Announcing the 2nd Edition of
The Mom’s Guide to
Becoming Socially and Politically Engaged!
Now Available for Pre-Order!
The second edition will be available in Spring 2020. Pre-order your copy today!
What’s New in the Second Edition?
- Still Fighting for the American Dream by S. Nadia Hussain, Campaign Director, Maternal Justice, MomsRising.Org
- Raising a Daughter to Recognize Her Purpose and Resilience by Desiree Peterkin Bell
- Learning to Emerge by Elizabeth Schroeder, Wisconsin Emerge Alumni
- Everyday Power of Women by Sarah O’Dell, Grassroots Voting Activist
- Parenting Through Inequality by Laura Lyles Reagan, Parent Coach and Author
- Bringing Your Own Chair to the Table by Chou Hallegra, Author
The Lose the Cape! team is excited to announce our newest publication, The Lose the Cape Mom’s Guide to Becoming Socially And Politically Engaged. This is a book to help overwhelmed moms who have a desire to be more engaged in social and political advocacy and activism realize that there are many, many ways to get involved and be a part of the solution… even if they are home with small kids! This book serves to be a guidebook to help moms see how they can get involved, from very small efforts to massive efforts and everything in between, regardless of political affiliation. The book features How-Tos like getting to the polls, even with kids in tow, contacting your local representatives, researching the issues you care most about, along with essays from moms sharing their experiences and stories of social activism, and how they’re raising tiny activists.
Meet Our Contributors
Bellamy Shoffner
Bellamy Shoffner is a writer and creator of Hold the Line, a digital magazine committed to exploring the intersection of parenthood and social-justice. She looks forward to launching HTL Champions a multi-offering initiative with a continued committed to raising champions for change. Bellamy’s freelance work has been enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of readers through sites like The Establishment, Scary Mommy, elephant journal, For Harriet, Mamalode and other reputable publications. Her work has also been republished by Narratively, Everyday Feminism, and HuffPost. In addition to writing, Bellamy is partner to a supportive husband and mother to two clever, energetic children. She resides with her family in Charlottesville, Virginia. www.hellobellamy.co www.htlmagazine.com
Mason Aid
Mason Aid is an educator and advocate for diversity and inclusion focused on the LGBTQ community. They grew up on a small farm in rural Northeast Missouri and have since moved to the teeming metropolis of Columbia, Missouri. They got their start working with LGBTQ teens and found passion through this work. Seeing the experiences and lives of these amazing youth had a profound impact on Mason, and through their volunteer work they found opportunities training educators and social service providers. They have since grown those opportunities into a business working with online entrepreneurs to help others avoid the “accidental asshole” moment. Mason loves spending time with their wife and baby, going on walks, cooking good food, and pretending to be a pretentious coffee snob. www.themasonaid.com
Yvonne Marcus
Yvonne Marcus is currently based in Asheville, North Carolina, where she is a wife to Jeremy and a mom to Lil Sprout and Squeakers. Her life’s passion is to help moms. She knows that we all feel pressure to do #allthethings, but she knows that we also know that’s just not feasible. We should have the life we want, though, and she’s glad to say that she’s living that life. She quit her job to pursue my dream of Yvonne Marcus Consulting as soon as she found out Lil Sprout was on the way. It might have seemed a little premature, but she was definitely tired of that two-hour commute to work every day. Can you blame her?Her hope is that she’ll be able to help you live that life as well, your best life. http://thedahliascene.com
Maria Dismondy
Award-winning author and founder of the publishing company, Cardinal Rule Press, Maria Dismondy inspires and educates others in the book industry. Maria’s background in early education and research enables her to touch lives the world over while touring as a public speaker in schools, community forums, and at national conferences. When Maria isn’t working, she can be found embarking on adventures throughout southeast Michigan and beyond, where she lives with her husband and three book-loving children. http://cardinalrulepress.com
Katie White
Katie is a former teacher and lawyer who currently exercises her passion for advocacy and community development by running a nonprofit on the coast of rural Maine. When not clearing obstacles so that her amazing staff can save the world one person at a time, Katie divides her time between raising five children to be educated, active, and committed citizens and finding new and creative ways to fill her cast iron dutch oven with local foods. Katie never leaves the house without a book and 10 lipsticks in her handbag. She believes tea solves most problems and dulls the pain of the others and is happy to put the kettle on whatever the circumstances. katiespencerwhite@gmail.com
Gretchen Kelly
Gretchen Kelly is a writer, activist, and mom of three. Social justice is the main driver of her writing. In addition to feminism and politics, she writes about grief, parenting, and random musings on life. She has appeared in Upworthy, Huffington Post, Scary Mommy, Elephant Journal, and was a featured writer and cohost of the Stop Sexism podcast for the Good Men Project. https://www.facebook.com/driftingthrough/
Mary Wheatley
Mary Wheatley, is the founder of Inspired Parent Coach. She coaches parents to rediscover their strengths as a means to shore up their own self awareness, and become the optimal parent for their children. Creative by nature, she began her “encore” career after 30 years in the design field. Mary enjoys co-creating solutions with parents, to help them overcome the immense challenges they face in today’s chaotic world. She is a Graduate of Seattle Pacific University’s accredited Graduate program for Parent Coaching and is a certified Parent Coach.Mary and her husband live in Hawaii; where her two now young adult daughters were born and raised. You may learn more about her services by visiting inspiredparentcoach.com
Shanti Brien
Shanti is a recovering NFL wife, a lawyer-to-criminals and a mother of three. She writes about family and social justice issues including her cowboy and Indian family, Colin Kaepernick, and raising teenage girls. She is the Co-Founder of Fogbreak Justice which provides educational experiences about fairness and inclusion for criminal justice professionals and civic leaders. https://medium.com/@shantibrightbrien
Chou Hallegra
Chou Hallegra is the Founder of Grace & Hope Consulting, LLC. As a Mental Health Counselor, “Ability” Consultant and Christian Life Coach, she is passionate about helping women and children achieve emotional wellness, reach their full potential and live fulfilling lives. Chou enjoys connecting with people from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities and is involved with many advocacy organizations. Chou and her family live in Pennsylvania.
www.graceandhopeconsulting.com
www.graceandhopeconsulting.com
Heather Vickery
Heather Vickery is an award-winning entrepreneur, business owner, and transformational life and business coach. But Heather isn’t just a savvy businesswoman − she’s an inspiration. The founder of Vickery and Co., Heather is a featured expert on achieving an authentic and meaningful life and designing your own roadmap for balance and success. A mother of four, Heather’s world turned upside down after a major life transformation and divorce, suddenly, she had the freedom to be her most authentic self. She discovered that this same authenticity empowered her with the confidence she needed to repair, rebuild, and reach her life’s vision and goals. Today, Heather leverages her entrepreneurial skills and expertise to coach individuals towards greater personal and professional fulfillment. Through her story of personal bravery, perseverance, and resilience, Heather inspires audiences and empowers attendees with the tools they need to live bold and meaningful lives. A strong believer in strengthening her community, Heather also serves as the Vice President on the school board for The Children’s School and as Vice President on the Board of Directors for the About Face Theatre. She is obsessed Hamilton An American Musical and loves to travel. Heather is also the host of The Brave Files Podcast. www.vickeryandco.com
Jennifer Rosen Heinz
-Jennifer Rosen Heinz is the founder and editor in-chief of Use Your OUTSIDE VOICE, a media outlet which keeps people informed and motivated in a world where sometimes the news makes us feel helpless. 50% of the profits from OUTSIDE VOICE go directly to getting women of Color elected to public office. She is the co-creator of the Kindness is Everything sign, which raised over $200k for the ACLU and other nonprofits. She is also a volunteer leader for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and often does public speaking to encourage others to find their activist passions.
S. Nadia Hussain
Nadia works at MomRising directing their Maternal Justice campaign, which encompasses maternal health, mass incarceration reform, and police reform work, all with a focus on racial justice. She serves the National Board of Directors of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the board of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey (ACLU-NJ). Nadia is also the co-founder of the Bangladeshi American Women’s Development Initiative (BAWDI), a community initiative empowering Bangladeshi women and girls in NJ.
Meet Our Editors
Alexa Bigwarfe
Alexa Bigwarfe is a mother to 3 wildlings, author, publisher, writer-entrepreneur, and podcaster. Her writing career began after her infant daughter passed away at 2 days old. She has co-authored & published three volumes dedicated to imperfect parents who need a little encouragement, and is working on the 4th through the Lose the Cape! brand. She and Lose the Cape! podcast co-host feature busy moms who are passionate about making a difference in the world as we also navigate the #struggleofthejuggle. She owns her own publishing house, Kat Biggie Press, and a children’s book publishing company, Purple Butterfly Press – both which are dedicated to bringing stories of hope, inspiration, encouragement, and girl-power to the world. http://alexabigwarfe.com
Nancy Cavillones
Nancy Cavillones enjoys taking the scenic route, forcing her kids to appreciate nature, and spending time in New York City by herself in a desperate attempt to recapture her college days. Nancy recently relocated to Northern California with her family, where she hopes sweater weather exists. She is Managing Editor of Lose the Cape and co-host of the Lose The Cape podcast. http://therealnani.com
