As a child, I had selective mutism—the literal inability to speak in certain situations—which often made me feel invisible. As a result, the longing to feel seen became an overarching theme of my life.

I thought I had found the answer when I started performing as an actress, and overcame my shyness when playing someone other than myself. As an adult, I’ve realized that this was not the ideal way to form a sense of identity! For many years, an audience’s reaction became the only real gauge I had for success or failure.

This need for external validation I once had, and the long road to taking accountability for my own self-worth, is the crux of what inspired TRADWIFE.

I am guilty of many a late-night TikTok scroll, and found myself down the rabbit hole of tradwife influencers who tout traditional values (and baking 40-step recipes!). I’ll admit that I initially judged these women who had chosen to promote a lifestyle that felt so regressive to me. But the more I watched, the more I understood that they were looking for the same thing I struggled with for so long. They just wanted to be seen, too.