Winston-Salem

CO-FOUNDER

Kelly grew up in Bexley, Ohio, just outside of Columbus. She attended Wittenberg University (go Tigers!) in Springfield, Ohio and upon graduating, she ventured to Chicago where she pursued a career in advertising.

Advertising - along with having family close by - is what brought Kelly and her now husband to Winston-Salem. Her agency experience continued at The Variable right up until her baby boy Michael was born in May of 2021.

The birth of her son was when she found her true calling - being a mom. As a new mom and transplant in a new city, Kelly realized that there’s an untapped potential here in W-S for moms to connect with each other - and that’s what drives her passion for bringing moms together.

DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS

Riley was born and raised in Winston-Salem. She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she studied Psychology. Riley worked for 5 years as a middle school math teacher in both Charlotte and Raleigh, NC before leaving education to enter the corporate world. She then worked as a project manager for an IT consulting company for 2 years.

Riley and her husband welcomed their first baby girl, Chloe, to the world in November of 2019 while living in Raleigh. At this time, Riley decided to become a stay at home mom. During the pandemic, they moved back to Winston-Salem to be closer to family. In November of 2021, they had their second daughter, Bridget.

After experiencing birth trauma and postpartum anxiety with her first child, Riley was so excited to learn about Mom League and their mission to support moms through the challenging transition into motherhood. She was excited to join the Mom League team and help the community of moms however possible!

NEWBORN SERIES INSTRUCTOR

Keri grew up in NorthEast Florida, and has been slowly moving north for the past 15 years. She has been in North Carolina since 2014. She studied Sociology and Religion at Florida Southern College before receiving a Master of Social Work at The University of Georgia and worked clinically with children, adolescents and families before identifying a passion for working with parents who are unraveling complex generational cycles in order to show up for their own kids in attuned, loving ways. Keri is the owner/clinician at Keri Smith Gaylord Counseling, where she specializes in parental and perinatal mental health.

In addition to being a therapist, Keri is also a yoga teacher, semi-committed runner (and very committed walker), voracious reader and life-long curiosity seeker. Keri hosts a monthly book club in the Triad, Bedtime Book Club where she facilitates curious conversation for imperfect parents about books covering all kinds of parenting-related and adjacent topics. Keri is passionate about supporting families of infants and young children as they figure out who they are, and how to live lives aligned with their values and is delighted to partner with Mom League in this work. She also loves a good, corny joke.

Keri and her husband have 2 silly, curious kids and know more about construction equipment and the life cycle of hedgehogs than they ever imagined because of it. The Smith Gaylord family can often be found camping, hiking and generally getting messy or at the library (probably also getting messy, somehow).

NEWBORN SERIES INSTRUCTOR

Bethany is a lifelong Winston-Salem resident and an East Carolina University alumna.

With over ten years as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, she started Twilight Counseling to provide specialized support. As a Certified Perinatal Mental Health Counselor, she helps women through their reproductive journeys, with adjusting to new roles, balancing self-care with caring for a baby, and coping with grief. She also guides mothers through perinatal loss, combining grief education with her perinatal mental health expertise.

Beyond her practice, Bethany is a co-founder of the Postpartum Resource Center of the Triad, a non-profit aimed at reducing stigma and raising awareness about perinatal mental health. She also works for Trellis Supportive Care, offering free grief counseling and workshops on perinatal loss.

Having navigated her own challenges with motherhood, Bethany uses her experiences and education to support other moms. As an Advisory Board Member and Newborn Instructor for Mom League, she’s passionate about supporting mothers in our community.

When she’s not working, you’ll likely find Bethany in a local plant shop or enjoying beach days with her husband and their two kids, ages 13 and 5.

NEWBORN SERIES INSTRUCTOR

Courtney grew up in north central West Virginia and moved to Winston Salem in 2013, and she now calls Clemmons home. Courtney studied Communication Arts at Concord University in Athens, WV (BA, 2009) before receiving her Masters in Social Work at West Virginia University (MSW, 2012). She has since pursued further training and received her LCSW in 2016.

After working at Wake Forest Baptist Hospital in a variety of roles for several years, she transitioned to private practice and is now the owner/clinician of Courtney Guido Counseling PLLC.  In this role she works with adults who are struggling in a variety of ways including: anxiety, depression, life transitions, trauma, motherhood/fatherhood, relationships, communication, etc.  

Courtney and her husband (Mark) have 2 children (Lily and Lucas) who are always keeping them on their toes! Every season with their kids has come with its ups and downs. She understands all the laughter/snuggles/movie nights as well as all the tears/runny noses/sleep deprivation that comes from motherhood.  Courtney is thrilled to be partnering with Mom League and to help support other moms through all of their seasons.