Conversations with Ariel Wan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ariel Wan

Ariel, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Like most new parents, I did not know what I was getting myself into when my partner and I decided to get pregnant and have kids. After a traumatic birth of our first son, the shock and recovery of becoming a mother took its toll on my mental health. I felt like I was losing control of my life, and postpartum depression moved in before I even knew it had knocked on the door. Through a series of events, I found myself with an in-person support group for women experiencing postpartum. This group became my village and was incredibly helpful for me to find other moms that could relate to what I was going through. As a natural networker and community gatherer, I quickly grew my own network of moms that I met through different organizations, groups, and hobbies. during this time, I volunteer administrated a large Facebook group of over 13,000 moms in the greater Ann Arbor area. Day in and day out, year after year, I see the same concerns from moms. The isolation, the loneliness, the fear of meeting people where the only thing you have in common is being a mom. But being a mother is extremely powerful, and we as women are only suffering because the society around us has not been supportive of us. Women go through a physical and chemical change in their bodies when they get pregnant and bring a child into the world. At the same time, a mother is born, and no one is caring for her, because they’re too busy caring for the new baby. Our communities are becoming more transient, so the traditional “village” of friends and relatives are dispersed. And because of this, more women are experiencing postpartum depression and taking their own life within 1 year of diagnosis. Currently, there are no social support services specifically for the woman with children, so I decided to create my own. My dream with The Mamas Network is that one day, when a women becomes a mother, she will have a village to find support, whether it’s her own family, relatives, church, or at her local Mamas Network chapter. She will be empowered as a woman and as a mother to continue being the badass that she is, so that she can raise her family and manage her household in the best way for her family.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road to get to the point of creating and starting the Mamas Network has been hard. It feels like my entire life and experiences have led me up to this point of starting a nonprofit that’s solely dedicated to supporting women with children. The road since I decided to start a nonprofit has been very smooth and very supportive.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My professional career has been in marketing. I graduated from the University of Michigan Stamps School of Art and Design, but I was previously studying to be an engineer. After graduating during the recession, I was limited in where to find a job in graphic design, and the universe put me in a local nonprofit arts organization. It was from there that I learned the ins and outs of operating a nonprofit. My career later brought me to a mix of small and large nonprofit and for profit companies. After 20 years, my experience is split down the middle in terms of nonprofit and profit experience. I think that’s where I set myself most from others. I bring both sides and goals to any business decisions. I believe in being able to do good and serve our community while making money and running an efficient operation.

What are your plans for the future?
I am launching a new, monthly motherhood education series this September. Next after that, I am going to work on making the Mamas Network a national nonprofit so that it can support other towns to start their own local chapters, so we can grow The Mamas Network and truly make it so that no mama (anywhere in the US) feels alone.

Pricing:

• Most events are free
• Some events are $30-$50

Contact Info:

• Website: https://themamasnetwork.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themamasnetwork_a2
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themamasnetwork