Hi, I’m Chanie—co-founder of Hart & Hero, writer, and mom of six. I’ve spent the past decade immersed in the subtle but powerful ways childhood play shapes identity. Before launching Hart & Hero, I studied literature and psychology, which turned out to be perfect preparation for motherhood and for this work: noticing, questioning, and interpreting the quiet messages we hand our kids every day.

I care deeply about how early narratives take root—what we praise, what we overlook, and what we unknowingly push to the edges. I’m especially drawn to the overlooked spaces, like the toy aisle, where messages about gender, emotion, and worth show up long before kids can articulate them.

Hart & Hero was born out of that noticing. It started with my own children and a pink doll stroller, and grew into a mission: to close the gender play gap by giving kids access to tools that reflect the full range of what it means to be human. Through design and storytelling, we aim to reframe care as strength—and make space for more kinds of kids to see themselves reflected in the everyday objects they use to play, imagine, and grow.

I was raised in London and now live in Florida. I miss the art, the architecture, the feeling of walking through a city with layers. I drink a lot of coffee. Strong, usually cold, and often interrupted.