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ABOUT INFAMOUS MOTHERS

The infamous Mothers concept was conceived as part of a PhD dissertation. Dr. Sagashus Levingston was studying literature, feminism, critical race theory and motherhood studies. In doing so, realized that across these fields, there were a shortage of narratives about women who had “gone through the belly of hell and brought something good back.”  So she paused her studies, “wrote the book she wanted to read,” and went back to complete her program. Somewhere between these two points, she went on a book tour, gave a TEDx talk, hosted a national conference, designed workshops, went on a speaking circuit and participated in the sold-out stage adaptation of the book.

Throughout her travels and experiences, she connected with hundreds—maybe even thousands—of women online and in person. These women told her their stories. They shared with her their private challenges around being both mothers and professionals. They talked about what it meant to raise children while also building their careers, creating their startups, completing school and staying-at-home.  Over time, she noticed a pattern. These women—regardless of race and class—identified the following seven pain points:

• a lack of quality spaces that honor a woman’s role as both mother and professional
• the pressure of having to “fake motherhood”
• feelings of isolation
• a shortage of personal and professional development opportunities that were designed with them in mind
• feeling uninspired and unsupported
• difficulty with managing self-care
• constraints around resources that include these: time, money, space, energy and support

But they didn’t just tell her about the challenges they faced, they also talked about their ideal solutions:

• a 24/7 online community
• programming that helps them understand, design, implement and maintain a mothering model that considers both their heart and their ambitions
• a consistent infusion of advice and inspiration
• accountability and options for self-care
• a space that centers and honors their experiences as experts on their mothering
• flexibility
• a world that sees and honors a woman’s dual responsibility of raising children and earning a living

In short, they wanted a platform for them and by them. And we wanted to honor their visions. The outcome of that effort has resulted in the creation of Infamous Mothers 2.0. In this new iteration of our company, we have created a digital campus and are owning our place in media production.

VIRTUAL CAMPUS

We created the Infamous Mothers virtual to serve a diverse body of needs--needs that could not be addressed via one platform only. Throughout our company's short life, women have told us that is important for them to have a learning platform that offers them courses and training, a communal space, a space to assemble around work and a space designed to help them honor their personal and professional growth goals. With all of these in mind, we created the IM Virtual Campus -- a digital campus made of four components:

• Infamous Mothers website (flagship site)
• Infamous Mothers University (education and learning hub)
• IM Life (app — COMING SOON)
• Third Space Virtual (virtual co-working space and headquarters)

Note: This campus is a combination of proprietary technology or tech owned by Infamous Mothers as well as tech powered by other companies.

IM Website

The Infamous Mothers website is the flagship of our campus. As the “face” of the brand, it is often the first point of contact between us and the public. It is where the public can have real-time encounters with our team via live chat as well as scheduled orientations and/or virtual tours.  It is where people will go to read blog content and listen to limited podcasts. On this site, we will offer our special edition virtual art displays, post our media kit, and share information about campus-wide events. Finally, it is the place people go to when they want to purchase any Infamous Mothers books, apparel and other products and services.

Infamous Mother University

Infamous Mothers University (IMU) is where clients go when they are looking for any classes, workshops and/or trainings from the Infamous Mothers brand. It is the hub for both live and pre-recorded content. It comes complete with a resource room; exclusive, university-wide social media with gamification; and an exclusive university blog. Sign up for classes now, as part of this crowdfunding campaign, and receive a special price. This option is ideal for women who are intentionally working to cultivate an authentic mothering practice, are interested in creating a mothering model that honors who they are both personally and professionally and interested in fulfilling their dreams even as they raise children and others to identify and own theirs.

IM Life (the app that’s COMING SOON)

While the Infamous Mothers website is the go-to place for people wanting to learn more about and access all things Infamous, IM Life is the hub that brings together all its members. It’s the gathering place for all our members, regardless of one’s subscription. It’s where we go for campus-wide challenges and bootcamps, networking, support/accountability and more.

Third Space Virtual

Third Space Virtual is our digital co-working space. It offers members 24/7 access, exclusive programming, a branded office and meeting space for clients, a writing center with well-trained instructors, and more.  This space is ideal for women who are solopreneurs, entrepreneurs, college students, stay-at-home moms. If you are a woman who identifies as a caretaker and a dreamer or who just needs a communal space to pursue your own private work, this option is for you.

MEMBERSHIPS

We are excited to be offering our first memberships, and we are inviting YOU to be one of our founding members. Some of our main priorities include taking an intersectional approach to building a diverse community of women, offering a robust and relevant catalogue of features, and providing high quality programming. For these reasons, we are proud to be introducing three distinct membership options:

OPTION 1: Lolita Program ($497/year)

The Lolita is a perfect introduction to Infamous Mothers culture.  It is the premier socializing and networking program for women who mother from the edge. Complete with several clubs, the most notable features of this program is its bustling community and weekly workshops. Each week, clubs will meet to explore member-generated topics and series. Together, we will identify both common and individual challenges around subjects ranging from mothering and finances to managing our mental health while caring for others. Choose this membership option if you are interested in increasing your networks, learning new strategies to grow at home and work, and be a part of a thriving community of women who are available around-the-clock. This program is ideal for stay-at-home moms, working moms, moms in school, and moms who are professionals that are interested in a lot of community and weekly, structured engagement.

OPTION 2: Jennifer Program ($997/year)

If you are looking for development opportunities to take your mothering practice to the next level, the Jennifer is for you. This membership program is designed for women who are interested in building a sustainable, authentic mothering practice that honors the lives you care for—including your own. Choose this option if you want to engage in rigorous work around creating a mothering practice that honors both your personal and professional life and doing the “impossible” while also owning your humanity as a woman and mother. Named after the woman in the Infamous Mothers coffee-table book who completed two degrees in the same week, the Jennifer is a plan that is steeped in classes, workshops designed to take you where you want to go. It is the signature program for those who want to spend time at Infamous Mothers University. This membership program is ideal for mothers and caretakers who are professionals, entrepreneurs, students and stay-at-home moms.

OPTION 3: Sagashus Program ($1997/year)

For those who are getting their grind on as solopreneurs, writers, founders of start-up companies, students, homeschoolers, and visionaries, join this membership plan. As the programming for Third Space Virtual, the Sagashus is all about professional development and building community around work—be it at home or in the public. With this programming, you can look forward to weekly mastermind calls, bootcamps/challenges, an amazing writing center with highly trained staff and so much more.

Note: All memberships will include the IM Life app, IM blog, IM Fit and IM podcasts, IM Inspiration and a newsletter exclusively for members.

10 to 1 IM INCLUDED SCHOLARSHIPS

Because we invested in creating a truly diverse and intersectional community, we are operating on a 10 to 1 scholarship model. For every 10 women who join a membership program, one will receive a scholarship for one year.

INFAMOUS MOTHERS MEDIA

At Infamous Mothers, we believe that supporting the masses around the growth and support of innovative mothers is just as important as supporting the mother. For this reason, Infamous Mothers is invested in being an influencer of culture through media as well as education. We do this through creating quality content for social media, video production and book publications.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Because we want to control the narratives around our lives and identities, inspire other women and mothers and create a safe space to have the difficult conversations, explore topics that matter to our niche population, and create content that centers our expertise, we are raising dollars to help us do the following... 

• create a quality podcast series
• create a quality blog series
• hire a part-time social media manager

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IM DOCUMENTARY

We are also excited to be raising dollars to create the first installment in the Infamous Mothers documentary series. In 2016, when we successfully raised dollars for the Infamous Mothers coffee-table book through crowdfunding, contributors and collaborators alike requested that we create an Infamous Mothers documentary. People wanted...

• to hear stories told by the women featured in the book
• to learn more from experts on motherhood studies
• to understand more about motherhood as a site of oppression and resistance
• to bring to the forefront discussions about the maternal wall
• and to learn more about the founder of the IM brand

This initial piece intends to highlight all of the above and more.  It will be ideal for social work students, sociologists, feminist scholars, scholars of Afr0-American studies, people who study narrative, and for scholars of motherhood studies. In addition to these, this documentary is ideal for anyone who employs mothers, is interested in becoming a mother, has become a mother or has a mother. 

 

 

 

WHY CROWDFUNDING?

Why Crowdfunding? For us, the answer is very simple. We thrive on community. Community investment is important to us. It allows us to build a business model that is deeply rooted in accountability, feedback, and support from the people who matter most to our brand.

 

MEET THE IM 2.0 CONCEPT  & DESIGN TEAM