Jade Sheppard

Jade Sheppard is an Asheville native, the oldest of seven children, whose advocacy for mothers and families is rooted in lived experience.

Born to 16-year-old parents and reared in a home shaped by constant economic stress, she became deeply attuned to suffering in the world.

That empathy led her to study social work in college while working as a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant). During her studies, she began questioning whether she was being trained to manage the symptoms of poverty rather than address its root causes. The realization that she might spend her life placing bandages on structural wounds unsettled her, and she stepped away from school while navigating a dark period.

Motherhood became her turning point. After learning that America is the only developed country without guaranteed maternity leave, she questioned how women are expected to heal from childbirth and immediately return to work. Despite uncertainty, she chose to become a mother—a decision that she says saved her life.

After pumping in a work bathroom and being fired for choosing to work part-time in order to prioritize her daughter, Sheppard launched “Maternity Leave Matters Monday,” interviewing men and women about the maternity leave crisis. She met a mother who left her job because no leave was offered, women who opted out of having children because of the lack of leave, and another mother who returned to work just seven days after a C-section.

Her platform, Jade’s Vision, and the book she is writing blend memoir and social critique, advocating for paid leave and a future that centers children, families, and well-being. She believes that every mother deserves time to heal and every baby deserves the chance to bond. “Maternity leave is infrastructure,” she says. “Just like roads or schools, it keeps a society functioning.”

For more information on ways to support mothers, please visit jadesvision.com.