This is a paid piece from Sioux Falls Mom Connection.
Simplified: Kelsey Whitesel remembers how isolated she felt in the months after her children were born. Now, she's combating that isolation for herself and others by building a village through the Sioux Falls Mom Connection, an Instagram page bringing thousands of local moms together.
Why it matters
- Whitesel started Sioux Falls Mom Connection on Instagram in 2023. She was inspired by another mom in the Twin Cities doing similar content sharing family-friendly events, recommendations, etc.
- It didn't take long for her to recognize the real magic of the page: moms sharing their own stories, advice, ideas and recommendations. She began featuring individual moms from the area and crowdsourcing recommendations from the Instagram community.
- Three years in, Sioux Falls Mom Connection has also developed community offline with brunch meet-ups, walking groups, special themed parties and even a book club led by fellow local mom Colleen Erwin.
"When you get older and when you become a mom, it can be harder to maintain and to make those friendships," Erwin said. "Kelsey is such a champion for adult friendships and female friendships, and she makes it happen. She makes it so accessible for us to all come together."
Tell me more
The Sioux Falls Mom Connection now has nearly 7,000 followers on Instagram, and a regular cadence of sharing events, recommendations from other local moms and individual stories of motherhood.
Those individual stories are where Whitesel has found the most joy and the most enduring connections.
"I hope this mom sees the impact that she has and that she's not alone," Whitesel said of the women who've shared vulnerable stories. "You see friendships form in real life, and you see women supporting other women. ... It is something very supportive."
Whitesel has also been intentional about only sharing recommendations submitted by fellow moms. Each "Community Friday," as she calls it, Whitesel polls her audience for recommendations on things like family dentists, summer camps, date night spots, and more.
She's also expanded to publish a Substack with events and personal recommendations.
The Sioux Falls Mom Connection has also brought together people who may not otherwise have met and become friends. Erwin shared the example of a recent book club where moms began sharing their own birth stories.
"I didn't know some of these women a few months ago, and now we’re sharing our traumatic and beautiful stories of how we became mothers," Erwin said. "It was just a really beautiful moment."
How can I get involved?
The best way to tap into the Sioux Falls Mom community is by following along on Instagram.
