The Story
Illustration of Kimberly and her family: sons Zion, Mathias, Omari, Kroix and husband, Shomari.
Julia Castanet initially wrote Moms Who Work in 2020 as a gift of gratitude for her first Senior Manager, Kimberly. Julia was in awe of how Kimberly was balancing the demands of raising her four sons (under 10!) amid COVID while juggling her highly-demanding job, and yet she still generously and authentically invested in junior team members, like Julia.
Her example reinforced what Julia witnessed first-hand growing
up—that Moms who work are SUPERWOMEN and some how masterfully DO IT ALL!
Thus, the poem Moms Who Work was born, and Kimberly’s family received the first copy, including DIY illustrations Julia had done of the boys. Despite its amateurish production quality, the power of its message prevailed. Kimberly and the boys treasured the gift.
As Julia has shared this story with other working moms over the years, their emotional responses and encouragement convinced her to make it available more broadly! She decided to partner with illustrator, Anca Trif, who shared her vision for bringing the book to life. With Anca’s talent, Julia was able to showcase four inspiring women from her life and their families, including Kimberly’s.
She hopes this book will help recruit many more children (and adults) to her mission of celebrating a special type of superhero:
Moms Who Work.
After working together only virtually for years, Julia Castanet (Author) & Kimberly (Muse) finally met for the first time, in person in 2023!