Welcome to CafeMom's new monthly series, Work It, Mama — where powerful moms detail how they navigate their professions and home life.
In this edition, we're highlighting mom Nekesa Moody, who became The Hollywood Reporter’s editorial director, the top editorial role at the publication, in the spring of 2020 after working at the Associated Press as global entertainment and lifestyle editor for eight years.
As she began her job at THR, the current health situation forced everyone out of their offices and into lockdown at home. After Nekesa moved from New York to Los Angeles with her husband and 3-year-old son for the role, adjusting to a new city was an adventure, with the health situation certainly adding another layer to their transition. But Nekesa and her family have handled the shift gracefully. She has since overseen impeccable THR issues on which Jennifer Garner, Kerry Washington, and Nicole Kidman have graced the cover.
Here, Nekesa shares how she works it.
As Soon as She Wakes Up
"Usually, I'm up and my eyes open around 6:30 to 7," says Nekesa. "Usually, I'm in bed looking at emails and answering things and seeing what's going on. If I'm lucky, I'll have about a half hour or so for myself. Sometimes my son can sleep a little late. Sometimes he senses that I'm getting up."
How Her Mornings Play Out
"We have a morning meeting every day around 10 a.m., so I get ready for that. Around 8 or so, I'm getting him dressed for the day. Then I give him his breakfast and we'll see if he eats it," Nekesa jokes. "My son's a really picky eater, so a lot of times it's going back and forth and being like, 'Oh, he wants raspberries. Now he wants yogurt.'
"When I'm making him something, usually I make coffee. I usually don't eat until a couple hours after getting myself together because I've got to get him together. I make one egg, if we have it, on a piece of bread.
"By the time I eat, I'm answering emails and doing a variety of things. A lot of times when I have my breakfast, I have it right next to the computer."
How Her Days Are Designed
"I have a lot of meetings throughout the day from a lot of different sectors of the job," explains Nekesa. "My son is not at day care right now. He is at home, so throughout the day, it's just a balancing act. It's a balancing act between me and my husband to be like, 'OK, you have a meeting at 10. I have a meeting at 10:30. How are we going to work it out?' I try to find time to read my son a book or do Magna-Tiles (STEM-friendly magnetic tiles). My husband and I take him to the park. We just try and tag team as much as possible.
"Sometimes my husband might have a meeting, or my son is running around, so I might go to the bedroom, or I may go to the kitchen table. It just depends on how we tag team. Sometimes, my son will want me to come in the room and sit with him. I'll try and sit there. Thank God I have a laptop."
She Has a Few Tools for Staying Organized
"I just try to write things down and try to put things in the calendar, and I'm excited to have an assistant who helps me," Nekesa says. "But sometimes things will pop up. You just don't know. I try and do a to-do list as much as possible. Journalism is never something where you have a set day."
What It's Like To Put a Magazine Together From Home
"Well, I miss being in an office. I miss the spontaneous conversations. But,
I think it's been seamless in many ways," she says of making the magazine remotely.
"I’m lucky to work with great reporters and writers and editors that make it easy for me," adds Nekesa, who works closely with her staff via Zoom and over the phone.
"Our visuals are still amazing and we've been able to continue to do the great work that we've always done. I'm proud to say I don't feel like anything has suffered. I'm proud that I've been able to make it work. I have a great team. I love my staff. We are doing great work not only for the magazine but online."
How She Manages To Decompress
"It's hard to de-stress," admits Nekesa, who tries to push her phone away as her day winds down. "But sometimes if I'm on Twitter, I see news and I'm like, 'Oh, what's going on?'"
She says she "really tries to take time" away from a screen and finds dinnertime is often a good time to pause. "We'll order some food or I'll cook and I'll sit down and talk a little bit about the day."
Nekesa is such a mom boss!
"I am happy to be able to grow as a journalist with great people," Nekesa says of her work at THR. "We’re here to do great journalism and have fun when we can and to shine the light on important matters. It’s a balance."
