Meet Trailblazer Amber Aaron Mosley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amber Aaron Mosley.

Amber, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Born and raised in Oakland, CA, I left home for college in 2002 and earned my undergraduate degree in Business Marketing from Hampton University. Upon completion of my undergraduate degree, I relocated to Charlotte, NC where I began a 4-year career in the banking industry.

In 2009, I was accepted to graduate school in Europe. I took an educational leave from my position to earn a Masters in Luxury Goods and Services at the International University of Monaco while simultaneously earning my MBA from the University of Phoenix. After leaving France, I relocated to Los Angeles to begin my career in the fashion industry as a style consultant, wardrobe stylist, and freelance fashion journalist—with writings published on Huffington Post, Eloquent Woman Magazine and BOLD.GLOBAL.

As full-time entrepreneurs, my husband and I launched Design Brand Market—a marketing design firm—out of necessity for the graphic design needs of our growing small businesses. Six years later, we service website and graphic design needs for a diverse clientele in a host of industries.

We welcomed our son in 2014 and added work-from-home parents to our resume. In 2018, after noticing a lack of representation in the motherhood community for Black mothers, I co-founded and branded Moms In Color while pregnant with our second child, a daughter.

Has it been a smooth road?
Up until I made the decision to leave my corporate job and embark on the journey through entrepreneurship, yes, the road had been relatively smooth. Life was comfortable and somewhat predictable knowing I’d receive a salaried paycheck every two weeks whether or not I showed up [performance wise] at my job. It’s sobering to realize you’re consciously making the decision to only being able to sustain contingent upon how much work you’re willing to put in on a daily basis.

This journey didn’t look like one anybody else’s in my family or many of my peers, for that matter, so when the trials and tribulations of entrepreneurship reared its ugly head, the unanimous suggestion was to ‘get a job’—despite knowing I was likely working harder than most people with 9-5’s.

Fast forward six years, through successful and failed ventures, we have grown our businesses to the point where we can sustain our family of four—in Los Angeles.

Any young woman looking to do anything against the norm, do it—every, single time. From personal experience, I regret the opportunities I passed out of fear and intimidation far more than any failures I experienced from trying. You’re going to get it wrong sometimes, and that’s exactly where you’ll find the best lessons and growth.

We’d love to hear more about Moms In Color.
Moms In Color was co-founded in 2018 after a deep need was realized for Black mothers within the motherhood community. Attending events and experiencing a lack of representation of Black moms translated into repeated discomfort in those spaces, and that void had to be filled.

The first conference, ‘Celebrating Our Magic’ was hosted March 2018 and welcomed over 100 women to engage in panel discussions and breakout sessions surrounding the Black maternal health care crisis and self-care. More importantly, it was a safe space where we could be vulnerable, be seen, as well as heard.

For Mother’s Day 2018, Moms In Color co-hosted a brunch with the creators of OWN Network’s T.V. documentary ‘Black Love’ on their holiday special ‘Motherly Love’.

One of the issues that affect Black mothers most is our mortality rates in pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care, so August 2018’s Black Breastfeeding Week event at LOOM was especially important in bringing women together to discuss those disparities.

In October, we partnered with HATCH to host a panel discussion on style and identity in motherhood. And the most recent event, a live podcast recording at Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen, brought together an intimate group of Black women influencers who engaged in a panel discussion on demanding our worth in the online marketplace.

Upon my departure serving actively with Moms In Color, I’m humbled at the opportunity to help begin filling a void within the Black motherhood community. Knowing I’ve helped create something more impactful than I could imagine, something I’ve seen positively impact every woman whose attended any event, has been one of my most meaningful endeavors.

I also do not take lightly the privilege I have to create where certain needs exist whether in fashion, branding or creating a resource for Black mothers, and it humbles me to know people take any interest in what I have to share with the world. Being actively engaged in something you love and which inspires you, is never work—an advantage so few experience. And for that, I am endlessly grateful.

Do you recommend any apps, books or podcasts that have been helpful to you?
Book: ‘Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talk’ by Susan Cain

App: Medium (Topics: Leadership; Matters of the self)

Podcast: Myleik Teele: #mytaughtyou

Contact Info:

• Website: www.amberaaron.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @itsamberaaron
• Twitter: twitter.com/itsamberaaron

Image Credit:
Quinn Moss

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.