Mompreneurs: Mother-Daughter Duo Erika and Kayli-Joy Cooper Talk Nurturing Success Through Intentional Parenting

This week on the Mompreneurs podcast, Erika Cooper and daughter Kayli-Joy speak about the family dynamic that set them up for success. As an entrepreneurial family thriving in their respective ventures, the mother-daughter duo sat down with Mompreneurs host Nancy Redd to reflect on how they got here.

As a first-generation college graduate in her family, Erika had built a successful career in education—at one point on a fast track toward becoming a superintendent. “Entrepreneurship was never on my mind,” said the mom of two. But as her children, Kayli-Joy and son Elijah, grew and developed their own passions, Erika was called to focus full-time on nurturing their talents.

Her parenting philosophy is rooted in allowing her children to shape their own destiny rather than defining it for them. “I practice intentional parenting,” Erika said. “Seeing them and understanding who they are as individuals; what drives them, what motivates them. Nurturing that thing is the most important thing I think you could ever do for your child.”

An unexpected path

Sports were big in their household. But when an injury forced Elijah to sit out of basketball, this set the family in a new direction. Looking to fill their free time, Kayli-Joy and Elijah got involved in a local acting studio not far from the family’s home. The kids caught the eye of a casting director who asked if they could audition for a commercial. “I was an educator, my husband was in corporate. That was not our world,” said Erika. “But the opportunity presented itself and we had to look at the opportunity for what it was.” They said yes, and “the rest is history.”

From this experience, Elijah discovered his talent for acting. Kayli-Joy discovered that performing was not her thing—but working behind the camera was. Today, Elijah is a working actor, appearing on popular TV series like All American, Goosebumps, and 9-1-1, in addition to being a student at Morehouse College. Kayli-Joy, a social entrepreneur recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30, is studying documentary filmmaking at Spelman College, her mom’s alma mater.

On a mission to help others

Kayli-Joy is the founder and CEO of Girl Well, an organization dedicated to supporting under-sheltered girls worldwide. Girl Well’s mission is to empower and uplift, boosting girls’ confidence and self-love through the distribution of self-care kits and the creation of supportive communities. “We started with 60 kids and since then, we’ve been able to reach tens of thousands of girls around the world,” said the young visionary. “Because my parents let me pursue my own passions, I’ve had a good sense of self since I’ve been very young, and it has really helped me become and stay successful.”

“You let your child lead you,” Erika added. “So many parents are leading their children into this space that they want their children to go into, or they are vicariously living through their children because they didn’t have the means, the time, the access to do those things when they were younger … as opposed to hearing their hearts and seeing them as unique people within themselves who have agency and who are the experts of themselves.”

Full circle moment

This journey inspired Erika to nurture her own success. She launched her own creative production company, Iron Eagle Collective, with a vision to tell authentic stories of everyday people. She is currently developing a TV show and exploring documentary work for the future. By seeing through her children’s passions, she realized she could do the same for herself.

“It’s this full circle moment when you start learning from your kids, because you always think of yourself as their teacher,” said Erika. “I am learning so much from my kids’ journey that I can apply to my own, and that has been incredibly special.”

Catch new episodes of ‘Mompreneurs’ every week.

Every week, we celebrate beautiful Black entrepreneurs who are simultaneously amazing business moguls and awesome moms. Join host and New York Times bestselling author Nancy Redd as these mompreneurs share their life stories and inspiring advice. Catch new episodes of Mompreneurs every Monday on MadameNoire’s YouTube channel. Or listen to the podcast online on the Urban One Podcast Network.

Mompreneurs: Mother-Daughter Duo Erika and Kayli-Joy Cooper