Community is everything in times like these, and there’s no better way for us to support ours than by sharing the businesses that literally support you -- the mamas in our tribe.
I started writing content for Raise almost two years ago. I left my job as a TV writer shortly after Levon was born and set out to create a community, both online and in person, for mamas like me. We have lofty dreams for Raise extending far beyond these posts, but the blog is, and always will be, the foundation of the brand. Absolutely nothing has more power to change the world than storytelling.
Nothing.
Knowing the site would be our anchor, I didn’t want to launch it with only a handful of posts, so I spent a year and a half writing. Experimenting. Learning what I was good at and what I needed someone else to bring to the table. I partnered with the most incredible co-founder — Erin Jackson — who immediately became my other half and elevated Raise to something far beyond what I had ever imagined it could be. In February 2020, we officially launched. We had a five year plan, six month goals, a rolling content calendar, plans for in person events…
And then Covid happened.
We’ve been lucky enough to continue to grow during this time, but let’s be honest — it’s required a lot more work than it would have under normal circumstances. We know how hard it is to stay afloat when all you really want to do is stay in bed and pull the covers over your head until 2022.
Community is everything in times like these, and there’s no better way for us to support ours than by sharing the businesses that literally support you — the mamas in our tribe. That’s why we’re creating a space to highlight brands owned by stepmoms, adoptive and foster moms, adoptees and former foster youth, birth moms, single moms, LGBTQ parents, BIPOC, and mamas of mixed race families. If you have a brand, blog, or business you’d like us to feature on our site (and in our feed), please email us! We’re so excited to hear from you and help you grow your community!
Jessica Butler is the co-founder of Raise, stepmother of two, and adoptive mother of one. Prior to Raise, she was a writer on USA’s "In Plain Sight" and TNT’s "The Last Ship." She and her husband, writer/producer Warren Bell, co-created the Nick at Nite series "Instant Mom," based on her life as a stepmother. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and six-year-old son, Levon.