CANDID Interview: Ronke Faleti
Ronke Faleti is the founder of korédé, a brand centered on providing multi-functional, timeless handbags that work for all occasions in a woman’s life. It was born out of a need, a need to carry one bag that’s reflective of her identity as a woman, with functionality to suit her identity as a mother. Ronke is also SVP at Wells Fargo Advisors. korédé means "Bring Goodness" - we can surely celebrate this now more than ever.
“Before stay-at-home, I used my commute to connect with friends and family. I am pretty guilty of being present where I am present. Because I'm so present at home... I feel absent from friends.” -Ronke
What are you doing to keep your kids engaged throughout the day, while you're all at home, and how are you approaching your work?
It's amazing how much time there is with children at home, even with planned activities, it seems like we get through them too quickly. We maintain an outline of a schedule that starts with breakfast, cleanup, work cycle for everyone and then lunch, playtime, nap time, creative time/work cycle, dinner, cleanup, hygiene and for kids, bedtime and for myself and Yinka, back to work. We take shifts on who's on during the day, particularly at mealtimes. I enjoy having.a creative outlet for myself and the children...it promotes sanity!
Today, we watched Misty Copeland on you-tube and learned a few steps of beginner ballet. We are much more intentional on everyone chipping in. Laundry, dishes, floors, toys, cleaning up, cooking...we are spending time together, doing the work of making our household function for us. We take walks, build forts, and make-belief. It's extraordinarily loud in our house in the evenings. The benefit of having 3 older (8, 5, 3) children is that they entertain themselves well and close enough in age to have similar interests. Our infant is by far the chillest in the home, and pretty much stays put where she's put. Yinka and I talk about how it's actually been a blessing to have people in the form of a large family. It's busy for sure, but it's been good to have each other right now. We think of those who might be struggling with loneliness and anxiety from separation from other people.
How are you lifting your spirits and keeping sane in the midst of this new normal?
When it's quiet at home after the kids are in bed and my work is finished. I steal alone time to watch something on TV...right now, it's "little fires everywhere". Oftentimes, the escape is accompanied with a glass of wine, or chocolate covered almonds or sweet kettle corn popcorn. I wish I could do more house parties or zoom calls...I've done a couple with friends, but find that my schedule is pretty packed and full of a fully integrated work and home life. Before stay-at-home, I used my commute to connect with friends and family. I am pretty guilty of being present where I am present. Because I'm so present at home...I feel absent from friends.
How are you staying connected with your loved one during social-distancing?
Yinka and I meal prepped together recently and that gave me immense joy! We are able to work out together using Pop Sugar fitness on you-tube and that's been really wonderful as well. My siblings and I have a group chat that we always use and I've done Facetime or WhatsApp group chats more now than ever before. I belong to a women's group and we held our last meeting on Facetime and it didn't feel diminished. It still lasted 3 hours! What was interesting to manage through was battery dying and moving to different parts of the house for either better signal or better privacy.
What is your ultimate S@H garment that's giving you coupled confidence and comfort?
I don't own a lot of loungewear or workout wear and I want to wear clothes that are easy for nursing a child. I find that I'm wearing jeans and a t-shirt a lot. Though, every week, I pick at least one day to dress up and wear perfume, style my hair, and put on mascara and lipgloss. I love those days...sometimes it's up to 2x a week. I find that I am missing a certain type of maxi/midi dress in my closet. I love the concept of easy and elevated dressing… I have a feeling that korédé will embark on an easy and elevated offering post-pandemic world.
How are you reinventing your Mother's Day this year?
I am looking forward to creating an experience with the children mostly. My son has been wanting to set up our tent and go camping in the backyard. It might be a good place to build new memories as we brunch in the tent. I will miss my mother. She was to travel here the first week in April from Nigeria, but due to COVID-19, there's been a ban on international and domestic travel in Nigeria. We'll spend it togetherapart as they say.
ARE YOU INSPIRED BY RONKE? KNOW SOMEONE THAT WOULD BE, TOO? SHARE HER CANDID MOMENT.
About this Interview Series
As Mother’s Day approaches I’ve thought a lot about the importance of shining a light on all moms, particularly in the midst of this unprecedented new normal. The world is changing, but honoring and celebrating mom remains intact. Mother’s come in many forms; some gave birth to us, some just became a new mom, some adopted us, some are grandmothers, some enter our lives later in life, some are a best friend, and some found us in times of need and invited us into their lives. As part of my Candid Interview series, I had the pleasure of connecting with inspiring women who are mothers, founders, and dynamic individuals who are sharing their stories of navigating the now and how they’ll reinvent Mother’s Day this year amidst this ongoing pandemic. -LKS
This article was originally published on April 28 by Town & Style St. Louis.