Mariama Sallah shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Mariama , we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What is a normal day like for you right now?
Right now, a normal day for me looks like balancing healing with hustle and learning how to honor both without burning out.
Mornings start with taking care of my two neurodivergent children, which means structure, patience, and flexibility. Depending on the day, I might be preparing meals, coordinating school routines, or advocating for my daughter’s needs with her school or therapists. I carry the mental load of a mother, an entrepreneur, and a woman quietly exiting a season that no longer serves her.
Between those responsibilities, I pour into my digital business by updating products, managing social media, connecting with my community, and building systems that allow me to earn without constantly trading my time for money. My work is trauma-informed, rooted in both personal experience and emotional strategy. I am also in the middle of pivoting my cake business to focus more on digital offerings and luxury-only custom orders, which has been both empowering and eye-opening.
Most days, I move between voice notes to myself, deep reflection, bursts of creativity, and moments of grounding when things feel loud. I am working on building a life that does not require me to abandon myself to survive, and while that is not easy, it is deeply worth it.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Mariama, and I am the owner and creative behind Delectable Cakes, a cake brand best known for its nontraditional luxury wedding cakes. My signature style combines bold colors, intentional design, and unexpected flavor pairings to create cakes that are visually striking, never too sweet, and always unforgettable.
Delectable Cakes is more than a cake business, it is a reflection of artistry, healing, and evolution. As I continue to grow, I am shifting toward offering specific cake styles with a higher minimum, as well as expanding into digital products that empower other bakers to build businesses that support their well-being, not just their income.
A core part of my mission now includes incorporating healing into the hustle. I believe that the baking industry often overlooks the emotional and mental load behind the work. Through digital resources, tools, and honest conversations, I aim to help other bakers find clarity, protect their peace, and grow with intention.
Whether I am designing a wedding cake or releasing a guide to help bakers raise their prices, everything I create is rooted in creativity, strategy, and softness. This next chapter of Delectable Cakes is about freedom, alignment, and doing business without burnout.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Before the world told me who I had to be, I was expressive. Sensitive. Sharp. Creative without a filter. I had big feelings, big ideas, and a big heart, all things that were often misunderstood in the environments I grew up in.
I saw beauty in things others missed. I made art out of chaos. I felt everything deeply and moved through life with the instinct that I was meant to create, connect, and express.
But somewhere along the way, that got replaced with survival. I started shrinking. I became who I needed to be to keep the peace, to earn love, to stay safe. And for a while, I forgot the girl I used to be.
Now, I am slowly returning to her, in my work, my words, my boundaries, and the spaces I create for others. That version of me never left. She was just locked away. But now, she is breaking the chains and freeing the little girl inside of her.
She is rising again, and this time, she is being led with compassion, not fear.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes, recently I went through the toughest season of my adult life, a season that forced me to grieve the version of myself that kept surviving, no matter how tired she was.
It took a lot of resilience, reflection, and healing to pull myself out of that dark place. There were moments I felt completely overwhelmed, not just by life, but by the emotional weight of everything I had been carrying in silence. From parenting, to running a business, to navigating relationships that were no longer aligned with who I was becoming, I was running on empty. But something inside of me knew I could not stop here.
I gave myself space to feel, to break down, and to rebuild. I started naming my needs, protecting my peace, and honoring the little girl inside me who never truly felt safe.
That season taught me that giving up is not always about stopping, sometimes it is about letting go. Letting go of who I thought I had to be. Letting go of the need to prove anything. Letting go of the idea that strength means doing everything alone.
I am still standing, still soft, and still becoming. That is my definition of resilience.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
One of the biggest lies the baking industry tells itself is that burnout is just part of the job. That if you are not constantly hustling, saying yes to every order, or sacrificing sleep for success, then you must not want it badly enough.
That mindset glamorizes struggle and completely ignores the emotional, physical, and mental toll it takes. Especially on mothers, neurodivergent bakers, and creatives who are trying to build something sustainable with limited time and resources.
As someone who is neurodivergent with ADHD and Autism, and who grew up in a very traumatic environment, I can say that my early business habits were shaped by limiting beliefs rooted in survival and scarcity.
What people do not realize is that scarcity starts young. It follows you into adulthood and touches everything, from how you price your work, to the clients you attract, to how much rest you allow yourself. I had to do a lot of healing and unlearning to start attracting high-paying clients and building a business that did not require me to abandon myself.
What the industry does not talk about enough is healing, the childhood trauma, the trauma that happens inside relationships, the mental load, the unspoken grief, the loneliness behind the appearance of success.
These are real-life issues that do not just affect success, they shape it.
I am passionate about helping other bakers, especially those who are carrying a lot, find ways to heal while they hustle. Because we deserve to thrive without breaking ourselves in the process.
The truth is: there is power in rest. There is wisdom in saying no. And there is more than one way to define success.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
If I retired tomorrow, my customers would absolutely miss the cakes. The flavor, the design, the intentional balance. But more than anything, they would miss the way I make them feel.
I have always said I do more than just bake cakes. I hold space. I listen. I bring warmth and ease into what can sometimes be a stressful process. Whether we are chatting on the phone or going over details through voice notes, I connect with my clients on a personal level. Many of them tell me they feel like they are talking to a friend. They open up. They share parts of themselves they have never told anyone else. And that is not something I take lightly.
The truth is, people remember how you made them feel. They remember the comfort, the safety, and the presence you brought to the experience. My clients would miss the calm in my voice, the way I understand their vision, and the way I make them feel seen. That is the legacy I care most about leaving behind.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.delectablecakees.info
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/delectablecakesllc?igsh=enZnaXdicGJ3YWRw&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/173R2T6AFW/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Other: Podcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sweet-diary-of-a-stay-at-home-mom/id1745721693?i=1000714858639
