What happens when an aspiring children’s author decides to skip the traditional publishing route and build a publishing company herself?

On this episode of Titans of Texas, host Casey Claiborne sits down with Ashley Wall, children’s author and co-founder of Austin-based independent publisher Mama Bear Books.

What does it take to build a children's publishing house rooted in imagination, equity, and purpose — while raising two kids and learning the industry from scratch? In this episode, Jessica sits down with Ashley Wall, founder of Mama Bear Books and award-winning children's author, to talk about the books she was called to write, the under-resourced classrooms that shaped her mission, how she found balance between purpose and profit, and why she believes every child deserves a book that sees them.

Ashley Wall, M.Ed., is an educator, the author of The Day I Had... picture book series and The Wildflower Girls chapter book series, and publisher of MamaBear Books. Here, she argues that books for young readers can offer a respite from the daily pressures and anxieties accelerated by social media.

As an educator, a mother, and a publisher, I’ve witnessed the realities of girlhood from multiple perspectives. Whether in the classroom, through my work, or at home, I’ve had a front-row seat to a quiet but accelerating shift: girls are growing up faster, and not always in the ways we might hope.