FOUNDER

Annie is a Winston-Salem native, who recently moved back after a 20-year adventure took her to 3 countries and 5 states. She brought her California husband back with her. She is mom to Coleman (3-years-old) and Preston (born in March 2022).

Upon returning home to Winston, she realized there was a lack of classes and community for new moms like she had in California during her postpartum experience. As she watched her pregnant and new mom friends struggle she came up with the idea to launch classes and playgroups for new moms.

She is a passionate maternal health advocate, enjoys volunteering with the Junior League, playing tennis and practicing yoga.

COFOUNDER

Kelly grew up in Bexley, Ohio, just outside of Columbus. She attended Wittenberg University (go Tigers!) in Springfield, Ohio and upon graduating, she ventured to Chicago where she pursued a career in advertising.

Advertising - along with having family close by - is what brought Kelly and her now husband to Winston-Salem. Her agency experience continued at The Variable right up until her baby boy Michael was born in May of 2021.

The birth of her son was when she found her true calling - being a mom. As a new mom and transplant in a new city, Kelly realized that there’s an untapped potential here in W-S for moms to connect with each other - and that’s what drives her passion for bringing moms together.

DIRECTOR OF PLAYGROUPS & EVENTS

Erica grew up in Hudson, Ohio where she developed a love for nurturing and educating children. She moved to Greensboro, NC in 2009 to attend UNCG and earn her degree in Elementary Education. She then taught Kindergarten in Greensboro for 5 years and then moved to Winston-Salem to teach for 3 more years in Clemmons.

In 2019, Erica married her husband, Patrick, and they welcomed their first baby boy, Grayson in April 2022. Erica joined the very first Mom League course and fell in love with what being a part of Mom League did for her postpartum journey. Erica didn’t want her ties with Mom League to end, so she asked to join the team to help out with planning gatherings, events, and social media.

DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS

Riley was born and raised in Winston-Salem. She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she studied Psychology. Riley worked for 5 years as a middle school math teacher in both Charlotte and Raleigh, NC before leaving education to enter the corporate world. She then worked as a project manager for an IT consulting company for 2 years.

Riley and her husband welcomed their first baby girl, Chloe, to the world in November of 2019 while living in Raleigh. At this time, Riley decided to become a stay at home mom. During the pandemic, they moved back to Winston-Salem to be closer to family. In November of 2021, they had their second daughter, Bridget.

After experiencing birth trauma and postpartum anxiety with her first child, Riley was so excited to learn about Mom League and their mission to support moms through the challenging transition into motherhood. She was excited to join the Mom League team and help the community of moms however possible!

CHARLOTTE CHAPTER LEAD

Sarah spent her entire life in California until 2023 when she made the leap and moved to Charlotte with her husband, daughter and golden doodle. She attended University California Santa Barbara where she studied Accounting and Business Economics. Sarah is a CPA and works part-time for an accounting firm in San Francisco.

Sarah was pregnant with her second when she moved to Charlotte and was looking to join a Mom group similar to what she had in Los Angeles with her first baby. Sarah felt that Charlotte was lacking this type of resource so she wanted to create one. She came across Mom League in W-S and thought it would be the perfect addition to the Charlotte community. Thankfully Mom League was looking to expand!

Sarah loves bringing people together and Mom League definitely helps her fuel this passion. She also loves cooking, reading, yoga and exploring her new city!

NEWBORN INSTRUCTOR

Ashley is a native of Winston Salem and returned after attending college at Furman University and graduate school at Appalachian State. She has been working as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist since 2011 and a Certified Perinatal Mental Health Therapist since 2021.

Her passion for perinatal mental health led her and 2 colleagues to develop Postpartum Resource Center of the Triad, a non-profit focusing on improving the mental health and well-being of parents and partners during pregnancy and the postpartum period. She works in private practice at Willow Tree Counseling Services, PLLC and serves as secretary for the Nurse Family Partnership. She joins The Mom League in their support of promoting the mental, social, and emotional wellbeing of new moms.

She is the proud mom of 2 boys, Cort (born August 2016) and Charlie (born June 2018) who keep her busy with all things trains, Harry Potter, and Lego.

NEWBORN INSTRUCTOR

Lindsay grew up in rural Indiana and relocated to Winston-Salem in 2012. She studied English at Purdue University, and then obtained a Master's in Social Work at UNC-G and NC A&T. She currently works as a private practice therapist at Reynolds Counseling, PLLC, specializing in maternal and perinatal mental health. She is also cofounder of the local nonprofit, Postpartum Resource Center of the Triad.

Lindsay’s own birthing experiences included extensive labor, NICU stays and perinatal anxiety. Lindsay has a passion for providing support to women during the transition of motherhood; addressing the expectations and realities, acknowledging the identity shifts, and supporting the need for connection.

When not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband, two kids, Reece and Sloane, birding, reading, and cheering on her favorite sports teams.

NEWBORN INSTRUCTOR

Keri grew up in NorthEast Florida, and has been slowly moving north for the past 15 years. She has been in North Carolina since 2014. She studied Sociology and Religion at Florida Southern College before receiving a Master of Social Work at The University of Georgia and worked clinically with children, adolescents and families before identifying a passion for working with parents who are unraveling complex generational cycles in order to show up for their own kids in attuned, loving ways. Keri is the owner/clinician at Keri Smith Gaylord Counseling, where she specializes in parental and perinatal mental health.

In addition to being a therapist, Keri is also a yoga teacher, semi-committed runner (and very committed walker), voracious reader and life-long curiosity seeker. Keri hosts a monthly book club in the Triad, Bedtime Book Club where she facilitates curious conversation for imperfect parents about books covering all kinds of parenting-related and adjacent topics. Keri is passionate about supporting families of infants and young children as they figure out who they are, and how to live lives aligned with their values and is delighted to partner with Mom League in this work. She also loves a good, corny joke.

Keri and her husband have 2 silly, curious kids and know more about construction equipment and the life cycle of hedgehogs than they ever imagined because of it. The Smith Gaylord family can often be found camping, hiking and generally getting messy or at the library (probably also getting messy, somehow).

NEWBORN INSTRUCTOR - RALEIGH

Stephanie is a native of eastern North Carolina, but has called Raleigh home for the last 5 years. After completing her undergraduate degree in Marketing at Meredith College, she returned to school in 2014 and received her Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Wake Forest University. She has been working as a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor since 2017 and received her certification in Perinatal Mental Health from Postpartum Support International in 2023.

Stephanie is the owner of Anchored Counseling Services, PLLC, a group private practice in Raleigh that specializes in working with moms in all stages of their motherhood journeys, but she has a particular passion for working with and supporting new moms. She also serves as an adjunct faculty member at Wake Forest University, where she enjoys working with and training the next generation of counselors. Stephanie is proud to be a part of Mom League and takes great pride in helping new moms feel more empowered, confident, and in control of their lives and their mental health.

She is the proud mom of 1 daughter and a cavashon named Finn who always keep her on her toes. When Stephanie isn’t seeing clients she enjoys going to the beach, playing, coaching and watching sports, and spending time at Dollywood, where she worked during summers in grad school.

NEWBORN INSTRUCTOR - CHARLOTTE

Courtney grew up in Forest City, North Carolina. She attended University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where she obtained her bachelor and master’s degree in Social Work. She currently works as a private practice therapist at Southeast Psych, specializing in maternal and perinatal mental health.

After becoming pregnant with her daughter, Courtney quickly realized the lack of support and services surrounding maternal mental health as she struggled with perinatal anxiety. Courtney is passionate about serving women as they transition into motherhood and providing support for the many physical, social and emotional changes.

When not working, Courtney enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter, reading, going on runs and cheering on the Dallas Cowboys.

PLAYGROUP INSTRUCTOR

Kathryn is a triad native, growing up in Lexington, NC. She attended Appalachian State University and received a degree in Elementary Education. Kathryn has 8 years of experience, teaching third grade, first grade, kindergarten, and preschool.

In 2021, Kathryn and her husband, Ryan, welcomed their daughter Olivia (Livvy). After the birth of her daughter, Kathryn decided to become a stay at home mom and realized the power of connection during the postpartum season. Kathryn is passionate about providing support to mothers during this special and delicate season of life.

Outside of mom league, Kathryn frequents local parks with her family and black lab, Ginny. Some of her favorite things include coffee, swimming, and going to the beach.

PLAYGROUP INSTRUCTOR

Sheridan grew up in Albemarle, NC and attended Appalachian State University, where she studied Special Education and Communication Science Disorders. After graduating, Sheridan moved to Seattle, WA where she worked in the public schools. When the pandemic hit, Sheridan and her husband moved to Winston Salem and fell in love with the city! Sheridan is a Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist.

Sheridan welcomed her first baby, James Mae in May of 2023 and participated in the Mom League Newborn Series, where she found an amazing group of support with the other moms walking through this stage of life. She loved the support and resources she found to help her through post-partum and the struggles that women often face in this period.

PLAYGROUP INSTRUCTOR

ITasha was born and raised in Griffin, Georgia. She attended Georgia State University in 2016 to obtain her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. She then went on to the University of Florida where she obtained her Masters of Education in Student Personnel in Higher Education. ITasha worked as a Community Director at UNC Chapel Hill from 2018-2023.

ITasha and her partner Mordeki welcomed their first baby, Noelle, in 2023 and their second, Noah, in 2024. ITasha thoroughly enjoys being a SAHM to her two babies and looks forward to embracing this new chapter of her life. She joined the Mom League to connect with and support other moms navigating motherhood.

In her free time, ITasha loves dancing, theatre, finding new restaurants, and traveling to beaches with her partner and kids.

PLAYGROUP INSTRUCTOR (SUBSTITUTE)

Lindsay grew up in New Milford, Connecticut. She attended the University of Delaware where she studied Elementary Education and Middle School Mathematics. She also received a Master's in School Administration from UNCG. She has 6 years of teaching experience ranging from Preschool to High School mathematics.

In 2022, with the birth of her daughter, Olivia, Lindsay transitioned from being a teacher to being a stay-at-home-mom. She joined Mom League's Newborn Series and later Playgroups. Both of these provided access to community expertise and vital support for both mama and baby.

Lindsay loves the Mom League group and all it provides for growing families.