Kimberly Seals Allers is an award-winning journalist, a leading authority on issues relating to mothers of color, author of The Mocha Manual™ series of books and founder of www.MochaManual.com, a daily parenting and lifestyle destination and blog for African American moms and moms-to-be. A leading consultant, commentator and public speaker on African American motherhood experience, Kimberly’s life mission is to empower and educate all women of color to become powerful parents, flex their mama muscles and to live a life of endless possibilities. She is also a fiercely committed and highly respected advocate in the fight to reduce the high infant and maternal mortality rates and increase the low breastfeeding rates in the African American community.

 

In addition to her popular blog on MochaManual.com, Kimberly blogs about the African American parenting experience for MomLogic.com, Babycenter.com, is a regular commentator for Essence.com and the “Multicultural Moms” channel leader for LiftetimeMoms.com. She also serves as editorial director of the Black Maternal Health Project of Women’s eNews, a project of the Kellogg Foundation and is an advisory board member of the Bravado Breastfeeding Information Council. In 2011, Kimberly was named an IATP Food and Community Fellow, funded by the Kellogg Foundation, with a mandate to increase awareness and engagement around “the first food”—breastmilk, in vulnerable communities.

 

Her first book, The Mocha Manual to a Fabulous Pregnancy (Amistad/HarperCollins) a hip, funny and informative pregnancy guidebook for women of color put her on the map as a pregnancy and parenting expert with real-deal insights. The book was nominated for an NAACP Image Award and later turned into The Mocha Manual to a Fabulous Pregnancy DVD, available at Walmart.com.

 

A divorced mom of 11-year-old Kayla and seven-year-old Michael-Jaden, Kimberly left her successful 15-year career as an award winning journalist to transform her life and launch her own business. She had a vision to create a multi-media brand for the underserved market of women of color and even on the brink of single motherhood, she just couldn’t find a good enough answer to the “Why Not?” question that kept circling in her head. Since then, she launched a “mocha-flavored” maternity and new Dad tee shirt line sold at www.MochaManual.com and expanded her book series, writing The Mocha Manual to Turning Your Passion into Profit—How to Find & Grow Your Side Hustle in Any Economy (Amistad/HarperCollins) and then The Mocha Manual to Military Life—A Savvy Guide for Wives, Girlfriends and Female Service Members, both released in 2009.

 

Kimberly and The Mocha Manual™ brand have been featured on various national and local media outlets including CNN, the Tom Joyner Morning Show, Fox News, U.S. News & World Report, Essence, Black Enterprise, Pregnancy and various web outlets, including Celebrity Baby Blog and The New York Times.

 

A card-toting native of Queens, New York and graduate of New York University and Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Kimberly most recently served as a senior editor at Essence magazine. Her previous positions include serving as a staff writer for Fortune magazine, a business columnist for the New York Post, and as a business writer for The Times of London.

 

Her freelance work has appeared in Ladies Home Journal, The New York Daily News, Real Simple, Better Homes & Gardens Family Money, The Independent (London), Fortune, Pregnancy and others. She is also a co-author of Giving Notice: Why the Best and Brightest are Leaving the Workplace, published by Josey Bass.

 

When Kimberly is not writing, riding bikes with her kids or making people laugh with her witty takes on life, Kimberly is quite frankly, working, and creating new dreams. These days, she can usually be found sleeping with her laptop.