Main Line Ma’s New Business, New Baby And New IG

Leah Davey followed her dream … and her dream followed her right back. After making Main Line Ma one of the region’s most influential (and fun) Instagram communities, Davey is turning the page and opening a new chapter.

by Melissa Jacobs

Lead photo by Veronika Paluch Photography.

Main Line Ma is one of the region’s most influential (and fun) Instagram communities, filled with roundups about kid-friendly activities in the Philadelphia suburbs. The woman behind the Instagram account is Leah Davey, who creates the colorful content by 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.

Davey created Main Line Ma back when she was a school teacher and the world was in the deep, scary part of the pandemic. Davey was having trouble finding fun, COVID-safe activities for her infant daughter – and herself. “If I was looking for things to do, I knew other people were, too,” Davey 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. “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 Josh – decided to shift careers. “We had an infant daughter, expenses and an uncertain future,” Davey said. “But I decided to do it anyway.”

There were so many times I wanted to run away screaming … but I’m learning that the changes that scare me most are also the things that bring me the most joy.

– Leah Davey

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.

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.

In April 2024, she announced her next big career move: opening her own real estate business as a solo agent with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services of the Main Line. Called Leah Davey, Along The Main Line, her business focuses on the Main Line and western suburbs, which as she says, is “as north as Phoenixville, west as West Chester, south as Media, and east as Merion.”

Davey is doing this only four months after her second child was born. Her baby boy is happy, healthy and adorable – but still very much an infant. Why start a business now? “When I started in real estate, I thought, ‘I want to get really good at this.’ I’ve given it my everything- I’ve taken courses, studied the market, and had the opportunity to pick the brains of the top producing agents in our market who I just absolutely adore. I love what I do and feel super proud of it, so much so that I want to stamp my name on it! I’ve spent a lot of time building my own brand, so I really wanted to focus on leaning into that.”

How is Main Line Ma juggling her two kids, husband and entrepreneurialism? “I’ve spent a lot of this postpartum period working, which sounds insane but it truly has made me feel sane. My job is so flexible, so sometimes it looks like scrolling Instagram for content ideas, other times it’s showing houses, and in between I get all the newborn snuggles, and delicious new baby smells. Sometimes you’ll find me with a baby strapped to my chest, and other times it’s just me. The ability to work during this time has done wonders for my mental health, which I really struggled with my first time around. 

“This career change has been life-changing in so many ways,” Davey said. “I’m so glad I listened to that gut feeling I had about making a change and leaving the classroom. There were so many times I wanted to run away screaming … but I’m learning that the changes that scare me most are also the things that bring me the most joy. I plan on leaning into that feeling for as long as I can.”

For more information, visit Leah Davey, Along The Main Line.

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Want more stories about inspiring local women? Read Lady Bosses We Love, Malvern’s Fairy Prom Mother and soap queen Miche Scott.

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