Soliana Sapp is the hilarious social media star whose iconic pink robe is a symbol of relatable mom life. With more than 400K followers on both Instagram and Tik Tok, her audience loves watching her keep it real, which keeps us laughing at the absurdity of motherhood.
Soliana and her husband Gabe raise their three kids in the Corvallis, Oregon area. Their oldest son Esias is 14, their middle son Elijah is 11, and their youngest, daughter Hattie, is 9. Gabe, a First Sargeant in the National Guard, has served in the United States military for more than 16 years. As a military wife with Eritrean (located in East Africa) roots, she has a special way of connecting to her community…and keeping her family members connected to each other. For this week’s Meet a Mom interview, we asked Soliana about launching her social media platform, how being the daughter of immigrants has impacted her motherhood, what self-care means to her, and more.
Soliana, you’re hilarious! Tell us how you got started sharing videos on social media. How did your family react to you sharing your life publicly?
Thank you! Honestly, towards the end of the pandemic a friend showed me the TikTok app because they thought I would enjoy it. And I did! It turned into a fun way to pass time while stuck at home and it also allowed me to be creative while sharing our life. My husband and kids thought it was silly at first but then got into it a bit more as time went on. It’s really just a snapshot of our daily life. So they weren’t shocked or surprised by the content. It’s their reality, but now more people get to witness it. Haha!
Your pink robe is a vibe! It seems to be a symbol of your authenticity. What has the response been from your fans about keeping motherhood real?
My robe really is a part of my DNA at this point, ha! The biggest reason I’ve kept doing these videos is because of the messages and comments I’ve received. Many of them stated how they didn’t realize other moms/parents felt the same way or experienced the same types of things they were going through. We don’t love all the days, all the time, but that doesn’t mean we don’t love our kids all the time. Being able to relate and knowing that these struggles are more common than we realized really does give you a sense of relief that you aren’t just going crazy. It’s easier to see the light at the end of the tunnel and makes it easier to open up and be honest about what is happening. Especially as moms, I feel like we put an extra amount of weight on ourselves to make this look easy and effortless while physically appearing beautiful and put together. For many of us, that is not the case. And that is what I try to show. I’m just happy so many people can relate because that makes me feel less alone in my journey.
You praised the sacrifice your parents made in coming to the U.S. 30 years ago. How have they influenced you as a parent?
Oh goodness….my parents are everything! I know very little of what they went through to be with each other and then to escape a war-torn country, Eritrea, to get us all here safely. The bit I do know is scary, emotional, heartbreaking, and inspiring. They escaped to come here with literally nothing but each other and their children. Sacrificing everything they know on hopes and dreams that they could possibly give us a better life. They each worked multiple jobs, 6-7 days a week, somehow providing us with everything we wanted and needed. They have always been the hardest-working people I know. They did all of this while always letting us know and reminding us that “at the end of the day, all you have is family.” They emphasized and showed us that time spent together is priceless. They always demonstrated and taught us to love big and created a household that prioritized each other. To this day, we all constantly stay in communication and spend as much time as we can with each other.
What do you do for self-care that fills your cup?
I’m going to be brutally honest…I was the worst at this until just recently. I am not the spa/ shopping/pampering type of self-care person. But I have several different things I enjoy doing depending on the day and my mood.
1- I make sure I get in a workout of some sort daily. With 3 kids, each doing multiple sports/activities, that means 99% of the time I am getting up at 4 am to exercise because my evenings/afterschool time is spent being mommy-uber.
2- Spending time with friends! Getting in a quick meal, hike/walk, happy hour, etc., and catching up is just so refreshing.
3- Being alone, drinking coffee, and reading a good book is amazing!
4- My favorite is probably being able to do something with my husband. It always involves yummy food and I always have the most fun, with so much laughter, being the silliest, gross lovey-dovey couple.
Any mom secrets you can share… a mantra or piece of advice you lean on?
This mom-gig is HARD AF (am I allowed to say that?!). It gets ugly at times, is emotionally torturous, mentally exhausting, and leaves you physically depleted. PERIOD! And it is okay to admit and feel that because I am putting my ALL into these little humans whom I adore beyond comprehension. I would do and I do do anything and everything I can for them. This is also the most rewarding job ever! I find most of these feelings and stressors we put on ourselves: to be better, look better, do more, be busy, be all the things to all the people all the time. No more! My daily goal is to find humor and laugh as much as possible. It’s what fills my cup and flips my mood right around. I find that as a family we enjoy just being together and being silly. So find what brings you happiness and try to weave it into your daily life as much as possible.
To keep up with Solana’s adventures, you can follow her on Instagram at @solianasapp.
