Mara Martin didn't intend to become a viral sensation when she walked the Sports Illustrated Swim runway as she breastfed her daughter, Aria, who was 5 months old at the time. The catwalk moment was totally spontaneous: “Aria got really hungry and cranky, so I started feeding her when my turn started to come up in line. I either had to step out of line or take her with me, so, with the editor’s approval, I just decided to take her with me. I didn’t look back!”

This experience caught Mara’s eye as a serious opportunity for women. She suddenly attracted a huge following and realized it’s “crazy how social media works. After everything happened with the viral moment, I got all these followers and I saw that I had this huge platform. I wanted to use it for something bigger -- to actually make a difference.” Based in West Palm Beach, Florida, Mara uses her following to spread empowering messages about and for women. She got involved with other mothers passionate about body empowerment and always focuses on sharing “a positive message.”

As per keeping sane amidst the chaos of working mom life, she said, “I feel crazy, actually, let’s just start with that.” Even the best beauty, baby, or travel products sometimes can’t help. However, a large part of Mara’s message is driven towards “showing mothers that being a mom isn’t a setback.” Despite the fact that it may be a little harder, “you can still do all the things you want to do!” After all the modeling, traveling, working, and life, Mara said, “I feel like being a mom is my biggest strength. I never really feel too overwhelmed because my daughter brings me back down to earth, and I’m doing this all for her.” Scroll down to see the products Mara Swears By that help her travel with a baby!