super relatable if you like the new mom real talk or want to hear about the hustle of the juggle.
In this episode, G and Jay talk about:
-Rites of passage of first-time moms & the mental prep of cookie baking with kids
-Her (intense) pandemic schedule mommying and full-time entrepreneuring
-Her experience with postpartum depression and her “bounce back” expectations
-Why me and Jay should actually be the ones hosting the childbirth classes
-The nastygram she sent her mom friends after becoming a mom
-Why Jay’s husband is convinced Jesus Christ was a woman
-Lightning crotch
-How she healed her PPD with running
-The ups and downs of Black Girls Run and the magical story of how angel investors made it possible for her to acquire it
-How she successfully pivoted BGR - a company based on races/events - during a pandemic
Keep in touch with Jay Ell on IG at @jayellalexander
visiting her website at jayellalexander.com
Buy her book on Amazon here.
Find a Black Girls Run running group near you
Gervase’s digital course for new mamas, Becoming launches January 11th
Join the six-week masterclass