hello, nice to meet you! I'm Brooke, the Southern·ish Mama...
brooke ila.
city mama with a southern heart.
Born in Newport Beach in 1987, I spent the first few years of my life in the coastal heart of beautiful Southern California. In search of a slower paced lifestyle and more space, my parents decided to move our family inland soon after. They bought a four-acre ranch house, along with a pony named Ginger, in a horsing community called Coto de Caza. This is where my childhood memories began and my most foundational experiences were created. I was exposed to the country and a western lifestyle; I grew up riding horses, wearing boots, learning how to care for the animals and running a muck all over the land. Most importantly, I learned the value of hard work, growing up a bit of a cowgirl.
Using these values, I applied for and was accepted into the University of Southern California as a business major and graduated with an emphasis in real estate finance and entrepreneurship. After graduating, I moved away from the country and back to the beach where I was born and where my BFF lived. As a young girl in my twenties, I loved the fast-paced lifestyle, social nature of the area and overall aesthetic of Newport Beach. I became a broker at a top commercial real estate firm and lived the so-called “life” - working hard and playing harder. However, this stint lasted a few short years before I fell into a slump and craved something more fulfilling – something closer to my heart - a slower and simpler way of life. I yearned to move to the midwest or the south, to a place like Texas, with the goal of attending business school and hopefully to meet a guy, start a family and launch a business of my own. So naturally, I booked a trip to Dallas alone to see what it was all about.
Ironically, on this trip, I went to a Starbucks and sat down next to a cute Midwestern boy who would soon become my husband. Ryan - was from Kansas City, Kansas and had recently graduated from Notre Dame Law School. He was in Dallas spending the year clerking for a federal judge. Before that, Ryan had played professional soccer for Sporting Kansas City and spent several years abroad in Sweden playing soccer after having graduated and playing soccer at Yale. No. Big. Deal. Suffice it to say, I fell for him.
We dated long distance between California and Texas – which seems to be a microcosmic metaphor for my life – the juxtaposition between beach and country. We got married in July 2014 in Aspen, Colorado – see our wedding photos here! Shortly after, we moved to Washington, DC, where Ryan had committed to an attorney general honors program position at the Department of Justice and where I would be attending business school at Georgetown University. From the west coast to the east coast, I was in for a ride.
I started my MBA at Georgetown, aspiring to become an entrepreneur. I was interested in starting a company around a topic that came naturally to me – most generally, wellness and beauty. While I knew that I wanted to have a family and stay at home with my children one day, I had always aspired to do great things with my career. My goal was to graduate from business school, work for a few years and then start trying for a family. This seemed like a good plan, until I found out that I was pregnant opening term at Georgetown! Shocked and feeling a little out of control, I knew my life would soon be rocked by our sweet little boy.
My son, Lincoln, was born in the summer between my first and second year of business school, and yes, my life was forever changed. I cried like crazy the first day I had to leave him to start my final year of classes. That said, I finished business school strong and graduated in May 2016. On graduation day, I walked across the stage to receive my diploma with Lincoln in my arms, signifying the importance between mother, baby, career and the balance we all yearn to strike.
After graduating, I stuck to my commitment to stay at home with my son. Every morning I wake up, I appreciate the fact that I have the ability and opportunity to stay at home with my baby - some mothers do not. And because of this opportunity, in those moments that I am with Lincoln I try to enrich him and love on him as much as possible - which I look forward to sharing some of my tips and tricks throughout this blog. However, as much as I love my son and value the time I get to spend with him, I still aspire to have a career and to do great things professionally. What does this all mean? I’m not sure, but I've decided to share my journey as a modern mom aspiring to balance all things career, family and self.
As a city mom having lived in once DC, Nashville and now Dallas, I am excited to share a modern day mom's guide to the south. Southern living, or a slower-paced life, is something my husband and I have both valued before we knew each other and hold dear to our hearts even more so now that we have our two boys. Throughout this blog, I hope to share a big part of this journey - from babies to moving to health and wellness and beauty to newfound growth - all things combined in the mama's southern journey.
xoxo, BROOKE ILA
"The Southern·ish Mama"
Using these values, I applied for and was accepted into the University of Southern California as a business major and graduated with an emphasis in real estate finance and entrepreneurship. After graduating, I moved away from the country and back to the beach where I was born and where my BFF lived. As a young girl in my twenties, I loved the fast-paced lifestyle, social nature of the area and overall aesthetic of Newport Beach. I became a broker at a top commercial real estate firm and lived the so-called “life” - working hard and playing harder. However, this stint lasted a few short years before I fell into a slump and craved something more fulfilling – something closer to my heart - a slower and simpler way of life. I yearned to move to the midwest or the south, to a place like Texas, with the goal of attending business school and hopefully to meet a guy, start a family and launch a business of my own. So naturally, I booked a trip to Dallas alone to see what it was all about.
Ironically, on this trip, I went to a Starbucks and sat down next to a cute Midwestern boy who would soon become my husband. Ryan - was from Kansas City, Kansas and had recently graduated from Notre Dame Law School. He was in Dallas spending the year clerking for a federal judge. Before that, Ryan had played professional soccer for Sporting Kansas City and spent several years abroad in Sweden playing soccer after having graduated and playing soccer at Yale. No. Big. Deal. Suffice it to say, I fell for him.
We dated long distance between California and Texas – which seems to be a microcosmic metaphor for my life – the juxtaposition between beach and country. We got married in July 2014 in Aspen, Colorado – see our wedding photos here! Shortly after, we moved to Washington, DC, where Ryan had committed to an attorney general honors program position at the Department of Justice and where I would be attending business school at Georgetown University. From the west coast to the east coast, I was in for a ride.
I started my MBA at Georgetown, aspiring to become an entrepreneur. I was interested in starting a company around a topic that came naturally to me – most generally, wellness and beauty. While I knew that I wanted to have a family and stay at home with my children one day, I had always aspired to do great things with my career. My goal was to graduate from business school, work for a few years and then start trying for a family. This seemed like a good plan, until I found out that I was pregnant opening term at Georgetown! Shocked and feeling a little out of control, I knew my life would soon be rocked by our sweet little boy.
My son, Lincoln, was born in the summer between my first and second year of business school, and yes, my life was forever changed. I cried like crazy the first day I had to leave him to start my final year of classes. That said, I finished business school strong and graduated in May 2016. On graduation day, I walked across the stage to receive my diploma with Lincoln in my arms, signifying the importance between mother, baby, career and the balance we all yearn to strike.
After graduating, I stuck to my commitment to stay at home with my son. Every morning I wake up, I appreciate the fact that I have the ability and opportunity to stay at home with my baby - some mothers do not. And because of this opportunity, in those moments that I am with Lincoln I try to enrich him and love on him as much as possible - which I look forward to sharing some of my tips and tricks throughout this blog. However, as much as I love my son and value the time I get to spend with him, I still aspire to have a career and to do great things professionally. What does this all mean? I’m not sure, but I've decided to share my journey as a modern mom aspiring to balance all things career, family and self.
As a city mom having lived in once DC, Nashville and now Dallas, I am excited to share a modern day mom's guide to the south. Southern living, or a slower-paced life, is something my husband and I have both valued before we knew each other and hold dear to our hearts even more so now that we have our two boys. Throughout this blog, I hope to share a big part of this journey - from babies to moving to health and wellness and beauty to newfound growth - all things combined in the mama's southern journey.
xoxo, BROOKE ILA
"The Southern·ish Mama"