Best-selling author, journalist, producer and new mother, Elaine Welteroth has had her fair share of new mom trials and tribulations. Through her experience, she learned that mothers are often asked to do a lot.

“I feel like, for so many moms there’s pressure to do it all and to do it perfectly,” she explained. “For a lot of us we feel isolated and like we’re all doing it alone.”

21Ninety’s Zayna Allen had a chance to sit down with Welteroth. The multi-hyphenate discussed her journey as a mother, her new partnership with Pure Leaf and more.

Elaine Welteroth’s “No”

According to Pure Leaf, nearly 2/3 of moms have questioned their value because they were overwhelmed with “doing it all.” In an effort to help address this issue, the company is continuing its “No” Grants commitment from 2022. This year the brand will give a total of $400,000 in grants to help support mothers ready to say “no.” The goal it to help them start saying “yes” to what matters most to them. For this year’s initiative, the brand tapped Welteroth to help expose how the “perfect mom” facade is an unrealistic archetype that puts pressure on women to do it all.

Welteroth says this partnership was something she feels she manifested.

“A little over a year ago when I was pregnant and felt like I was in this maze of new motherhood trying to figure things out on my own, I started an interview series called MaterniTea,” she explained. “It was all about spilling all the things about motherhood that no one tells you to expect when you’re expecting.”

She says she found the power of saying “no” as a new mother and she wants to share that freedom. This grant will do just that.

To apply for a “No” Grant, mothers can visit Pure Leaf’s website and share how a “No” Grant would make a difference in their life. Each applicant will be granted access to a “No is Beautiful” self-guided resource and online community for moms to celebrate “no” in motherhood.