Meet Our Contributors

Misty and her husband of 7 years live in Gonzales, LA with their 2  energetic and amazing children, Jax-7 and Elliot-4. She is native to Alexandria, LA and moved to the Baton Rouge area in 2005, where she now works for a large electrical contracting group. Her son Jax was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at 8 days old and Misty has made it her mission to fund raise and educate as many people as she can about CF. Misty and her family love to find local (and non-local) adventures on the weekends and playing board games together. She is an avid reader, make-up buyer, and coffee-drinker. She can be found on the sofa binge watching The Office on Netflix and on Instagram at @MISTYROUSSA.

Strong willed and determined since a little girl, this mom of three, wife, worship leader, writer, and career woman, believes dreams come true if you do the work. Nikyla hails from St. Louis, MO and is a graduate of LSU and Southern University. She is a certified teacher and currently teaches at Louisiana Connections Academy. Her time out of the office is filled with family, friends and faith. She adores her three children Kyre, K’mya, and Kris and has been married to her childhood sweet heart Remiah Trask for fourteen years. Nikyla is currently a worship leader at Anchor Chapel in Baton Rouge.She is the founder of the mental health campaign entitled Be Brave. Writing has become a form of therapy for her, and the stories she shares are always honest, heartfelt, and transparent. Read more of Nikyla’s Brave Blogs here.

Hi, my name is D’Andra Odom. My husband, Brandon, and I have two children: Josiah and Corrinne. Some of our favorite past times as family include: visiting with family and friends near and far, cooking as a family, traveling, and a good day of outdoors in the yard. My husband and I own also own a catering company, Odom’s Kitchen. Additionally, I am an active member of: Louisiana Community and Translational Sciences Community Advisory Board at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, The Environment and Health Council of Louisiana, as well as, The National Coalition of 100 Black Women-Metro Baton Rouge. When I am not blogging (but-mom.org), spending time with family and friends, and catering you will find me trying to create a lifestyle change for the dryer that thrives on a diet of socks. I am eager to contribute to RSM and excited to have a new FRamily.

Born and raised in Baton Rouge, currently living in Central, LA with my family. I am married to my husband of 7 years, Alva. We have four children, Jakoby (5), twins-Kirby and Camp (3), and Ella Ray (6 months). I am a Pediatric RN, BSN turned stay at home mom. I am an extreme extrovert that loves spending time with my hubby, kiddos, camping, mani/pedis, crafts, sushi, watching baseball and pretty much anything that gives me a good excuse to have a margarita!

Elizabeth and her husband Nicholas have been married for 13 years.  They live in Geismar, La with their 3 children, Addison (9), Parker (5), and Laurel (2). She is from Franklin, La and moved to Baton Rouge after receiving her Master’s in Business Administration from Southeastern Louisiana University.  She is a Budget Administrator for the Department of Public Safety.  She relies on sarcasm, a dry sense of humor, and the occasional cocktail to deal with the daily demands of motherhood.  She loves crawfish, clean sheets, vacuuming, and the latest crime documentary on Netflix.

Charlee is a new transplant to Baton Rouge from the mountains of Park City, Utah. She has been married to her husband Jeff for 9 years and is a stay at home mom to their little boy Rockwell, age 3. Between carpool, sports, trips to the park; you can find her trying to get in a good workout, shopping at Trader Joe’s, or in the aisles of Target. Charlee is a lover of beauty & fashion, travel, hosting guests, cooking, and having a good laugh with friends. After struggling to conceive and rounds of IVF, she continues to contribute to the awareness of infertility. Her family loves catching movies together, grabbing dinner at local spots, or packing up and heading on a getaway any chance they get.

Hi! My name is Tomeka Gilbert and I am a single working mom of two wonderful kids who are affectionately known as the Troll Prince and the Petty Princess on social media and my fur baby, Monster. I am a licensed attorney practicing in the field of criminal defense as well as family and civil law. I look forward to sharing with everyone.

Kristyn is a recent transplant to Baton Rouge from Prairieville, Louisiana where she was born and raised. She met her husband of 15 years while in college at LSU and they have three kids, Camille, Sawyer, and Noelle and two dogs, Taco and Bill. After a 10-year career in Human Resources, Kristyn left the workforce after the birth of her twins and has most recently been learning to live with three middle-schoolers. She paints local and abstract art as well as murals at local schools (Kristyn Starkovich – Artist ) in her spare time when she isn’t volunteering at school. Her passions include football, exercising, cooking and baking, reading, and champagne. Her guilty pleasure is binge watching The Office or Parks & Recreation.

Melanie grew up in the New Orleans area. She has lived in Baton Rouge since starting her bachelors degree at LSU. Melanie has a BA in Mass Communication and a master’s degree in Social Work both from LSU. In her professional life Melanie focuses on women’s mental health. She also has a passion for group therapy. Melanie and her husband Adam have been married for nine years. They have a one year old son. In her personal life Melanie can be found trying out a new hobby, trying to “get organized” and avoiding the laundry. She loves sitcoms, traveling, iced coffee and carbs.

Originally from Thibodaux, Louisiana, Katie has been living in Baton Rouge (again) since 2014. She is married to her husband of five years, Cody, and they are parents to the active and adorable Graham (4) and Emile (2). They’ll also have two more boys in March 2021! Katie graduated from Nicholls State University with a degree in Government, then went to L.S.U. Law school and finished in 2011. She practiced law in both the private and state sectors, but has been at home with her boys since 2016. In her free time, Katie enjoys exercising, going on adventures with her family, getting manis and pedis and watching cooking competitions on Food Network.

Hi, I’m Deon! I grew up in Zachary, Louisiana and graduated from LSU. I now live in Prairieville. I had my daughter, Evelyn, in the fall of 2018. I’m a member at Istrouma Baptist Church. I love traveling and exploring new places. A plane ticket to anywhere with a rental car waiting for me is a dream vacation.   I have a degree in mass communications with a concentration in public relations and a minor in political science. I use my skills to the best of my ability as an advocate for adoptable pets and animal welfare, particularly at Companion Animal Alliance. I have two rescue dogs at home. My daughter’s first word was dog (or ‘gog’). As for my day job, I serve as the Executive Director of a conservative think tank.   I spend the majority of my free time in my garden, attempting to master my Canon camera, reading, and walking my daughter through the neighborhood in her wagon.

Jillian is a native Texan but has loved life in Louisiana for the past 9 years. She and her husband, Matthew, met in college and moved to Baton Rouge to help start Antioch Community Church. Matthew is the CEO of a local tech start up called Check. Jillian stays home with and homeschools their three girls: Hattie (5.5), Annie (3), & baby Lydia (born March 2020). Jillian is a voracious reader and loves talking about books. Her favorites are novels that have great character development and rich plot or theology books that make her brain hurt. She loves to cook, is obsessed with trying new Trader Joe’s products, and volunteers with her church in the women’s ministry as well as preaches every so often on Sunday mornings. Jillian is an Enneagram 7, always needs something to look forward to, loves making new friends, and occasionally does Crossfit with her husband.

Lauren grew up in a small town outside of Lafayette before joining the Air Force when she was 19. After serving six years, Lauren reconnected with her high school sweetheart, who she is now married to. She and her husband Skyler have two children: Liliana-10 and Skyler Jr-3. Liliana is on a mission to follow in Simone Biles’ footsteps so she spends most of her time perfecting her flips, no matter where she is. “Junior” was born very premature, at just 24 weeks gestation and spent 10 months in the NICU before going home with a trach. The past three years have been mostly focused on Skyler and his medical care, and he has come so far because of it. You can follow his journey on Facebook @beadlejunior. After separating from the military, Lauren and Skyler returned home for a short time before moving to Dutchtown in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, Lauren works from home as a Realtor® and social media manager. In the little free time she has, you can find her working on her own business, writing, watching Netflix or researching her newest obsession at the time. You can check out more of her writing at The Lovelo.

Born and raised in Houma, started my career in Lafayette and now living in Baton Rouge, I am a wife, mom and entrepreneur. My husband, Scott and I have three boys named Colston (4) and twins - Rowan and Reeves (2). I have been adventurous and determined since I was a little girl at times holding multiple jobs at one time. I graduated in 2013 from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a B.A. in Broadcasting. I worked in radio for nine years being on the air and holding multiple management titles at 94.5 KSMB & 101.5 WYNK. While working in radio, I also worked in TV news and other jobs. Currently, my husband and I own an insurance business (Scott Tully Allstate), I work in marketing at Henderson Auctions, and we invest in real estate. From radio, I carry with me a podcast called ‘Country Mom’ which will be rebranded soon & launched soon at BrittanyOnAir.com. As a mom who does not stop, I also love fitness, being outdoors, eating out with family/friends & traveling.

Ashley is originally from Thibodaux, La. She moved to Baton Rouge in 2005 to attend graduate school at LSU where she received a master’s degree in social work. She has been married to her wonderful husband, Taylor, for 15 years and they have 3 daughters Raegan (14), Julia (8) and Sadie (2 going on 20). Ashley worked as a social worker in the medical field for 10 years before taking a break to be a stay at home mom. Life took a very unexpected turn when her husband was diagnosed with a rare cancer in 2019 which fueled her passion for rare disease awareness. She is co-founder of the non-profit Garage 10 which provides financial assistance to individuals with rare diseases. Ashley loves family, faith, friends, date nights, coffee creamer, exercising and quiet moments amongst the business of life.

Kelli DeLarue has never met a stranger. She is personable and enjoys learning new things—especially when it comes to navigating motherhood. Kelli and her husband, Carson, welcomed their first son, Henry, in August of 2020. Kelli‘s passion is teaching. She has been a teacher in the Baton Rouge area for three years and currently teaches First grade. She enjoys reading books to her son, eating great food with her husband, and going to mass with her family..

One of Kelli’s great joys is sharing advice, life hacks, and encouragement. She hopes that her blog posts can help fellow moms feel supported and welcomed.