We recently did a sweet interview with our new friend Stacy Hester-Lockett (@prostacylockett). Stacy and her family reside in Houston (Kelly’s home town! 💙). She’s not only a wife and mom, but also an entrepreneur, author and speaker. At Wanderwild we like to highlight all kinds of activities and adventures, and we loved connecting with Stacy on life as a dance mom, spending time outdoors, and family traditions.

Wanderwild: Stacy, tell us about yourself and your family!

Stacy: I am a wife to my college sweetheart Jabari, (we celebrate our 10-year wedding anniversary this year! Yay!) and a 12-year Educator, Christian Author, 10-Year Competitive Cheer and Dance Studio Owner and Content Creator/Influencer. My husband is a High School educator and Varsity Head Soccer Coach. We are both extremely passionate about mentoring and coaching youth. We have two beautiful daughters, Laila-6 and Lauren-4, who are the light of our lives! A fun family fact is that we ALL have Holiday birthdays! I was born on Cinco de Mayo, my husband was born on St. Patrick’s Day, Laila is our 4th of July firecracker and Lauren is our Valentine’s sweet baby love!

Wanderwild: We love that both of you chose careers that focus on youth! And a family full of holiday birthdays is the coolest thing ever, we love celebrations! 

What types of activities do you and your family do?

Stacy: With us being coaches, our family loves being active! Jabari is big on the outdoors. He takes the girls bike-riding weekly and being that we live in a Lakefront community with walking paths; nature walks allow the girls to explore the great outdoors! They get to collect flowers, rocks and whatever they can find to put in their “nature bags” we created for them. Since I’m a tumbling and dance coach and big DIY crafter; the girls are able to tumble and dance around at the lakefront. The girls also enjoy crafting outside and applying their nature walk finds to create something special.

Wanderwild: We love the balance that your family has with indoor and outdoor activities. And fun that they get a balance of experiences with both dad and mom! What has been your favorite adventure as a family?

Stacy: The pandemic has really forced us to get creative with our adventures! Since we live in a heavily wooded area, we have utilized it for day “camping trips” where we set up our tents and pretend like we are far away somewhere! My husband is also a “prepper” so he teaches the girls about “bug out bags”, etc. and basic survival skills. The girls also get to fish and explore which is always fun!

Wanderwild: Such a cool idea to do day “camping trips!”. We have so many families tell us they are intimidated by doing things like camping, but that’s a great way to ease into the experience in a manageable way. How else do you make memories together as a family and why is that special to you?

Stacy: As Coaches, we give so much of ourselves to other youth, and we promised ourselves that no matter how exhausted we are from coaching, we will always make sure our girls never feel neglected. Weekends are designated family time. I shut social media off and spend my time engaging with family instead. Fun Family Friday has become a tradition in our home. The girls get to set up their cots in the living room and we cozy up on the couch to enjoy popcorn and watch whatever movie the girls select. (Even if it’s the same one we’ve seen a hundred times!) It’s the sweet memories for us that we will never compromise. We want our daughters to grow up remembering how hands-on and active their parents were. It’s the little things for us. Whether it’s a movie night, nature walk or trip to get ice cream; we want to fill their little hearts with memorable experiences and joy.

Wanderwild: This speaks straight to our hearts and mission: family experiences and making sweet memories full of joy. And we love your Fun Family Friday tradition!

As an influencer and author who talks about the importance of representation, what advice would you give to other families about this topic?

Stacy: To know who you are and to be comfortable in your own skin; regardless of its color, is so important to me. As a mother of two black daughters; it’s imperative to educate them about not only their history; but about diversity and inclusion as well. They are both two different shades of brown and are learning to embrace their skin at an early age. My husband and I have purchased many resources online for our daughters about the success of Black Americans in History as well as our struggles for equality and freedom. I think it’s important for parents of all races to be honest with their children about diversity and inclusion and to educate them with as many resources as they can. We don’t hide from our girls what is happening in our society because they will one day be a part of it. Conversations should be held about racism and injustice; but also the strides we’ve made in overcoming it. To be able to share with my daughters that they too can become Vice President one day, and for them to see books with prominent minority figures and characters that look like them is so EMPOWERING! Not only will they share in the success of Black Americans; they will view America as a melting pot of ethnicities who all contribute to our nations identity.

Wanderwild: We appreciate your message so much. We agree about having proactive conversations with all of our kids on racism and injustice, and demonstrating to kids that we’re never done listening and learning on the subject. And we love having your book, “Beautiful Girl, Do You Know?” on our bookshelf!

Stacy, we’re so grateful to have you in our Wanderwild family. We can’t wait to see more of your family activities and adventures. Be sure to follow Stacy and her sweet family at @prostacylockett .