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NeNe Leakes who grew up in Athens, GA now resides in an upscale suburb of Atlanta with her husband Gregg, a successful real estate investor and business consultant.  They have two sons, 19-year-old Brice and 10-year-old Brentt.

NeNe is Founder of  The Twisted Hearts Foundation which brings awareness of domestic violence against women.

[Interview with Flaimahmy, July 23, 2009]

FM:  You have a Foundation called “The Twisted Hearts Foundation.”  We know that the Foundation works with young ladies who are suffering domestic abuse.  ”Twisted Hearts” is an interesting name.  How did you choose it?

NL:  The reason I chose “Twisted Hearts” is because a girlfriend was going through domestic abuse with her boyfriend.  She and I were talking the day after she had a fight with him.  She said, “I love him so much I can’t see straight.”  I told her that her heart was so wrong.  You have a twisted heart.  That is not what love is about. That’s how I came up with the name.  I thought her heart was twisted because she was saying to me that she loved him so much after he had abused her.

FM:  You have two sons.  Have you ever had specific discussions with them about respect for women or even abuse coming from women toward them?

NL:  Oh yeah.  We talk to our kids a lot about how to treat a lady.  I don’t necessarily talk to my kids about abuse.  My baby is ten; he’s still very young.  My older son just turned nineteen and I’ve never talked to him about abuse.  I’ve always told him how to treat a lady…that you must hold the door for a lady…buy your lady a gift…let her walk in front of you.  We’ve talked about things like that.  My baby (10-year-old) holds the door for me (laughter).

FM:  Has the fame of being on The Real Housewives ever in any way come into conflict with your personal life as a mother?

NL:  Being on The Housewives?

FM:  Yes, being on the Show.

NL:  You have to take the time for your family.  A lot of times I’m traveling.  I’m really busy.  I don’t have the time for my husband or the kids.   If I’m traveling to New York or Florida I’ll turn it into a family trip as well as a business trip.  Maybe I’m there on business for two days.  I’ll decide to bring my family and we’ll stay an extra day so that we can have family time as well.  You just have to have good balance.

FM:  Have your sons ever talked to you about their classmates’ reactions to you being on The Real Housewives?

NL:  Well, my older son graduated right after the Show so he didn’t have the experience.  My baby at the time was in the fourth grade.  He tells me that he is really very popular so I guess it’s because of the Show.

FM:  Between the younger and the older, who has better handled the fame?

NL:  My older.  He’s nineteen and it doesn’t really phase him at all that we’re on a tv show.  He does the same things.  I actually have to tell him, “You’re on a tv show, you cannot do that anymore.”  He doesn’t really get it and my 10-year-old is still very young…

FM:  Was it difficult sending your older son off to college this past year?

NL:  No, actually it wasn’t.  We really wanted him to go.  He didn’t go anywhere but right here in Atlanta.  We really wanted him to go away.

FM:  So you see him pretty often?

NL:  Yes.  I really want him to get some independence and to grow up.

FM:  As a mother, what style tip have you picked up that helped you maintain your “flyness” because once we have kids it gets a little bit more difficult.

NL:  I think it’s the environment that you are in and the type of person that you are married to.  I’ve always liked fashion and keeping myself together.  So having children did not change that.  It actually made me want to do it a little bit more…like being a “cute mom” instead of a “mom mom”…like the “old mom.”  I always worked to be the “cute mom.”  That’s just me though.  I just liked to have fashions and clothes and hair do’s.  Before I was a mom I was always getting my hair done and buying clothes.  Having my kids did not change that.  I actually want them to look “fly” too.

FM:  What’s your favorite style trend this season?

NL:  Well, you know the plaids are back for the fall.  I was out shopping yesterday and I bought some plaids.  I was just showing them to my husband last night.  They are really really hot.  I never thought that I would really like plaids but they’re actually very cute.  I love plaids.  I’m a big jean girl and leggings fan.  I love leggings, jeans, shoes and handbags.  You know, I like it all.  I really do like it all.  And, you know too, it’s really the type of man you are married to.  When you’re married to somebody who’s successful you really have to keep your “A” game up.  You really cannot be married to a successful man and look a “hot mess.”  That’s just not going to work.

FM:  We consider you to be a Flymommy.  That’s why we wanted to do this interview with you today, but tell us in your own words what makes you a Flymommy?

NL:  What really makes me a Flymommy has nothing to do with clothes.  It’s really me, my self-esteem.  I am very outspoken and I’m very true to who I am.  I’m very very real.  I think that lucky for me most people can see that I’m very real.  That’s what makes me a Flymommy.  Although I have fans now and a successful husband and two great kids, none of that goes to my head.  I am very humble.  That makes me the Flyest Mom of them all.  Being humble…people get success or they get fame or they marry somebody who’s very successful and everything about them changes.  Nothing about me has changed.  I’m still that girl who grew up in Athens, GA.  I’m just a little bit better than I was then but I’m still the same and I’m very humble.