Wellness
Elaine Welteroth shattered ceilings by becoming the first Black editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue, and at the time, only the second Black editor-in-chief in Condé Nast's hundred-year history. Since then. she's become a media chameleon of sorts — transitioning to TV as a judge on Project Runway and a host on CBS' The Talk. She also has a New York Times best-selling book titled More Than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are (No Matter What They Say). After reminiscing on all the space she's carved out for herself and other Black women in media, Elaine is proud yet relaxing into the new era of herself...one where she doesn't have to do it all anymore.
In the latest episode of our "She Comes First" podcast, Elaine talks about becoming a first-time mom this year. "I feel like I'm me 2.0," she says. "I'm still me, but a softer side has emerged, and I like her. I've been forced into surrender. I think that's what pregnancy does to a woman and her body and her life. You have to just relinquish any sense of control over the changes that are happening. It's hard and uncomfortable as hell, but what emerges on the other side is so beautiful and so worthwhile."
Elaine's first lesson in "surrendering" came in 2020 when she and (now) husband Jonathan Singletary's ditched their grand wedding plans for a porch-front pandemic ceremony in Brooklyn. In true Welteroth fashion, the wedding went viral, displaying the beauty and freedom of spontaneity in unprecedented times. Looking back, Welteroth says that her wedding is just one of many instances in her life where some of the best things came at unexpected times. "We all have an inner compass that guides us and knows better than the rest of the world when it's time to move," she says. "It's our job to stay tapped into what that compass is telling us. When the music changes, so must your dance."
Watch the full episode of "She Comes First" featuring Elaine Welteroth now! Visit xonecole.com/shecomesfirst for more episodes!
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