Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
From ballerina to broadcaster, Melissa Musen Gerstein has done it all. A St. Louis native, Gerstein had a successful career in broadcast television with top networks such as MSNBC, CNBC, and CNN, interviewing and booking celebrities and launching Canadian Idol in Toronto—until her career, and her personal life, took another turn. After Gerstein became a mom, she had a hard time finding a voice on motherhood that spoke to her. That’s when she decided to build her own multi-platform lifestyle brand called The Moms with Denise Albert. Now, The Moms empire has included an NBC Moms and the City TV show, appearances on HLN, a fashion show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, Mamarazzi® town hall events with moms and celebrities, and most recently, a limited-run talk show on Sirius XM. In St. Louis with her husband and three kids taking a break from life in New York for the summer, Gerstein met with us to discuss her career, the challenges of motherhood, and more.
What inspired you to start The Moms?
When I worked in broadcasting, I noticed that there weren’t many moms in the newsroom. When I worked on The Big Idea, my boss Donny Deustch offered me the opportunity to work from home two days a week, which was great. Part of my job there was booking entrepreneurs, and they really inspired me. I had a hard time finding a voice that spoke to me as a mom, and I decided I wanted to do my own thing. We started Moms & the City in metro U.S. newspapers, which then turned into the Moms and the City TV show, which ran in several markets, and then we decided we wanted to go national with the brand we were building. We didn’t want to alienate the moms who didn’t work in urban areas, so we re-branded ourselves in 2012 as The Moms.
What’s the mission of The Moms?
We’re really just trying to empower moms. Having it all means something different to everyone—for some people it means being able to put their kids to bed at night, for others it means picking their kids up from school. We’re trying to simplify motherhood and teach moms not to forget themselves.
How did you get together with Denise?
We met while I was working on Canadian Idol. We were in the process of moving back to New York City, and she actually interviewed me for a job at Good Morning America, and then we lost touch. We ended up finding each other again later and both really felt strongly about our message. We have some very different opinions about parenting, but that’s what makes us strong as partners.
Tell me about your new radio show.
It's a two-hour show during which we talk about what's affecting parenting, relationships, and overall family life. We have call-ins with celebrities such as Meredith Vieira and we air our Mamarazzi events that have included Will Smith and Pitbull discussing their parenting styles, interviews with top OBGYNs, psychologists, new moms, and more.
How do you cover the health side of parenting and families?
We cover topical issues that affect parents, like new studies and research, physical changes after motherhood and how things don’t quite work the same anymore, eating habits, sleep, how much technology is appropriate for kids—the list goes on.
Who are your role models?
Definitely my own mother is a big role model for me. She’s a silent tower of strength—we are complete opposites. My grandmother was also very inspirational, and my aunt Pat was such a good person. In terms of celebrity moms, I love Tina Fey. She has this great “no B.S.” attitude. Her motto for motherhood is to just do what works for you, which I really believe in. Also, I love how Meredith Vieira put her foot down for the working mom. She's a very strong person.
Do you come back to St. Louis often?
We come to St. Louis every summer. I want the kids to spend time with their grandparents, and I love what St. Louis has to offer for families. Living in the hustle and bustle of New York isn't always healthy for kids, even though I love how much art and culture they are exposed to there. It's great to be able to just leave for the summer, which is part of the reason why I opted out of being an employee. We love our T-Ravs, the Magic House, and we're also big Cardinals fans.
What’s your best piece of parenting advice?
You never know. That sounds like a very broad-stroke thing to say, but whether you’re considering a new job or breastfeeding, just go for it. You only live once. The worst thing that can happen is for someone to say no. But no is not in my vocabulary, which is probably part of the reason I am where I am now.
Read more about Gerstein in the next issue of St. Louis Family, on newsstands this September.
