#HowIKibou with @bobbyoverflow Bobby Brown
Before we dive in too deep, tell us about you and your family!
My wife and I have 4 children, 2 boys (ages 2 and 9) and 2 girls (twins | age 5). We live in Inglewood, California with our dog, Happy. We have been in Inglewood for 5 years now and we love it. We love being out in nature and we are very involved and connected to our community. We homeschool the kids as well which gives us the freedom to educate while doing some of the things we love to do such as camping or traveling. 
You work in financial services, homeschool your 4 children, and run a parenting group Donuts with Dads (not to mention your family’s modeling side gig). How do you manage it all?
I am able to manage it all because it is all passion-driven ‘work’. That doesn’t mean it's easy but it's all worth the time and energy it takes. I am also running for city council in my district of Inglewood, district 2. My wife and I do our best to make our self-care a priority which helps with keeping us charged and ready for all that we do.
You’re like a time-magician, somehow magically carving out time to wear SO many different hats. What inspired this noble new path of running for city council?
For me the move into politics, city council specifically, happened pretty organically. I have always been motivated by and passionate about being of service and helping others. The underlying goal in all that I do is to make life easier for others. The political atmosphere in Inglewood has been stagnant, misleading and lacking accountability. The city council seat I am running for in district 2 went unopposed last election and if it wasn’t for me tossing my hat into the ring this election would be going unopposed again, that isn’t a recipe for accountability or transparency. 
Am I correct in assuming that some of these same concerns about Inglewood played a part in your decision to homeschool? And what–if anything–would have to be true of traditional public schools in order for you to send your kids back?
Well, the schools in Inglewood are in receivership and have been for the last 10 years, which means that the state dictates what happens in these schools, not the city. I think that for us to send our kids to our local public school, the city needs to reprioritize the school district and the physical and emotional safety of the kids. 
Before your efforts to support your community at-large, you started a support group Donuts with Dads. What inspired this and what sort of support does it offer to you and other dads?
I started Donuts with Dads because I needed support and when I searched for it, I couldn’t find it. My mother in law, Kimberly Durdin, is a midwife and runs a birthing center in Los Angeles, KindredSpaceLA, that provides support groups for mothers, along with many other services, and offered me her space should I want to start a group. Eventually I took her up on that in 2019 and started DWD. We provide a safe space for fathers to show up as themselves. We encourage authenticity, vulnerability and accountability. It has become the foundation to my life in a way that I couldn’t have ever imagined. We have vision board workshops, park meetups, we take trips together and even collaborate on business endeavors.
In a recent conversation you said to me, “community is the key to our existence,” and that really stuck with me. Each of us is a part of a community, oftentimes many different intersecting or overlapping communities. What are the communities that give you and your family purpose, energy and fulfillment?
I love this question. The communities that give us life are our Inglewood North Park community, my dads group, ‘Donuts with Dads’, Yhanni’s moms group, ‘Motherhood Unplugged’, our homeschooling communities that aren’t in our neighborhood and our huge ever expanding family. We are blessed to be surrounded by so many people that breathe life into us and inspire us to be the best versions of ourselves. 
Finally, we have to ask about your Kibou!
What are some of your favorite places to wear yours?
Ha, honestly, the only time I take it off is when I get home. I wear it to the park with the kids, to the store, on date nights, while camping, to campaign meetings, to music festivals/concerts. I even wear it to client meetings. My Kibou makes showing up comfortably and confident easy.
And what’s in your Kibou right now?
Right now inside of my Kibou I have my chapstick, campaign flyers, my wallet, my keys, Advil, hand sanitizer, a pen, matches and my headphones.
For more information on Bobby's campaign, visit:
We're in your corner, Bobby!
