Aria Craig is the bestselling author of The Single Mother Diaries series, a Transformational Speaker, Certified Coach, Business Consultant, Leadership Development Strategist, and CEO of two businesses. She speaks to motivate and inspire single, divorced, and blended moms on elevating their personal and professional game by shifting their mindsets of carrying a stigma that society has placed on them to feeling worthy of dominating in each aspect of life as a savvy, ambitious mom. Aria speaks and coaches on successful co-parting strategies, developing your leadership skills. Aria has also created online courses and offers coaching to support one’s journey towards success. Sit down and get acquainted with our spotlighted author below.
Fancy: How would you describe your Swagher, Aria? What makes Aria?
Aria: Learning that I am very strong, resilient, and ambitious makes me the woman, wife, and mother that I am today. I overcame a lot of adversity and transformed those challenges into triumphs. Today, I support women on their journeys to thrive through coaching and consulting in four areas: parenting, relationships, careers, and entrepreneurship.
Fancy: So tell us about your books, The Single Mother Diaries series and what inspired them.
Aria: The Single Mother Diariesâ„¢ is a 3-volume book series: Volume 1: Winning as a single, divorced or blended mom in raising your children by yourself or co-parenting, and elevating your game towards success of your goals
Volume 2: Knowing and demanding your worth in Corporate America, transferring those same skills to become the CEO and BOSS of your own enterprise, and build multiple income streams for generational wealth
Volume 3: Attracting your mate as a single mom and navigating blended-family dynamics after marriage
My inspiration to write the books were from compliments that I received while raising my son and his character, in conjunction with the personal experiences and setbacks that I had to overcome. And, believe it or not, Sarah Jessica Parker’s character in Sex and The City, Carrie Bradshaw, was another inspiration. Carrie was a columnist who wrote about her and her friends’ dating experiences and transformed those articles into books.
Fancy: Authors often write books, but they aren’t very transparent. We know being a single mother has its ups and downs, so how transparent do you think you are in your books on a scale of 1-10 and why?
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 Aria: Very much a 10! In just about every chapter, I go into detail about my own personal experiences, so that the person reading my books or listening to me speak can resonate with the messages. I’ve had so many people either write me or wait for me after an engagement to tell me that my story inspired them because it is their story…and I listen.
Fancy: What do you want readers to take away from the books?
Aria: I want readers to understand that my books are more like investments. They are about support and advocacy in winning against the stigma of being a single, divorced, or blended mom in those four key areas – parenting, relationships, careers, and entrepreneurship. Readers will read a chapter and think, “Wow! I never thought of that.†I want them to identify with the messages and implement the tools.
Fancy: What’s one obstacle, whether personally or professionally, you overcame and how did you do so?
Aria: The biggest obstacle that I faced was in 2014 when I received a call from my manager on New Year’s Eve that my services were no longer needed. I put so much energy into being an effective leader and growing at that company that I didn’t realize that I was “bound†to it. Unfortunately, I was acknowledged by leaders of other ethnic backgrounds, but not my own manager or director, who were both African-American women and were threatened by my ambition, savviness, and determination (especially the latter one). So, instead of recognizing my talents or allowing me to make a lateral move to a different department, they decided to slowly sabotage my employment which led to me being diagnosed with work-related depression. This occurred right after I lost my mother and grand-father, and learned my son’s father had long been working a job in which he was getting paid in cash to avoid paying child support. I had to make some changes and the first was to make that mental shift, to unbound myself from that company; to not be defined by my circumstances; to let go of the anger and bitterness; to stop letting people validate me and my worth. I was successful at that company in creating solutions to problems and taking current state to future state by using effective strategies to improve processes and implement procedures. Not to mention, I had a strong financial operations background. So, I put pen to paper and wrote my books, established two businesses utilizing my talents and MBA…and the rest is history. This was a 3-year journey. At times, I was uncomfortable and discouraged. But, I made a decision – I refused to quit! It is amazing what you realize about yourself when you are pushed up against four walls. You have nowhere to look, but up.
Fancy: What topics do you typically speak on?
Aria: I typically speak on subjects from my books:
Volume 1: Co-parenting; child support and visitation; achieving your goals while successfully parenting; talking to your kids about sex (consensual and non-consensual), drugs, and bullying; preparing your child for greatness; guiding their purpose; communicating with your ex, but without emotion; making better decisions.
Volume 2: Navigating office politics; promotion strategies; leading teams; becoming a leader in Corporate America; work-life balance; how to know your job is making your sick; know when it’s time to leave; transferring those skills into the CEO and President of your own company; establishing your business 101; building multiple streams of income; marketing and branding your business; when and how to hire support.
Volume 3: Preparing yourself for your mate; single parent dating tips 101; self-love and self-respect; demanding respect from your partner; blended-family dynamics; the differences between how men and women communicate; conflict-resolution strategies; dealing with the other parent; getting respect from your bonus kids.
Fancy: How do you balance being a career woman and motherhood?
Aria: It’s all about scheduling and prioritizing. I normally schedule my calendar out at least two weeks. At times, I may need to move something around, but I always try to make time for myself so that I am not overwhelmed. As a mom of 18+ years and wife of more than six, everyone relies on me to nurture their needs. Therefore, I have to make myself a priority. It’s part of self-care and maintenance so that I can function productively. It’s like how flight attendants demonstrate emergency situations – you must put the mask over your own face first before you put it over anyone else’s.
Fancy: Do you have any upcoming events or projects that you care to share?
Aria: I just spoke at Mommycon Chicago, which was a fabulous event! I am currently working on online courses and masterclasses, Vol 3 of The Single Mother Diaries™, a children’s book, and securing speaking engagements for the remainder of the year.
Follow and connect with Aria below:
Website: AriaCraig.com
Email: aria@ariacraig.com (to book speaking engagements)
Instagram: Aria.Craig
Twitter: Aria_Craig
Facebook: AriaCraigStrategistForMoms
Linkedin: AriaCraig
Books are on Amazon (both Vol 3 and the children’s book are on the horizon)
-Fancy
