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It’s 2 p.m. EST on a Wednesday when I log on to my computer to meet and chat with Elaine Welteroth. She immediately apologizes for keeping her camera off, explaining she’s been awake since 5 a.m., having landed early in Minnesota to talk with college students about feminism and journalism. It doesn’t come across as a complaint so much as a glimpse of her demanding schedule—early alarms, numerous flights, and a calendar that spans multiple time zones.

This is what life looks like for Welteroth: a constant movement between stages, red carpets, meetings, and motherhood. It’s why people often say she wears many hats. But talk to her for just 45 minutes, and it becomes clear that those “hats” don’t feel like a juggling act to her. To Welteroth, they’re simply different passions that shape how she spends her time.

Many first came to know Welteroth through her tenure at Teen Vogue, where she made headlines as the publication’s editor-in-chief. At the time, she became the youngest person and the second African American ever to hold the role. Under her leadership, the magazine evolved into something more than a fashion title, publishing political and social justice content that resonated with a new generation of readers. But that chapter was only one layer.