Scott is the Former Dad Translator for Momivate.

As a father of five and retired Army officer, he understands the importance of mothers and the great work they do. One can fight for freedom all day long, but without mothers to raise our children it seems like a lost effort.

Scott has experienced the typical “Father’s role”. He would leave the house early in the morning for work and return later than he liked at night. Due to his military duties he was often deployed for months at a time leaving the entirety of raising the children to his wife. Scott would take every advantage to spend time with his kids when he was home and teach them what he could. He depended a great deal on his wife for daily care.

Scott is now retired and is currently going through a divorce. This is allowing Scott to take on a different role in his children’s lives. He is excited for the opportunity and somewhat daunted by what lies ahead. 

Scott is eager to serve as the Dad translator. His priorities are to help others understand and value Mothers more and to help Dads who may be in similar circumstances understand the new roles they are stepping into, covering more of the traditional “Mother’s roles”. Scott hopes to be able to share some of the insight he has gained through over twenty years of marriage, living in six countries and traveling to sixty-nine countries with kids in tow.

Scott has a Bachelor’s degree in Russian, a Master’s in Business Administration, and a Master’s in Eurasian Studies. Scott currently works in security for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He enjoys spending time with his four boys who are still at home and, when he can, his daughter who is currently studying at the University of Utah. In his free time, Scott enjoys sky diving, trail running, mountain biking, riding his motorcycle, and watching movies. Scott loves being in the outdoors, but doesn’t get there near as often as he would like.

Michelle is a full-time mom. She aspired to some big educational and career goals but always wanted to be with her children. She celebrates this capability in a time and culture when she realizes many aren’t so lucky. Though it’s not all giggles and glamour, she loves being on the front lines each day with her kiddos.

She was raised in a rural farm community in southern Utah. She has resided at over 20 different addresses throughout her life in 4 different states. This has proven a very valuable experience in raising her children. She’s lived in several unique circumstances and is very good at adapting. She treasures the many friends she’s also made. She now resides in Roy, Utah with her husband and three young children.

She graduated from Weber State University with a dual Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Psychology. After graduating, she worked coordinating tutors for local schools, interned in Washington, D.C., and then returned home to Utah. Though she’d been interested in law and politics, she also had a passion for working with children. Her career path became such. She worked with children with disabilities in a school and achievement center setting for almost 3 years. After marrying, she taught preschool for a time until welcoming her first child. 

She is very artistic and enjoys crafting, sketching, sewing and playing the piano. Her favorite color is Weber State purple. She loves serving within her family and community. Relationships with those around her are what she values most.

Stephanie is still in the beginning stages of motherhood. As a mother of four, ages 6-14, she has learned some things and is aware that there are many more things to learn, and re-learn. Stephanie always wanted to be a full-time mom when she grew up, thinking it was a simple and natural task. The reality of motherhood has since washed over her as she is trying to do the best she can with the limited tools she brought into the role, while trying to accumulate more. 

When Stephanie was a new mom, her second being a newborn and her first just 2yrs old, she realized that she had no idea how to raise children without yelling and sending them to their room. Although her son was so forgiving, she did not want their home to be full of anger and yelling. Starting many parenting books and finishing only a few, she has picked up a few more tools and learned that motherhood is about her shaping and becoming what Heavenly Father intended her to be, through the process of learning and seeking forgiveness. It is important to see that parents aren’t perfect and we don’t need to be. We need to help our children see that Becoming is a lifelong process that continues through parenting and we all make mistakes and can try again, and again. 

Before she was a full-time and homeschooling mom, Stephanie got her BA in Accounting and worked as an accountant. She enjoys ceramics, playing volleyball, nature, kayaking, hiking, exercising, reading, singing, talking, taking pictures, creating, and helping people, among other things that have phased in and out of her life through different seasons. Stephanie joined Momivate hoping to inspire herself and others along this journey of Motherhood.

Embarking on the path of motherhood came as a surprise for Heather. She did not feel ready for the commitment, but with a little one growing inside of her, she accepted the challenge and faced the curve of life. She always knew she wanted to be a mother “someday” and even envisioned a large family (like Cheaper By the Dozen, you know?), yet she wasn’t prepared for the unexpected timing of beginning the journey. 

Heather wrestled with growing a “Mother’s Heart.” She was raised by a narcissistic and dangerously religious (using religion as a weapon and control mechanism) mother, which led to many fears about her ability to be a “good” mother. She desperately wanted to not repeat the methods her own mother had used, but had little support or guidance to learn new and healthier patterns of parenting. 

Less than two years into her mothering journey, Heather’s husband was killed tragically in a mid-air collision between two small aircraft, leaving Heather with a toddler and infant. The following year, she struggled through depression and learned to discern the difference between the “voices” in her heart: her own questioning voice, the loud and repetitive voice of the adversary, and the still, small voice of the spirit. She experienced a transformational “bottom of the barrel” moment in which she asked Heavenly Father to covenant with her to never let her go and she dedicated the remainder of her life into his loving care.

Soon, Heather relocated, remarried, and began a new life journey. At first, life with her second husband was grand, better than anything she had experienced before! With him, she bore 5 more children. She had a passion for pregnancy and birth advocacy, birthed all 7 of her children at home, and made homeschooling and homemaking a full time career. Heather occasionally attended births as a labor doula, studied midwifery, developed her “Mother Heart,” and invested time and money into gaining skills to run her own business, all the while blind to the narcissistic abuse of her husband. 

After 16 years of suffering physical and emotional abuse, Heather’s 2 oldest children worked together to report their family to the Department of Children and Families. In a dramatic and scary move, DCF came late one night and removed the 5 remaining minor children into custody. When Heather discovered the depth and nature of the abuse, and began to realize that she had been mentally manipulated and controlled, she realized she needed to fight for her children and worked diligently with DCF and a therapist to learn about domestic abuse. She was able to obtain permanent sole custody of her children after a remarkably short 4 months, and continues to maintain healthy relationships with the foster parents who cared for her children while she learned and healed. She studied and continues to study good, safe parenting methods, and together the family is healing and growing.

Suddenly a single parent after being a stay-at-home and homeschooling mom for 18 years, Heather applied for a position as a cashier at a local retail store. She magnified her skills, highlighting areas of marketability, such as team leadership, the art of motivation, and sales experience through self employment and business training, and was hired on the spot with her first interview. In less than one year, Heather was able to move into lower level management, and is currently on an individualized development plan to continue to move up in her company. 

Additionally, Heather is now using the skills learned through several trial-and-error attempts at business to expand her fledgling company as a second stream of income and support for her family. 

Heather loves to teach and, having overcome many challenges, also has a passion for assisting mothers through childbearing as well as navigating the transition from stay-at-home mom to employment. She believes that when a mother applies herself to personal growth and development, those skills can be honed and marketed to the workplace environment successfully.