Candice Brathwaite is not your average social media influencer. Her refreshingly honest and genuinely funny takes on things have been making waves online. With an ever-growing following, she has worked with big brands such as Pampers, Ella’s Kitchen and recently featured in a Samsung ad. In her spare time, this award-winning ‘mama hustler’ founded the online initiative Make Motherhood Diverse. We interviewed Candice to find out how she juggles it all, turned her platform into a business and the challenges of being a minority within her chosen space.

You went from dream job to stay-at-home-mum, back to working mum. Talk us through that journey.

Honestly, at times it has been exhausting. When my daughter Esmé was two, I landed a ‘dream’ job in the publishing industry. Browsing Twitter one night, I came across an advert for a new scheme being run by Penguin Random House which was trying to encourage those who wouldn’t find themselves in the [kind of] social circles that provoke an interest in publishing to apply. I applied and after a rigorous application process (which drew me to tears) I beat 2,000 applicants to one of four spaces. The experience was a revelation. I enjoyed my time immensely – until it was time for me to move to the children’s department which I didn’t like at all. At that time, my childcare became very inconsistent. With a heavy heart, I decided to resign. However, whilst at Penguin, I had learned about something called ‘influencer marketing’. Still in its infancy, I could tell that this space was going to be big business and I wanted in. I spent all of my free time learning about how to be a force to be reckoned with online, as I knew that this would enable me to do all of the things I wanted [and have] a job which allows me to be creative, have flexibility so I don’t always have to outsource childcare and finally make a shit ton of cash.