Bahia Akerele
Mom to Edward, age 6
Silver Spring, MD
Bahia is a strong, confident mother
who knows what she wants. She’s
devoted to her family and her
community, and she’s constantly
hard at work bettering both.

Occupation: Small-business owner (On the Purple
Couch, LLC)
What’s the best parenting advice
you’ve ever received?
Like everyone, I got a lot of advice
once I had Edward. One piece of
advice that stays in my mind is that you
should always trust your intuition as a
mother. I think this is so very true and
something to keep focused on. I talk to
my son a lot and am always asking him
questions about a number of topics, all
at his level. I want to always be able to
engage with him and let him know that
I am here to talk with him. Through our
conversations I get to understand a little
about what is going on in his world and
how it may affect him.

How has motherhood changed your
outlook on life?
Becoming a mother has changed
how I see myself and the notion of what
it takes to be a mother. For one thing, I
respect my mother so much more now
that I have a child and a family. The role
and importance of a mother towards
her children and family is almost
inconceivable. Growing up, my mother
was a senior official at the United
Nations and had to raise two daughters
while traveling around the world, and
12 May 2017 washingtonFAMILY.com
Becoming a mother has truly
humbled me and given me a larger
perspective of what it means to be a
mother and the responsibilities we have.

moving to different countries and
school systems internationally. I have
no idea how she did it. I can barely get
out of the door on time in the morning.

Becoming a mother has truly humbled
me and given me a larger perspective
of what it means to be a mother and the
responsibilities we have.

grow others. This year, I launched a
monthly Creative Business Meet Up at
my store for women who are exploring
entrepreneurship or who are already
engaged in it. These sessions have
been very well received and we are
now moving into our next phase, which
will be one-on-one mentorship and
‘partnerships’. What goals do you have for yourself?
Professionally, I would like to do more
speaking and consulting engagements
with creative small businesses
entrepreneurs. After five years,
three stores and lots of marketing,
strategic positioning and social media
experience, I am ready to share and
What goals do you have
for your child?
My goal for Edward is for him to
love life and to be able to have great
friends, relationships and an awesome
life. A strong education and Christian
foundation are at the base of this.