Indy Maven :: Leslie Bailey in the Momlight
Hey Mommas, we are shining the Momlight on Leslie Bailey of Indy Maven this month! In our opinion Leslie is on the scene of everything new and exciting, and has her finger on the pulse of the fantastic community of women in the Circle City.
maven or ma·vin { mey-vuh n } noun an expert or connoisseur.
Don’t be surprised if you look this up in the dictionary to find Leslie Bailey’s picture front and center. Leslie is co-Founder, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Indy Maven, our new-to-the-scene, go-to source for all-things Indy.
A transplant from Michigan, Leslie landed in the Circle City because of her family’s connection to IndyCar racing. While finishing up school at IUPUI, she was tapped to write a blog, which turned into a column, which turned into freelancing, then a column for the Indy Star and later a job as editor for Indianapolis Monthly. After stepping away to be a caregiver for her mother and infant son, Leslie was ready for something different, a new challenge: Indy Maven.
Just launched in October 2019, Indy Maven is a digital media lifestyle platform for women in central Indiana. Peruse the website to find articles and videos covering a range of topics {style, music, travel, health and fitness, culture...the list goes on and on}. Indy Maven also seeks to build a community of women through in-person events, knowing that while it’s great to have friends and connections online, it’s also important to be able to connect in person.
WE LOVE MOMS MAKING OUR CITY GREAT: Check out Jenny Cash from the Indianapolis Parks Foundation in the Momlight
The concept behind Indy Maven is pretty awe-inspiring. Leslie’s career in journalism had given her a front row seat to see how women were being included, and often excluded, in media sources: the unique female voice was often absent or misrepresented. Leslie found herself looking to the influencers and media outlets that she loved to follow, dreaming about what it could mean to combine those favorites to create a brand that strives to meet women where they are.
Leslie takes care to explain that Indy Maven was born to fill a gap in storytelling, to provide something new and different to women in Indy. “We try to be timely and make sure that we have a commentary on what’s going on, but we’re also not trying to add noise,” she said. “It’s important for us to have something thoughtful or unique to contribute.” A quick look around indymaven.com will leave you with no doubt that Leslie and her team love to shine the spotlight on what women in Indy are doing, and they are equally dedicated to doing so in a way that highlights diversity and inclusivity.
Up your cooking game by following along with one of Leslie’s favorites, the Ravenous column.
The response to Indy Maven has been validating for Leslie and her co-founders, Amanda Kingsbury and Crystal Grave, as their business has grown at a rapid pace. Leslie shares, “I feel so lucky and fortunate that we get compliments on how polished our brand is for being as young as it is, and we produce an incredible amount of content every week.” In the short time since their launch, Indy Maven has kept busy adding employees, expanding partnerships with local businesses, and participating in important local conversations.
We think the only reason Leslie’s picture wasn’t under ‘maven’ in the dictionary was because Merriam-Webster decided a spot under ‘humble’ was more fitting. Leslie transparently talks about the spit-up wearing, breastfeeding during a nearly-forgotten Zoom meeting, and juggling 97 things at once, very real women behind Indy Maven {Leslie has a two month old baby and a ten month old business, y’all}. And we can’t miss an opportunity to give a shout out to Leslie’s impressive team who has rocked it as she’s been on maternity leave these last couple months.
So who is Leslie Bailey, Maven-in-Chief? This wife to Daniel, stepmom to Oliver {10}, and mom to Henry {2.5} and itty bitty Ethan {2 months} resides on the city’s near northwest side within the Crooked Creek neighborhood. Leslie loves this neighborhood for its mature trees and quiet vibe, and playing in the driveway is one of their favorite pastimes as a family along with traveling, cooking/eating, and visiting scenic Crown Hill with coffee and breakfast.
2020 has been a year when most moms have forgotten what free time feels like, and Leslie is no different. She has vague memories of enjoying going out to eat with friends, reformer pilates, or getting a facial or massage, and her personal goal for the year is to make self-care part of her daily routine once sustainable. Leslie takes a realistic approach we can all admire, giving herself grace to let some things go during this season with a brand new baby. She shares, “It’s challenging trying to grow a startup in a pandemic and then also giving birth. That’s been a lot.” Yes, girl.
Welcome to the scene, Indy Maven! We love what you’re doing to “hold up a megaphone” and amplify the voices of women in our city.Support local journalism by connecting with Leslie and Indy Maven on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or by signing up for their newsletter.
Thanks to Leslie and Alex Morris Design of Indy for supplying the images for this article.
