Hannah Neeleman, owner of Ballerina Farm, responded to a controversial profile, calling it “an attack on my family and my marriage, portraying me as oppressed, with my husband being the culprit.”
Neeleman said, on the contrary, she is doing what she loves most, “being a mother, wife, a business woman, a farmer, a lover of Jesus and making meals from scratch.” She posted her response in a social media video.
The profile, published by the U.K.-based paper The Times, sparked controversy around Neeleman — a Utah business owner, wife, mother, Latter-day Saint, professional ballerina and Mrs. America — with some on social media saying she did not choose her lifestyle and that she was pressured to give up her dream of being a professional dancer. The article called her a tradwife, a label Neeleman herself rejects.
Neeleman said she thought the interview with the reporter went well, but was “taken back” and “shocked” by the article. As for the idea that Neeleman is oppressed? She said, “Nothing could be further from the truth.”
Due to the narrative the article presented, Neeleman said she thinks the angle was “predetermined.” She and her husband have worked side by side every step of the way, she said.
“Together we have built a business from scratch,” said Neeleman. “We’ve brought eight children into this world and have prioritized our marriage all along the way. We are co-parents, co-CEOs, co-diaper changers, kitchen cleaners and decision-makers.”
Neeleman said marrying Daniel was the greatest day of her life and the couple prioritizes God and family. She said they have dreams left to accomplish, more babies to bring into the world and are excited to open up a new farm store.
“We are one,” she said. “And I love him more today than I did thirteen years ago.”
To set the record straight, Neeleman updated the “About Us” section on the website for their business and opened up about their story.
Who is Hannah Neeleman and what is the story of Ballerina Farm?
Neeleman said she was the eighth of nine children and she had loving parents. She watched her parents work as a team to run a floral shop: Her father was the florist and her mother was the bookkeeper.
“Cash was tight,” wrote Neeleman. “Entrepreneurial spirit was thick, and we worked hard to make ends meet. Looking back now, I realize I was raised in a small business training incubator.”
Neeleman said all nine children, including her, have started their own businesses at this point: “I grew up thinking that’s what happens when you become an adult, you start a family and start a business.”
When Neeleman was 17 years old, she earned admission to the The Juilliard School and started pursuing her education in ballet. To help pay for school, she started to compete in beauty pageant competitions. Then, Neeleman met Daniel and they eventually married.
“My family, Daniel and I sacrificed a lot in those first years of marriage, dedicating ourselves to one another,” said Neeleman. “We were all in.”
Daniel Neeleman was playing lacrosse for Brigham Young University and ended his athletic career early to move to New York as Neeleman finished her final year of school. The couple soon became pregnant.
“He was one week old when I carried him in my arms across the stage in cap and gown to accept my diploma. I would go down in school history as the first undergraduate ballerina to be a mother,” wrote Neeleman. “He wasn’t an accident. We were ready. Motherhood was my new dream. God was guiding me, as He always had.”
The couple moved to São Paulo, Brazil, for work and fell in love with agriculture and farm hotels, where they learned about farm animals. They decided to move back to Utah and start a small farm as well as a social media account — her older brother came up with the name Ballerina Farm, saying it was unique to have a professional ballerina own a farm, she says.
“The channel is an expression of my real life,” said Neelman. “It is beautiful, rewarding and I get to do it with my family. We have many dreams still to accomplish and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”