Meet Micaela “Cae” Thomas of Ohio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Micaela “Cae” Thomas.

Hi Micaela “Cae”, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My journey began long before I ever considered myself an author, entrepreneur, or community advocate. It began with motherhood.

I became a mother at a young age, and over the years, my journey as a mother of seven has challenged, stretched, and transformed me in ways I never imagined. I’ve experienced the beauty of motherhood, but I’ve also navigated the emotional, mental, physical, and financial realities that often go unspoken.

For years, I poured so much of myself into being everything for everyone else that I began to lose sight of the woman I was outside of motherhood. Eventually, I realized that my experiences weren’t something I needed to hide or be ashamed of. They were stories that could help another woman feel seen, understood, and less alone.

That realization inspired me to write my debut book, MuvaHood is Ghetto: But We Don’t Let the Ghetto Win, and create Tha MuvaHood Movement, a community-driven initiative dedicated to empowering mothers, amplifying their voices, and building meaningful support systems.

From there, I established Muva 2 Muva: A Village for the Village and launched 100 Columbus Muvas, an initiative bringing together 100 local mothers to celebrate their journeys, highlight their businesses, and strengthen our community through connection and support.

Today, I’m building a platform that brings together storytelling, advocacy, entrepreneurship, and community engagement. I’m preparing for my book release on November 30, 2026, expanding our community initiatives, and developing opportunities to take this movement beyond Columbus.

What started as my personal journey toward healing and rediscovering myself has grown into something much bigger than me.

I’m still building, still learning, and still growing, but one thing I’m certain of is that I no longer want to simply tell my story. I want to use it to create spaces where other women feel empowered to tell theirs.

My story is mine—and I write it without shame.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has definitely not been a smooth road, but I believe some of the most difficult chapters of my life have helped shape the woman I am becoming.

As a mother of seven, I’ve faced challenges that have tested me emotionally, mentally, physically, and financially. From navigating motherhood at a young age to raising children with complex medical needs, balancing a full-time career, and trying to build something of my own, there have been moments when simply making it through the day felt like an accomplishment.

One of my biggest struggles has been learning how to show up for myself while being everything my children need me to be. For a long time, I placed my dreams on the back burner because motherhood demanded so much of me. I had to learn that pursuing my purpose didn’t mean I was taking anything away from my children. It meant I was showing them what perseverance looks like.

Building Tha MuvaHood Movement has presented its own challenges. Starting from the ground up without a large team, major funding, or an established platform has required me to step outside my comfort zone, approach strangers, pitch my vision, navigate rejection, and learn the business side of entrepreneurship while still managing my everyday responsibilities.

I’ve also had to overcome the fear of being vulnerable. Sharing the unfiltered realities of my life and motherhood means opening myself up to judgment, criticism, and misunderstanding. But I’ve learned that the stories we’re most afraid to tell are sometimes the very stories someone else needs to hear.

There have been setbacks, delays, moments of uncertainty, and plenty of days when I’ve questioned how I would get everything done. But every mother who joins the movement, every connection I make, and every opportunity to share my story reminds me why I started.

I’m learning that success isn’t always about how quickly you reach your destination. Sometimes it’s about having the courage to keep building when the road looks nothing like you imagined.

The road hasn’t been smooth, but I didn’t create Tha MuvaHood Movement because life was easy. I created it because I know what it feels like when it isn’t—and I don’t want another mother to feel like she has to navigate those difficult moments alone.

MuvaHood is Ghetto, but we don’t let the ghetto win.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am Micaela “Cae” Thomas, a mother of seven, author, creative entrepreneur, and founder of Tha MuvaHood Movement, a community-driven brand dedicated to empowering mothers, amplifying their voices, and creating meaningful support systems for families.

My work centers around storytelling, motherhood advocacy, community building, and women’s empowerment. I specialize in taking the raw, often unspoken realities of motherhood and transforming them into conversations, resources, and initiatives that help women feel seen, heard, and supported.

Through Muva 2 Muva: A Village for the Village, we work to connect mothers and families with community assistance, resources, and opportunities to support one another.

I’m also the visionary behind 100 Columbus Muvas, an initiative bringing together 100 local mothers to celebrate their individual journeys, highlight their businesses, amplify their voices, and strengthen our community. My long-term vision is to expand this initiative nationwide, creating a network of mothers supporting mothers across cities and states.

As an author, I’m preparing to release my debut book, MuvaHood is Ghetto: But We Don’t Let the Ghetto Win, on November 30, 2026. Through humor, vulnerability, and unapologetic storytelling, I explore the emotional, mental, physical, and financial realities of motherhood while encouraging women to rediscover themselves beyond their responsibilities.

What I’m most proud of is that I’ve taken something deeply personal and turned it into something that can serve other people. Watching women believe in this vision, volunteer to share their stories, and become part of a movement that is still in its early stages has been incredibly rewarding.

What sets me apart is my approach to motherhood advocacy. I’m not interested in presenting motherhood as a perfectly curated experience. I talk about the beautiful moments, but I also talk about the exhaustion, frustration, identity struggles, financial pressures, and difficult conversations that many mothers experience but rarely feel comfortable discussing.

I bring a combination of lived experience, humor, vulnerability, and community-centered action to my work. I’m not simply creating content about motherhood; I’m actively building spaces where mothers can connect, receive support, celebrate one another, and access opportunities.

My goal is to create a platform that extends beyond books, social media, and events—one that creates lasting community impact and reminds women that their identities, dreams, and stories still matter after becoming mothers.

I want to be known for creating a movement that makes mothers feel less alone and for demonstrating that you don’t need a perfect story to create something meaningful.

I’m not building a platform that simply tells mothers they’re strong. I’m building a village that reminds them they don’t have to be strong alone.

One Village. One Movement.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson I’ve learned is that I don’t have to have everything figured out before I begin, and I don’t have to do everything alone.

For so long, I believed I had to be everything for everybody. As a mother of seven, I became accustomed to carrying responsibilities, navigating challenges, and finding solutions even when I didn’t have the support or resources I needed.

But building Tha MuvaHood Movement has taught me that there is power in vulnerability, community, and allowing others to show up for you.

I’ve learned that purpose doesn’t require perfection. Sometimes you have to start with what you have, show up afraid, make mistakes, and trust that the right people and opportunities will meet you along the way.

I’ve also learned that my story doesn’t lose its value because it includes difficult chapters. The very experiences I once questioned, struggled through, or felt ashamed of have become the foundation of something that can help other women.

Most importantly, I’ve learned that success means very little if you lose yourself trying to achieve it. I can be a devoted mother while still pursuing my dreams, building a business, and becoming the woman I envision for myself.

Today, I lead with that understanding. I don’t have to be perfect to make an impact, and I don’t have to wait until I’ve reached the finish line to help someone else along the way.

My greatest lesson is that you can be a work in progress and still be somebody else’s proof that it’s possible.

That’s the heart of everything I’m building with Tha MuvaHood Movement. One Village. One Movement. 🩷

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thamuvahoodmovement.net
• Instagram: @thamuvahoodmovement
• Facebook: @thamuvahoodmovement
• Youtube: @muvahoodisghetto
• Other: thamuvahoodmovement@gmail.com