
Model Mari Agory on Building Her Mom Village
Written by Erin Feher
Photography by Julia Hirsch
Mari Agory is no stranger to life-altering experiences. She was only nine years old when her family fled their native home of Khartoum, Sudan, seeking asylum in the United States due to the bloody civil war in South Sudan. At age 20 she was discovered by a fashion photographer, and spent the next decade traveling the world and walking runways for Marc Jacobs, Bottega Veneta, and Balenciaga; and gracing the pages of Vogue, Elle, and Harper’s Bazaar. But it was the birth of her first child, Luke, nearly two years ago, that she says completely transformed her perspective and outlook on life. It inspired her to launch her latest venture, Mama Talks NYC, a series of events that bring together like-minded moms to share knowledge and support with one another. Mari invited us over to her incredible greenhouse-cum-loft in Greenwich Village, which she now shares with her adorable boys under two—Luke (1) and Zachariah ( 6 months)—and her fiancé, to talk modeling, mom life, and the most amazing little indoor garden in the Village. Click through for the whole tour!
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"We live in a two bedroom duplex loft in the city. It's a fun space, very unique with its own character and personality. It surprises a lot of people who come over for the first time. We host a lot of get togethers and dinners with close friends. In the summertime we have our outside terrace space and garden, where a lot of wine is had in good company. We live sort of a country life in the middle of the city—lots of gardening, wine, and fish!"
- "We grow our tomatoes and herbs in the city, and the rest of the veggies in the greenhouse are transferred to our garden out east. We have many veggies and herbs growing: tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, shishito peppers, kale, eggplant, spinach, arugula, and basil, just to name a few. The reason we give them a jumpstart indoors in our greenhouse is so that we can harvest and enjoy them throughout the summer."
- Mari wears a vintage dress. Luke wears a H&M top and pants.
- "No big renovations, but we are continuously changing our space, especially as our toddler becomes more adventurous and discovers new and more ways to get himself hurt. We are constantly adding and taking things away to make it more toddler and baby friendly. Our most recent addition was a gate at the top of the stairs leading to the bedrooms."
- "My favorite space in our home is our shelf of books, My fiancé is one of the most well read people I know, and has read practically every book on that shelf. I, on the other hand, have some catching up to do. But for some reason, I look forward to the future whenever I glance at all the books we have—I'm not sure why."
- Snack attack!
- "We keep a designated play area in our living room for Luke to keep all his toys in. I find it amusing, because he rarely wants to play in there with his toys, but instead wants to play in the kitchen with all the pots, pans, plants, and everything else in our apartment."
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"I love the diversity of this beautiful city and the endless list of things to do. We live in Greenwich village, so we’re at the park everyday in the summertime. Washington Square Park is one of my favorite places to go in the city. It's so lively, with different musicians, dancers, and performers every day. it's quite an amusement park!"
- "We recently traveled to Los Angeles with both kids, and I must admit, it got us thinking, 'What if we lived in L.A., where the weather is always lovely, life seemingly stress-free, and there is lots of space and backyards to run in?'"
- A healthy spread for Luke.
- "Besides all the parks in the city, we love to take the kids to Union Square Play, a play space for kids and a community for mothers. Jennie, the founder, is wonderful and will welcome any mom and their kiddo with open arms. In the summertime, we like to hit the beach in Southampton to decompress from the fast pace of city life."
- "Wow, where do I begin! I absolutely love being a mother, I have always known from the time I was a little girl that one day I wanted to become a mother. Motherhood has fueled me with so much confidence, ambition and purpose. Being a mother has opened doors to the depths of my soul. Through the excruciating yet gratifying experiences of being a mother, I am able to access strengths and powers within me that I never thought I had. It excites me to think about my growth and evolution 5, 10 years from now—nurturing these two angels given to me, to raise me into a more empowered woman, mother, and being."
- "By nature I'm not much of the nervous type, but I do often wonder if I am doing something wrong in my parenting style."
- "I found out the gender for both pregnancies. I come from a big family of many boys—I’ve got 19 nephews and only 4 nieces. So growing up around boys, and being familiar with that territory, sort of had me sold on wanting to have boys of my own. I look forward to watching them participate in sports or whatever fuels their passion."
- "Both Luke and Zachariah are biblical names. Luke is also the name of the episcopal church that welcomed my family and helped us settle when we moved to this country 20 years ago as political refugees. St. Luke’s in San Diego has a special place in my heart. Zachariah (Zach for short) is such a beautiful sounding name and compliments Luke nicely."
- "My oldest is turning two in a few days, and my second is 6 months old. Luke loves to stay active—he is an extremely curious, independent and focused kid, and one of his favorite things to do is make the ultimate baby soup with ingredients sourced from anything and everything in sight. I indulge him in his obsession with water, and pouring it from one pot to another. It's fun to watch your kid get so focused on something he enjoys doing—he looks like a little scientist immersed in his experiment to solve the next medical mystery."
- Mari wears a Zara top and vintage pants.
- "I did, I think from the time I was about 13 years old. I remember I always fantasized and looked forward to one day becoming a mother and taking care of my own babies. I also always knew I wanted my first child to be a boy."
- "I felt really good both pregnancies—I loved being pregnant and was very active during both pregnancies. For my first, I worked out up until around seven-and-a-half months, and my second I spent the entire time, up until the day I went into labor, running after my toddler."
- "I guess you could call it that. My agents have all been very understanding of this phase and transition in my life, and have been accommodating by putting me up for very select work. I shot my first beauty campaign for Becca Cosmetics six weeks after giving birth to my first son. I was very proud and grateful for the moment. I then shot a beauty commercial for L’oreal Paris while pregnant with my second. There seems to be a pattern here: My boys are bringing a lot of luck and blessings into my life."
- "Books and podcasts have been my saving grace throughout my parenting journey— as a new mom and an evolving woman—and of course just good ol’ mother’s instincts come in handy. too. One of my favorite books is, How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids by Jancee Dunn. I had the honor of chatting with Dunn alongside NYC-based clinical psychologist Dr. Melissa Robinson-Brown for one of our Mama Talks NYC events."
- "Mama Talks NYC was conceived from a place of need. As a new mom with no family or support system near, I desperately crave community—a village of other women who are going through, or have gone through, the same experiences. I also didn’t just want to get together with other women just for the sake of getting together. I wanted to get together for a purpose, to learn, to get inspired, to connect. My partner, Raabiah, had similar feelings as myself upon embarking on her motherhood journey. Destiny brought us together at the kids' park, and Mama Talks NYC was born and has been growing organically since then."
- "We have managed to aggregate a community of women who are feeling and seeking the same things that we are. Mama Talks NYC is about sharing knowledge and building connections to other like-minded mamas, all in the interest of advancing ourselves and further challenging the traditional narrative of what motherhood is. We just had our sixth event—a comedy special for our community of moms—which had a fantastic turn out. In our seven short months of existence, we have diligently delivered some much-needed events to our growing community, and look forward to curating and partnering with like-minded brands to bring about talks that stimulate minds and uplift spirits."
- "I would say I am the disciplinarian, but we both definitely take pride in our free-range parenting style, in that we allow our oldest son to explore things in the household independently, as long as he isn't putting his safety at stake."
- No shortage of family, friends, and good times.
- "Be patient with yourself and everyone around you, it will save you a lot of heartache and anxiety."
- "I come from a big family—I am the youngest of seven children, and an aunt to 23 nephews and nieces! I have always envisioned having a big family myself."
- Mari wears a top from Mango.
- "For the past decade, I’ve traveled the word as a high-fashion model, working for some of the biggest fashion houses. I’ve learned so much about people in my time as a nomad, traveling from city to city, and experiencing different cultures, worlds, ways of life, and people. It was a beautiful run, but now I am settled in NYC, growing my family, and building a permanent home here."
- "I am originally from South Sudan, but I was born in what now is considered the capital of Sudan, Khartoum. Up until 2011, Sudan and South Sudan were one country, but do to political and religious factions within the area formerly known as the Republic of Sudan, the country was split into two. My family and I escaped the war and moved to Cairo, Egypt, for a few years before being granted political asylum in the United States. I was raised by a resilient, fierce woman whom I have the honor to call my mother. I hope to one day exude even a small fraction of her strength."
- "Motherhood has truly given me a sense of purpose and belonging, as well as a knowledge of myself—the good the bad and the ugly. It is through this journey that I have discovered my passion for community building and women's empowerment. I have come to realize if we go together, we truly do go far. And when we thrive, we are able to then empower and inspire others."
- "Trying to juggle is in itself more juggling! For us, some day are seamless, and others can be tormenting. There are days when I really wish there were more than 24 hours to check off all the things on my daily to-do list, but then there are days that by 10 a.m., I feel that the day should just be over with already! I have learned to go with the flow, be flexible, and open to the unknown. Having a baby and toddler in tow is always unpredictable, but regardless of how exhausting or long my days can get sometimes, nothing beats the feeling of tucking my happy kiddos into bed after a fun-filled day, and looking forward to seeing their faces in the morning. Or the feeling I get reminiscing with my partner about how much fun we’ve had with our kids and the joys of parenthood. Or feeling so driven to accomplish a passion project, that for once in my lifetime, I finally feel alive."
- "Comfort has become a big factor in dressing up since becoming a mom. I have changed so much, so I'm still learning how to style and dress my new and evolving body. Typically for the warmer summer days, a maxi dress is my go-to; it's easy, classy, and sometimes can be sexy. For the colder climate, turtle necks have become my absolute favorite."
- "I never go to bed without doing my skin care regime, regardless of how tired I am. My routine usually consist of gently exfoliating/washing, toning, and moisturizing my face. A new favorite of mine throughout my second pregnancy—one I wish was around for my first pregnancy—is Matrescence Skin. Their products are as simple as 1-2-3 and non-toxic. I have been using their Rose Glow Trio and my skin has never looked or felt better, even in the midst of all the pregnancy and postpartum hormones."
- Mari wears a Mitera Collection nursing dress. Luke wears an H&M top and pants.
- "My 'me time' usually consists of listening to a podcast while cleaning up or working on my projects during the ‘second shift.’"
- "I’m in the early stages of launching my internet-based company, and really look forward to watching it grow from just a seed of an idea. Stay tuned, and keep a look out for the ultimate virtual village for moms, alongside some exciting upcoming events and talks with Mama Talks NYC."
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For more on Mari Agory and Mama Talks NYC, make sure to follow her on Instagram.
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