We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Carrita Flie . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Carrita below.

Carrita, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Six years ago, I gave birth to my son at 26 weeks. He was born weighing just 1lb 13oz and spent 116 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. During this time I felt so lonely as I only knew a couple of mothers who had experienced this journey. It was on this journey that I knew I wanted to create something that would provide the love and support families needed to navigate this difficult and unexpected time in their lives.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Prior to becoming an author and founding my nonprofit, I worked in the legal field. A completely different world! However, the mission for me was still the same; to serve those who needed it and to advocate for the underprivileged. For this reason I believe it was easy for me to transition into the work that I am doing now. When I began sharing my experiences with pregnancy loss, the NICU, life after NICU and more, it was simply to give others hope. I wanted other women to know that even when things seemed darkest, there was light at the end of the tunnel. I’m a firm believer that God allowed to have these difficult moments so that I could reach back and hold the hands, even virtually, of hundreds of other women who needed support.
One way that I do this is through writing. I’ve written books, blogs, personal letters etc. sometimes when we are going through something painful, speaking seems unbearable and I totally understand that feeling. I encourage others to write out their feelings and thoughts as much as possible. Who knows, one day it may just turn into a published book!
There’s no perfect way to handle pregnancy loss, infertility, NICU life, having a medically complex child or anything of that nature. There’s no cookie cutter support package that I can provide to families. So I do my best to meet them where they are in their journey. I always ask, what can I do for you? What can I provide that would be of benefit to your family in this season?

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Being an author is both amazing and challenging. The most challenging part is putting your heart out there on paper for the entire world to critique. I was naive to the fact that everyone wasn’t going to understand the purpose behind my writing. Getting negative feedback after releasing my first book nearly broke my confidence, but I had to remember my why. Those who needed my story would understand it and be blessed by it. For that reason, I needed to keep going.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Authenticity was key in building my audience. With my target audience being moms, the last thing you want to see as a mom is someone with a perfect life who gets everything right. As moms we make mistakes daily and when you’re parenting children with special needs or medical complexities, like can look different every day. Creating a space that allows moms to be themselves and understand that they are still worthy and their children are still worthy is what has helped to grow my audience as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thep2project.org & www.lovealwayscarrita.com
• Instagram: @thep2project & @lovealwayscarrita
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrita-flie-mls-a5052ab0?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app