FOUNDERS
Jessica Butler
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.
Erin Jackson
Erin Jackson is the co-founder of Raise. She's a mother of two, wife, daughter, step-daughter, half sister, step-sister, proud millennial, and lover of travel. She also works as a marketing consultant and interior designer. When she's not working, you can find her planning her next trip, baking muffins, pretending she's going to go for a run, and avoiding playing Star Wars with her kids. She currently lives in Arkansas with her husband, Collin, and sons, Beckham and Reeves.
CONTRIBUTORS
Sarah Uslan
"Raise" Beauty Editor and celebrity makeup artist Sarah Uslan's client include Beyoncé, Solange Knowles, Lili Reinhart, Emma Roberts, Olivia Colman, Yalitza Aparicio, Constance Zimmer and Tori Kelly. Editorial publications include L'Officiel, Elle, Interview, GQ, Porter Edit, InStyle, Marie Claire, Teen Vogue, Darling, Schon, Flaunt, RUSSH, Nylon and Allure. Based in Los Angeles, Sarah divides her work schedule between L.A. and New York City.
Jen Singleton
Jen Singleton is the PR Consultant for “Raise” and co-owner of Socially Inspired, a digital marketing & communications agency. Jen partners with boutique brands and national organizations to elevate their reach through branded storytelling and social media strategies. Her favorite client is her bossy threenager, Eloise, whom she adopted in 2017.
Halley Dean
Halley Dean lives in Kansas with her husband, three children, and attack cat. By day, she puts her extensive social media stalking skills to use as a the head of her company’s special investigations unit. She is a would be writer and passionate advocate for social justice, particularly as it pertains to issues involving women and children. She has degrees in American History, Organizational Administration, and Communications, but is often unable to locate her car keys.
Zabina Bhasin
Zabina Bhasin is a physician, mom of two, and founder of In Kidz -- a lifestyle brand dedicated to empowering children with cultural awareness. You can find her at inkidzco.com.
Nichole Banducci
Nichole Banducci (MBA & Health Coach) is launching a new wellness site for moms: “Nurture Yourself. Then, Go Rock All Of Your Roles.” She enjoys dancing the line between foodie fanatic and wellness warrior. Happily, they both pair well with wine. Learn more at nicholebanducci.com or follow her on Instagram (@nicholebanducci).
Cyana Riley
Cyana Riley was born and raised in Washington, D.C..She graduated from George Washington University and spent the first 6 years of her career as a preschool teacher. It was during this time that she noticed the underrepresentation of Black and brown children in books. She has since become an author, recently publishing her first children's book, "Not So Different," which was insprired by her biracial children and interracial marriage. The book encourages children to embrace their differences and celebrate diversity. Cyana currently lives in Maryland with her husband, two children, and their dog Bella, the Golden-Doodle. Follow her journey on Instagram/Facebook @notsodifferentbook and on her website: www.notsodifferentbook.com
Caitlin McKitterick
Caitlin McKitterick is a Canadian-based teacher, wife and stepmom of a four year old boy. On her blog www.bubblytobedtimestories.com, you will find the ramblings of a bachelorette-turned-stepmom on how she strives to live a balanced, inspired and fulfilled life amidst the chaos of a blended family.
Grace Victoria
Grace Victoria, Taurus gal. Addicted to coffee, laughing, adventuring, and giving my children the best. Grace was adopted at 6 weeks old and is a single mother to three beautiful children, ages 7, 4, and 2 years. She works as an administrative assistant at a construction company and is the owner of Mulatto Baby & Co. and Grace Victoria Crafts. Originally from Whittier, she now resides in Brea. She is currently writing her first book. She has been a writer since she was 8 years old.
Jessica Janssen Wolford
Jessica Janssen Wolford is a mom and stepmom raising three kids with her husband in Nebraska. When she's not managing the complicated schedule of her busy family, Jessica is juggling a professional career in higher education. She shares her journey through blended family life and step-parenting on her site, www.astepintherightdirection.live.
Adrian Collins
Adrian Collins writes about the real-life complexities of being both a birth mother and an adoptive mother. Adrian studied journalism at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego and is married to her high school sweetheart. They currently reside in Denver, Colorado. Adrian's memoir about a mother's decision to relinquish a child at birth and the journey to rediscover herself in the aftermath is slated for release Spring 2021. She can be reached at http://www.adrianccollins.com, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Joelle Cornett
Joelle Cornett was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. While the rest of her family found success in steel and financial businesses, Joelle spent most of her childhood pounding away on an old typewriter. She has worked as an assistant and script coordinator for several shows including “Smallville,” “In Plain Sight,” “Lie to Me,” “Terra Nova,” “Emerald City,” “The Originals, and “Rise,” and worked as a development assistant to Josh Friedman, helping him develop pilots for 20th Century Fox and Universal Television. She created the web series “Cam Girls,” which placed in over 15 film festivals. Her play “Residual Fear,” based on her personal experience with pregnancy loss, was a Eugene O’Neill Semi-Finalist. She is currently, Joelle is a script coordinator for Apple’s upcoming “Foundation” and “Roswell NM” and is working on several spec pilots when she’s not chasing around her 2-year-old.
Jessica Tyler
Jessica Tyler is wife to Jeff and mom to two boys, Will and Ben. She is a non-profit semi-guru by day and an expert in cleaning marker off upholstery by night. She lives in Colorado with her boys and her cat Gracie, who adds another female to the mix.
Sarah DiMuro
Sarah DiMuro is an actor and writer in Toronto. Follow her on Instagram @sdimuro2018 and check out her vlog for "Rethink Breast Cancer."
Lia De Feo
Lia De Feo is a mother via surrogacy and the founder of Fly Bravely, a consultancy dedicated to de-stigmatizing infertility and raising awareness of infant loss. Follow on Instagram for inspiration, virtual support groups and more.
Jai Joseph
Jai Joseph is a writer based in Los Angeles.
Alyson Lippert
Alyson Lippert is a reality TV producer who loves writing and producing other people's stories more than her own. She lives in Los Angeles with her dog and fianceé. Some day they hope to have kids through adoption, but for now are happy being godmothers to the world's cutest 10-month-old. She made a resolution to be less reliant on social media, but you can still find her occasionally lurking on Twitter.
Jana Petrosini
Jana Petrosini is a mom who gets her butt kicked by her identical twin toddlers on the regular these days but loves every second of it. She is forever indebted to her amazing surrogate for bringing her baby girls into this world. When she's not being hugged, slobbered on, screamed at, or bitten by her kids (she's working on that last one), she’s a writer for children's television. She’s currently working on a few projects in the TV space along with “writing” her first picture book. She's made two batches of muffins in her life and is quite proud of them. And though her husband is a magnificent dad, she's tired of him asking, "Which twin am I holding?"
Denise Massar
Denise Massar is a mom, wife, and writer living in Southern California. She’s currently working on a memoir about her experience as an adoptee and adoptive mom, her miscarriage, the longing for a child, the grittiness and beauty of domestic adoption, the expectant moms she met as she searched for a baby, a marriage in trouble, a marriage strengthened, sex, drugs, and motherhood. You can read the first two chapters of her book, "Matched," at denisemassar.org
Robin Bakay
Robin Bakay lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two sons.
Yasmen Hunter
Yasmen Wass is a soon-to-be wife, mama-to-be, and stepmom to a five-year-old boy living in sunny Orlando with her fiance. When she is not sharing her stepmotherhood journey on her blog, coffeeandgraceblog.net, she is balancing a professional career in law.
Elizabeth Sutherland
Liz Sutherland grew up with no identity. She has no memory of the first few years of her life, outside of being dropped off at a stranger's house when she was a child. Liz and her siblings lived in an abusive home with a woman they were told was their grandmother until Liz gathered the courage to call social services to rescue herself and her siblings. Thrust into the foster care system, she learned to survive but never gave up hope that she might someday be reunited with her brother and sister and discover the truth about her identity. Demonstrating remarkable resilience, she graduated from Western Carolina University with degrees in Computer Information Systems & Criminal Justice. She now works in Tampa and is a frequent speaker for organizations such as the Women of Compassion Forum, 4Kids, and the Junior League of Tampa Bay. She was featured in the book Growing Up In The Care of Strangers and is the author of No Ordinary Liz, a memoir chronicling her incredible life story. You can read more about her experience in foster care and her search for her family on her blog noordinaryliz.com.