Hey! Hey! Hey! I’m the founder and editor in chief of MAED. In a certain sense, my path to MAED began at the age of 12, when I signed with Ford Models and began appearing in magazines, like Elle and Marie Claire, and campaigns for global fashion and beauty brands. After transitioning to acting, I relocated from my native Brooklyn to Los Angeles, where I worked in film and television, including starring as Raquel in VH1’s “Single Ladies.” Two seasons into the series, I became pregnant. My daughter was born in February of 2015. The experience completely flipped the script.

As a model and actress, I had always paid attention to eating well and working out but now the stakes were higher. Motherhood is a 24/7 gig. There are no reshoots or stand-ins. Big life changes were triggered. I didn’t know that being a mother was so hard. I didn’t know that you could love anyone the way you love your child. I also didn’t know that I would take so much pride in my responsibilities as a mother. I was committed to raising my daughter as intentionally and naturally as possible. I began documenting my journey and our alternative choices via social media — from preparing plant-based clean meals and detoxing my home to hanging with my little one and making time for self-care. My followers’ DMs, tweets and comments soon made it clear: They wanted a permanent place to go for more info. So I created MAED.