Providence Mom

Originally from New York, Niki now lives in Johnston, Rhode Island with her husband Adam and their three sons, all ages four and under. (And before you ask, no, she was not "hoping for a girl.") After a five-year writing hiatus, she recently launched her own blog, Elephants Underfoot. As a culinary graduate of Johnson & Whales University, her hobbies include all things food and wine related, filling her house with books -- especially cooks books, and an inexplicable infatuation with skeletons. After the kids are in bed she can be found binging on Ben & Jerry's and Parks & Rec until she falls asleep on the couch next to her majestic cats Rocket and Carl, who are also boys.

Like most people, I have triggers and wounds that had me living what I called “below the surface” for years.  My journey has been what some would call “a messy process.” For most of my life, I lived with unprocessed grief and fear. Intellectually I knew it was there, I understood it, but nothing changed. I thought I would always live with anxiety that made me feel like I was choking, feeling like I could not breath, and with panic attacks. A turning point came when I found salsa dancing. I began to enter my body in a whole new way: slowly, and with curiosity. I combined that with somatic therapy and my life noticeably began to change. My healing journey has helped me become a better parent, partner, friend and human. I am fascinated with all healing modalities and have studied them extensively over the years. I became a certified Sex, Love and Relationship Coach through the Tantric Institute and a trauma informed movement practitioner.

Currently, I live in East Providence, Rhode Island with my husband, daughter and son. I run a somatic movement coaching business called Agent Healing and it is my passion to help women move into living their most empowered and authentic life.

Jenny was born and raised in the East Bay and now raises her own family there. She lives with her boyfriend, her 9-year-old son, and their twin 2-year-old boys (affectionally called the Terror Squad). They also have two rescue dogs (Loki & Olaf) and two rescue cats (Lola & Binx) – it’s basically a zoo. Jenny completed her undergrad in Child Psychology & Development and completed her Masters in Counseling. She currently works in the mental health field with children & their families. Jenny identifies as a Hufflepuff and resident of Stars Hollow, CT (this bio just got real nerdy). Jenny’s life is pretty much dominated by work, classes (the learning never ends), and her kid’s appointments & activities… but in her downtime, she enjoys long walks through Target on her own, reading, napping, looking at adoptable puppies online, and watching really bad TV.

Sarah is a Massachusetts native, currently living with her husband and two young children, ages 4 and 1, in the same North Attleboro neighborhood where she and her husband grew up. When her daughter was born in 2014, she left the workforce and decided to stay home, while also building up a portrait photography business, capturing the bump through baby phase of life. Now with two kids in tow, the days are busier and the nights are more sleepless than she ever imagined possible. When she musters up enough energy, she gets the kids outside to play, visit local parks and farmers markets, and help out with tending to the gardens. Other times, though, she can be found hiding in the kitchen, sipping a cup of coffee and eating the very same snacks she denied her children five minutes prior. This mom gig is no joke and she is just trying to find some balance in what she does.

Shaylene was born and raised in Providence RI (although her family moved around a bit) and usually just shouting out "Shay!" will get you what you need. She loves to serve her community one caregiver at a time, whether it be through breastfeeding support, babywearing education, play dates, online chats, or just a coffee run! Shay has what she needs to fill her cup and LOVES to serve from her abundance! Volunteering is her personal passion, and her job as a medical professional means that her worlds often collide in a glorious fashion; no matter where she goes there are happy people all around her. An independent mother of 2, you can usually find Shay with her two (royal) daughters she has affectionately dubbed the Duchess and Lady of her home. Together, they work hard so they can play harder on the weekends! Welcome to her world... she hopes Providence Mom readers are ready to enjoy the ride!

Originally from Massachusetts, Rebecca is a Lil Rhody transplant who has fully embraced everything this tiny state has to offer. After five years in the marketing field, doing everything from social media management to copywriting, Rebecca decided to leave a full-time position for freelance work in order to devote more time to momming. Though jet setting is on hold for the time being, Rebecca is an avid traveler, with her favorite destinations including Iceland, Turkey, and Western Canada. Her other passions include enjoying the outdoors, checking out the latest and greatest restaurants and bars, and live music. She also believes there’s nothing that cannot be solved with some time by the sea. Rebecca and her handsome hubby currently live on the East Side of Providence with the light of their lives, their precocious one year-old son, Callum. 

Laura is a thirty-something mom of 2, living in Cumberland RI—only 3 miles from her childhood home. After meeting her husband and briefly living in Plymouth MA, she dragged him back with her to Rhode Island, where they bought their home. Laura attended the University of Rhode Island for both her bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies and her doctorate in Physical Therapy. She and her husband tied the knot in 2015, and welcomed their first son in 2016. They recently added another son to their family in late 2018, and Laura enjoys being the only woman in her house—the queen of the castle!  She works as a physical therapist in an Early Intervention program, work that is challenging and that she loves. E.E. Cummings once wrote “The most wasted of all days is one without laughter,” and these are words that she tries to live by daily.

Darlene is your typical Rhode Islander – she’s never left. She grew up watching Paw Sox games, drinking Dels, and gives directions according to landmarks, most of which no longer exist. She did attend high school in Southeastern Massachusetts, if that counts as leaving, and traveled all the way to South County to attend University of Rhode Island. After four years, she left with degrees in both Elementary Education and English. After college she began teaching and eventually found a home in third grade. Third graders are inquisitive, beginning to exert their own independence, and constantly make her laugh. They put up with her quirky sense of humor and her sobbing throughout read alouds. Darlene ended up marrying the boy she fell in love with in high school. She and her husband have two daughters, an energetic two-year-old and the sweetest seven-month-old. Most days are spent trying to navigate full-time jobs, raising two young children, reading, and drinking coffee. She loves to be outdoors and hopes that her girls will love camping, hiking, and kayaking as much as she does.

Robin is a lifelong Rhode Islander currently living in Providence with her husband of nearly 11 years and two sons ages 6 and almost 3. She is a Bryant University graduate (back in the day when it used to be called Bryant College) where she also received an MBA. In between refereeing her boys’ disagreements over trucks/robots/dinosaurs and handling work issues outside of business hours, Robin enjoys cooking and baking, 80s music, checking out local family-friendly events and destinations, taking way too many photos, online shopping (Amazon Prime for the win!), and of course, naps. Robin believes that, while not always easy, it is possible to find both motherhood and having a career rewarding at the same time when the right support system is in place.

Emily left RI for political campaigns but always found her way home! She moved her city husband to the suburbs. She rarely finishes a cup of coffee and you can often find her bribing her kids with goldfish - she is always up for an ice cream date and is a big fan of dropping off small care packages to their friends houses unexpectedly Emily is a mom to a 4 year old Julia and 2 year old Sam.

Laura is a stay-at-home mom to two little boys, aged three and six months. She and her husband are Rhode Island born and bred, and she graduated from URI with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies. In her pre-mom life, she worked with families of children with special needs. Laura considers herself to be equal parts introvert and extrovert and is just as happy at a big party as she is relaxing by herself with a good book (which frankly hasn't happened in a while). She loves food and dining out, Disney World, and putting items in her online shopping cart which she has no intention of purchasing. She thinks this mom thing is no joke, but it's totally worth it for the heart-stopping feeling of watching your child be happy.

Carol-Ane Woodard was born in Rehoboth, which is in Massachusetts, but really should be a part of Rhode Island. She grew up taking the Trailways bus into Providence and shopping at the Warwick Mall. She currently lives in Foxboro, Massachusetts with her husband of of 38 years, Paul Woodard, but she misses coffee cabinets, red clam chowder, and hot wieners, and she still considers Providence to be her home city. Carol-Ane graduated from the University of Massachusetts in 1973 with a degree in sociology. She minored in business at U Mass Dartmouth and took a job for the FDIC as a bank examiner. She worked there for 30 years and retired 10 years ago. Other than her 3 children and 5 grandchildren, her hobbies include reading, reading, and more reading, interrupted only by hikes in the woods, Freecell, and knitting. Although her Linkedin profile lists her as a stay-at-home grandmother, Carol-Ane actually has a rather nervous disposition and is frightened by small children. Nevertheless, she persists.

Patience Sivillo is a Professional Organizer, cat lady, and expert packer. Although she is a transplant from Maine, her love of Lil Rhody is strong! She can find parking off Thames Street, navigate Bristol’s parade route, and hasn’t met an Awful Awful she didn’t like. Patience resides in North Kingstown with her husband and their son, Jackson (2016). She often jokes that the only rule for motherhood is “don’t raise a$$holes.” In a time where technology has eclipsed simpler joys, Patience strives to give her son experiences inspired by her rural upbringing. Her family often travels to Maine to enjoy swimming in the lake, nature walks, and Gan Gan’s homemade bread. As the Owner of Lil Mess Perfect, Patience teaches families how to be more productive and let go of what no longer serves them. She believes that you can do more with less, and has helped clients donate over $30,000 in goods to Rhode Island charities.

Althea was born and raised on the North Shore of Massachusetts and became a Rhode Island transplant when her husband took a new job in the Ocean State. Now happily residing in Warren, RI, Althea is a work at home mom to her two kiddos, a three-year-old daughter, an 11-month-old son, and their way too hyper English Bulldog. With a background in Fashion Design, Althea has always been in the creative field. Now a small business owner, Althea creates custom home decor and furniture and co-owns a brick and mortar store in downtown Warren. While she is no stranger to the concept of balancing work and family, she doesn’t consider herself a master in any means and continues to learn every day. Althea believes that one of the most important parts of being a mother today is “community over competition.” Building other moms up, encouraging our strengths, and helping with our weaknesses is immeasurable. On the rare occasion that she’s not singing the ABC’s in paint covered clothes or learning to use new power tools, Althea enjoys the occasional Netflix binge with her husband and exploring her new home state. Every once in a while she gets to pretend she can turn her Colonial into a farmhouse a la Joanna Gaines, one home improvement project at a time.

Lauren lives in RI with her husband Paul, their son Lucas, and their two fur babies Nico & Rory. After graduating with a degree in Criminal Justice, she moved to Washington, DC to work in government and eventually landing in learning and development.  After almost 8 years in DC, she moved back home to her beloved little state where she could say “wicked” and be understood, celebrate a Patriots victory, and have donuts and coffee milk whenever she wanted. She currently works in HR focusing on internal communication, employee engagement, and employer branding.  She is a super planner learning to be more flexible; a working mama seeking balance; and a woman who has decided that being perfectly imperfect is enough and wants other women to feel the same.

In 2010, Beth, a native Oregonian, moved to Rhode Island in hopes of becoming a high school teacher. Ten years later and she is married to a native Rhode Islander, a mom of an almost two-year-old, and an elementary Assistant Principal. As a working mom, Beth's mission is to balance marriage, toddlerhood, work, and her "me time". Beth has fallen for the Ocean State thanks to Seven Stars Bakery, Brickley's, Waterfire, and Narragansett Town Beach. On most weekends she can be found enjoying breakfast at a local cafe, chatting with the Cranston librarians, or watching her son admire the giraffes at the Roger Williams Zoo.

Jamie is a born and raised Rhode Islander. She lives with her husband, 18 month old daughter, and puppy in Woonsocket. Jamie is a middle school English teacher - so she never has a boring day. Jamie teaches with a passion for the unique nuances of middle level education as well as working towards a just and equitable education for all students. She received her Master’s degree from Rhode Island College in Advanced Studies in Teaching and Learning, and hopes to continue her education to work towards addressing the inequities in the education system, specifically in middle level education, policies, practices, and teacher training. When she’s not in the world of teaching and learning (though, are we ever away from it?), she loves to bake, watch shows that make her feel good, make lists, read, hike, and travel to her home away from home: New Hampshire. Her favorite thing in the world is to spend time with her family and to be a mom to her sassy, smart, funny, sweet little girl. Motherhood has taught her that moms are unbreakable superheroes who are made even stronger by other moms. This has inspired her to create an online mom-tribe space called Mama Makes Sense, where she hopes to provide a place for moms to vent, learn, gain advice, share stories, and share in that special connection that only moms share.

Jane was born and raised in Rhode Island, where she lives with her husband of nine years, her 5-year-old daughter, and an incredibly handsome bulldog. She loves food (but can't cook!), playing games, baking and sangria. She works in finance and frequents all things kid-related in Rhode Island. Though she is a full time working mom, she makes the most of the after work hours with her daughter by crafting and baking together, meeting princesses and attending Zoo School, and never turns down a play date. With all that, she still tries to make room for girls nights.  She enjoys shopping for baby showers (a little too much maybe), party planning, and finding the perfect custom ETSY gift. She is the first to lend a helping hand and goes above and beyond to nurture and care for the ones she loves. 

Sara is a native Long Islander who has managed to shed much of the accent but cannot get rid of her love of a good New York bagel, the Mets, and a decent pastrami sandwich. She moved to Providence in 2001, with stops along the way living in upstate New York, Baltimore, Washington, DC, and Pittsburgh. Sara has two fantastic, funny kids – a 14-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old son – who attend Providence Public Schools. She graduated from Cornell University with a degree in Psychology and has her Masters in Social Work from the University of Maryland at Baltimore. These degrees have served her well in her career working as a fundraiser (currently as the Chief Development Officer at the Jewish Alliance of Greater RI) and in her home life negotiating détente between her kids. In her copious amounts of spare time, Sara enjoys going to a museum or the theater, reading, listening to 80s music, cooking and piling everyone in the car for a day trip. She also admits to a love of funny and occasionally sophomoric movies and has been known to recite entire scenes from Monty Python or Mel Brooks. She tries to find the humor in all things which is necessary when juggling a household with two kids and a full-time job. Her attitude can be summed up by a print she saw at Frog and Toad: When life hands you lemons, try to figure out something to do with those lemons.

A transplant from southeastern Massachusetts by way of Wells College and Bridgewater State University, Alana has been in Rhode Island long enough to feel the loss of 95.5 WBRU and Benny's, and to give directions based on where things used to be. After living in Providence, Woonsocket, and Lincoln, she happily planted her toes in the sand in Narragansett almost a decade ago with her husband Eric, a Rhode Island native. Two sons and a daughter came along afterward, and she transitioned from working full time at an intensive behavioral health clinic in Providence to her own private practice in Peacedale called Essential Parenting of Rhode Island in 2010. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Alana focuses on helping parents navigate the transition to parenthood, supporting families with young children, and assisting people across life stages with anxiety and other mood issues. To further her mission to get families off to the best possible start, she also leads groups for new moms and developmental playgroups for babies and toddlers at Bellani Maternity in Warwick. (As a mom, Alana tries to take her own advice at least 85% of the time). She is an avid reader, totally addicted to podcasts, never says no to trying out a new restaurant, and is always DIYing some type of home improvement project. She would also like to say she enjoys running, but believes it's important to be honest. Along with her family, Alana loves exploring Rhode Island's many public parks and natural areas, gardening, cooking, and - to the surprise of many who know her - going to visit a certain mouse's house on the regular.

Ashley Derderian Sousa RN, BSN is a registered nurse with 10 years of experience, and 7 years in labor, delivery, and postpartum care. Spending the first four years of her career in the Medical Intensive Care Unit, Ashley’s range of medical experience together with her compassionate and caring personality provide the ability to foster connection with the women, men and families she works with. With a passion for learning and sharing her knowledge with others, she is nearing completion of a Masters Degree in Health Education and preparing for the lactation boards in September to become IBCLC certified. Raised and now living in Rhode Island, Ashley is a world traveler, and previously lived and worked in New York City. She recently started her own company, Gansett Gal to focus on providing support, education, and guidance to those navigating parenthood. Most importantly, she is the lucky momma to a perfect little lady, Grace!

Shannon is a type a-event planner who loves organizing, ice vanilla coffees, and is never without a vacuum in hand. As a new mom, she never quite planned for the whirlwind of motherhood nor the copious amounts of laundry that came with it but is relishing in the new moments with her almost one-year-old baby girl Fira and is getting a little shut-eye whenever she can. As a New England native, Shannon grew up traveling the coast as well as internationally and started exploring the world from a young age with her family. This passion and tradition drove her to make her love of travel and organizing an everyday gig and currently plans corporate events all around the world. Currently, Shannon is managing her extensive work travel schedule (sometimes traveling with a baby in tow), the needs of a dance-loving, Elmo obsessed baby, and marriage. When Outside of her 9 to 5, this working mama stays busy with reading, gardening, riding bikes, and hiking with her baby, husband, and two rescue Westie mixes, Clover and Ghost in Warwick, RI.

This wife, mama of three children and lifelong Rhode Islander is your typical Cranstonian. Jan met her high school sweetheart Frank, got married and now raise their family in Cranston. Starting a life and family where you grew up has been nostalgic to say the least. Her journey as a mother has been an inspirational one with her children being the cutest and most demanding teachers she has ever had. After years in the medical field, Jan took a leap of faith and followed her passion to become a postpartum doula, child passenger safety technician and newborn care specialist. She left her job at a local hospital to start her own small business called Well Nested RI. Her business caters to new parents, newborn care and families that are going through the biggest transformation of their lives... parenthood! When Jan isn’t snuggling a newborn or supporting a local mom, she is most likely wrestling with her son Monte, drawing with her daughter Gwen,  playing street hockey with her oldest son Roman or trying to hold a conversation without interruption with her husband Frank. Other than being with her family Jan loves coffee, photography, reality tv, brunch and traveling.

Gigi grew up in Tennessee and moved to Boston in 2001 to attend law school. She and her husband, JR, and their boy/girl twins moved to Attleboro, Massachusetts. The twins are now 6, and along the way, Gigi realized that the practice of law wasn't for her. Currently, Gigi is a Mary Kay Sales Director and a Lecturer at the Boston University School of Law in the Lawyering Skills program. Prior to teaching at BU, Gigi taught English at Lincoln School in Providence, and fell in love with the city and her new community. Gigi enjoys Mexican food, yoga, occasional gardening, Pinterest fails, home decorating, and a good book.

Jackie is a Rhode Island mom who honestly gets what other mothers go through.  Having worked full-time, part-time, and been a stay-at-home mom too, she sees motherhood from a variety of angles. And thankfully, with a sense of humor. Jackie blogs about her take on motherhood and mid-life at ventingsessions.com and writes about it in her award-winning gift book, How to Spread Sanity on a Cracker.  Jackie is a native Texan with some roots and relatives in Rhode Island. (She’s a NASA kid and her Houston accent usually comes out when she’s blasting Willie Nelson in the car.) She has more than two decades of experience in public relations and journalism and holds a BA in journalism from Texas A&M University, where she received the “Best Aggie-Life writer” award. (She still has the tacky maroon plaque in her home office to prove it.) Jackie was a cast member of the 2013 and 2017 Listen to Your Mother Shows, where she formed lasting bonds with the incredible women she shared the stage with in honor of Mother’s Day. Her writing has been featured in The Barrington Times, the book Mommy Diarist and blogs like Scary Mommy and BluntMoms. She has donated her PR expertise to many local non-profits from Arts Alive to Dress for Success since launching her professional PR consultancy in 2006. When she’s not writing, consulting, volunteering, ubering her kids around, vacuuming up dog hair or folding laundry while binge-watching Netflix, she likes to vent with dear friends over cheese dip. Jackie is married to her high school sweetheart and they live in Barrington, Rhode Island with their two teens and three fluffy and friendly Golden Retrievers.

Lauren is a Providence-based mom of two young boys.  After moving to Providence with now-husband, Michael, in 2013, Lauren was desperate to find her local tribe of women sharing similar aspirations and challenges. She enrolled in a yoga teacher training program and began teaching yoga at Providence Power Yoga where she was connected to a new community of like-minded individuals.  Lauren worked at Hasbro as a Human Resources Specialist before stepping away to raise her new baby boy in 2019.  As an ambitious and career motivated individual, she had every intention of returning to work after her maternity leave, but was sidelined by the sudden death of her father three short weeks after the birth of her son.  With a newfound appreciation for family and the fragility of time, her focus went from career to caregiver very quickly.  She gave birth to her second son in October 2020; officially becoming a mom of two boys under two. Follow along as Lauren navigates life from the perspective of a woman still treading water in the deep-end of grief, new motherhood, shifting self-identity and marriage - all while attempting to find the humor in every minute of it.  Born and raised in New Hampshire, Lauren finds solace in creating and maintaining that same community-feel by joining local groups, like the Providence Mom contributors group, to relate to other mothers facing similar daily challenges. When Lauren isn't elbows deep in diapers and milk-stained laundry, she can be found out walking nature trails with her husband, the boys and their chocolate lab, Otis. Once they go to bed, though, she can be found vertical on her couch watching Real Housewives (of any city), vigorously texting with her closest friends and sipping on a chilled glass of red.

Jess and her husband live in Providence with their 4 kids. Jess stays at home full-time with her tiny humans and is figuring out how to manage her home, manage her homeschool, and manage her own sanity. She is mostly convinced that 2 out of 3 is the best she can do! After the kids go to bed, Jess enjoys ice cream and Netflix. Or ice cream and a good book. Or just ice cream in a dark quiet room. Being a mom is a wild and unpredictable ride. While Jess has figured out that she cannot juggle it all, she can try to find joy in the small moments as her own family grows and evolves. Her life, (like her house) can be a mess sometimes, but Jess hopes her readers find encouragement in knowing they aren’t alone in the challenges and triumphs of motherhood.

Ashley and her husband lived in Chicago for the better half of a decade, but when their son was born it became apparent that their mothers would go broke coming to visit, so they moved back home to Southeastern MA, to the town they grew up in. When meeting new people one of these subjects will inevitably come up: She’s one of eight sisters, she used to be a flight attendant, she loves all things crafting and planning. Ashley is currently living her life long dream of being a Mom.

A true townie, Ashley has lived in Wrentham, Massachusetts for her whole life where she still resides with her husband of 3 years and their daughters, a very (very x1000) energetic 2.5-year-old and a sweet reserved 8 year old. Currently a stay-at-home mom, her days consist of refereeing wrestling matches between the girls and cleaning up after Hurricane Charlie (a.k.a. her 2.5 year old). Even her hobbies revolve around her kids: she is the VP of the elementary school PTO, an assistant soccer coach for her daughter’s team, and at one time even dabbled in teaching a religious education class to a bunch of wild 2nd graders. Ashley refers to herself as a semi-crunchy mama, big proponent of babywearing and attachment parenting, but also has no problem tossing a piece of candy at her kid if it makes grocery shopping a bit easier. It’s all about balance.

Born and raised in Idaho, Leeta has been a Rhody transplant for 10 years and now lives in Glocester. She is a loving wife and stay at home mother to two beautiful and spunky girls who are 2-1/2 and 1-1/2 years old. She hopes to continue her journey of foster care soon after a break of almost 2 years. Independent, stubborn and somewhat crazy, Leeta can be found trying to figure out innovative ways to do things, traveling to new places, attending church, outdoor recreation, and camping all with two tots in tow. Her hobbies include planning vacations, chasing toddlers down in the store, and being an avid deal hunter.