Meet Leah Outten, BraveLove's Communications and Marketing Manager, who lives in Indian Land, South Carolina. You can watch Leah's Story here.
Q: How did you first hear about BraveLove?
A: Hmm…it’s hard to remember exactly when I first heard about BraveLove because it’s been so long! I do know that I became more involved in 2016 when I attended my first Birth Mom Dinner. I still wear my “Brave” key necklace that we received that night (in fact, I’m wearing it right now and it’s in the photo above!) because it reminds me of the resilient choices that have kept me moving through difficult times.
Q: How long have you been working with BraveLove?
A: I joined the team in July 2026.
Q: What’s your role with the organization?
A: I'm so grateful to be part of the BraveLove team, where I get to help tell meaningful stories, create content, and encourage more people to honor the beauty and complexity of adoption. I also get to connect with other incredible organizations and use marketing to help share BraveLove's mission with even more individuals and communities.
Q: What's one of your favorite parts of your job?
A: I love that my job combines two of my greatest passions–creativity and advocating. I enjoy the collaborative efforts of the BraveLove team and being a part of something that is shifting the culture surrounding birth mom stigmas and supportive care.
Q: Why do you care about this mission?
A: Having walked this birth mom journey for over 22 years, this mission is important to me because I was one of the “lucky” ones who had support from day one through my family, agency, and other birth moms. My experience shouldn’t be the exception, it should be the norm. I hope my skills are used to help more birth moms have the support that we all deserve. It isn’t easy, and we don’t have to walk it alone!
Q: What do you do for fun?
A: I pretty much always have a book I’m reading or listening to. I gravitate towards clean contemporary or historical fiction, but also enjoy nonfiction when I need something different. I enjoy memoirs and hearing the stories of people’s lives and what they have overcome (much like our BraveLove videos!). I love to do anything creative when I have the time whether it’s watercoloring, junk journaling, or writing my next book. I really enjoy traveling when I can and dreaming of where I can explore one day.
Q: What does life look like for you these days?
A: I am a very busy mom of 5 at home, ranging from college to elementary age. It’s quite the age gap with many different needs to navigate, but somehow we make it work! I’m grateful for a supportive husband that helps me juggle homelife, work, and passion projects.
Q: I know you can’t pick a favorite story or film, but which one really stands out to you?
A: Noelle’s Story is one that I love to watch, I think because we placed our girls at a similar time and our stories are also similar. It’s encouraging to know that there are other open adoptions out there like ours, filled with connection and love for one another. Fun fact: Noelle and I went to the same high school but we never met since I transferred mid-year during my pregnancy.
Q: What's in your Amazon cart right now?
Freezer meal prepping supplies to hopefully make my afternoons a little easier in the chaos.
Q: What are you reading right now?
A: I’m about to start The Ladies Hall by Vanessa Miller. Her historical fictions based on true events are always powerful and engaging.
Q: Favorite TV show at the moment?
A: Lately I’ve been loving HGTV’s Rock the Block. I wanted to be an interior designer when I was in high school, and I still love design shows.
Q: Go-to coffee or tea order?
A: I love to try the fun seasonal flavors, but the order I can always depend on is a Vanilla Latte with oat milk.
