Kimberly Seals Allers is an award-winning journalist and a leading commentator, public speaker and consultant on motherhood and breastfeeding issues.

A former writer at FORTUNE and senior editor at Essence magazine, Kimberly’s thoughtful and provocative online commentaries on motherhood, breastfeeding disparities and infant health and the intersection of race, class and culture, received over 10 million page views last year.

In 2011, Kimberly was named an IATP Food and Community Fellow, funded by the Kellogg Foundation, with a mandate to increase awareness and engagement around “the first food”—breast milk, in vulnerable communities. She was also selected by the United States Breastfeeding Committee as a lead commentator for the upcoming nationwide “Break Time for Nursing Mothers” federal campaign. Kimberly recently signed a deal with St. Martin’s Press to write a groundbreaking book on the social, political and economic influences on the American breastfeeding culture to be released in 2013.

Kimberly is also the author of The Mocha Manual™ series of books and founder of MochaManual.com, a daily parenting and lifestyle destination and blog for African American moms and moms-to-be.

In March 2012, she launched Black Breastfeeding 360°, a first of its-kind online multi-media content library for media professionals and the black community featuring resources, news, voices and analysis on the black breastfeeding experience. She also previously served as editorial director of the Black Maternal Health Project of Women’s eNews, a project of the Kellogg Foundation.

Kimberly has appeared on Good Morning America, CNN, Anderson Cooper, the Tom Joyner Morning Show, Fox News and featured in various international, national and local media outlets, including The Guardian (U.K.), U.S. News & World Report, Essence, Black Enterprise, Pregnancy and web outlets such as Celebrity Baby Blog and The New York Times.

In addition to her popular blog on MochaManual.com, Kimberly writes about parenting for Babycenter.com, and is a regular commentator for Essence.com and LifetimeMoms.com.

Her first book, The Mocha Manual to a Fabulous Pregnancy (Amistad/HarperCollins) a hip, funny and informative pregnancy guidebook put her on the map as an African American pregnancy and parenting expert with real-deal insights. The book was nominated for an NAACP Image Award and later turned into The Mocha Manual to a Fabulous Pregnancy DVD, available at Walmart.com.

She has since expanded her popular book series, writing The Mocha Manual to Turning Your Passion into Profit—How to Find & Grow Your Side Hustle in Any Economy (Amistad/HarperCollins) and then The Mocha Manual to Military Life—A Savvy Guide for Wives, Girlfriends and Female Service Members, both released in 2009. She is also a co-author of Giving Notice: Why the Best and Brightest are Leaving the Workplace, published by Josey Bass.

A graduate of New York University and Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Kimberly is a divorced mother of two, who lives in Queens, New York with her children and two turtles.