ABOUT IT STARTS WITH MOM
It Starts with Mom is a national movement to honor moms, highlight the current maternal health crisis, and spotlight our commitment to fighting for healthy moms.
The reality is motherhood is hard. From pre-term to postpartum. To infants and toddlers. To big kids and pre-teens.
We are utilizing our platform to bring together your community’s thought leaders and equip moms to become the best advocates in dealing with some of today’s biggest challenges – in her home, at her workplace, and during her doctor’s visits.
The It Starts with Mom LIVE Tennessee Series invites executives, who are also balancing motherhood, to share their story.
As a champion for moms during every stage of motherhood, March of Dimes stands as the backbone that so many women in the U.S. need, including today’s Millennial and Gen Z moms.
Amy L. Green
Amy Green, LCSW, ERYT, is the Founder & Executive Director of The Rooted Bridge, Owner & Founder of Nashville Collaborative Counseling Center. Amy is dedicated to increasing access & affordability to mental health support for parents to be & parents across the Southeast region. She believes that collaboration in care is a vital aspect to providing support to families. Amy and her team work with women and their families, facilitates healing after trauma, supports parents through loss/infertility, and ensures that parents and children have a team collaborating with them in care during pregnancy and into parenthood. Amy is an Adjunct at the University of Tennessee Masters in Social Work program, and has given multiple trainings on Maternal Mental Healthcare. Amy is the mother to three angel babies and one earthside daughter, Kinley.
Dr. Kimberlee Wyche-Etheridge
Dr. Wyche-Etheridge has a strong interest in prenatal and perinatal health outcomes/disparities and health equity, especially as they relate to infant mortality, and child wellbeing. In 2015 Dr. Wyche Etheridge was recruited to assist in the development of the Meharry School of Public Health. She now oversees the Master of Science in Public Health Program, and works as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Public Health, as well as an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Dept of Pediatrics. She holds duel faculty appointments in the School of Graduate Studies and Research, as well as the School of Medicine.
Kristen Brust
Kristen is a writer, podcaster, and full time stay at home mama. This former radio professional recently found a space for the real real of mama hood, single hood, married hood and adulthood in her new podcast. kb provides a safe place to discuss all seasons, reasons, and walks of life weekly on “in kristen we brust”.
Kristen spends her day soaking up the sweet chaos of her two babies Love and Legend. Her heart for all things mama became a main mission after losing her second baby to miscarriage. Kristen aims to support women in all seasons but specifically those learning to navigate parenthood with her motto “it takes a village to raise a mama”
Camielle Fishel
Camielle Fishel, Director of Perinatal Services for Baptist Womens Hospital in Memphis, TN, is the dedicated leader of a busy nursing service line. Her Departments of Responsibility include a 28 bed Labor & Delivery unit, 12 bed Antepartum unit, 28 bed Postpartum unit, and Newborn Nursery, seeing 6,100 annual live births.
MEET THE MODERATOR
Nikki Burdine is the morning anchor for Good Morning Nashville on WKRN News.
Nikki is an Emmy-award winning journalist and graduate of the University of Tennessee with a bachelor's degree in journalism with emphasis in political science. Before working at WKRN, Nikki was a reporter and fill-in anchor at WUSA-9 in Washington, D.C. She has also worked at WLEX in Lexington, KY and WHAG in Hagerstown, MD. Prior to that, she worked for Red Zebra Broadcasting/ESPN Radio and the Redskins in Washington, D.C.
Nikki and her husband, Justin are parents to a baby girl, Andi, who is a 17 months old. Nikki is passionate about March of Dimes' mission because Andi was born at 28 weeks, weighing just 1 lb 4oz. After 71 days in the NICU, Andi came home and is getting bigger and stronger every day. She is also a momma to two rescue animals, Louis the cat and Reggie White the beagle mix.
View our updated event acknowledgements and waivers here.
