Staff

Sara Binkley-Tow / Co-Founder & Executive Director
Sara Binkley-Tow is co-founder and Executive Director of MomsBloom. Her passion to help families developed through her own personal experience. Sara, did not have the physical and emotional support in place after her daughter was born and after her son was born 21 months later. She struggled in her new role as a stay-at-home mom and was discouraged by the competition and judgments that existed with other moms. She struggled with high anxiety, obsessive-compulsive tendencies and intrusive thoughts. Like many new moms, her confidence was low and questioned her abilities as a parent. Only through her further training and education did she self-diagnose herself with postpartum depression. With no history of mental illness in her family, she realized all families were vulnerable to this illness and she did not want another mom suffer like she did…in silence.

Sara eventually found support and solace through a group of women that gave her positive feedback and provided the nonjudgmental physical and emotional support she needed. The women-to-women, mother-to-mother connection was vital to Sara’s confidence as a new mom. Sara is also grateful for the time her own mother spent with her after her children were born. Her mom did not live in the area so she traveled to spend a week with her family. She cooked, cleaned, did the laundry, held the baby so she could nap or shower and emotionally supported her. It was the little things that made a difference to a very insecure mom and was part of Sara’s inspiration to start MomsBloom.

Angie Walters / Co-Founder & Volunteer Coordinator
Angie is a Co-founder and Volunteer Coordinator. She is a big believer in Ghandi’s thought, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.  Angie believes in the powerful impact that women can create by supporting each other.  She is honored to help facilitate this type of support.

Angie earned her Master’s degree in education from Michigan State University and enjoyed teaching elementary school before her children were born.  She stayed home with her two sons before helping launch MomsBloom.  Angie struggled at first as a new mom.  She felt cut off from civilization (both boys were born during winter) and felt inadequate and overwhelmed.  Family support was a few hours away.

Angie was thrilled to find a support group for moms and began to form her support system.   She found comfort and strength in her peers.  A community of women can be so empowering and nurturing.

Angie went on to become certified as a Postpartum Doula (DONA) and when Sara approached her with the idea of MomsBloom and the thought of offering free services to families, she knew this was her next calling.  Angie enjoys her role at MomsBloom and says, “my job as a volunteer coordinator has allowed me to meet many mothers, volunteers, fathers, and children.  I am awed on a daily basis at the giving nature of those in our community.  I hope to continue to help many more moms bloom!”

Katie Reitemeier / Family Coordinator
Katie places a strong emphasis on seeking balance between her professional life and her family life. She has a Masters Degree in Medical Ethics from Michigan State University, works as a Professional Massage Therapist at Spectrum Oncology and happily considers her role as a parent her highest calling. In an effort to promote the importance of parenthood, she first joined the MomsBloom family as a volunteer Board Member, working to support the mission of MomsBloom through educational and fundraising efforts. As she came to know more of the MomsBloom families, she expressed a desire to work directly with families because she too had experienced in her early parenting years the feelings of isolation and vulnerability that many mothers face today. As the Family Coordinator, Katie feels a strong sense of purpose in encouraging new mothers to trust their inner wisdom as they navigate the early months of parenthood, and to additionally feel empowered to ask for and receive help in order to make the transition into parenthood a healthy and joyful one.

“Perfectionism is an enemy of joy. As we learn to give ourselves permission to be ‘good enough” parents, we simultaneously allow our children to be ‘good enough’ too. We can openly love them just the way they are, and in turn love ourselves into wholeness. Next to my bed is a quote I read daily. It says, “I am enough. I have enough, I do enough.”

As moms (and dads) we can offer this sense of affirmation to one another.