Mara S. Campo is this week's guest on the Mompreneurs podcast. The four-time Emmy Award-winning journalist sat down with Mompreneurs host Nancy Redd to talk about leaving network television to pursue her joy in hair and makeup. From reporting on the frontlines to launching hair products, Campo shared her journey and how motherhood helped her become a better content creator.

Campo's 20-year journalism career began as a field reporter, traveling the world and covering major global headlines. She worked as a correspondent and anchor at NBC News, and later ABC News, appearing on programs like Good Morning America, Today, and World News Tonight.

The mother of two decided to leave network TV in 2018 and hasn't looked back since. "The way the world works today, people are doing a lot of different things. That's very much what I want to be doing," she said. But being tied to a network contract limited Campo's ability to branch out and pursue different interests. "I just couldn't do that in a network role."

Today, Campo divides her time between anchoring, producing, and hosting at REVOLT and hosting TV One's true crime series Fatal Attraction: Last Words. But her passion project has been creating online hair tutorials and launching her latest venture, Hair By Mara.

"I've always had an entrepreneurial spirit and that was one of the things that helped me advance very quickly in journalism," she said.

Campo discovered her joy amidst a dark moment in which she lost both her mother and father in a short period of time. "I was trying to emerge from this really tough time." She asked God, "How do I get out of this darkness?"

"The answer was very, very clear," she said. "Find your joy every single day."

Looking back, she always gravitated toward beauty, a side of herself that she hid for many years. "There are these societal stereotypes fueled by the patriarchy, that smart girls can't be pretty and pretty girls can't be smart, so I didn't want to lead with that."

However, while reporting from refugee camps and disaster zones around the world, Campo had a change of heart as she witnessed women who had endured unimaginable hardship still make time to apply makeup and do each other's hair. "And I said to myself, you know what, beauty is not superficial, it's not shallow, it's not skin deep. It has a spiritual component to it."

Like many, Campo's entrepreneurial journey has not been straightforward. She faced plenty of obstacles and self-doubt after taking the leap of faith and leaving the security of her network job. "I was like, I made a huge mistake. Maybe I should go back to the safety of what I know even though it's not what I want."

But she stuck with it, stayed consistent, and things eventually took off. "This latest phase has been like being shot out of a rocket."

Consistency and authenticity have been the secret sauce to her success as a content creator. "I had this very TV mentality going into social media, that the lighting has to be great and I have to have good audio and this and that. And then I realized, all that matters is authenticity and consistency," she said. "So that was a lesson that I had to learn. This isn't TV, everything doesn't have to be scripted and perfect. You just have to be willing to be authentic and vulnerable and consistent."

Campo has gained a steady, organic following across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and more with her easy-to-follow tutorials teaching viewers how to achieve TV-worthy hair and makeup right at home. "For the girls out there who are like me, who love this stuff, I'm going to show you how to do it as cheaply and as quickly as possible. It just took off," she said. "It affirmed for me that I was providing something that people really valued."

"I have so much fun with it," she added. "When you love something, it's hard to keep yourself from doing it." Because she is leading with heart, Campo is moving with confidence in this new venture. She just launched Hair By Mara, which currently offers high-quality wigs and is preparing for the next product launch, a ponytail extension that Campo designed herself.

"I'm really making things for my inner child," said Campo. "I spend a lot of time in the beauty supply store. The great thing is that I live in Harlem, so there's a beauty supply store on every corner. I spend a lot of time just roaming the aisles looking at what's new and getting inspired and trying to see what I can play with."

From reminding Campo to ask viewers to "like and subscribe" in every video to introducing her to YouTube Shorts, her kids help elevate mom's content creation.

Finding the time to work, create content, and be present for her family has been about finding the "overlap" in what they each enjoy doing. The busy mom is finding her balance, fueled by the joy she has discovered in this new chapter. "I think moms can do anything," Campo said. "So when I look at running a business, I mean, my household is a small business."

Every week, we celebrate beautiful Black entrepreneurs who are simultaneously amazing business moguls and awesome moms. We listen to their life stories and inspiring advice. Catch new episodes of Mompreneurs every Monday on MadameNoire's YouTube channel. Or listen to the podcast online at Urban1Podcasts.com.