If someone told me ten years ago that I’d be living in LA as a mom with pink hair, a film producer and running a kids brand with one of my best friends… I would totally believe them because this whacky life is the one I’ve always wanted – I just didn’t know exactly how I was going to get here.

I jumped around jobs and cities (Toronto to Los Angeles) and didn’t stay anywhere for more than one or two years. I’ve been a non-profit fundraiser, freelance brand rep, branded content sales agent, digital account manager and film/tv assistant at an entertainment agency. It wasn’t the environments or the specific work that I grew tired of though, I just didn’t feel passionate about what I was doing. All of this jumping around in seven years had given me inside knowledge across various roles and across multiple industries. After leaving my last job in the entertainment industry, I felt totally equipped in some ways but totally terrified in many others.

Then along came Mia.

This past year I’ve learned that if I wanted to be present with my daughter and have a career, I’d have to start making decisions based on my passions. I want my daughter to be proud of me. I want to be proud of me too. I want to smile through the sweat when I think about what I do for a living and how I support my family. And yes, it’s a ton of pressure. But I like it.

My best ideas have always come at night. The original concept for MiLOWE was birthed while I was breastfeeding Mia in the middle of the night in a super dark nursery during the newborn on-demand feeding days. I found myself tired to the point of an almost out-of-body state and used the quiet darkness as an opportunity to imagine the life I wanted for my little family. I let my once ordinary days turn into extraordinary nights. I went from total autonomy to BAM! - all of a sudden I was responsible for this tiny human and I wanted my partner and I to be able to support her physically, emotionally and financially. I didn’t know what I was going to do but oddly I felt confident that it would all play out. Most of all, I felt lucky to be in that position and inspired to make MiLOWE a reality.

- Christianne