About Marlana

Marlana is a homeschooling mother of 4 beautiful and wild children. Truth be told, she never ever thought she would be one to actually grow up and have children.

She began studying ballet at the age of 10 and never looked back. She studied all over the country at prestigious ballet conservatories on scholarship and eventually graduated high school early to dance professionally in Los Angeles, California. She had big aspirations of continuing to tour the world as a professional dancer and the infinite will to do so…… Until she met her husband Cody! 🙂

Marlana met Cody while she was dancing for a ballet company in Colorado. He was the “cute” and “best” singer in the band the ballet company was collaborating with for part of their season. Together they quickly became anchored in their commitment to a better life. One with less sacrifice, less suffering and constantly seeking out to live in a way that served their deepest life work.

In 2008 they eloped in a small mountain town on a bridge over a small river. In 2011 they welcomed their first born son into the world. The moment Marlana knew she was pregnant with their son, is the moment she knew that this was her truest, most important path. She had never felt such joy, purpose, connection or happiness before. She loved everything about her pregnancy, the birthing of her son (even though, yikes!!! it hurt like you know what), she loved everything about mothering.

After the birth of their second son in 2014, she began reading every single parenting book, blog, and post about respectful parenting she could find. She bought into courses, and subscriptions and while she did find tools and inspirations in many of these things, she always felt like she was falling short, or could not sustain what it was she was wanting to provide as a nurturing mother. Marlana would often feel she would err to be either too passive or too controlling and yearned for a better balance. She yearned for a complete confidence in how to really mother.

In late 2015 Cody and Marlana welcomed their first daughter into the world, and her big brothers could not have been happier! They had magical days outside immersed in nature, family travels, and spent every single night cozied up together side by side like a family of otters in the sea. Marlana sought out deep inner work for herself while loving on her children madly and deeply. She kept searching for things to help her with her parenting struggles at home as the boys grew and their sister enjoyed her toddlerhood. She learned so much about herself in these formative times with her family. She could see where she wanted to develop true listening skills, with the best of intentions, and how it was extremely difficult for her to set boundaries, simply because she just didn’t know how.

In 2020 they welcomed their youngest daughter into the world. She was welcomed by her older siblings with such grace and love, that Marlana knew that even though she may not have been perfect, that she in fact, had been doing something right. Marlana kept pursuing ways to help her keep growing as a mother and realized that for her, it boiled down to three simple things. 1. Being able to listen to what a child is feeling, 2. Being able to set boundaries for health and safety and 3. Above all else, being soft with yourself. This is probably the most crucial part of being a mother. Loving ourselves through every single part of it.

She began writing about daily family life as a reflection of her successes, of her areas that needed growth, and simply out of the complete passion she feels for her role as a mother to these beautiful humans she and Cody have been blessed with. She is passionate about guiding other mothers to their confidence and sharing and simplifying tools for those who seek out a connected and respectful way to mother.

She currently lives in Colorado with Cody, their 4 children, and their chihuahuas! She teaches ballet twice a week at a beloved local dance studio and loves her students as though they are her own.