Many couples meet on dating apps or blind dates. Peter and Mariyah Gerber met while performing in Disney on Ice’s “The Princess and the Frog.”
By Robrt L. Pela | Photography by Brandon Sullivan
Location: Desert Botanical Garden
Many couples meet on dating apps or on blind dates. Peter and Mariyah Gerber met while performing in Disney on Ice’s The Princess and the Frog back in 2015. She was Tiana; he was Prince Naveen. “The stars aligned,” Peter says. “Mariyah made the first move and, to this day, I’m thankful she did.” The couple, both former competitive figure skaters, have left the ice in favor of a new career as content creators, social media influencers and proud parents of son Aiden, who helps entertain and enlighten the Gerbers’ 2.5 million followers. Their website features videos with headlines like, “Watch me skate through my pregnancy” and “I made my wife her grandma’s gumbo,” and content on subjects dear to their hearts: parenting, skating and interracial family relationships. The couple is also about to launch a line of what they call “athleisure wear.”
What is athleisure wear?
Peter: It’s athletic clothes for the whole family, and they come in adult sizes and kid sizes. As a family, we wanted matching outfits that we could all wear at the same time. But we couldn’t find things that fit each of us.
Mariyah: So, we said, “Let’s just create matching outfits.” I love to match.
You’re married and you work together. Is that a challenge?
Mariyah: It hasn’t been for us. When we were first together, we worked as entertainers on a cruise ship for two years.
Peter: We lived on the ship, in a shoebox, below deck. That was a good test of any relationship. After surviving that, we knew we could be happy together.
Mariyah, you cofounded the Figure Skating Diversity and Inclusion Alliance.
Mariyah: I did. In 2020, I got together with other skaters to talk about the lack of diversity in our sport. One of the most surprising things we learned is there’s more diversity among skaters than we thought, but we’re not well connected. Our biggest goal has been to change that, to get skaters of color connected so they can say, “I have a similar story, and you’re not alone.”
You’ve turned your family into a “brand.” How do you do it without exploiting Aiden?
Mariyah: We have boundaries in place – things we simply won’t share, like videos of our son crying. If we go swimming, he’ll have a shirt and shorts on, not just a diaper. Our brand is about Peter and me, and Aiden is included, but he’s not the main focus.
Tell the truth: The two of you occasionally go to the local ice rink to show off a little, right?
Peter: We’ve only been on the ice together twice in the last year.
Mariyah: We have a skating pad in our living room, under the rug. So, when we get the urge, we can pop our skates on and do a couple tricks.
Mariyah, you were homeschooled. Is this your plan for your own children?
Mariyah: We haven’t decided yet. Our son is in preschool, and he only goes a few hours a week, so it’s too soon to tell. But Peter and I were both homeschooled because of our skating, not because our parents were like, “We don’t want you going to school.”
I know you two are planning to relaunch the podcast you were doing before Aiden was born. And then there’s the athleisure wear, content creation, advocacy, parenting, ice-skating in your living room… When do you sleep?
Peter: Every night! I sleep pretty well.
Mariyah: Not me. My brain never shuts off. I’m always thinking about the next thing.
