Women's Money Wisdom

Episode 262: Making Space for Moms and Families with Founder Ariel Wan

• Melissa Joy, CFP® • Season 4 • Episode 262

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How can mothers find the support they truly need in a world that often leaves them feeling isolated?

In this inspiring episode, Melissa Joy sits down with Ariel Wan, founder of The Mamas Network, a nonprofit dedicated to creating a safe and empowering space for parents. Ariel shares her journey of building third spaces—welcoming environments where moms can connect, share experiences, and navigate the unique challenges of motherhood without fear or judgment.

We explore the economic realities of childcare, the balancing act of work and parenting, and why investing in community support is critical for modern moms. Ariel’s vision includes coworking spaces with onsite childcare, offering flexible solutions for parents striving to maintain both personal and professional fulfillment.

Key Takeaways:
✨ The power of community in reducing isolation for parents
✨ Why third spaces matter & how they help moms thrive
✨ Economic realities of childcare and the need for flexibility
✨ How The Mamas Network is bridging the gap for working moms
✨ The importance of investing in well-being & support networks

Join us for a meaningful conversation about motherhood, financial wellness, and the importance of strong communities. Don’t miss this episode! Subscribe now and let’s continue creating spaces where parents feel seen, heard, and supported.


The previous presentation by PEARL PLANNING was intended for general information purposes only. No portion of the presentation serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from PEARL PLANNING or any other investment professional of your choosing. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and it should not be assumed that future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy, or any non-investment related or planning services, discussion or content, will be profitable, be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful. Neither PEARL PLANNING’s investment adviser registration status, nor any amount of prior experience or success, should be construed that a certain level of results or satisfaction will be achieved if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. PEARL PLANNING is neither a law firm nor accounting firm, and no portion of its services should be construed as legal or accounting advice. No portion of the video content should be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. A copy of PEARL PLANNING’s current written disclosure Brochure discussing our advisory services and fees is available upon request or at https:...

Melissa Joy:

Welcome to the Women's Money Wisdom Podcast. I'm Melissa Joy, a certified financial planner and the founder of Pearl Planning. My goal is to help you streamline and organize your finances, navigate big money decisions with confidence and be strategic in order to grow your wealth. As a woman, you work hard for your money and I'm here to help you make the most of it. Now let's get into the show. And I'm here to help you make the most of it. Now let's get into the show. Just a quick note before we dive in the information that we share is meant to educate and inspire, not serve as personalized financial advice. Everyone's situation is unique, so be sure to consult with your own financial professional for guidance that fits your life. And just so you know, the opinions shared in this podcast are my own and those of my guests, and they don't necessarily represent those of any organizations that I'm affiliated with. For more important disclosures, please go to our webpage at pearlplancom. Now let's get started. Welcome back to the Women's Money Wisdom Podcast. I'm thrilled today to be joined by a creator, someone who's making a new space, a new community, and it's all about space for moms. But I think this episode really covers identity. It covers some of the tough choices that we make as individuals and families throughout a lifetime, and just an interesting new idea in a nonprofit format. So we're going to talk a little bit about the nuts and bolts of that as well.

Melissa Joy:

Ariel Wan is a community building and marketing professional for nearly 20 years. She's located out of Ann Arbor, michigan, and she founded and runs a 501c3 nonprofit organization called the Mamas Network. 1c3 nonprofit organization called the Mamas Network. They are a support community dedicated to making sure that no woman or mom feels alone in their journey through motherhood. Ariel, welcome to the podcast. Thank you. I'm so glad to have you here and I've been watching on socials you building this Mamas Network. I know that well. You can talk about it, but you're really looking to be there, especially for newer moms or, you know, when you're in that blocking and tackling zone with younger kids and I've I've aged out of that, but I see it all the time with my colleagues at work who we have in the office mothers of three-month-olds all the way up to grown and flown adults. So tell me a little bit about the Mamas Network and how it came to be and why you're inspired to support this community.

Ariel Wan:

Yeah, so the Mamas Network. I formally started it just actually a year ago, in March of 2024. And it was a result of just being exasperated around the lack of formal support for women with children. I used to go to, I used to attend an in-person mom support group that unfortunately, because of COVID and, like you know, funding declines, it stayed virtual and they were not able to bring it back in person because their primary focus is on all the other issues and problems that women face.

Ariel Wan:

And you know, this specific journey in that point in your life is just like a very small point.

Ariel Wan:

But to my world and other parents who, you know, just entered parenthood, this is all of their lives, this is a new condition of our life that to this day still has no formal support. And I think it's because previously you kind of relied on your family, your network of relatives, your village nearby, but now, because we're so transient and people are moving or more mobile, we are leaving our, you know, like traditional villages of people that we kind of grow up with and now we are kind of like isolated and alone. I think COVID really enhanced that. I think COVID really enhanced that and I just kind of you know, I was just kind of tired of there not say is everyone feels this way, it is completely normal, and if you talk to other people you'll feel so much better about it, and then you can like create your own village and figure out life as parents together, and so that's kind of like the basic foundation of what basically a support community is and what I want to create with the Mamas Network.

Melissa Joy:

You know that loneliness. A couple of things come to mind. One I remember being a working mom of young kids, dropping off at the beginning of daycare, and I had a commute at the time when my kids were before school daycare age of an hour so I really wouldn't be there for the pickup and I just remember there wasn't that network. Of course I had friends, like you know, in text chains, but I didn't have the same community that you have. If you have time for the moms groups and things like that that are kind of set aside for those who are staying home with the kids, things like that that are kind of set aside for those who are staying home with the kids, and so you know that having something that is a physical location or planned activities but also is welcoming to people who are staying home with the kids but also working people, can be so impactful to give that space for you to relate to other people going through your same circumstances.

Ariel Wan:

Yeah, and you know the.

Ariel Wan:

While a lot of the supportive services are geared towards new parents or parents of young kids, the Mamas Network welcomes moms and parents from all stages of parenthood.

Ariel Wan:

The idea with this nonprofit is like we are here for you and we understand that being moms, being dads, life is nuts and sometimes you might not respond to a text message in months, but that doesn't mean the relationship is over and we understand that and so we're just here for you.

Ariel Wan:

So when you are free, when you have that time, like know that there is somewhere for you to go, that you will be with good people who will understand life and who you don't have to apologize constantly to because, like, we all get it and it's just there's something really special to um, go into like a third space where you walk in and people just like understand and um, and you don't have to like constantly explain yourself or apologize or feel on edge or unease that your kid might be running around and being disruptive, because everyone who's there experiences that and everyone's totally chill about it and it just makes you feel so much more comfortable and that makes you more open to sharing and making you more open to new experiences and meeting new people and because the moms network is a support community at all of our events. When people walk in they know that like it's a safe space well, can you describe a little bit more?

Melissa Joy:

I know the journey is a newer one, um, in terms of kind of rolling out and building the support network that is, um, the mama's network. What does it look like, um? And? Or will it look like because I know? And or will it look like cause I know you're you're working on a permanent location and what type of events are you doing? Um, so just give us a little like a rundown of how it looks and feels, um, yeah.

Ariel Wan:

So, um, right now, I guess, like if you asked me, and like, well, right now, um, I do monthly and weekly events.

Ariel Wan:

So we do weekly support groups for moms and babies every Tuesday and Thursday, and then a monthly Saturday one for, like, the working parents that can't make it during the days, and then, monthly, like every month, we do at least one or two all family activities.

Ariel Wan:

So, like the moms that we meet, for the moms only things we get to meet their entire family, and all of our family events are designed in a way that the kids can play with some sort of like organized activity and the adults can like get like a mental load off and know that their kids are playing safe and they're like within eye. You know, like we can see them, but there's only like one door where they can leave and you know, go in, go out, and so you can actually enjoy your time talking to other parents and, um, you know, grabbing food, sharing, you know, drinks it's just a lot of fun. Um, and we do at least one or two of those a month. Um, right now, we do one inside of a homes campus so parents can like play ping pong and cornhole and then the kids get to play with kiddo kinetics who comes in and does like active, like sports activities with them.

Melissa Joy:

So, just as a pause, holmes campus for those of you who are located in Southeast Michigan is a really cool like big open concept brewery and community gathering space. Um, that's newer. That has a lot of well when it's not um winter in michigan, a room to run around to, but um, uh, I, it's just a nice open welcoming.

Ariel Wan:

Yeah, and they recently opened up their like event space, so it's just like this huge indoor warehouse yeah. Yeah, Like a warehouse and just has, you know, like ping pong tables and cornhole and just like and they do like really random activities in there too, which is like really fun. So it's just like another really great space. And they are also wanting to be more inclusive to parents with the condition called children.

Melissa Joy:

Yes, it's a permanent condition, isn't it?

Ariel Wan:

It is a permanent condition and that's why I was like we need to support community for this condition.

Melissa Joy:

On your website you describe that this is a third place outside of home and work. Can you talk a little bit? I just love that concept and I haven't thought about it. But sometimes you can cram out that extra. You know the other places that you go when you change into. You know the world of parenting, so I love that concept.

Ariel Wan:

Yeah, you know it's all about your identity and you know the third space concept is like who you are.

Ariel Wan:

you know who your identity is and because your first, your first place is your home and so like. For us it's like our home life, our like mom life, our like wife life, home life, and you are a certain type of person for that mode. And um, your second mode is your work life or whatever you do to keep busy, and so some stay-at-home parents, their work life and their home life is the same, especially if you work from home too or you go into an office and you have your own kind of identity at work. A lot of working parents who have new parents, like myself, like I felt more comfortable at work than I was at home with my newborn because I didn't know what to do with my newborn. But I can handle work, I know work.

Melissa Joy:

I've always been much more comfortable in my work identity than the journey as a parent.

Ariel Wan:

Right, Right.

Ariel Wan:

And so the third space is that like that space for you where you can go and just be yourself, not be mom, not be, you know, director of this, not be responsible for anything else is just for you.

Ariel Wan:

And you know, post COVID, I think that's really eliminated a lot of third spaces or even gotten people out of the habit of going to a third space. And so, like third spaces traditionally have been, you know, like churches, bars, restaurants, clubs, that kind of space, libraries, you know wherever you want to go. And you know, when I started the Mamas Network, I, you know, very quickly saw that there are so many great community locations, businesses, spaces, there's so much space, but they're all closed a lot of the times and it's like, why not make these spaces more open? And, you know, just working with local partners, we were able to turn some of these locations into our mama's third spaces and it becomes like a routine monthly thing, so that they look forward to gathering, they look forward to going to this space and they know that they're going to like meet really great people and have great conversations.

Melissa Joy:

I love it. Where are you going next? How are you so? You've kind of collaborated and co-opted with other organizations or companies so that you can create these third spaces, these events. What's next for the Mamas Network? And I'm particularly interested in the co-working idea that you're building out.

Ariel Wan:

Yeah, so I'm really excited. I mean, because of the great partnerships that I've been working with, I've been able to do so much within the last year and to serve as many parents as possible. And we started a pilot program in October of last year in 24, a co-work with onsite childcare concept where you leave your, you bring your kid, your little kid, like baby, to up to five, basically like under elementary school aged, and you leave them in this like playroom, and then you go to a different room next door and you work and that's the concept.

Melissa Joy:

And it's kind of like is it like I mean at the gym where there's?

Ariel Wan:

Yeah, it's like, it's like the gym, you know you drag your kid off in the play area and then you go work out for an hour or two and then you pick your kid up and leave and you know, and if your kid like needed you, they find you and then you can like take care of your child. And yeah, it's the same concept, except that you're working and because of that, the because parents are on site we are not limited and restricted by all of the childcare licensing fees and rules and regulations, and that's what really kills the affordability aspect of child care. But because the parents are on site and they are there to help take care of their kids when needed, we don't need to do that because they're there and that's how we're able to make it really affordable. So the next step is I've signed a lease and we are moving into a permanent space of our own to offer co-working with child care. Full day, full time Amazing.

Ariel Wan:

So it'll be Monday through Friday. The hours to start will be nine to four. I hope to eventually open earlier because I know, especially the parents of young children they're probably awake at 530 in the morning, the parents of young children, they're probably awake at 5 30 in the morning, and so they're all looking to like, you know, like if I can get some work done at 6 am or 7 am and be done with my day by like 11 or 1, like that would be wonderful, that would be so flexible and that would be a really great option. So we are, um, we're currently in the process of getting space ready and we will be open in April, so within like a month.

Melissa Joy:

Amazing Congratulations. Thank you when you, when we talk about so, since we're a money podcast as well talk to me about the economics of that type of arrangement versus, you know, full-time childcare where you drop your kid off and leave.

Ariel Wan:

Yeah, so full-time childcare. Like I was just looking at my own daycare bill, I have a three-year-old in full-time daycare and it is it's $317 a week.

Melissa Joy:

And we're at.

Ariel Wan:

I was going to say we're at one of the most like reasonably priced daycares, like one of the lowest price daycares, and it's still $317 a week and thankfully my daycare is one of those daycares that like never closes and they have like their own generator, so we're just so grateful. But there's so many daycares I'm finding that close on the same schedule as the public school schedule right and the public school schedule closes like all the time.

Ariel Wan:

Me, as a parent of like a six-year-old now, have learned that they close all the time. And then when they close, what are you supposed to do? You still work, um, and so, like little break. My, my little break concept is gonna help parents of with older kids too. That they have like an option. It's like a backup, a supplemental care, um, so, my, um, my membership range, so my daily, if you just want to drop in that day, it's $50 and it's a day pass just for the entire day. Compare that to like if you last minute needed a babysitter to watch your kid all day. That's like minimum $20, $25 an hour.

Melissa Joy:

Oh yeah, and you can't find one.

Ariel Wan:

Right and you can't find one last minute Exactly, like, even if you had the money, the availability is scarce, um, uh, so it's a 50 day pass. And then, um, for those parents that want to either support us more consistently or need something more consistent and don't really want to think about it like do that daily, like, oh, I gotta do this today, we offer memberships and it starts at there's two membership levels. One is a $99 a month level, which gives you one free day pass, and then subsequent day passes are just $25. And then the other one is $299 a month. So, basically, for $300 a month, you get unlimited access. So, um, you just reserve ahead of time and then it's just free after that.

Ariel Wan:

And, um, there's so many other benefits to it. I mean, in addition to being part of a wonderful community, um, we also will have a parents den, which is like a parents only space for, like, group therapy, uh, venting together, taking n naps, working on a couch, like you can do whatever you want in this space. And then we also are going to have a support and therapy room, which one of two things can happen Either a provider can go in that space and use it for one-on-one consultations or therapy sessions, and if the client needed child watch, we have child watch during the day. Or a member and a parent can use that room for their own like virtual, like telehealth or virtual therapy or a couple's therapy, and if they need a child watch during that time, we have it during the day, and so it's just. You know it's a parent centric center and so everything is really focused on like, how can we help you be awesome Because you are now a parent.

Melissa Joy:

I feel like you're going to be overrun. I'm assuming there are limits when you know like you have to reserve in advance so you know that the headcount is right or things like that, because snow days would be like everybody's on it right.

Ariel Wan:

yes, so we have max capacities and that's why we were um, we request, we require everyone to reserve, and so, like with membership, on unlimited membership, you get to reserve like way ahead of time, um the 99 membership. You can reserve um, like, I think, like one or two days ahead of time and then, like the drop-ins are just the day of I love it.

Melissa Joy:

Um, you're filling a need that we have so much there's.

Melissa Joy:

There's just unlimited um demand and, yes, it, there are so many compromises people make to make the money of parenting work.

Melissa Joy:

Um, we were discussing as we were preparing for the call. I really feel like women tend to be at that fulcrum point where they are the ones who kind of give, whether it's less career ambition or I mean, there's still the same ambition, but just, you know, making choices that may limit career expansion and thus their expansion of human capital, decisions to switch from full-time work to part-time or staying home, and there's no judgment to that if that's your plan. But if that is a compromise and thus makes you more vulnerable, you know, if there's a change in your relationship status or you have additional needs when it comes to caring for aging parents and things like that, there's just so much you take on that is just kind of there's no conversation, it's not a oh, here's the trade-offs, it's just like I guess this is what I'll do. And then we see that ongoing for women who live longer than men and then have, you know, diminished economic power in some cases because of it, right?

Ariel Wan:

So I feel like you're giving space for more.

Ariel Wan:

Right, yeah, it's like I. I want to support you so that, if you feel like I want women to be empowered, I want them to feel like they have options and that they don't have to make these huge sacrifices that are everlasting impacts on their future life and their future earnings because of it, and so I'm really hoping that this nonprofit that I'm building will be there to support parents, support the women, so that they can they don't they. They just have more options and then they can fully, you know, be what they want to do.

Melissa Joy:

I love that it's it's it is all about options, because there's everybody has different right fit for what they choose. But if you don't have options, that's just the tragic part. Tell me a little bit about cause. I have so many clients, and I'm sure listeners too, who have a dream or an idea and they're like this really would be a great to be a nonprofit. Um, but there are so many logistics when it comes to running a nonprofit getting it off the ground, how do you fund it?

Melissa Joy:

And there's a lot of the operations are very, in many cases, if done effectively, entrepreneurial. It's like running a business. So tell me about that journey what have, how did you get started and what have been the surprises? Either positive or negative.

Ariel Wan:

Yeah, when I. So when I when I first started doing this, it took me a bit to realize that I was being an entrepreneur. Like it didn't occur to me that like, oh, I started a nonprofit business, like, oh, it's a business, like I'm still an entrepreneur. And then I quickly learned that entrepreneurship is like terrifying and exciting at the same time.

Melissa Joy:

It sure is.

Ariel Wan:

It's a journey. Right, it is such a journey and you know that itself. Also, I've found my community of like other moms who are entrepreneurs, so it's been really nice to like meet those people. But when I when first thinking about like this business and what I wanted to do, deciding whether or not it was going to be a for-profit or a non-for-profit was a very big, important decision, and I think a lot of people, when deciding on whether or not to create an LLC, like to create your own for profit business or nonprofit.

Ariel Wan:

The biggest thought, and I think the differentiator, is like, why are you doing this? Like, why, what is the business Like, what are you meant to achieve? And I wanted to create a nonprofit because I wanted something to last beyond just me and I also wanted it to be a nonprofit because I wanted to make sure that it was mission first. So I think philosophically, the difference, the biggest difference between a nonprofit and for profit company is nonprofit. Your main priority is to serve the people and then your secondary. Any secondary priorities are would be to find the money to serve the people, and a for-profit is your primary goal is to make profits, and then your secondary, if you want to, is to like, do good and like and do good for your community. But those are all secondary.

Ariel Wan:

Your first priority is still to make money, and I like the nonprofit philosophy where I need to make money to serve people, people. And I think like when you start it with that right mindset, we're going to be able to help a lot of people. But then the second part about starting a nonprofit business, I think is it would be really great to have for-profit business experience, because I think the biggest pitfalls in nonprofit organizations and management is everyone starts a nonprofit organization with the right intentions. They all want to do it because they want to help people. There's like a need they're feeling, so there's a lot of passion.

Ariel Wan:

A lot of times it personally affected them and that's why they wanted to start the nonprofit um, and so there might not be as much like business savviness operational like right, like the, the nitty-gritty, like what actually runs the business, and I and I encounter a lot of non-profit business owners who just want to do the work but, um, like the little important, the little stuff that's like annoying but like really important and crucial to like the future, like longevity, longevity of your nonprofit, like that's the stuff that they're not very good at and nor do they even want to do but they struggle with like having the funds to pay someone to do it versus them just kind of like doing it themselves.

Melissa Joy:

Makes sense For your nonprofit kind of vision over time, will you? Obviously there's a people are paying to do your services, and then two other traditional sources of funding for non-profits are either, um, you know, donation initiatives, fundraising, as well as grants um are you kind of going to be all three legs of that stool or is more of the membership kind of driving the revenue of the organization what's yeah?

Ariel Wan:

well, the, the hope is that the uh co-working will be the main revenue source for the non-profit and that kind of becomes the like hub and um.

Ariel Wan:

I I plan on doing expansions into like opening up multiple centers in like different neighborhoods where there's a lot of need, um, so, and then at that center, then that center becomes the mama's network hub as well, and so we will be providing, you know, like the same supportive services and gatherings for the parents in that area, um, and then so like any kind of donations and sponsorship, those like traditional fundraising is to fundraise for all of our supportive services, making a little break, more, even more accessible, and reach even further the parents that cannot afford.

Ariel Wan:

Like you know, we have parents that can afford it because they work. We have parents that are part-time, so they know that it's an investment. But then there's also the stay-at-home parents that have a really hard time justifying time for themselves, but they need it as well. So, true, and and like and supporting them, and you know there's a lot of like stay-at-home parents that want to. They're thinking about taking that next step of going back to work or, you know, doing something else. But if that chicken or egg you know it's like do I find a job and then find daycare, or do I like get care and then find a job?

Melissa Joy:

because you, you can't do it at the same time you can't go to interviews with your kid on your hip right like right, exactly, and so like um.

Ariel Wan:

at our program here we had so many parents come in to do job interviews, to do virtual job interviews and prepare for it, and then I want to be able to provide that for more and more parents and to do it for people that cannot afford that $50 day pass, for example.

Melissa Joy:

Well, kudos for being an integral link in a more healthy, holistic, welcoming community. I also love that you're location-based, because I think so many things have and I'm definitely guilty of this, you know kind of reverted to virtual, which I think is a blessing in many cases. But there is something to be said about having that friend that you can meet up for coffee or book group. I know you're facilitating that with the programs that you do and there's so much emphasis on well-being and your mission.

Ariel Wan:

Yeah, and another emphasis on is just like it's all very chill, like I have a sign whenever you come to any of our events, the sign says yay, you made it.

Melissa Joy:

That's all you needed to do. Just get. That's all you need to do.

Ariel Wan:

You just needed to make it because like it's so, like that's the hardest part about this period of our lives. With young kids it may not be different, and the degree of difficulty in many cases increases in certain aspects of life, when, wherever you are in your journey.

Ariel Wan:

You know like we'll always be here. You know, there was a mom that I haven't seen in months and I saw her yesterday at one of the events that I saw her at and I was like, oh my gosh, I haven't seen you so long. She was like, oh, like, I had surgery, I had this. This came up, that came up. It's just been crazy. And she's like but I finally made it and I'm like, yes, you did, and I'm so glad you're here.

Melissa Joy:

That's amazing and when you have that connection you know you can always open that door back. If you have that chill existence where it's not like what have you done for me lately it's more like I'm so excited to see you.

Ariel Wan:

Exactly, and you know there's a lot of. I think I also see there's a lot of fear from like negative experiences of past relationships where people have just kind of like you've kind of like lost friends because time has passed. But in like this journey of like parenthood, like time moves at weird speeds but like it's just really comforting for these moms and these dads to know that like we'll always be there for you and there'll always be a familiar face and we'll always welcome you in. We're never gonna be oh, we haven't seen you in a while. Like time has passed, you're out of the loop now. Yeah, right.

Melissa Joy:

Well, and if I could just say, I think one of the messages that I'd like our listeners to hear, for whatever stage of life you're in, whatever your identity is, whether you're a parent or not is investing in yourself has rewards and it also in some cases, you may need to have a conversation with a financial professional, with your spouse or partner, with your community, to make that investment possible. Because, while you have amazing rates for membership, it still is a cost. But considering your money to be a resource and knowing that that resource is there not only to pay the bills but also to invest in your own well-being, I think, is the modern money concept that it's really important for you to understand, because your well-being is probably the most valuable part of wealth, even more so than what your bottom line is and things like that.

Ariel Wan:

Absolutely.

Melissa Joy:

Ariel, where can people find you? In the Mamas Network? Follow along and or, you know, check it out.

Ariel Wan:

Yeah, so themamasnetworkorg. You can also follow us on Instagram, which is the mamasnetwork, underscore A2. And Facebook and LinkedIn are both the mamasnetwork.

Melissa Joy:

I love it. So we're so excited to see what's next for the mamasnetwork. I know we'll be saying we had a conversation with you way back when, as you're expanding and really spreading this message of acceptance and investing back in yourself to more families over time. Yes, thank you. Thank you for listening to the Women's Money Wisdom Podcast. If you found value in this episode. The best way you can support the podcast is to forward an episode to a friend or leave a review. Go to pearlplancom and the podcast link to get all the resources and links mentioned.

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