Charleston Moms

Alicia Hughes is a New Jersey native who moved to Charleston in 1999. She met her husband, Rusty, at Arts in 2001, got married at the Summerall Chapel at the Citadel, and celebrated at Lowndes Grove Plantation in 2003. In 2007 she moved to Daniel Island where her son was born. Soon thereafter she had a daughter and thought her family was complete (never say never!) and became a virtual educator in 2010 and then an administrator in 2013. In 2017, the family was blessed with another daughter, (surprise!) and have spent the last few years enjoying all that life with three kids in Charleston has to offer…boating, beaching, eating, concert-ing, traveling, and celebrating the amazing Lowcountry!

Allison escaped the frozen tundra of Minnesota for the sunshine and beaches of Charleston a little over two years ago . She now lives with her husband, toddler, and American Bulldog on James Island and is expecting her second boy in October (she’s totally outnumbered with a house full of boys)! Balancing working from home for the business she owns with her husband and raising two boys under 2 will be Allison’s newest challenge! She loves exploring Charleston with her little family and writes about their day-to-day adventures on her blog, Happy Little Honey.

Amanda is an upstate NY girl who married a TN guy in 2011, moved to Charleston the next day, and after a 3-year pursuit, adopted their 2-year-old son from South Korea in 2017. She loves to share her heart ponderings and humor lent by beginning motherhood with her toddler who spoke another language. She has a background in non-profit work, but currently stays home to catch up on missed time and new milestones with her growing baby boy. She enjoys her awkward floppy hound, aggressively cuddly cat, but can't keep plants alive. In her "spare time," she is creating, dancing, or providing harmonies/drums for her sister's music.

Cameron was born and raised in rural Ravenel. Her hardworking family owns a blueberry farm in Ravenel, which helped put her through rigorous nursing school at Clemson University. She has been a registered nurse for 10 years and is currentlya Case Manager for maternity and NICU patients at Blue Cross Blue Shield of SC. She is happily married to  her high school sweetheart and has one beautiful daughter and one rambunctious son. Cameron LOVES the outdoors and her favorite hobbies are boating in the picturesque waters around Charleston, riding ATVs, and camping with friends.   

Chelsea is a Maryland native, currently enjoying her role as a stay-at-home mom. She was a hairstylist for 10 years until she moved to Charleston. Her husband, whom was one of her clients, was born in Mississippi but lived all over the USA as the son of a Navy father. Shortly after meeting, they got married and had their daughter. Three years later they moved to Charleston while she was eight months pregnant with her second child. You can find her doing crafts, yoga, fashion and blogging on Mascara Pearls Spitup. As a family they enjoy the beach, fishing, swimming, dancing, walks, antiquing and food.

Dede Kennedy is part of a dying breed ... a native of Mt. Pleasant. She is happily married to her husband Sean and the mother of two gorgeous sons ages 8 and 11. When not trying to keep her boys out of harm's way, Dede works at a popular restaurant on Sullivans Island. She is a Christian and an active member of her church.  Dede can be found making corndogs and serving up Kool-Aid for the neighborhood kids who hang out at her home (the one with all the bicycles in the yard). Dede is a blogger and a two-time cast member of the national "Listen to Your Mother" show. Dede has dabbled in stand-up comedy and is writing a fiction book.

Dena is a writer and a loving wife, mother, and rescue dog mom with a penchant for experiential travel, eclectic cuisine, and all things spa. Raised in Cleveland, Ohio, she moved to the Lowcountry from New York City where she worked in travel and hospitality. A candidate for an MS in Professional Writing from New York University, Dena is also a yogi and snowboarder. She enjoys sharing the thrills of surfing snow and playing at the beach with her family. Currently, she is soaking up all the baby smiles she can while working from home and watching her son grow.

Elizabeth O’Conor lives on James Island with her husband, 2 year old daughter and baby girl. A native of South Carolina, (from Hilton Head Island) Elizabeth moved to Charleston about five years ago. She loves to travel (especially with the family) as well as stay as healthy as can be. She is currently in school for Holistic Nutrition and cannot wait to help our community with any health and nutrition needs! Her family is very natural minded family and she loves showing her daughter how to grow her own food in the garden and take care of their chickens.

Elizabeth Wagner is a 5th generation Charlestonian and a 3rd generation James Islander. After working as a neurosurgical nurse for ten years, she became a stay-at-home mom of their now four kids. From her natural passion to help others and through caring for her own children, Elizabeth became interested in herbal remedies, the benefits of plant medicine, and natural ways to treat her kids illnesses. In 2016, after the birth of her third child, she started Island Bloom Herbals. She makes homemade elderberry syrup, cough syrup, and herbal teas. She and her husband are beekeepers and have three hives in their backyard.

A South Carolina native, Erica is originally from the Upstate and moved back to Charleston with her family after a 10-year, traffic-filled hiatus in Atlanta, GA. Of all the hats Erica wears, her most important roles are as a wife, mother, and daughter. She has been married to her college sweetheart for 15 years and together they have a nine-year-old daughter, a six-year-old son, and a doodle named Brisket. Erica prides herself on being honest about motherhood. She enjoys learning from other moms who don't sugarcoat the hard stuff and laugh at the craziness we all experience. When life offers a little down time, she enjoys traveling, eating ethnic food, jumping waves at the beach, and unapologetically watching bad TV.

Erin and her active duty Army husband have a 3-year-old, a 2-year-old, and are expecting twins in September! Erin is also the proud owner of Fit4Mom Charleston, part of the nation’s leading pre-and postnatal fitness program. A former US diplomat, Erin has lived and worked all over the world. She is a former nationally ranked 100m and 300m hurdler, a certified yoga and prenatal yoga instructor, and holds additional certifications in Barre, TRX Barre, and as an ACE group fitness trainer. On a daily basis, she aims to show her babies that women can be both soft and strong, and that one must never give up, no matter what!

Jen Iamele Savage is a secondary Montessori educator, Transformational Empowerment coach, and newly self published author. She runs a mastermind program for busy mamas and writes regularly for local and international publications. She also leads virtual and live women’s circles to help her clients work through blocks and connect with their light and their purpose. Check out Inspiration & Bliss Coaching to find out more.

Jenni is an Independent Travel Agent with a deep passion for the Lowcountry. In fact, she and her husband love the Charleston area SO much that, after vacationing out on Isle of Palms several times, they decided to relocate their family from Illinois to Summerville. Since moving to the Charleston area in July of 2019, Jenni started a travel blog, Our Sweet Tea Life, where she shares her love of the area. Jenni is also a homeschooling mom to three daughters. In her free time she enjoys traveling with her family, spending time at the beach, volunteering at Magnolia Plantation and strolling the beautiful streets of Charleston.

Jill Lederman is licensed clinical social worker (LISW) in South Carolina, meditation teacher, and freelance writer from New York City. She and her husband moved to Charleston three years ago with their cat for a better quality of life—and living it. She works as a therapist at MUSC, supporting youth and their families. She is also a certified Koru Mindfulness instructor and teaches meditation classes and workshops throughout Charleston. As a former journalist, Jill has published articles in Edible Charleston, New York Magazine, Time Out New York and various Scholastic News publications, among others. Jill is two years into mama-hood with a fiery toddler, who keeps her on her toes.

Malana Bracht is a red-headed mama out of Oklahoma. In March 2019, her family felt led out of faith to move to Charleston, leaving everyone and everything they knew behind. Settling in a new place, making mom friends and self-discovery has made for some interesting inspirations to write. Through various forms of media (blogs, podcasts, public speaking, & YouTube videos), she shares her story of gaining a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, ending the cycle of poverty in her life and learning to create a healthy family life for her children. She also creates tools to empower others to do the same! Malana also likes serving in the local church, coffee shops, and fuzzy slippers.

Megan is originally from Michigan, and still misses the snow and cold weather of the Midwest but loves the charm and family friendliness of Charleston. She has lived in Charleston for a little over five years with her husband, Caleb, two children, Alice and Atticus, and their rescue husky, Zoey. They can usually be found downtown exploring all of its nooks and crannies or at the beach any time of year. Megan writes about her day-to-day adventures, and challenges of motherhood on her blog, The Mom in Progress.

Melissa recently resigned from her career in higher education and was promoted to her new title as Dr. Mom to two-under-two. Her quest to have a family involved a long road of infertility struggles. She has a son named Rowan who is 21 months old and a girl named Ildi who is 6 months old.

A native of New Orleans, who was raised in New Jersey, Pamela has lived in the Lowcountry for the past 15 years. She graduated with a journalism degree from Penn State, and met her husband, Daniel, while working at a newspaper in Beaufort, SC. The two left-handed parents have two adorable right-handed children — Wolfe, 5, and Selah, 4 — and one unruly black Lab, named Lefty. They live in Mount Pleasant and Pamela works from home as a freelance graphic designer, writer and editor while also taking care of aforementioned children. She loves champagne, Bluegrass music and South Park.

Rachel is a new mom and freelance writer who lives with her husband, daughter, and rescue pup in Mt. Pleasant. Rachel is passionate about eating wholesome foods, planning healthy meals, and staying active – although it is extra challenging as a mom! She writes about her journey juggling wellness and motherhood on her blog, Rachel’s Full Plate. Rachel also loves chocolate, coffee, and playing peek-a-boo with her baby girl.

Rhonda James was born and raised here in Charleston. She received her Bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from Claflin University where she also met her husband, Leo. Rhonda is a first time mom to a bouncing baby boy. She works full-time as a Museum Program Coordinator and also managers her personal lifestyle blog, Walks of Motherhood. Spending time with her family is her greatest moments. She is also a sucker for Game of Thrones, Grey's Anatomy, Starbucks Tevana Tea, and french fries.

Born in Boston, but raised in Mount Pleasant, Sydney left South Carolina to go to Lenior-Rhyne College (now University) where she met her husband and graduated with a degree in Political Science. She and her husband moved back to Mount Pleasant in 2012 and are currently living in the family house (zoo) with Audrey who is two, two dogs and two cats. Sydney loves re-familiarizing herself with the city through the eyes of a toddler, traveling, and listening to audiobooks.

The military brought Tori and her husband from the upstate of SC down to the Lowcountry back in 2013. She is a stay-at-home mom to a nine month old baby girl who steals her heart every day! She loves being married to her high school sweetheart, her two sweet Australian Shepherd pups, everything outdoors, knitting, and writing on her blog, Simple Life at Home.

A born and raised southerner, Windy moved away to pursue a career in technology returning to the Lowcountry to raise a family. She currently lives in Mount Pleasant with her husband, bonus son (9), strong-willed wild man (3), and sassy princess (2). Last July, after 15 years in the corporate world, she decided to leave the role of executive behind and become the CEO of her household. She records her daily adventures on Instagram, while exploring what it means to go from executive to SAHM on her personal blog – Windy in Carolina. You can also find her on Facebook sharing her passion, advocacy, and education for cleaner living.