We recently connected with Alex Morgan and have shared our conversation below.
Alex, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
Our mission is to create a wellness cafe with workplace happiness as the focus for adults with young children where everyone feels supported, accepted, and inspired.
Chasing Cali will be an innovative establishment focusing on the creative exploration of both young children and adults. An experience based work and play space that has a luxury coffee/juice bar for anyone that walks in to enjoy. Kids can come explore a fun and exciting play/learning area that is teacher monitored while their adult counterparts can work in the co-working space, relax in the cafè lounge area solo or interact with other parents without their kids climbing all over them. We will also have private offices that will house mom and caregiver focused businesses. This unique hybrid will create an unequaled sense of community among local families. The goal of this establishment is to form a high-end but relaxing space where families can feel comfortable toting their tots and infants with them or come alone for some much needed solo time to recharge.
I’m also in the process of writing a book along with some of my other mom friends to help moms struggling with different aspects of motherhood!! I have 2 big projects in the works and I’m so excited about both.
Okay, so backstory on how and why this vision to create a wellness space developed. Back in 2014, while I was in my senior year at DAAP majoring in Fashion Design: Product Development I decided to write my thesis on workplace happiness. I developed a business model that supported local artists, designers, and entrepreneurs coming together in one place to create and sell their products where they could also meet with potential customers. These customers could see the whole process of how the items they were buying were created from start to finish while also building relationships with the people creating said items. It was important to me to focus on human connection both in the creating and buying processes. After presenting this thesis of mine, I was given the Rising Star award and partial scholarship from Macy’s. I knew back then I was on the right path of figuring out my life calling. I had it all planned out in theory but the road to getting there I wasn’t too sure on. I knew I wanted to eventually have my own family and be a mom but was afraid to do that before I was “ready”.
I learned first hand why the saying “Man plans and God laughs” is a thing. I really didn’t plan on falling in love and moving out to Dallas, TX. In my theoretical life plan, I was going to be moving to California after I graduated from college and work towards my bigger picture goal of running my own creative focused business. Being near the ocean has always been a place I have found peace and comfort.
Anderson has 100% been the puzzle piece that I believe the Universe and/or God planned to have enter into my life to throw me out of my comfort zone. For the purpose that one day I could create an even better vision of the life I thought I wanted. It has never been easy for me to release the thoughts of how I thought life should be for me based on my initial single life visions for myself. I remember telling Anderson when we were first dating that I never wanted to be a stay at home mom. Not because I don’t see the value in that work but because I thought that if I did that I wouldn’t be able to achieve the dreams I had for myself. Being a mom has always been a dream of mine as well as being a successful business owner. I saw how much work it was for my own mom (and dad) to raise my brothers and I couldn’t figure out how to also give my kids that same comfort of growing up with being home (not having to go to daycare) but also not giving up on my own creative passions. I joked to Anderson that I wished one day he could be a stay at home Dad. It was only a joke at the time because we were again just dating with no real plans for starting a family any time soon.
Fast forward, Anderson and I moved back home to Cincinnati from Dallas, TX and got engaged in 2016. We both decided to sell our nice Jeeps and start our own businesses. I started an online Etsy shop where I was creating custom apparel items and selling to people all over the country. Anderson was in the process of getting his real estate license while also learning different trades while working with his grandpa’s HVAC company and my parent’s construction company. We got married and 6 months after got pregnant with our first daughter Cali. Anderson came up with her name and it does suit her because she is at heart a beach loving, always sunny, girl. Anderson and I decided that it was going to be too hard for me to run my Etsy shop while also taking care of a baby. I was fulfilling orders from 9am-5pm Monday-Friday while also doing wedding photography. We didn’t have the money to afford childcare so I closed my Etsy shop and decided to focus on photography so that I could help pay some bills and allow me more flexibility with caring for CJ (Cali Jude). I didn’t want to stop working completely because in my heart I knew I needed to continue being creative one way or another.
Anderson was focusing on flipping houses and I would help here and there when he needed it with design details. Our first big project we did together was a building in Walnut Hills that had been abandoned for over 10 years. We converted it to 2 condos, sold the lower unit and kept the upper unit for ourselves and ran a successful Airbnb business from it. I managed and cleaned the unit until I was 8 months pregnant with our second daughter Josie. When she was a couple months old it was getting too much for me to take care of the girls, do wedding photography, manage the Airbnb and help with design details for the houses we were flipping. We made the decision for Anderson and I to truly work as a team and grow our home design business by taking on more client kitchen and bathroom remodel work. I agreed I would stay home with the girls and work doing the design and marketing for our company while Anderson would be on the job sites managing and focusing on the more manual labor work. This change also allowed us to be together as a family more which we both agreed was important to us. So that’s how Chasing Cali Home Design was born. I genuinely enjoy picking out tiles, paint colors, and other decor details but in my heart I wasn’t fulfilled in this work alone. I love hearing how much our clients love their new space and how it has made life easier for them but once the job is over I would have an empty feeling. A feeling like I didn’t have any real greater purpose in the work that I was doing. I tried hard in putting that desire for having a life purpose into my relationships with my children and always planning adventures and experiences for them. But still, I struggled with feeling like something was still missing within myself.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love being a mom and doing all the fun stuff like seeing life through my children’s eyes. The older Josie (JoJo) was getting, the more mentally taxing and distracting for me it was to work from home on my computer. The sibling fighting, always wanting some sort of snack, climbing nonstop on me while I tried to type, etc. I was slowly losing my mental capacity to think of what I really wanted to do career wise that would fulfill that life purpose of mine. I gave up on that dream of mine to create a space that was centered on workplace happiness a while ago and focused on what skills of mine I could use to best support my husband and children. I started to feel resentful that I had to always put myself second or third. There came a time that Anderson even asked me “what do you even want to do?” and I honestly couldn’t give him an answer. I felt stuck.
Cam IV was born in 2022 and my mental health was reaching a major low. Not being able to focus on my own dreams started to really affect me. On top of being a new mom of 3 children aged 3 and under, I was dealing with having postpartum anxiety and depression. I think not working towards my own creative passions was a big part of me not feeling like myself. Lots of people in my life at the time didn’t (and still don’t) understand this struggle. I had very few people I could go to to vent about motherhood. Because let’s be real, motherhood is the hardest job and when you don’t have people in your corner that get it it can make the job feel even harder. Anderson used to tell me that I didn’t have many friends. And he was right. The “friends” I had at this time weren’t true friends that could relate to my life how it was now. The best thing I did was start to reach out to other moms that were like me and could relate to what I was going through. This (along with therapy) made the biggest difference with not feeling alone. These women know who they are and I’m so thankful for them.
We eventually hired a teenage nanny to help me 15 hours a week and my mom and grandparents also helped so I could start to refocus on what I even wanted to do work/career wise. I knew I couldn’t keep on working without a purpose. I went down an Instagram rabbit hole and came across Maternal Instincts, a monthly group for moms who are also entrepreneurs. I went to my first meeting and being around other like minded women inspired me so much to start focusing on me again. They gave me the confidence that my book idea would be so helpful to other moms too which I really needed that boost of confidence.
Anderson also had the desire to change things up and decided he wanted to get into commercial real estate and get back into remodeling our own properties. He joined Ash Patel’s commercial masterminds group where he learned a lot and eventually found a property in the Reading Bridal District. It had 2 storefronts and a gutted upstairs that would be perfect to develop into apartments. We both instantly knew that this property would be a life changing experience for us. During the due diligence period of buying this property, I had a dream that woke me up in the middle of the night. It was 3am and I went out into our kitchen and drew a sketch of what my dream showed me. In the morning, I showed Anderson and he simply said “I like it”.
Like I said before, I struggled working while also being home with our kids. But I also struggled with the idea of sending them to daycare. I wished that I had a place to go to where the kids were excited to go play and could learn different age appropriate skills while I could get some emails sent out uninterrupted. My anxiety was/is always highest when I’m away from them so I wished I had a place to go to that didn’t see my anxiety as a negative but was set up to support me. Going into a traditional coffee shop or play space just wasn’t working for me, the kids needed me to be playing with them so working just wasn’t possible.
So that’s how I came up with Chasing Cali. A true environment that would help moms and dads like me, a creative entrepreneur with young children struggling with focusing on their dreams while also raising little ones. A place they won’t feel judged but welcomed and supported. A place to go when they are going through any hardship and there is someone there they can lean on. A home away from home where they can connect with other like minded people and not feel alone. Because parenthood can be so lonely at times. I know my purpose still relates back to my senior thesis project with creating a work environment that promotes happiness but with an upgraded focus on the people that seem to be forgotten about the most or become invisible/a burden, families with young children.
I can’t wait for this next phase of our lives. Getting back to creative problem solving and using my skills that I have learned from these past 5 years in interior decorating/design by creating a beautiful environment for people to enjoy and feel at home. I have a lot to learn with the coffee/juice bar and creating systems to have the business run smoothly but it’ll all be worth the stress from the long working hours that are ahead when it does all come together in the end! I know it’s going to become a much needed community staple here in Cincinnati.
We are projecting that our opening date will be in the next 6-9 months! March is our goal but we’d rather get the space perfect for everyone instead of focusing on pushing ourselves too much with sticking to an exact opening date. Chasing Cali the book will also be released around this same time as well!
Please stay tuned and feel free to reach out in the meantime if you want to connect or have questions! We’re in the process of finding other parent focused businesses to rent spaces in our coworking space of the building!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My background is in fashion design where I received my bachelor’s degree from University of Cincinnati, college of DAAP. After graduating, I worked at Fossil doing product admin and then eventually moved on to do textile design for a smaller company where I create products sold in stores like HomeGoods, TJ Maxx, Ross, etc. Anderson’s background is in business where we received his bachelor’s degree from Mount St. Joseph. He played college lacrosse which gave him the connections he had in Dallas where he ended up working as a Commodities Trader and high school assistant lacrosse coach.
We have a successful home remodeling company called Chasing Cali Home Design. We have spent the last 5 years flipping distressed houses to give them their life back for families to enjoy again. 3 years ago we started helping homeowners with updating their already lived in properties with updating their kitchen and bathrooms. We have loved connecting with our clients and giving them a space they can call home but we decided this past year we wanted to get back into remodeling properties for ourselves.
Like I mentioned before, we have bought a building in the Reading Bridal District which we are renonativing and have named it Chasing Cali Collective. We decided to call it Chasing Cali Collective because it will be a collective business that will house our 3 other businesses, Chasing Cali Luxury Apartments, Chasing Cali Home Design, and Chasing Cali.
Chasing Cali is the name of the work and play/wellness cafe. Named after our oldest daughter Cali. She has inspired us in so many ways and considering her favorite place is by the ocean we have decided to give the space a relaxing beach theme. We plan on offering coffee, tea, and refreshing mocktails (we call them Cali Soda’s). As well as some fun and healthy snacks for kids and adults alike.
Our play space will have a licensed teacher in it to monitor the kids during open play. During scheduled classes she will teach different subjects like fun themed crafts or age appropriate science projects! The play space will be enclosed with a glass wall that parents can see in and watch as their kiddos engage in fun activities while working or meeting with friends. From the inside of the playspace the glass will have a mirror like effect so the kids can’t see their parents and stay focused on playing. I know my own kids get distracted when they see me and end up not letting me work so that’s why I believe this is an important detail to have! You as the parent can see them but your kids can’t see you.
We will sell mommy and me clothing items and other local products. Creative classes and motherhood workshops will also be offered so that moms can have some me time, get inspired and feel connected by being around other local moms that share their same interests.
It truly will be a place where moms can feel relaxed, accepted, and connected. A place created by parents for parents.
Do you have multiple revenue streams – if so, can you talk to us about those streams and how your developed them?
Yes! Our business will have multiple revenue streams. We like to think of our business as having 3 zones within it.
Zone 1: Front of house, where the coffee bar will be for anyone to walk in and enjoy. Instagram worthy swing photo spot while enjoying a good cup of coffee/tea/sparkling water.
Zone 2: the lounge/play space where customers that have bought/scheduled for their work + play session ahead of time will be able to check in and work/relax while their LO’s play in the monitored play space. This space will also have retail items for sale such as mommy and me outfits, home decor pieces, custom toys, locally created art/items, etc.
Zone 3: where the coworking/private offices will be held. This will also be a more open area where we plan to hold private events such as mommy and me yoga classes, motherhood workshops, bridal/baby showers, birthday parties, etc.
So quick overview of our revenue streams:
Coffee/café sales
Retail sales
Monthly memberships
Single work + play passes
Private office rent
Private events/birthday parties
Workshop/creative classes
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
The year following the birth of our 3rd child was a rough one. Losing myself in the motherhood grind while also trying to figure out what my purpose in life was outside of motherhood was making me feel like a failure. On top of that, dealing with people that didn’t understand the mental and physical load of being a work from home mom of 3 was triggering. Anderson also went through a traumatic experience with breaking his wrist, being in a cast, then needing surgery on it, and a long recovery which caused him to not be able to work like he was used to or help with the kids the same way.
We were doing well in our home design business but mentally Anderson and I both knew something needed to change. We knew that we both had more to offer in our skills but what that was we didn’t quite know yet. This caused stress in our business and family lives. We decided to hire a part time nanny to help 3 days out of the week, 5 hours a day, so that I could get some time to work without the kids around. This was a small but big pivot. Not one that was easy though since the kids weren’t too keen on the idea of mommy leaving. They had grown accustomed to my parents and grandparents being the only ones helping watch them during the week but a non-family member took some time to get used to.
Anderson’s leap of faith with joining Ash Patel’s commercial real estate masterminds group caused a big pivot in his career. Having this group of people he could lean on with questions and support has been huge for him.
Even though my big pivot is just in the beginning stages, I do believe that my goals to open Chasing Cali will be life changing for our whole family. Creating a wellness cafe focused on helping work from home moms (and dads) feel accepted while also nurturing the creative process for little ones has given me that purpose in my career life that I have been searching for!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.chasingcali.com
- Instagram: chasingcali_collective
Image Credits
Rendering of the building and mood board done by myself, Alex Morgan.
Photos by Jen Thamann Photography