
Meet Brandi Sellerz-Jackson: Mom of Three, Doula, and Joy Personified
Written by Erin Feher
Photography by Nicki Sebastian
If there is anyone we would want by our side during childbirth, guiding and supporting us through that monumental countdown to official motherhood, we are pretty sure it’s Brandi Sellerz-Jackson. The L.A.–based mama of three radiates confidence and kindness, and so is perfectly matched to her career as a birth and postpartum doula. And did we mention her style? Brandi not only has an eye for unique pieces, but an instinct for how to wear them that makes her stand out from the crowd. But she also proves true the old adage: everything looks better with a smile. And Brandi’s is electric. We can only guess it’s a big part of the secret sauce that makes her home life so sweet. Her L.A. bungalow is literally exploding with life: current residents include her musician husband Jon, their three beautiful boys—Jax, 12, Jedi, 3, and Jupiter, 8 months—and their 45 potted plants. She graciously invited us over for a tour, and opened up about everything from raising kind and gentle men, to the importance of talking about miscarriages, to why the present political moment may be shocking to white people, but not to her. Read the full interview (and peep all those amazing plants!) by clicking through the full slideshow below.
- "We moved into our home 5 years ago, when we were just a family of three. Jax, our oldest, was only 7 years old. We found our place online and my husband, Jon, was the one who initially went to set eyes on it and check it out. The previous resident lived here for almost 40 years! She raised her kids here. We felt the love the moment we walked into the door. The only reason she moved was because she decided to live with her adult children, as she was progressing in age and needed support. When Jon went to spy out the place, he felt it in his gut that this was the home for our family. I went to look at it after working, and instantly fell in love. It felt right."
- "All things green. All things living. When people walk into our home, the first thing that they notice is our plants. We have over 45 of them in our home. Most folks describe our home as life giving."
- "No major renovations. We just made our space our own. Plants. All the shelving. That’s it."
- "Only do what makes you feel good. Our home is our oasis. It’s our space to breathe and decompress from schedules and places to be. When I look around at our home, I only see things that truly bring me joy."
- "Thank you. We were so very blessed to have our dear friends, Jazz Smollett-Warwell and Jake Smollett from Living By Design, offer to do a home makeover for the boys’ room. Prior to the makeover, their room was a bit hard to navigate. There was no organization. Everything was kind of everywhere. Jake and Jazz did an amazing job at organizing our boys' belongings and making their space theirs! I honestly love our boys' room. Sometimes I hang out in there myself!"
- "Our living room is brimming with life. A comfy sofa, light beaming though the windows, and all the greenery. Truthfully, we’ve outfitted the majority of our living space with yard sale finds, Craigslist, and side-of-the-road treasures."
-
"One of my favorite pieces is actually in our dining room. It’s our dining room table. This is the place that our family can always connect. Our table was created by a dear woodworking friend of ours, Terry Wilson of Resin Souls. We’ve had many beautiful dinners with friends around our table."
Brandi wears a vintage dress and a custom Lone Hawk hat. Jax wears H&M jeans and hoodie, and a Lone Hawk hat. Jedi wears a Catboy costume. Jupiter wears an Old Navy onsie.
- "I would love to say that we keep everything in the boys’ room. However, toys always seem to find their way into the living room. I’ve learned not to sweat the small stuff. If by the end of the day all the toys are back in their proper place, I’m o.k. with that!"
- "I have the privilege of raising amazing people. I get to carry on beautiful traditions from my mother. I can also decide what not to pass along, as a mother."
- "Raising men. I grew up around girls. Having all boys has challenged me in a beautiful way. It’s changed the way I think about men and women. About people."
- "I love that I get to raise kind men. Gentle men. Strong men. Vulnerable men. Dope men. I always say that if my sons decide to partner, you are welcome."
- "I became super aware after having Jax, our eldest son, that Black kids are looked at differently. I knew this to be so. Like most black people, I’ve experienced bias and prejudice. My husband as well. However, it’s something about stepping back and seeing how your children are viewed by adults with different skin. It’s super problematic when I see body language shift, as if they are a threat. It’s disturbing. However, it has happened. We tell our children to trust their gut. When things feel off, it probably is. If something sounds racist, it just may be. If it starts feeling like the movie, Get Out, get out. Your feelings are valid and so is your joy."
- "The Conversation differs with each child. For Jax, we obviously can go a bit deeper, as he’s almost 13 years old. So, our conversations can range from what to do when stopped by a police officer to simply navigating privilege. For Jedi, we keep it simple, as he’s three."
- "So, we have Jaxon, Jedi, and Jupiter. All of our boys have jazz greats within their name sake: Jaxon-Miles, Jedi-Freedom Ellington, Jupiter-Basie. Honestly, Jax’s name came about as a joke. Our last name is Jackson. I believe my sister made a comment about us possibly naming him Jaxon Jackson. We laughed and then we were both like, 'Wait, that’s amazing!' It just stuck. For Jedi, I loved the name meaning. It’s Hebrew for 'friend of God.' It’s always a great reminder that someone out there, bigger than us all, is FOR you, and is your friend. For Jupiter, it's the largest planet in the solar system. I want him to know that he should never shrink himself for approval or love. I am raising Black Men. I never want any of my sons to shrink themselves. I want them to be fully themselves. No fear."
- "Jax is 12, almost 13. He loves playing bass and is super interested in shoemaking. Jedi is 3, almost 4, he loves pretending and all the costumes. We have at least 3 to 4 costume changes per day. He gets super immersed in the character he’s portraying. Perhaps there’s an Oscar in his future? Jupiter is 8 months old. What can I say? He loves the boobie."
- "Yes. I had a pretty darn amazing mom. I’ve always wanted to mother humans."
- "Each of my pregnancies were super different. My pregnancy with Jax was a walk in the park. I was 23 years old and perhaps I had way more energy, who knows? My pregnancy with Jedi was fairly easy? I was a bit more exhausted, however between the nausea and naps it was pretty o.k. But my pregnancy with Jupiter felt like a lot. I was on bed rest at 35 weeks. Jon traveled quite a lot during this time. There was a lot going on."
- "I had a miscarriage right before we conceived Jedi. There was little to no resources during that time around miscarriage. I struggled to find community. I felt very isolated. After much healing, I decided that I needed to be the change that I wished to see in the world. I decided to create a platform where women could share their stories. Openly. Honestly. Without Fear. Not So Private Parts was born."
- "Yes. I did the whole laying in thing, and didn’t leave the house for 38 days. It was pretty amazing. I took time to heal. To breathe. I allowed myself to be nurtured, so that I could nurture my baby."
- "I loved The First 40 Days by Heng Ou. I also love Nurture by Erica Chidi-Cohen."
- "Honestly, all dope moms who are doing their thing and raising amazing kids are icons. Of course I love my Moms In Color babes (Ashley Chea, Kelly McKnight, and Candace Montgomery). These women never cease to amaze me. They wear so many hats. They are thriving in their careers. They are exhibiting all the joy. They are #BlackMomMagic."
- "My upbringing was pretty different from my kids' upbringing. I grew up in the South. Our line of work is different, so therefore our schedules are different. It’s different. But all good."
- "Stay teachable. Stay in tune. Open communication is everything."
- "For our family no. I believe that this current administration is just proof of what this country has always been for POC. Racism didn’t begin with the 2016 Trump election. It’s been here. I believe that the election simply made what a lot of POC have been experiencing all these years apparent to the dominant culture (white people). I wrote a blog post about this very thing and explained how it feels as if Black Lives don’t seem to matter until White Lives do."
- "Breathe. Everything is about to change, and it’s a beautiful thing. Gather support. In fact, gather all the support. You need postpartum support more than any baby item. Real talk. Gather your village."
- "I think we are done. Honestly, the birth of Jupiter was so very yummy. My midwife, Racha Tahani Lawler, was amazing! I was so very surrounded. If I could have the same birth and same postpartum support, I would have all the babies! However, Jon and and I have both decided that our family is complete with our three boys. We can still practice though! Ayyyy!"
- "I am a birth and postpartum doula. I support birthing people during their transition through pregnancy to parenthood. I am also a creator. I create pathways."
- "After Jedi’s birth, Jon and I had little to no support. My mother had passed away. Los Angeles is super spread out, so my friends at the time that could help were few and far between. Fast forward a year, I found myself interested and becoming immersed in women’s work. I had just curated an event centered around Black Breastfeeding Week, and the selected moderator, Erica Chidi-Cohen, was a doula. I guess, sensing my eagerness to support women, Erica asked me if I had ever thought about becoming a doula. To which I answered...maybe? My interest was piqued. I found myself in her training a few months later. The rest is history."
- "Honestly, I absolutely love my work. I love supporting birthing people during birth. Cheering them on, letting them know they can do it. I love the postpartum part of it all, as well. There is something so very sweet about looking a parent in the eyes, knowing and feeling that they are overwhelmed, and whispering to them that they’ve got this, and that they are not alone."
- "I grew up a little all over the place. I was born in Bristol, Connecticut. My mother remarried when I was 11 and we moved to Birmingham, Alabama, where I stayed until I relocated for college, and found myself in Nashville, Tennessee. I went to Belmont University where I met the love of my life, Jon. We both studied music."
- "After birthing Jedi, I saw a need—my need—for this work. I wanted to be what I needed."
- "Moms In Color was created out of a need for diversity within the Motherhood space. Prior to Moms In Color, my co-creators and I would attend events here in Los Angeles, and we would find ourselves as the only black moms within the space. It was super problematic. Do you know how hard you have to try—or not be aware—for your space to be majority white here in Los Angeles? We felt tokenized. It wasn’t ok. So, we created Moms In Color as a safe space for Black moms to gather, share, feel celebrated and seen, and not have to question why they were invited into a space."
- "Our village is mighty. We are surrounded by amazing folks! We have our doula family. Amazing babysitters through our dear friends Andrea Mozelle’s Nanny Service. My husband travels quite a good deal. He actually wasn’t present for the birth of Jupiter. He was working overseas. However, our family was so very surrounded by our village. Not once did I ever feel alone. There’s seriously too many folks to name. I’d be here all day. There were amazing women supporting me during my birth. It felt ancestral. Jax our eldest caught his brother. Our family was and is so very held."
-
"It’s about listening to what you can actually do in the present moment. No stress. Release the pressure. Be present."
Brandi wears an Ace & Jig striped jumpsuit and a custom Lone Hawk hat. Jedi wears H&M pants and skeleton tee.
- "Absolutely. I remind myself that I am truly doing the best that I can. We all are. Deep breaths."
- "I believe in being as transparent as appropriate. If I’m tired, I say it. If I’m touched out, I say it. If I’m excited about something, I say it. I believe that our kids need to see how we handle pressure or stress, so that way they know how to handle it in the most healthy, non-dysfunctional way."
- "There are so many reasons. I love the diversity. I love that the sky is the limit. The opportunities for our children to be creative and truly be whatever they want to be is everything."
- "Absolutely. I love New York. At some point I would love to live in a different country. Who knows?"
- "Honestly, we do a great deal of online shopping as opposed to in-store. It’s a lot of shopping with kids. I love the park—Griffith is a favorite of ours! We love our local museums: The LACMA is always amazing. The Underground Museum is super dope."
- "I love a good jumpsuit. I love patterns as well as minimalism. I know. Such a contradiction. I enjoy well-made clothing."
- "Absolutely! I used think more is more. I would buy a lot of fast fashion items prior to becoming a mother. I now know the impact of purchasing clothing that will ultimately end up in a landfill, as opposed to investing in clothing that not only feels good, but will last. I’ve made the crossover within my own closet. However, I haven't completely figured it out in my kids’ closet. I try to buy recycled clothing as much as possible for them."
- "Jumpsuits all day. Dresses and dad sneakers all day. Classic 504 jeans all day. I love Ace & Jig—because patterns and amazing textiles are dope. Ilana Kohn because jumpsuits."
- "I love all things non-toxic! I credit my skin glow up to my plant-based diet. My favorite products? Osea. I’m a huge fan of their cleanser. I also use avocado butter on my skin. When it comes to makeup, I’m pretty minimal. Like nothing but some Josie Maran on my cheeks and maybe a lip—I love Kosas."
- "All the self-care. Yoga. Meditation. Yoni steaming. I listen to my body. 'Me time' consists of me preparing myself a meal. Just for me. I eat it while it’s warm. Amazing."
-
"Writing a book. Getting into tech. Creating more pathways."
For more on Brandi and her adorable family, be sure to follow her on Instagram.
Write a Comment
Share this story
So Cute