Kimberly Seals Allers is an award-winning journalist, a trusted authority on issues relating to mothers of color, author of The Mocha Manual™ series of books and founder of www.MochaManual.com, a pregnancy and parenting lifestyle destination and blog for African Americans.
A leading consultant, commentator and public speaker, Kimberly’s thoughtful and provocative online commentaries on motherhood or breastfeeding and the intersection of race, class and culture reach over 2 million monthly.
Kimberly is also a fiercely committed and highly respected advocate in the fight to reduce the racial disparities in breastfeeding rates and infant and maternal mortality rates.
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”—breast milk, in vulnerable communities. She was also selected by the United States Breastfeeding Committee as a lead commentator for the nationwide “Break Time for Nursing Mothers” federal campaign. Kimberly recently signed a deal with St. Martin’s Press to write her fifth book, a groundbreaking analysis of the social, political and economic influences on the American breastfeeding culture, to be released in 2013.
In March 2012, she launched Black Breastfeeding 360°, a first of its-kind online multimedia content library for media professionals and the black community featuring resources and commentary on the black breastfeeding experience.
In addition to her popular blog on MochaManual.com, Kimberly writes about the African American parenting experience for MomLogic.com, Babycenter.com, and is a regular commentator for Essence.com and LifetimeMoms.com. She also served as editorial director of the Black Maternal Health Project of Women’s eNews, a project of the Kellogg Foundation and is an advisory team member of the Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute.
A former senior editor at Essence, Kimberly left her successful career in journalism to transform her life and create a multimedia brand for the under-served market of women of color. Along the way, she has become a trusted brand ambassador helping companies connect with this viable market, working with various clients including VisitOrlando, Johnson&Johnson, Procter&Gamble and Avon.
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.
The series also includes The Mocha Manual to Turning Your Passion into Profit—How to Find & Grow Your Side Hustle in Any Economy (Amistad/HarperCollins) and The Mocha Manual to Military Life—A Savvy Guide for Wives, Girlfriends and Female Service Members, both released in 2009.
Kimberly has appeared in various international, national and local media outlets including CNN, Good Morning America, Anderson Cooper, the Tom Joyner Morning Show, Fox News, U.S. News & World Report, The Guardian (UK), Essence, Black Enterprise, Pregnancy and various web outlets, including Celebrity Baby Blog and The New York Times.
A divorced mom of two, Kimberly is a card-toting native of Queens, New York and a graduate of New York University and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. 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, taking Zumba classes, riding bikes with her kids or making people laugh with her witty takes on life, Kimberly is quite frankly, working, and creating new dreams.