Ariana and Katy have been friends for more than a decade, and business partners for 7 years. They share a belief in physiological birth, evidence based care, and informed choice. They also know a birthing person’s intuition and connection with their baby is more powerful than is often given credit. All our instructors share the values of empowered choice in all aspects of maternity and postpartum care.
Their work as birth workers in the community keeps their fingers on the pulse of local and current expectations and practices, ensuring the most up-to-date info for their students and clients. Teaching with love and respect has been a passion in their work as doulas, and translates seamlessly into the role of childbirth educators.
Ariana Riegel, MSW
Ariana is a parent, Lamaze trained childbirth educator, doula, and social worker with a passion for infant and maternal mental health. She has been attending births and teaching childbirth ed since 2014. Seeing expectant folks take ownership of their birth experiences and flourish as parents is one of her favorite parts of this work. This childbearing/rearing time is filled with both vulnerability and opportunity, and she hopes that parents come through being able to lean into both. She lives in Ypsilanti, MI with her partner, two kids, and two cats.
Katy Gladwin, CBD, NBC-HWC, WHC, CHC
Katy is a mother, women’s health coach, doula, childbirth educator and women’s advocate. Katy has been teaching childbirth ed for the past 10+ years, starting as an instructor through Pregnancy Arts, and fell in love with the laid-back style, evidence-based information, as well as supporting families to tap into their own strengths and power. Katy is an active doula, supporting families through preparation and advocacy. She lives in the woods in Ypsilanti with her husband, son, daughter, and pets.
Jill Mailing, IBCLC, IFSS 
Grace Willis-Fritz
Grace is a wife, birth doula, postpartum doula, childbirth educator, and auntie. She is passionate about physiological birth and finds joy in educating and supporting families throughout their pregnancy and postpartum journeys. She has been attending births since the spring of 2021, and mentored with Katy Gladwin as she began her journey into birthwork. She lives in Howell, MI with her husband and sweet cat Marshmallow.
Whitney Kolongowski
Whitney is a mother, student, softball player,
postpartum doula, and childbirth educator. She attended Birthwise Midwifery School in 2003 and was a Certified Professional Midwife in 2008. After taking a break from birth work, she returned to teach childbirth ed classes and to attend births in 2014. She is beginning nursing school in the fall, and lives in Ypsilanti with her three children and many pets.