Long-time radio and TV personality Nessa Diab holds many titles—from toddler mom, to podcaster, to host for HOT 97, MTV, and NBC. And now, alongside her husband Colin Kaepernick, she’s adding children’s book author to the list, with the release of her debut kid-lit title, We Are Free You And Me.

The book continues the work the duo are doing with Kaepernick Media and the Know Your Rights Camp, whose mission is to advance the liberation and well-being of Black and Brown people. The freedom-themed book reminds children—and their adults—of their many freedoms: to move, to play, to dream, to be safe, to speak, love, and thrive.

Below, Nessa shares a surprise for her daughter, nestled within the book, alongside her other Mother Essentials of the moment.

We Are Free You And Me. “We LOVE reading books to our daughter. And one day she will get to see the Easter egg in the back of our children’s book, where she is inside the stroller that we are pushing at the community party.” We Are Free You and Me, $17.66, Bookshop and Amazon.

One Love. “A great book honoring the words of Bob Marley with the cutest artwork to match. This was the first book we read to our daughter and she still loves it!” One Love, $7.43, Bookshop and Amazon.

Lovevery Kits. “These kits saved us so many times early on when we needed activities for our daughter—especially when she was a newborn. They are developmentally appropriate toys and activities. We love them.” The Play Kits, $80, Lovevery.

VTech Kidi Star DJ Mixer. “I’ve been in radio broadcasting for close to 20 years, and of course I wanted our baby girl to learn how to be a DJ!” VTech Kidi Star DJ Mixer, $42.49, Amazon.

Aveeno Baby SPF 50. “We love being outside, and we also know skin safety is extremely critical. We make sure as a family we put sunscreen on, and this is the one we use on our daughter.” Aveeno Baby Continuous Protection Zinc Oxide Mineral Sunscreen Lotion for Sensitive Skin, $9.99, Amazon.

Mothercould Sunscreeen Brush Set. “I learned the hard way the struggle to get sunscreen on a toddler! This really helps me because our daughter will hold one brush to play with, while I use the other brush to put her sunscreen on. A MUST HAVE! Thank me later!” Mothercould Sunscreen Brush Set, $24.95, Amazon.

Leapfrog Learning Friends 100 Words Book. “Our daughter loves pushing down on all the pages. She loves animals! This helps her identify them.” Leapfrog Learning Friends 100 Words Book, $14.99, Amazon.

BravoKids 10-Inch LCD Writing Tablet. “Colin and I both remember versions of this from our childhood, but these new tablets are far nicer than anything we had back then. Our daughter loves using this and always asks us to draw her a cat. She is now learning to scribble on it. I personally think her work is like Picasso. LOL. Kidding.” Bravokids 10-Inch LCD Writing Tablet, $19.99, Amazon.

Aquaphor For Both Baby & Me. “Aquaphor is THE best. For both our daughter and myself. Anytime I need to fix my skin, I lather this on. I always buy it when I’m at the store, so now I have a stash!” Aquaphor Baby Healing Ointment, $19.89, Target and Amazon.

Dapple All Purpose Wipes. “Anyone who knows me knows I’m a germaphobe, so these are amazing to have all around to keep things clean and sanitary.” Dapple All Purpose Wipes, $6.97, Walmart and Amazon.

Toddler Golf Clubs. “Our daughter knows how to set up the tee and hit the ball, but she prefers throwing the clubs instead LOL.” Wonder & Wise Good Wood Golf Set, $69, West Elm Kids.

Owl Anything! “Teddy bears, pictures—she loves owls!” Jellycat Bashful Owl, $29, Amazon.

CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser. “This is my go-to! I used to have an exhausting skin routine, and I just don’t have the time or patience. Less is more for my skin, and this works wonders cleaning my face.” CeraVe Face Wash, $18.49, Target.

Kerastase Curl Manifesto Hair Line. “Embracing my natural curls and wavy hair has been amazing because I finally found the right products for my hair! I don’t have time to go to the salon anymore, so I need something that treats my hair right and allows me to style it in the most low-lift way possible. This is a game changer.” Kerastase Curl Manifesto Line, $48, Kerastase.

Nars Laguna Bronzing Cream. “I love Nars! I discovered this bronzing cream recently and I am obsessed. It melts perfectly into my skin and gives me the perfect pop I need without too much effort.” Laguna Bronzing Cream, $40, Nars.

Nars Foundation. “Nars is my go-to brand. Their quality is really good and this foundation has perfect coverage without it feeling heavy.” Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation in Tahoe, $52, Nars.

One/Size Lip Snatcher. “IYKYK! A good lip liner is crucial. This is currently my favorite and I was introduced to it by my makeup artist Maricela Saucedo, who does my makeup before I interview celebrities for work.” One/Size Lip Snatcher Waterproof Precision Lip Liner in Coin Collector, $14, Kohl’s. 

Weleda Lip Butter Skin Food. “I love to keep my lips hydrated, especially on days I wear heavy makeup for work when I do celebrity interviews. I lather my lips before I sit in the makeup chair so my lips are hydrated for as long as possible throughout the day.” Skin Food Lip Butter, $7.49, Weleda.

Lysol Travel Wipes. “As I mentioned before, I am a total germaphobe. These are an absolute MUST. I wipe down just about everything I use.” Lysol Disinfecting Wipes To-Go Packs, $5.52, Amazon.

Disposable Gloves. “Don’t make fun of me, but I wear disposable gloves when commuting throughout New York City or on planes, etc. I don’t cross contaminate, so I’m constantly tossing them out. I like to wear gloves when commuting because I wipe down everything with Lysol wipes. I became even more obsessive post-Covid.”  

For more MOTHER ESSENTIALS, peep our recent features on author/illustrator Bo Lu, artist Suzy Ultman, Super Smalls founder Maria Duenas Jacob, Lanee Slaughter of MAMA & OG, the mamas behind MAJO IDEAS, HAWKS founder Emma Flanders, celebrity hairstylist Kylee Heath, APRIL SHOWERS of Afro Unicorn, crafty mamas ERIN BOYLE AND ROSE PEARLMAN, writers CLEO WADE and ALEX ELLE, comedian JENNY SLATE, poet MAGGIE SMITH, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream co-founder LAURA O’NEILL, author and doula BRANDI SELLERZ-JACKSON, designer CLARE VIVIER, Miles & Milan founder SHENNEL FULLER, GRACE NA of Pistola, and the designers behind MILK TEETH.