Reality star, Carla Stephen is a devoted wife, mother, serial entrepreneur, philanthropist and community advocate, but received an enormous amount of notoriety from her no-nonsense personality on Bravo’s television series, Mother Funders.
The show, which followed the lives of several PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) mothers in Locust Grove, Georgia, including Stephens as acting President, portrayed Stephens, at times, as both a leader and tyrant, but she notes although viewers may have a skewed perspective of her, most of what viewers saw was authentic, stating, “You did not get the full picture of who Carla Stephens was, but those were real moments. I went on tv as a real mom. You saw my real responses.”
For example, what many mistook for strict and controlling tactics was merely Stephens abiding by the rules and regulations set forth by the Henry County school district, “I had a higher authority. I always tried to operate according to my district, so I always had to stay in line with standards set with the county..”
Stephens’ conflict with former cast member and PTO mom Robin Dyke also added fuel to the fire, but she retorts efforts were made unsuccessfully to mend the relationship,”I really didn’t have dealing with that individual outside of filming. When you’re in a situation where people are just hurt by your presence there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Though drama seemed to be at the forefront of her experience on the show, it’s actually her unyielding dedication to providing her children and their peers with vast opportunities that she wishes audiences saw more of. The self-proclaim, “servant,” said her goal was simply to provide positive memories for her two sons and their classmates, revealing, “What we do as a PTO was much more than the fundraising side, it was about making memories for children and that’s one side we really didn’t get to see.”
Her passionate behavior on the show was deeply rooted in this belief and her vison to promote educational resources that her sons and their school, otherwise, may not have received, raising substantial amount of funds for the district.
“When I became a president, I more than tripled the money of the previous president; I knew then that this district was open. I came in and changed everything they were used to seeing.”
The same care she extends to her family, she also extends to her community as well, acting as the first WellSpring Living celebrity ambassador.
WellSpring Living an organization working to end human sex trafficking.
Stephens has even created an organization of her own within WellSpring Living and says she is excited to extend her celebrity to such a great cause, explaining, “I have launched my own initiative called Celebs Against Human Trafficking. This initiative was designed to bring the issue of domestic minor sex trafficking of children to the forefront with the help of those who have a platform to reach others on a large scale.”
As her journey continues to unfold, Stephens notes her family remains the motivation behind much of her life’s work and she hopes to leave a legacy as a loving and caring mother and wife.
