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Empowering New Parents at Whole Mama Michigan

To help soon-to-be parents in her community prepare to start or grow their families, Emily S. opened Whole Mama Michigan, a pregnancy and postpartum wellness center, in Brighton.

Five years ago, Emily S. had a vision. She imagined a space where local families could find support throughout pregnancy, from preconception to postpartum. She wanted to provide a calming space where people could take classes, connect with other new parents, and shop for essentials.

Today, Emily’s dream is a reality. She owns and operates Whole Mama Michigan, a pregnancy wellness center, in the community she calls home. On any given day, you can find moms connecting with their babies during a yoga class. Expectant parents taking a course on how to care for their upcoming arrival. Or a new mom meeting with a lactation consultant.

 

Looking around the Whole Mama office, it’s easy to see the compassion that went into creating the supportive environment that exists today. But Emily’s dream didn’t materialize overnight. Her entrepreneurial journey was fueled by unwavering determination and meaningful resources that helped turn her ideas into action.

Creating pregnancy and postpartum support in Brighton.

Creating pregnancy and postpartum support in Brighton.

Emily has 18 years of experience in education and program creation. She’s also a certified breastfeeding counselor and childbirth educator, so she understands the support that new parents need through the vulnerable stage of life, navigating pregnancy and beyond. While pregnancy and postpartum support options are widely available in larger cities, what about new and expecting parents in her own backyard?

Recognizing the need for new and expectant parent support in Livingston County, Emily got to work and started sharing her business idea with her contacts in the area. Through these conversations, she connected with Nicole P., Business Development Manager at Lake Trust.

Unlocking possibilities with a Lake Trust partnership.

Unlocking possibilities with a Lake Trust partnership.

Emily’s connection with Nicole and Lake Trust opened a host of new opportunities to support her business idea. Nicole helped Emily explore business incubators, pitch competitions, and small business lending programs that could help her find the funding she needed to open Whole Mama Michigan. Suddenly, the overwhelming prospect of trying to open a business turned into motivation to keep pushing forward.

“I always felt like Lake Trust had my best interest in mind,” said Emily. She shared that the first source of funding she found through her relationship with Nicole was a Kiva crowdfunded loan. Friends and family could help establish Emily’s credibility by lending her small amounts of cash before the funding opportunity opened to the public.


“Later on, in my opening up the business journey, I did end up getting a microloan from Lake Trust. But originally, they were helping me find all these other products available to me. It wasn’t like they were only promoting their own products.”

I had no idea how many small business resources were available until I started working with Lake Trust.

Winning the Lake Trust Entrepreneurship Institute pitch competition.

Winning the Lake Trust Entrepreneurship Institute pitch competition.

With encouragement from Nicole, Emily joined the inaugural cohort of Lake Trust Entrepreneurship Institute at Cleary University, a free online curriculum designed to support small business owners. And this opportunity couldn’t have come at a better time. Emily was in the process of starting Whole Mama Michigan and was able to apply what she learned directly to her business.

“It felt cool that a local university, Cleary University, partnered with our local credit union, Lake Trust, to create this really valuable program. It made it feel real that it was possible to open a business knowing that that specific support was available, and that there was this ecosystem of supporting small businesses right in our community,” Emily shared of her experience in Lake Trust Entrepreneurship Institute.


In addition to the coursework, Emily also found value in connecting with other business owners and finding inspiration from their stories. She heard many of these stories firsthand at the end of the course when she was invited to participate in a pitch competition for a chance to win grant funds from the Lake Trust Foundation. And her own powerful story and pitch helped her win the first-place prize of $5,000.


“When I found out I won the pitch competition, I, of course, was excited,” said Emily. “But it was also just like this calm validation that everything I had been working toward, everything I had been doing, I was on the right track.”

It feels very aligned to be banking with Lake Trust for my business.

They really are integrated into the community that I also serve.

Launching new and expectant parent classes in Livingston County.

Launching new and expectant parent classes in Livingston County.

Whole Mama Michigan officially opened in May 2025 and has quickly become a place of connection and community. In the retail area, pregnant moms can shop for pre-loved maternity clothing. They can also show support for other women in the community by purchasing products made by moms for other moms.


At the center of the space is a circle of eight blue recliners where new parents are invited to sit, relax, and bond with baby. It’s in this peaceful setting that new friendships are made, and people can share the challenges and joys of parenthood with other new parents.

“If you're preparing to come into Whole Mama for the first time, I want you to know that when you walk through that door, you will be welcomed into a truly non-judgmental, supportive environment. We are just here to validate your experience, offer you resources, and hopefully connect you to what's going to make a difference for you right now.”

 


As Emily continues to connect with expectant and new parents in the area, she plans to add more classes and resources at Whole Mama. For example, she’s working on creating a coworking space with a childcare option. Eventually, she’d like to see more Whole Mama locations across Michigan and maybe partner with a hospital system or insurance provider to scale operations.

 

Emily understands that the road to parenthood looks different for everyone. And this huge life change can be scary or confusing. But with the right support, every parent can navigate this journey with confidence. And help build a brighter, more connected future for their family.

Lake Trust empowers me to run the business of my dreams right here in my community.

Visit Whole Mama Michigan at 10407 Grand River Ave. Ste. 600 in Brighton or explore upcoming classes at wholemamamichigan.com

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