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Meet Simona Grace of Moms in Office in Sherman Oaks

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Simona Grace.

Simona, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Moms in Office is on a mission to strengthen the political voice of all moms and help elect women with children to public office. Our organization supports mothers running for office at all levels of government through fundraising and endorsements, while our parenting blog provides information for moms who desire to stay informed but don’t have the time to read extensively.

It is our goal to bring together a community of women with a shared sense of purpose—a purpose to improve the lives of women, families, and children.

I realized something during the midterm elections in 2018: My close friend’s organization was supporting Katie Porter’s campaign and I became intrigued with the Congresswoman’s determination to fight for working families.

After witnessing the unique challenges a single mother must face when running for office and the barriers women must break when it comes to fundraising, I decided to do something about it. I founded Moms in Office and became the first single mother in the United States to start a political action committee with the mission to help elect progressive moms.

A record number of women won seats in Congress in 2018, but the number of mothers with children under 18 remains low at only 5%. Moms make up one of the largest segments of our population in the United States and the smallest segment of our federal government. If we want to see equal representation of women in government, I believe this must include moms.

I formed a PAC to help progressive moms run for office at all levels of Government, but I also wanted to do more than just fundraising, I wanted to empower all moms and strengthen the political voice of all women. At this time, I have been writing about parenting topics at the intersection of culture and society for some major online outlets such as Scarymommy. I thought it would be great to merge my passion for writing with my passion for change and start a parenting site with a purpose.

Through our blog and social media channels, we provide stories, women’s voices, conversations and facts to our community to positively impact the lives of families. Moms don’t have time to extensively read about politics between making lunches and picking up kids from school, but they desire to stay informed. We decided to meet moms where they are- in bed at night scrolling through Instagram for a few minutes before they fall asleep. Our site and social media channels have the same look like a parenting or lifestyle site— it’s like pop culture meets politics—but the content is different.

We provide short and digestible posts in an approachable voice and an inclusive space for mom. During times when our country is so divided, we bring something fresh to our audience that makes politics feel less exclusive and more transparent.

This is how Moms in Office was born! And if I told you that I started this organization on a shoestring, I would be lying to you-I started with less than a shoestring, but I had a whole lot of determination to make up for it.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has been an incredible journey. I am so humbled every day by the support I get from people who believe in my mission. I could not have done this alone. The encouragement of family and friends and often times strangers kept me going. At first, I started to have a lot of conversations with people in politics about my idea and the feedback that I received was overwhelmingly positive. I was told that there is a void to fill and that my personal story of facing and overcoming adversity resonates with so many people. I moved to this country when I was 18 years old not speaking a word of English with only one suitcase. I went from an 18-year-old girl who grew up in a communist country to graduating from UCLA, summa cum laude. I often share this story when I speak on panels and moms come up to me to tell me that because of my story, because they heard that I could do this, now they believe more in their own abilities.

So many people feel excluded from politics because it is about money and power. So where does a single mother fit into this equation? But I never asked myself this question. I kept going because I believe that the moment when we become leaders is the moment when we stand up for something that we believe, not when thousands of people decide to follow us. The first step is always the hardest when you start a movement or an organization and I just had to remind myself, it is not about having power or money, it is about having a voice and standing up for others. I have a voice and I intend to use it.

We’d love to hear more about your organization.
Moms is Office is a political action committee founded to help progressive mothers get elected to office. We are unique in a way that there were no political action committees at the beginning of 2019 supporting progressive moms who are running for office and there is still a huge void to fill. We are also unique in a way that we take a fresh new approach to politics. We try to make everything that we do be inclusive so that moms and women feel that they have a voice. Our organization’s website functions as a parenting blog to provide relevant information to moms about politics in a way that is accessible.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I would describe it as being at the right time at the right place and recognizing the void that needs to be filled. Luck definitely paid a big part in my life. I think every immigrant would agree that we feel lucky and fortunate for the opportunity to live and thrive in the US. This country has never given me a handout., America gave me a fighting chance to succeed through hard work and determination.

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