Epic Everyday Mom on the Street: Jenae Johnson-Carr
Engineer, entrepreneur, designer, mom . . . is there anything Epic Everyday Mom on the Street Jenae Johnson-Carr can't do? Read on to learn all about this renaissance woman and how she and her sister have created an inspiring new brand for kids.
Meet Jenae
Jenae Johnson-Carr is the Co-founder of EPIC EVERYDAY, Inc. She is also currently a Director with a Fortune 500 Company with international sites. Jenae was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. She grew up in College Hill and attended College Prep school, graduating from Walnut Hills High School. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina A & T University and an advanced Biomedical Engineering Master’s degree from the University of Toledo. As a self-proclaimed STEM nerd with a passion for engineering, she has advanced through the ranks professionally as a sought-after manufacturing operations expert.
Now Jenae serves as the supply chain lead and customer experience executive at EPIC EVERYDAY, Inc. A family-owned company launched with her sister in 2019. The sisters, wives, moms, and HBCU grads, created the lifestyle brand to amplify diversity in a fun and functional way. They were extremely disappointed by the lack of relatable mocha-hued apparel, accessories, and home goods. They wanted to intentionally change the narrative and design a positive self-reflection collection to inspire the next generation. EPIC EVERYDAY inspires children to be Empowered, Positive, Innovative, and Creative!
Epic Everyday Family
What’s your favorite way to spend time with your family? Enjoying each other’s company in our backyard oasis. Playing with the puppies and playing soccer or volleyball while watching the horses on the horse farm next to our property.
What’s been your best family vacation? Soo many to choose from, but it would probably Dubai as we could experience quite a few firsts as a family, such as riding camels, getting henna tattoos, handling an osprey, and playing in the desert sand.
What’s your favorite family game? UNO, even my youngest has been playing since she was 4 years old, we also like to play soccer.
What song gets everyone in the family dancing? The Cupid Shuffle, even my mom dances along at the young age of 81. It doesn’t matter how you move; music and dance are universal ways to connect, no matter your culture. Music brings instantaneous JOY!
What’s your go-to family dinner? Anything from Doordash, LOL ….my husband is the cook in the family and certified grill master. My specialty is sour cream potatoes, and the girls bake great cakes (made with lots of love).
What’s your favorite family restaurant? Cheesecake Factory, tons of variety to satisfy even the pickiest eaters of our crew. However, we love all types of food. Our favorites include Indian, Greek, Jamaican, and Thai.
Epic Everyday Parenting
Best parenting advice: Bloom and grow each seed you sow! Basically, each child is unique and special. What works for one may not work for the others. Be sure to meet each child where they are to foster their gifts, build their confidence, and amplify their dreams!
What are some of the best things your kids have taught you? To have a work/ life balance, they don’t care about titles or positions; I am just their mom!
Parenting true confession: I hide my favorite chocolates in an empty oatmeal container. The kids have never bothered my secret stash of sea salt and almond-infused dark chocolates.
What 5 things are you most likely to have in your purse at all times? Living in the age of COVID, my 5 essentials include peppermints, tissues, hand sanitizer, masks, and chapstick.
What’s your favorite part about being a parent? Snuggling up with the kids, well, at least the 7-year-old, the 10-year-old cannot be bothered most of the time (she thinks she’s already a teenager). Also, seeing their excitement when they accomplish things, the first goal in soccer, getting straight As on their report cards, etc.…
Favorite parenting hack: If your mini-me does not like to take vitamins, try liquid vitamins added to homemade smoothies. Also, adding frozen avocado makes them extra creamy while adding extra nutrients.
Epic Everyday Lifestyle
What’s your favorite show to binge-watch? I must say I did like Bridgerton and Good Girls is my guilty pleasure. As a family, we like to watch Family Reunion. It shows a tight-knit family filled with diversity and representation. The stories weave together unconditional love with lots of humor.
If you could pick anyone to star as you in a movie based on your life, who would it be? Tracee Ellis Ross. She is very funny (which I like to pretend I am) and lives life to the fullest. If Tracee is unavailable, it would have to be actress Tamera Mowry. She is an intelligent mompreneur and a talented twin sister of Tamera Mowry.
Favorite Things
What’s your favorite beach read? Just relaxing, no reading on the beach for me. I’m too busy listening to the ocean waves, enjoying the warm breezes, and appeasing the girl's request to stay in the water like mocha-hued mermaids.
If you could spend a day with anyone from history, living or deceased, who would it be? Ava Duvernay, filmmaker and award-winning director. I would love to hang out on set to see the magic behind the scenes. She combines arts and advocacy in films that amplify women and diverse cultural experiences.
What’s at the top of your travel bucket list? Trips to Thailand and Morocco were scheduled before COVID and canceled. South Africa and Australia are also in my top 5 for adventure destinations. Previously, I worked in Scotland, so we had the opportunity to visit lots of different countries including, Spain, France, Greece, and Mauritius, to name a few. We totally believe in introducing the girls to world cultures. The experiences create an appreciation and respect for others.
Do you have any guilty pleasures? Sweets, I cannot pass them by. My favorite is sticky toffee pudding.
What’s your favorite form of self-care? I’m all about the spa life. A full-day massage, body scrub, facial, and a mani/Pedi can do wonders for my mental health.
What’s your favorite way to unwind at the end of a long day? A long, hot bath with my favorite bath bomb, hot English Breakfast tea, and listening to music on Alexa (nothing like a little Jill Scott or Erykah Badu to help unwind).
Embracing the Epic Everyday Life
We love how Jenae saw a need for more mocha-hued apparel, accessories, and home goods and stepped up to make them! EPIC EVERYDAY has made a difference in the lives of so many kids who are now able to see themselves reflected in the items they use at home and school. You can also follow EPIC EVERYDAY on Instagram and Facebook.
And for more interesting and stylish moms, be sure to check out FamilyApp's Mom on the Street!
