Our December Mom of the Month!

Our Mom of the Month program honors moms for their efforts to lead healthy lifestyles while giving us a chance to get to know them better at the same time!

Our December Mom of the Month is Alicia Stephens, aka Court's mom! Alicia moved from Brooklyn, NY to Raleigh in early summer/late spring and starting taking Stroller Strides classes at North Hills in July. She and Court rarely miss a class or playgroup and we love having them around! Alicia's smiles, warmth, and authenticity make her fast friends with all of her classmates.
Alicia recently completed the NYC Marathon in early November and is already itching for another one! She plans to become a certified Stroller Strides instructor in the New Year and will be teaching for Stroller Strides of Midtown Raleigh! We're excited to have you on the team, Alicia & Court! Here are a few more details to help you get to know Alicia a little better...

Hometown - Haiku, Maui, Hawaii
Education - B.A. in Public Policy and Master of Public Administration from UNC-Chapel Hill
Stroller Strides Member since - July 2010
Members of your Family - husband Jon, son Court, dog Edith
Current Career -Mom!
What was your childhood ambition? - to be a U.S. Senator
What does motherhood mean to you? It has completely transformed me and has challenged (in a good way) some fundamental things that I thought I knew about myself. Becoming a mother has enabled me to live in the moment a lot more and to become more conscious of the world that I create for my child.
What is the furthest you have been from home? Lucerne, Switzerland
What has Stroller Strides done for you? Most importantly, it has provided me with a wonderful group of women. It also has strengthened my core and my arms, two elements of exercise that I always neglected before now, and both of which are so important to proper form in long-distance running.
What is your favorite exercise? All of our arm work with tubes around the escalators
What is your proudest moment? Achieving my goal of natural childbirth, despite 24+ hours of labor and 2.5 hours of pushing. Second to that, I am also pretty proud of the various marathons I have completed, despite not being very athletic or sports-oriented during my school years.
What are three of your favorite things (besides your family!)? Everything about my home island of Maui, all beaches, and oatmeal raisin cookies
Tell us something about yourself that would surprise us or makes you unique. My husband and I actually got married twice on our wedding day, first in the morning at a tiny and simple ceremony in my childhood church, and then later that afternoon in a civil ceremony with all of our family and friends present.
If we asked your spouse what they think your best qualities are, what would they say? He replied "your determination and your ability to connect authentically with a broad range of people."