Erika Ramos: A Life Lived in Alignment
🎙️In The Hype Seat: 💃🏻 Erika Ramos, From LA Model to Baseball Wife, Baker, and Mom: Letting Go of What Doesn't Serve You
Erika Ramos on the set of Wild’N Out
In a culture that celebrates the hustle and glorifies the comeback, Erika Ramos chose something different: she walked away without closing the door - and she’s at peace with where she is.
A decade ago, Erika was living the dream she once manifested - living in Los Angeles, pursuing her thriving career modeling and acting, navigating the club scene working at night as a host, and landing spots on national television, including as a mainstay on MTV’s Wild ’N Out. She was one of the earliest faces of the Instagram influencer era, long before brand deals were brokered with agents or algorithm changes dictated careers. Erika’s world was castings by day, hosting at nightclubs like the infamous Hyde by night, and a front-row seat to how fame can be manufactured in real time.
But after years of the hustle, grind, and seeing behind the veil - she packed it up and left. And that decision, listening to her gut instead of the grind, is what has defined her life after modeling.
“I just knew it didn’t fit anymore,” she says. “I wasn’t willing to play a game that didn’t serve me. And once I realized what it was going to take for me to get to the top, I realized I wasn’t willing to play that game.”
In her feature interview with Holly Meyer Lucas on In The Hype Seat podcast, recorded at PodPlus Studios in Jupiter, Florida, Erika reflects with sharp clarity on the culture of early social media, the burnout that brewed beneath the surface, and the personal ethics that ultimately led her to shift direction.
She didn’t have a perfect plan. She didn’t chase a curated pivot.
She moved toward peace.
The Power of Quiet Success
In the years since leaving LA, Ramos has built a life that looks nothing like her Instagram feed used to - and that’s exactly the point.
Erika Ramos and her husband, former MLB All-Star AJ Ramos
She became a mother to two daughters. She supported her husband, former MLB All-Star AJ Ramos, as he transitioned from professional baseball into broadcasting. And somewhere along the way, she started baking. What began as a simple creative outlet evolved into a boutique cookie business - Erika’s Bakehouse - where she shipped custom sugar cookies across the country and collaborated with brands like Hello Sunshine and Biossance.
But Erika never chased virality with her baking the way others might. She didn’t build the brand to scale. She built it to feel good.
“When something stops serving me,” she says, “I don’t force it. That’s been my compass.”
The Radical Act of Choosing Presence
In an era obsessed with optimization, Erika Ramos prioritizes presence. Her version of success isn’t always public. It’s private. It’s the kind of fulfillment that can’t be captured in a photo: the kind that comes from staying grounded, raising children with intention, and refusing to compromise values for visibility.
She’s transparent about the challenges of motherhood, the expectations placed on women, and the emotional tug-of-war between identity and obligation. But she speaks without bitterness. Her story is not a retreat - it’s a recalibration.
Erika Ramos during her modeling days
“I don’t want to look back and realize I missed this season,” she says. “This version of me might not be building an empire, but I’m building something sacred.”
A Life Lived in Alignment
What makes Erika Ramos worthy of recognition isn’t what she’s walked away from. It’s what she’s moved toward - with grace, with honesty, and without apology.
She represents a new kind of icon. Not the kind defined by headlines or hustle, but by clarity. In her world, intuition is strategy. Rest is rebellion. And evolution is inevitable.
She’s not trying to impress you. She’s trying to live well and be a good mother to her daughters. And in 2025, maybe that’s the most powerful influence of all.
📍 Location: Jupiter, Florida
🎧 Listen to the full interview: In The Hype Seat | Listen on Spotify
📸 Follow Erika: @erikathom | @erikas_bakehouse
🌐 Learn more: https://www.hollymeyerlucas.com | https://www.podplusstudios.com
Erika Ramos joined Holly Meyer Lucas on In The Hype Seat to chat about her journey from MTV’s Wild ’N Out to motherhood, baking, and life beyond LA - and she gets real about walking away from what no longer fits and choosing peace over pressure.
