Today we’d like to introduce you to Lani Charles
Hi Lani, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m Lani, a mom to three amazing kids: Aj, Titi, and Kojo! Right now, we’re having a blast homeschooling together and creating fun content as a family.
Before all this, I worked as an Early Childhood Educator and loved it until I found out I was expecting my daughter. I was actually teaching at a childcare center while pregnant, totally unaware of the little one on the way!
Once I left my teaching gig, I started sending daily photos of Aj and his mini-lessons to friends and family. I also loved sharing our cooking adventures on social media. One day, a friend suggested I start a YouTube Channel to share Aj’s learning journey and our vegan recipes, and after thinking it over, I jumped in!
It wasn’t super easy to find an audience, but along the way, I met some incredible friends who feel like family now. After I had my daughter and son, I really focused on building my presence on social media, especially Instagram, which led to some awesome sponsored collaborations.
I decided to fully homeschool Aj and pulled him out of the gifted program. Now, I incorporate his interests, like sports and cooking, into our learning. Every collaboration feels like a fun field trip! One year, Aj and Titi got really into outer space. We spent two whole months learning hands-on and even teamed up with Kennedy Space Center and Cox Science Center—to talk about an out-of-this-world experience!
I created the kids’ curriculum, and right now, they’re diving into Spanish with Babbel (big thanks to our sponsorship!), as well as exploring Haitian Creole and American Sign Language. We keep things lively with cooking classes, library book clubs, playdates for Kojo, and co-ops.
I’m so thankful to be homeschooling my kids and to witness all their learning milestones while providing a safe and fun space. Creating content has let us experience so many cool learning opportunities and meet amazing people along the way.
And let me tell you, we absolutely love visiting Ripley’s Believe It or Not! The memories we’ve made there during our travel collabs are ones the kids still talk about all the time. Here’s to more great adventures ahead!
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?
This journey has not been such a clear road to getting paid a fair commission for children’s content.
Most companies are looking for free collaborations with so many demands.
Such as asking for extra footage, which would include B rolls, which is more behind the scenes.
Another is to give full copyrights for advertisements which I would not receive any recognition for.
As a content creator, it can get tiring to receive emails for only unpaid collaborations.
In the beginning, when I was just starting off, I wanted to work with big-name companies. I did take the unpaid collaborations because I needed to show companies what I could produce, such as advertisements or product reviews.
So, I decided to only work with companies that can pay or establish an ongoing partnership with them.
I do turn away potential collaborations because of no pay, or because it does not align with my content.
In my early years on YouTube, I would buy the product myself and do unboxing videos and post them.
After getting very few views on the videos, I became very discouraged.
I then focused my energy on Instagram.
I later joined the monetization program; this is when I was posting constantly, maybe 2 to 3 times a day for seven days.
I did realize my views went down and so did my likes and comments.
This was a huge deal because this determined how much Instagram would pay me.
This was very stressful because I really could not engage with so many creators because of getting blocked from Instagram and this would also hurt my engagement.
Most creators know to get engagements, you have to engage on other content. This is the way with all social media platforms.
I still engage, but I limit myself and try not to be on social media all the time because I feel like I am taking time from my children and their homeschool.
I do set a time to engage with others after homeschooling and before dinner.
This way I have time with my family and not spending all day on my phone.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I have a passion for teaching children, especially the younger years for children.
I always told my husband, when I have a daughter. I would want to stay home and teach.
I pour all my love and effort into my children’s homeschool journey.
I think my personality and what I am teaching my children set me apart from other families, and or content creators.
My children love to dance, learn, and travel.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
When I was younger, I vividly remember my parents eagerly rushing my sister and me out the door. We arrived at a store to pick out new bathing suits, but they kept the destination a surprise.
When we finally got to our destination, I was struck by the sight of lots of kids running around, surrounded by large buildings and cars zipping by.
As we got closer, the sounds of laughter and playful screams filled the air, and I spotted families enjoying ice cream cones.
After slipping into our new bathing suits, we were greeted by the exciting sight of water shooting up from the ground and splashing back down.
This was my first unforgettable day at the downtown splash pad for kids, and we must have played there for hours. I was only about six years old, but that experience was etched in my memory forever.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laniloveaj?igsh=MTVydGhhNjllbmtqZQ==
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@laniloveaj?si=Au7d5-I5p_ZUBWLs
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@laniloveaj?_t=ZP-8ugEDpbHR8Q&_r=1
Image Credits
Carnival Cruise
Ripley’s Believe It or Not Mirror Maze
Spartan Kids Race
Kennedy Space Center
