Leah Davey followed her dream … and her dream followed her right back. Now, Main Line Ma is one of the region’s most influential (and fun) Instagram communities.

by Melissa Jacobs

Two years ago, when the world was in the deep, scary part of the pandemic, Leah Davey was having trouble finding fun, COVID-safe activities for her infant daughter – and herself. So, Davey started Main Line Ma, the Instagram account that has become a go-to for parents and caregivers. “If I was looking for things to do, I knew other people were, too,” Davey said.

Davey’s Main Line Ma publishes weekly round-ups of fun, local, family-friendly activities on the Main Line and in Montgomery, Chester and Delaware Counties. Davey creates the colorful content, curating her top picks from hundreds of options. “I try to get a range of activity types in a variety of areas in our region,” she said.

The name Main Line Ma has special meaning. Her mother is the original Main Line Ma; it was her email address when Davey was growing up. At the time, Davey lived in Berwyn with her family. Now, Davey lives in Media with her husband Josh and their daughter. But she loves the name Main Line Ma and decided to use it for the Instagram community she created. “Now, Main Line Ma refers to all of us,” Davey said. “We are all Main Line Ma.”

As Main Line Ma grew, Davey found herself more drawn to the Instagram work than her day job as an elementary school teacher. “I love teaching, but it started to become incredibly stressful and that stress was manifesting as physical symptoms likes headaches and back pain,” Davey said.

Davey’s pain became so severe that she sought medical treatment – actually, several treatments. Nothing worked, largely because the physical treatments didn’t address the root problem: Davey’s stress. “The lack of flexibility in my job was preventing me from living the life I knew I could have.,” Davey said. “I felt like my 9-5 wasn’t aligned with what I was expecting this phase of my life to be. The rigid schedule was taking away from enjoying motherhood.”

Finally, Davey faced the hard truth. Teaching, the profession she’d trained for and worked in for years, was no longer her dream job. What did she really want to do? Build Main Line Ma – and pursue a career in real estate. “Once I saw my own truth, I knew it was what I wanted to do,” Davey said.

So, Davey – with the full support of her husband– decided to shift careers. “We had an infant daughter, expenses and an uncertain future,” Davey said. “But I decided to do it anyway.”

While still teaching, Davey completed the courses required to earn her Realtor’s license. It was a lot of work, but oddly, Davey started to feel less stress. When you’re on the right path you know it, Davey said, and that made her work even harder.

And anyway, there was no turning back. Davey gave notice at her teaching job, finishing the school year so she wouldn’t leave the school or her students without a teacher. In June 2022, Davey left school for the last time and drove into her new career in residential real estate.

Now, Davey works on the Main Line Haven team at Berkshire Hathaway. Within six months, Davey had six homes under contract. At around the same time, Main Line Ma hit 6,000 followers. Davey has grown Main Line Ma into a real parenting resource, keeping its voice authentic and unblemished by paid promotions or advertising. “I want people to trust my guidance with Main Line Ma – and real estate,” Davey said.

Davey does not have plans to migrate Main Line Ma into any other digital mediums, saying that Instagram is the best place for it … for now. As Main Line Ma grows, Davey is likely to find other, perhaps bigger, platforms for her brand. “I already made one big life change in the past 12 months,” she said with a laugh. “Let me catch my breath before I decide what to do next.”

Want more stories about inspiring local women? Read Lady Bosses We Love, Two Besties Make Their Eagles Biz Fly, and DelCo Mom’s New Dream Spa.

Connect with Main Line Tonight!

• Instagram
• Facebook
• LinkedIn