I studied early education and psychology in undergrad and earned a BS in Psychology. My interests quickly narrowed in on holistic health and nutrition, and so I continued my education with an MS in Clinical Nutrition.
I created a blog that I called "Happily Whole On-the-go”, documenting all things health, wellness, and minor league hockey, all while traveling the country with my now husband Alec. Once we settled back down in New York, my brand transitioned to Happily Whole. I worked in Education for a large online holistic nutrition school, as Associate Dean, managing curriculum and instructional design for their online learning program.
When I had my two kids (now 3.5 and 2 years old), my fascination for all mentioned above melded into a combined fascination for child development and PLAY. On social media I started sharing the daily activities I was doing with my two little ones at home and developing my growing interest in Montessori and Waldorf-inspired education. I started to experiment with making my own play materials like story stones, counting coins, ribbon kites, natural playdough, etc. After getting such positive feedback, summer of 2019 I started a small online shop called Happily Whole Play, selling handmade Montessori-inspired educational toys and favors.
During an especially difficult time with the Covid-19 lockdowns in NY, I felt more motivated than ever to help other caretakers of young children. Families were suddenly forced to spend an unusual amount of time at home, and I found myself being asked by strangers daily what they could do to facilitate independent creative play in their homes. Sharing my own experiences and suggestions didn’t feel like enough. I thought, “what if I could curate “play packs” that had everything you needed to complete these types of invitations to play”? And so, Happily Whole LLC and the Happily Whole Play Packs were born. I started by driving door-to-door, dropping off bags of activities and dough kits, and now we ship nationwide and have a Shop full of products and offer monthly play subscriptions.
Our overall mission is to inspire caretakers and their littles to think outside the box and engage in exploratory play that fosters independence, creativity, and imagination. We bring the tools, and the children bring the magic.