We sat down with Lauren Bello Okerman, the Creative Director at Coalition Snow, to find out about what inspired her graphics for the Coalition x Rebel Girls collection, what it means to be a mountain mom, and more.

What was your inspiration behind the graphics?

The inspiration started from an interest in showcasing the “Rebel Girls” featured in the Rebel Girls series, reading their stories and being inspired directly by the artist portraits of each. How it all came together was imagining the strength of the representation a single line connecting the faces of these women, the longitudinal retrospective of a “string” of powerful women impacting history, but shown together as one on a tableau. So rarely do we get to see history through a “women’s” only lens, a graphic like this is an opportunity to put this out in the world.

Why is the partnership with Rebel Girls important to you as a mother, a skier, and the Creative Director at Coalition? 

Working in a women-owned, founded, and run business has great power, but working together with other women-owned and run businesses has exponentially more impact and expanded traction. It’s important to me as a mother to model support and collaboration and important as a skier to reach beyond “the industry” to elicit a balanced and complete lens of experience. It’s one thing for a ski company to have a voice for a community, but coupled with the power of Rebel Girls storytelling, it’s another level of impact, especially for the young mind.

What do you know now about teaching your child to ski that you wish you knew when you first started?

Skiing or riding is about meeting each other where you are at, teasing out confidence and achievements as you go. Your child may be cold, go inside, get a warm drink. Your child may be frustrated, take a break, look at the clouds, sing a song. Be present, don’t push it, bring snacks!

What's your advice or message to other parents who want to get their children out on the slopes?

Meet your child where they are, meet yourself where you are. The activity of skiing is, at its core, a place to engage in the world and should be fun on any level. Leave your expectations somewhere else and enjoy the moment.

What does it mean to you to be a Rebel Girl?

Being a Rebel Girl means doing what’s right, what’s required, what’s needed, even if the ‘powers that be’ tell you “no”, “no thank you”, “not your time”. It means having the clarity of objectivity, the conviction of heart, and the courage to question. It means creating and living in your own narrative, whatever that looks like. 

How does skiing with your daughter bring you joy?

My daughter loves skiing, first of all, which is something I could lead her to, but not command. So I’m lucky. I love to ski with her because we are both having fun, learning, and experiencing life’s challenges and victories! We are outside, enjoying ourselves in parallel, as well as in concert, and getting time to think, explore, and bond about our world.