We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kalie/Cory Jackson/Chlapowski. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kalie/Cory below.
Kalie/Cory , thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
The resilience behind Callum + Willow was built through the experiences that shaped us years before our business came to life. My cousin Cory and I grew up learning to find strength within ourselves, navigating challenges that taught us independence, adaptability and emotional perseverance from a young age.
As we moved further into adulthood and faced major life transitions, including becoming single mothers, we were called to dig even deeper into our inner resources. Through a strong commitment to personal development and spirituality, we chose to rebuild our lives with intention, choosing paths that honored both our creative passions and our desire to be present for our children. We chose to see these experiences as opportunities for transformation. We devoted ourselves to the inner work of healing old wounds to build emotional strength in places it had never been before and to staying open to possibility even when life felt overwhelming. Our resilience really comes from choosing growth over comfort, self-trust over fear and commitment to ourselves, our children and our mission.
Callum + Willow truly was born from this hard-earned resilience. We really see our company as a reflection of everything we fought to reclaim, a symbol of our freedom, our creativity, our purpose, and the chance to build a life that feels meaningful. Through our work, we hope to pass that spirit on to other families and allow it to continue to guide everything that we do.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
We’re Kalie Jackson and Cory Chlapowski, cousins, single moms, and the creators behind Callum + Willow. Our journey started from a deeply personal place, as we were both searching for a way to rebuild our lives with purpose after getting pummeled by a few of life’s waves. From this, we realized a shared dream. We sought out to create something that celebrates the expansive creativity of childhood, encourages imagination, and honors the values we hold close as mothers. Callum + Willow blends storytelling and play through thoughtfully designed books and wooden toys that invite young children into magical, meaningful adventures. Our first release, Callum and Willow’s Journey to the Moon, pairs with a space-themed block set that makes story time interactive and unforgettable. We’re now expanding with a new Everglades-inspired book and a corresponding toy, and we’re working to bring our products into more classrooms and homes across the country. We sought out to create a company that is a reflection of who we are, what we believe in, and the legacy we want to leave for our kids.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
For us, the three most impactful qualities in our journey have been resilience, creativity, and empathy. Our resilience has kept us going when everything around us felt uncertain. As we were both starting over personally and professionally, it took real strength to keep showing up. There were days that we both wanted to give up, but being able to remind ourselves of why we created this business really kept us pushing forward.
Creativity helped us turn an idea into something tangible and meaningful. It’s what allowed us to bring stories and toys to life in a way that connects with children and families. We both hadn’t really ever done creative work, but exploring and drawing on these untapped skills has opened up possibilities for the growth of our business that we had never anticipated.
Empathy has really been at the heart of it all. As moms and as women who’ve faced many tough seasons, we’ve poured that understanding into everything we create. We always want to make sure that our brand isn’t just fun or educational, but also deeply rooted in connection and care. We care about what we are creating and we care about our customers. Life can feel really overwhelming sometimes, and while parenting is one of the most rewarding things we do, it can be equally challenging. Our hope is to bring a little lightness, happiness and joy to those experiences whenever we can.
Our advice is to give yourself permission to grow slowly and authentically. Resilience isn’t something you wake up with. Cory and I have been knocked down so many times, but each time, we choose to learn something from the experience and take that into the next decision we make. We have allowed ourselves the time and space to grow, we don’t pressure or force things and continue to move forward trusting that each step will lead us to where we are to go next.
Don’t be afraid to ask for support, and remember that rest and pause is part of the process, too. There are so many people out there with amazing ideas and solutions. Sometimes, you need to ask for help, and that help or idea will be just the thing you needed to catapult you to the next level.
For creativity, stay curious. Make space for play, exploration, and even mistakes. Throw all the ideas out there and then take what works and leave what doesn’t. Some of our best ideas came from letting go of perfection. And when it comes to empathy, it starts with you. The more compassion you show yourself, the more naturally it flows outward. We’re all human, and we tend to forget that. We’ve found that growth doesn’t necessarily come from doing more, but remembering why you are doing what you are doing and ultimately listening to your intuition at every wild turn!
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
It would be wonderful to find some creatives that would like to collaborate with us! We’d love to expand our social media presence and get inventive with coming up with ideas in order to share the magic with more families worldwide. If you feel inspired by our product or mission, please reach out on callumwillow.com or at callumandwillow@gmail.com.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.callumwillow.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/callumandwillow/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095422293319
Image Credits
Sara Kane Photography
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
