
Multi-Talented Mama Alex Elle Invites Us Over
Written by Katie Hintz-Zambrano
Photography by Erika Layne
If you follow Alex Elle on Instagram, you know that she’s an open book—quite literally. With snippets of her brave and honest poetry filling her cult-followed feed, the writer/podcaster/beauty entrepreneur has been able to connect with fans over a range of topics—from motherhood and womanhood to fertility woes and love. And our profile on the the mother of one (Charleigh, 9) is no different. Below, she opens up her home in the DC suburbs to us, while catching us up on her life, including her well chronicled journey to baby #2, which, at the moment, includes a try at IVF after a diagnosis of mild male factory infertility (MFI). Read, learn, and connect right here.
- "We live in a cozy apartment that is just starting to feel like 'us.' I went on a walkthrough with a friend who was actually supposed to be renting it! They changed their mind and we ended up moving in instead. This May marks three years!" Alex wears a James Perse dress. Charleigh wears clothes from The Children's Place, Gap, and Target.
- "Minimal, colorful, and fun! We work with our space and it suits us well."
- "Keep it simple. Less is more!"
- "My photography and Erika Layne’s hangs on our walls. Supporting indie artists is a big deal for me, so I love our Michelle Robinson and Deun Ivory wall prints a lot. Also, my daughter is an artist, so her work and projects liven up our space. As far as furniture goes, the furry chair in our bedroom makes me so happy! Our couch and my handmade desk are also favorites of mine."
- "Our daughter is 9 and does an awesome job at cleaning up after herself. We allow her to roam freely in our home with her things because she is good at picking up her belongings."
- "I am a full time author (Words from a Wanderer, Love in my Language, Neon Soul), skincare maker (Balm & Co), and podcast host (hey, girl.)."
- "I grew up right outside of DC in Montgomery County, Maryland. For my higher education I studied journalism and marketing, but with about a year and a half left, I decided that college wasn’t for me. I dove into entrepreneurship shortly after and have been fully self-employed for about 5 years now."
- "Five years ago, when I quit my job to work for myself full-time, I was working at a non-profit. Char had just started kindergarten and I didn’t want to miss out on her special moments. My commute was awful, my job wasn’t fulfilling, and I had a best-selling book out at the time. I wanted to explore writing and creating full-time. I’d been preparing for that transition, emotionally and financially, for a while, so after a pretty nasty run-in with my boss, I quit, and haven’t looked back since. I’ve been able to make my own schedule and be there for my child in the way that I want to."
- "It has allowed me to share my story and build community through testimony."
- "Well, I had my daughter when I was 18. There was no maternity leave, I was in college and went to class up until it was time to give birth."
- "Being fulfilled and building boundaries when it comes to career and parenting."
- "I do! My village is incredible and abundant."
- "I get to set the trajectory of my career. It’s truly a blessing to be able to do what you love for a living. I couldn’t ask for a better life walk, career wise."
- "My self-care sessions are so much fun, if I do say so myself. The focus is building sisterhood through self-care. We practice yoga, mediation, and I teach journaling exercises to women looking to enhance their self-care rituals."
- "I started being intentional about my self-care practice about 4 years ago. Self-care, to me, means filling yourself up so that you can pour into those around you. We cannot truly serve our community or ourselves if we’re depleted. As a mother and wife, self-care plays a huge role in my life. It’s important that I am 'full,' so that I can nourish my family and relationships in the healthiest way possible."
- "bell hooks, Paulo Coelho, Deun Ivory, Asiyami Gold, Roe + E of @BrownKids, my husband, Mary Oliva, Anne Lamot, Brene Brown, Oprah Winfrey, Maya Angelou, Joshua Kissi, Maza Dohta...the list could go on!"
- "I currently am working on my 4th book and expanding my new podcast!"
- "Charleigh—pronounced like Charlie—has a very fun room! We recently redecorated it to make it more of a 'big girl' room, in her words. She loves art and color, so we tried to include as much of that as possible."
- "She loves her unicorn things. We recently got her a new gold unicorn lamp and she adores it!"
- "Seeing my daughter evolve into her own person has been such a joy in my motherhood experience. She’s truly a gem of a human and it’s wonderful to witness her growth."
- "Her innocence dissolving. I know that I can’t keep her sheltered forever. I’ve been struggling with that in motherhood—loosening my grip little by little to allow her to experience life. There are moments when I wish I could be her influence 100% of the time, but that isn’t realistic or healthy to her growth. My hope is that what we teach her at home follows her as she journeys through life as an individual."
- "My pregnancy with Char was easy. She was and still is the most peace I have experienced in life. I tell people that all the time. She’s been a joy since conception!"
- "It was so hard! My husband and I had been trying for almost a year when we conceived. That baby would’ve been our first child together. We were crushed after the loss and completely blindsided. I just knew we would get pregnant easily, but that wasn’t the case."
- "Yes, we are! After our loss, we decided to see what the issue could be. After lots of tests on both of us, the results came back that my husband has 'mild male factor infertility' (MFI). Our doctors said we could get pregnant again naturally, but it could take another 2 years. We opted to get some fertility assistance to help with our process, both holistically and medically. Finding out that MFI was our 'why' was a bummer, but we were so relieved to discover the root cause. When we did we were able to be pro-active."
- "MFI is tricky. There are many different varieties of it, too. I definitely suggest that folks look it up to learn more. A lot of people automatically assume that the woman is the cause for fertility issues, while that is the case for some; it’s not the case for all. It’s important that both partners are checked for fertility problems, no matter how mild. Our journey hasn’t been easy. It’s a trying and frustrating time. However, having a partner in love to walk the journey with outweighs the negative stuff that comes up."
- "Find peace in the things that make you feel right and good. Be kind and self-forgiving with yourself, too."
- "My upbringing was completely different from how I am raising my child. Times are changing, specifically for mothers of color, when it comes to discipline. I was raised in a way that encouraged spankings and that was quite aggressive. However, when I became a mother I knew I wanted to raise her with the softness that I didn’t get growing up. Loving kindness, no spankings, and finding the balance in discipline that doesn’t make her feel small or inadequate has been the goal. Mothering is a journey; there are many ebbs and flows, but understanding and compassion should be at the heart of all that we do, even when it’s hard. That is what I try and live by in my parenting."
- "Having a girl is so fun for me! She’s such an easygoing and creative kid. I am excited to see the type of young woman and adult she will be."
- "The political climate has made me more aware of a lot of things. As an individual, it’s made me even more cognizant of my blackness and what it means to be a person of color in America. As a mother, it pushes me to work harder to equip my daughter with the emotional tools she needs to navigate the world. But it also has taught me something, which is never forget who you are, even when outsiders don’t 'get it.'"
- "The mothers in my life are iconic. Every last one of them is an amazing force and I am honored to call them family and friends."
- "Community is important and so is sisterhood. I don’t focus too much on 'mom friends' more than I do having compassionate, resilient, and kind women in my life in general."
- "You don’t have to be perfect. You are capable. You can be strong and still be soft. Lean on those around you. Love on yourself fiercely and completely."
- "I am not a city girl! We live in the suburbs, which I love. It’s nice to be able to go to DC when we want but not have to live there. We have plans to move to California after we have our second child. So, in the next year or so, we will be on the West Coast."
- "When we do go out we love to visit the following spots for food: Lavande Patisserie in Rockville, MD. Timber Pizza Co in DC. Pie360 in Rockville, MD. Farmers & Distillers in DC. Cava in Olney, MD. Big Bear Café in DC. Bus Boys & Poets in DC. MatchBox in Rockville. And Potter’s House in DC."
- "Cozy, comfy, and minimal. It’s definitely changed. I mean, I am 27 now. A lot has changed in 9 years, my style and eyebrow shape included!"
- "Levi’s denim, Stan Smith sneakers or my Nina Z clogs, a Madewell cardigan, and loose-fitting tees. Those are indeed my staples."
- "I love Hackwith Design House, Madewell, Imogene + Willie, Levi’s, Elizabeth Suzann, Luna Soul, Brother Vellies, and Stan Smith." Alex wears a Luna Soul shawl, Madewell belt, Laura Lombardi earrings, Imogene + Willie jeans, and a The Wrap Life head wrap.
- "Mostly online, stores stress me out!
- "Easy and low key."
- "I hate working out! So, I have to find fun ways to get my fitness in. Normally that includes vinyasa yoga, bikram yoga, and zumba. Those activities allow me to have fun, find my center, and not feel overly anxious about having to 'hit the gym.'"
- "I like to pencil myself in for everything. I pencil others in, so why not add myself to my calendar? Plugging myself into my schedule holds me accountable and it also serves as a gentle reminder to be intentional about showing up for myself." Alex wears a hand-dyed dress from Luna Soul, belt from Etsy, The Wrap Life head wrap, earrings from Africa, and Maryam Nassir Zadeh shoes.
- For more on Alex and her family, follow her over on Instagram.
Share this story