“We As Moms Have Such A Powerful Influence In The World”: What We Learned At The 2023 Mom 2.0 Summit

“There isn’t a more supportive group than a bunch of moms who want to help other moms,” said Tammy Rant, co-founder of Tushbaby, when looking back at her time at the 15th annual Mom 2.0 Summit in early May. The summit, which brings together mom creators and influencers with brands and media, first launched in 2009, making Mom 2.0 a star in the blogging industry — and the organization has only gotten bigger and more influential.

This year, the conversations and connections took place at the gorgeous JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona. Keynote speakers this year included New York Times bestselling author Jen Hatmaker, as well as author and activist Austin Channing Brown in conversation with Romper’s Raising Anti-Racist Kids columnist, Tabitha St. Bernard-Jacobs. Understood.org Co-President and Chief Product Officer Jenny Wu and Ford Environmental Leadership and Sustainability Manager Artealia Gilliard also keynoted.

Panels covered topics from “Not Just Followers: How Creating a Real Community With Your Influence Is an Intervention,” featuring Wu and author Katie Crenshaw, to “What Is Your Parenting Style and Temperament?” with senior manager of parenting education and resources at Bright Horizons Claire Goss. Editors from Romper, a media partner of the event, also moderated panels. “All Things TikTok,” led by Romper’s Editor-In-Chief Elizabeth Angell, featured Alyce Chan (founder of MomComNYC), Rosie Nguyen (aka the Hustling Mama), Nicki Maher (founder and CEO of Happy Mom Media), and Barbara Jones (founder and CEO of Outshine Talent). Romper’s managing editor, April Daniels Hussar, led a conversation called “Blueprint to Overcoming Creative Burnout and Avoiding Business Burnout,” with Dr. Taniqua Miller, Future Cain (CEO of The Future of SEL), and Tara Clark (founder of Modern Mom Probs).

Nonprofit organization Understood.org, the summit’s official Cause partner, creates resources and content for those with learning and thinking differences to help them succeed and reach their full potential. Wu hosted a fireside chat with Crenshaw to discuss social media and mental health. Sarah Greenberg, the executive director of behavior change and expertise at Understood.org, hosted a wellness workshop that allowed attendees to meditate and reflect. Lastly, it had a space to promote the app “Wunder,” where attendees could experience the app in action, involving creating a comfortable space for moms to discuss raising neurodivergent kids.

There’s space for all who want to make change and we each have a role to play in our spheres of influence.

“The Mom 2.0 Summit was an empowering moment for mothers to gather together and share the many positives of building their own brands and to discuss the joys of motherhood — but also the many challenges that come with it,” Wu tells Romper. Wu says she was particularly moved by Hatmaker’s keynote, during which she called out to the audience of hundreds of mothers: “What’s impacting you most today?”

“A mom sprang up and answered, saying it was raising her neurodivergent child,” recalls Wu. “Then another woman, and another, and another, imparted the same. It became clear that these women needed and welcomed an opportunity to discuss their challenges and to find support. When I joined Understood.org more than three years ago, I discovered a disheartening truth — that many parents raising neurodivergent kids feel like they’re in it alone. It was inspiring to see these moms find relief in each other’s journey. But it was also a reminder that more moms need to know about the resources and support available to them. Moms cannot feel alone in this.”

Bright Horizons, the Summit’s Official Childcare Sponsor, offered attendees an array of experiences in their suite, including a cozy “Growing Readers” space, social media consultations, auditions for the Teach. Play. Love. podcast, and, perhaps best of all, free childcare for attendees. They also led a presentation on the Bright Horizons Foundation for Children, which seeks to brighten the lives of children and families in crisis, where they collected books for local homeless shelters, complete with personalized bookmarks and notes, donated by attendees.

Tushbaby, a company that creates comfortable and practical baby carriers, set up a booth at the summit to connect with moms and share their mission. “We as moms have such a powerful influence in the world, and as we continue to have conversations about the realities of motherhood, and help lift one another up, we can make a difference,” says Rant (who co-founded the company). “It was awesome to see how welcoming everyone was! All of the attendees were looking for positive ways to come together and share their stories, and it was so great to have the opportunity to learn more and connect deeply with our friends and supporters.”

Here is what we at Romper learned at the Mom 2.0 Summit:

On Activism

Listening to Austin Channing Brown speak during our keynote conversation, I learned that everyone, no matter their walk of life, job, power, etc., can be an activist and make a difference in the fight for racial justice. There’s space for all who want to make change and we each have a role to play in our spheres of influence.

On Making Content

In the TikTok panel, I learned that TikTok doesn't have to be hard and I don’t have to spend an hour on each video. I can find natural opportunities in my everyday life to create content. If I don’t like the sound of my voice, I can use music. If I don’t want to be on camera, that’s OK, too. It’s about showcasing the natural parts of my life.

On Burnout

I learned that avoiding burnout in the here and now is important to my ability to continue doing the work I’m doing. In the Burnout panel, I heard loud and clear that if I don’t take care of myself and stay aligned with my values, my life will force me to take a break and re-evaluate, whether I like it or not. And chances are it’ll happen at the most ill-opportune time. It’s best to plan to take care of ourselves so we can have the energy and capacity to live the type of lives that bring us joy.

— Tabitha St. Bernard Jacobs, Romper’s Raising Anti-Racist Kids columnist

“Your body is always in the present moment.”

On Your Personal Mission Statement

In the session called “Defining You: Creating Your Personal Mission Statement,” led by Tovah Kopan and Rielly Karsh of Go Boldly Initiative, I learned that mission statements aren’t just for businesses and not-for-profits, but can be a useful tool in helping you figure out what you want on a personal level — and almost more importantly, what you don’t want. I’m not really a five-year-plan kind of person but I think I could be a “guiding principles” kind of person.

On Periods

At a roundtable discussion hosted by Thinx, I got to hear an incredible and diverse group of women discuss how their early access to period products and discussions of puberty shaped their experiences with menstruation throughout adulthood. Almost every woman was committed to doing something different with her own child, whether it be discussing menstruation openly with sons or offering daughters different options for managing their periods and framing the conversation about women’s health in a much more open and positive way.

On Money

In the panel discussion I moderated (“All Things Tiktok”),I was somewhat surprised to learn that rate cards are not a great idea. They can give a potential sponsor a reason to low-ball you or automatically disqualify you from something local or smaller scale that might be far more rewarding. When you begin negotiating with a new client, you have to take into consideration what you’re working on, what exposure with them will get for you, and who the team is. All those factors might change what you’re able or willing to change.

— Elizabeth Angell, Romper’s editor-in-chief

On The Present Moment

I was so struck by something Dr. Eunice Park said during her mainstage talk about how she has built Airem Modern Beauty Rituals, the first Korean beauty-inspired medical aesthetic spa in the United States, around the concept of gwallee 관리, a centuries-old Korean principle of maintaining self-care with purpose and intention. “Your body is always in the present moment,” she said, and I felt a flash of recognition and awe — because of course it is, but wow, it really is! Taking a moment to check in with yourself, and honor what your body is experiencing in this moment, is really a gift. Which brings me to my next takeaway…

On Meditating

So many different speakers and sessions brought up the benefits of meditation! I was really amazed at how many — by the time we were halfway through the second day of programming, I counted at least five separate mentions of meditation. Headspace app, here I come!

On Paris Hilton

Thanks to Sarah Greenberg, MFT, MA, M.Ed., BCC, executive director of behavior change and expertise at Understood.org, a social impact organization dedicated to supporting the 1 in 5 people with learning and thinking differences and a sponsor of the event, I’m adding Paris Hilton’s memoir to my to-be-read list. In a moving and thought-provoking breakfast workshop called “Reconnecting With Your Authentic Self,” Greenberg used Hilton as an example of an “invented self” — someone’s outward persona masks their true self. “Most of my career, I was playing a character, and people had no idea what I had really gone through,” she quoted Hilton as saying, and then went on to recommend her book. I’m sold.

— April Daniels Hussar, Romper’s managing editor