Photography courtesy of Sarah Fridono Photography
Meet our Executive Team
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Kaitlyn is the founder and previous owner of Cedar Rapids Moms and is an Iowa girl who has been married to her husband, Joshua, since 2007! She’s a busy work-at-home mama to their 5 children: 3 girls and 2 boys! A true Hawkeye, she graduated from the University of Iowa with her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, something that comes in handy on a daily basis while trying to raise 5 kids! Her favorite things to do include spending time with her family, cheering on the Hawkeyes, reading a good book, shopping (of course!), and checking out all the activities the Corridor has to offer!
Valerie grew up in Naperville, Illinois, and is a Midwestern girl at heart even though she spent 16 years in Phoenix. She moved to Marion in 2016 with her husband, daughter (16), and two sons (14 and 11). Valerie graduated from BYU with a degree in Instrumental Music Education. She is a former band director, a current substitute teacher and accompanist, and an avid reader and crafter.
Alyssa, co-owner of Cedar Rapids Moms, grew up near Backbone State park, moved to Cedar Rapids to start the "real world," and never left. Married to her best friend, Kevin; mama to Jack, Liv, and Theo; and dog mama to Stella, life is full of chaos, busy schedules, and lots of traveling. Her Type A personality is evident through her color-coded Google Calendar and her never-ending lists. With roots in a teeny, tiny, town Alyssa has always understood and values the importance of a tight-knit community. Through events, resources, guides, and more, Alyssa hopes to connect local parents with local businesses. When she's not stepping on Legos, hair barrettes, or chasing the kids, you can find her cheering on the Steelers or Hawkeyes, hosting friends and family, spending time in the kitchen, or planning her next vacation.
Paola, originally from Puerto Rico, came to Iowa to study at Iowa state University where Ryan, an Iowa native, won her heart and they’ve been married for five years. They now call Cedar Rapids home and work as landscape designers in North Liberty. They love watching their toddler, Olivia, grow and are excited to see her as a big sister in the Fall of 2019. Paola's hobbies include crafting, running, yoga, baking and anything handmade. She recently opened Pikosa Creations to share her creativity with the world. Her passions include family, kindness, desserts and vacations to the beach.
Meet our Contributors
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Alyssa, co-owner of Cedar Rapids Moms, grew up near Backbone State park, moved to Cedar Rapids to start the "real world," and never left. Married to her best friend, Kevin; mama to Jack, Liv, and Theo; and dog mama to Stella, life is full of chaos, busy schedules, and lots of traveling. Her Type A personality is evident through her color-coded Google Calendar and her never-ending lists. With roots in a teeny, tiny, town Alyssa has always understood and values the importance of a tight-knit community. Through events, resources, guides, and more, Alyssa hopes to connect local parents with local businesses. When she's not stepping on Legos, hair barrettes, or chasing the kids, you can find her cheering on the Steelers or Hawkeyes, hosting friends and family, spending time in the kitchen, or planning her next vacation.
Amy is a North Dakota girl who fell in love with Iowa when she moved to Cedar Rapids as a newlywed in 2006. She's an elementary teacher turned homeschooling mom of twin girls (2011) and little sister (2014). Her ongoing struggle, is keeping faith and family at the heart of family life, while still encouraging each of her girls to follow their passions and find their unique gifts. Awkwardly athletic with a large dose of nerd, Amy is a lover of words, winter sports, theater, and chocolate. As a recovering perfectionist, she strives to be present over perfect each day and is forever thankful there are no limits on grace. She hopes you find love and encouragement through the posts on Cedar Rapids Moms because mom-ing is always better together.
Ashley is a ‘small town’ girl who moved to the ‘big city’ of Cedar Rapids after high school. A graduate of Coe College, Ashley is currently a kindergarten teacher and a true lover of yoga pants, cozy sweatshirts, chai tea lattes and cookie dough. Ashley and her husband, Mitch, first met each other back in middle school, dated when they were freshmen in high school, then reconnected one final time via Facebook back in 2006 shortly after Mitch returned from his first deployment. They've stood by their vows of ‘for better or worse,’ and they aren’t afraid to admit that marriage isn’t easy. They welcomed their first child, Stella Grace Bass, in May of 2013 and their second child, Archer Mitchell Bass, in December of 2017!
After living in the heart of Chicago, Ashley Bermel and her husband decided to call Iowa home. Ashley lives in North Liberty with her husband and two daughters, Wynifred (3.5 years old) and Evie (2 years old). After graduating Miami University (Ohio) with a degree in the History of Architecture, Ashley discovered her true love of real estate and design. Although Ashley has practiced real estate in two other states, she can't imagine living anywhere but the Corridor. When not working, you can find Ashley scouring the shelves of Homegoods, eating anything insanely spicy and trying to figure out how to feed a family when you're a terrible cook.
Ashley is a converted Iowa girl having moved to Cedar Rapids when she was 12. After years away at college and graduate school, she returned and put down roots with her husband, two cats, and daughter, Hattie. She loves her job as a busy IT manager for a transportation company and strives for that work-life integration nirvana. Ashley finds joy in being involved with her family, mom-tribe, and the CR community. Having her first child later in life, she tries to let the small stuff go (hello cleaning service!) and focus her free-time and energy on her family. Once life calms down a little (haha) she hopes to pursue her passion for "fancy" baking and painting.
Carly is a single mom of a spunky, independent, and sassy 3 year old. Her days usually start with a cup, or two or three, of coffee, and end with a glass of red wine. During the day she works with individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities; a truly rewarding job that she has the utmost passion for. At night you'll find her building magna tile towers, splashing with dinosaurs in the bathtub, reading countless bedtime stories, and performing her superhero powers of warding off the boogey man! After "just one more bedtime story mommy" you can find her lost in a new book, jotting down her thoughts of the day, or binge watching her latest Netflix obsession!
Christa lives in Cedar Rapids but spent her formative years in Seattle, WA and Dubuque, IA. She is living out her dream of motherhood in a house full of amazing girls (ages 8, 7, 5 & 5) that she shares with her wonderful husband as well as several pets. The family is anxiously awaiting the arrival of their fifth girl this April! Christa is also a proud working mom who juggles the family's needs while also maintaining a full-time career. Her favorite activities are cooking, writing, recreational sports, relaxing, and finding creative ways to build memories with her family.
Christa is a lover of stories, an obsessive list-maker, daydreamer, and technology enthusiast. She’s a life-long Cedar Rapidian, mom to a sassy 8-year-old fashionista named Evvie, and wife to fellow tech enthusiast, Kyle. In true Millennial fashion, you can usually find her glued to her Kindle/iPhone/Laptop or plugged into an Audiobook. She’s a writer at Reluctant Adulting, a personal blog that she started because being an adult is hard and we all need a little help sometimes. When she’s not doing the creative thing for fun, she’s doing it for work, marketing technology solutions to construction companies across the US. It’s important to know that Christa is always interested in a good Netflix binge, some karaoke, or a nap.
Courtney likes to describe herself as a lover of lists and post-its, all things nerdy, and as an all-around pretty awesome person. She lives in Marion with her husband, Jon, their two sons, and their two crazy cats. Both of her boys are rainbow babies, with Everett arriving in December 2013, and Hendrix in March 2016. Courtney is a Penn State graduate, and currently works as a team lead for a state agency. Aside from attempting to be successful at this parenting thing, she likes to go on adventures with her family that includes trying out all the local parks and ice cream stops. Courtney also likes to binge watch Netflix, attempt all things from Pinterest, and can be occasionally be found on her couch doing both
Emily is an ER nurse turned stay-at-home mama to a beautiful & spirited daughter, Penelope, and wife to an ER Physician. Prior to staying home, she was in the ER setting for over ten years, where she met her husband in 2015. She's an Iowa native, but new to Cedar Rapids since 2013. In 2018 she started started an Intentional Motherhood blog called OakB.Co with the intention to encourage, help, and energize mothers while giving them tools to lessen their workload, help build an authentic community, and inspire them to realize they are enough. She's a busy mama who pretty much lives on coffee and donuts!
Jaclyn is an Iowa native with roots in the Midwest, but a heart full of wanderlust. She loves to run, read and travel. She and her husband, Mark, have 3 daughters (13, 11, and 7) and an incredible baby boy in Heaven. She spends her days split quite evenly between teaching Spanish at Xavier High School and taxiing her girls around CR as they try to find their passions. She’s a firm believer that it’s not joy that makes us grateful, but rather gratitude that makes us joyful.
Jess is a born and raised Iowan who has lived in Vinton for the past 10 years. She has two children, 10-year-old Landon and 4-year-old Fynnlee. Jess attended Kirkwood and UNI and now operates an in-home daycare. She considers herself an independent author and has self-published a few eBooks. She enjoys attending Landon’s sporting events, spending time with her family, as well as writing and reading in her free time.
Kailee is a natural-minded mom with a passion for writing, experimenting in the kitchen, being outside, and traveling the world. She’s a Content Manager by day and supermom & wife by night to two beautiful little girls and husband of 7 years. She has lived in Cedar Rapids most of her life and digs the big city yet small town feel. You can catch her scoping out local dives & cafes, and biking the Cedar Valley Trail on the weekends. She lives on good coffee, good wine, and good conversation.
Kari (Pronounced Carrie) is proudly married to a Law Enforcement Officer and is a mama to four children. Born and raised in the South, Kari found her love here and now all of her favorite people are Iowans! In her "spare" time (WHO has that?!), you can find her reading, folding a never ending cycle of laundry, or snuggling up with the tiny humans she made. She loves being a stay at home, homeschooling mother, even in the thick of it, and feels blessed to share her snippets of life with the community!
Originally from Fort Dodge, IA, Karlee fell in love with the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City area after graduating from the University of Iowa. After marrying her most favorite guy, Sam, they bought their first home together in Marion! They have loved raising their 11 month old daughter, Frankie Rae, there. Karlee is newly a stay at home/work from home mom - spending half of her week loving on and chasing Frankie, and the other half making baby clothing and accessories. Co-founder of The Purple Wagon, Karlee adores creating quality products for littles and attending markets throughout the Midwest. In her free time you can find Karlee traveling, thrifting, eating Indian food, reading, running away from their chickens, and eating more food.
Katie is a born and raised Iowa Hawkeye who moved from a small town to Iowa City to attend college at the University of Iowa. There she met her husband, Jordan, while they were both active leadership members in Dance Marathon. Once they graduated, they got married and planted roots in Cedar Rapids. Together they are raising the trifecta of three little ones: Everly (5), Elsie (3), and Emmett (1). They keep her busy by constantly going from one activity and snack to the next! Katie is a firm believer that leggings are real pants and popcorn with M&Ms is its own food category. When she has a spare minute, she documents her mamahood journey, family activities, DIY crafts, and favorite products over on her personal blog Mama E Plus Three.
Katie is the co-owner of Cedar Rapids Moms. A Cedar Rapids area native who has a strong passion and desire for connection in her community, she loves bringing community and connection to the local area. Mom to Hayden (5) and Hudson (1), wife to Curran, social media marketing business owner (Hello Digital LLC), volunteer, and cycling instructor, Katie is a busy mom who wouldn't have it any other way. Taking on the ownership of Cedar Rapids Moms in 2021 fuels Katie's desire to create a strong community and network between small businesses and local moms. Her mission for Cedar Rapids Moms is to give all mom-focused local businesses a strong voice and connect moms with the local community.
Katy is a working wife and mother to three. She attended Coe College in Cedar Rapids (Kohawks for life!) and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and English. Married in June 2014 to husband her Nate, Katy brought along her rescue dog, Sadie, and with Nate came two bonus kids. Nate and Katy welcomed their daughter, Zoey, in April 2016 and have happily completed their family. Well, until more dogs are needed. Currently working full time and supporting three active kids, Katy has a hard time squeezing in her own hobbies. But, when she gets a chance, she enjoys spending time with her family, being active, and reading.
Leah has lived on both coasts, spent much of her childhood in Colorado, but found the true meaning of home in Iowa. As a single mom of two girls, she wanted to show her daughters the power in setting our minds to our dreams and creating our reality, and so she began the Abundant Parent. When she isn’t writing, vlogging, running workshops, or bringing writing to kids with her nonprofit, she is mostly likely elbows deep in art supplies, cooking ingredients or mud and camping dust with her kids. She has been quitting coffee for the last three years; it’s going really well. Stay tuned.
Lindsay grew up in Cedar Rapids and is surprised and delighted to find that she lives here as an adult. She's been married to a really great guy named Christian since 2007 and during that time, they've added three amazing kids to their family - Eadie (2010), Graham (2012), and Greta (2015). Lindsay has spent time working as a content strategist, freelance writer, stay-at-home-mom, and is now enjoying homeschooling her kids. When she's not reenacting the Boston Tea Party for her kids with stuffed animals and fruit snacks, she loves being active outside, watching baseball games, reading great books, and having friends over for any reason at all. At the end of the day, Lindsay hopes she consistently lives out her faith, builds a strong family culture, and encourages moms around her in a meaningful way.
Marla is a lifelong Cedar Rapidian who met her husband, Shawn, at the local Dairy Queen in 2005 and married him in 2009. They have three beautiful and spunky daughters (8, 5, 3) who keep them on their toes. Marla is a stay at home mom who spends very little time at home. She loves children and has spent the last 8 years doing in-home daycare and spent 5 years doing foster care. Marla is an adoptive parent, a homeschooling mom, and a very active member of her local church. In whatever free time she can find, Marla enjoys reading a good love story or watching a chick flick.
Meredith was born and raised in Cedar Rapids before attending Central College in Pella and settling in Vinton. She and her husband married in 2011 and welcomed their daughter, Claire, in February of 2014. Meredith is a Title 1 Reading Teacher at Shellsburg Elementary. She is passionate about her family, connecting with friends and teaching. When she’s not spending time with her daughter, you can find Meredith catching up on social media, watching reality TV or eating tacos.
Missy is an Arizona native who migrated to Iowa on a whim and fell in love. She is a social worker by profession but stepped away from her career to be a pseudo-SAHM to her two girls: 8 year-old Selah and 2 year-old Mercy. She has been married for 10 wonderful years to her TV man husband, Andy, and Bo, the black lab pound puppy completes their family. Most days you’ll find Missy working part-time at a local non-profit, leading worship, and chasing after her children. In her spare time, she enjoys writing/composing music, connecting with other women who are also in the trenches of life, and finding time to get to the giant pile of laundry in the basement. Missy loves a good laugh, crime documentaries, coffee, and naps. She also writes about overcoming strongholds on her blog: Inching Toward Freedom
Renee holds three titles that are of utmost importance to her: mom to Cale and Ian; wife to Andy; and Communications Director for Grant Wood Area Education Agency. Although she has a Master’s degree from the University of Iowa, her heart still shines cardinal and gold for Iowa State University where she received her undergraduate degree. Renee’s a foodie who loves cooking, travel, her friends, her family, the Oxford comma, and happy hour. Cheers!
Samantha is a stay-at-home mom to Lily and Isaac. She is originally from San Antonio, Texas but moved to Iowa when she started attending the University of Northern Iowa. She has a Bachelor’s degree in English and Special Education, and loves the opportunity to mentor other parents in the special needs community. She enjoys knitting, reading, and baking in her free time.