If you’ve spent any time in Bay View, you know the neighborhood has a knack for producing people who quietly—then loudly—change the game. Enter Stephanie Ciatti. She took her love for communication, community, and good old-fashioned Milwaukee connection and turned it into one of the most powerful mom networks in the city.
In 2019, armed with a baby on her hip and a vision Milwaukee didn’t know it needed yet, Stephanie launched Babbling Babes—the now-iconic, citywide movement bringing moms into hotels, museums, wine bars, book clubs, and some of the most stunning venues across the city. They deserved beautiful spaces. They deserved real friendships. They deserved to feel like their world was expanding, not shrinking.
Six years later? It’s the largest mom community in the Milwaukee area, complete with staycations, museum collabs, local volunteer power, a mom-friend matchmaking app (yes, really), and even a partnership with Mariah Antetokounmpo. It’s a whole era.
This week, we caught up with the founder, the storyteller, the woman behind the BUILT by Babes podcast, and the engine powering a movement that’s made Milwaukee feel a whole lot more like the community so many moms have been searching for.
Any stories from your youth that define your path – how’d you get to where you are now? Early inspirations, challenges, etc?
I’ve always believed our paths start forming long before we realize it. Looking back, mine has always been about communication, connection, and helping people feel seen.
I became a speech pathologist and spent years working in the acute hospital setting. During that time, I noticed something missing in the market: picture books that truly supported the very earliest sounds and first words. So, during nap times and late nights, I wrote and self-published Babble Books, which ended up being sold locally at places like Winkie’s and Black Bear Boutiques, as well as boutiques across the country.
But after having my third baby, something shifted. I loved the hospital baby groups, they do incredible work, but I didn’t want motherhood to shrink my world. I’m someone who loves being out in the city, discovering new spaces, promoting local businesses, and experiencing the best Milwaukee has to offer. I wanted moms to be able to do that *with* their babies, not in spite of them.
So in 2019, when my youngest was six months old, I started Babbling Babes with a new idea: bring moms together in elevated, beautiful spaces that weren’t traditionally “mom” environments. Our earliest meetups were at Little Sprouts Play Café, and soon after came our first major collaborations with The Journeyman and Villa Terrace.
At that time, the idea of moms bringing babies into hotels, museums, and curated spaces was new and some businesses didn’t fully get it yet. But as soon as they saw the power of it, it started catching fire.
Six years later, Babbling Babes has grown into the largest community for moms in Milwaukee and the surrounding suburbs. Today, we host:
- Mom staycations at resorts and hotels like The American Club and St Kate the Arts Hotel
- Collaborations with the Milwaukee Art Museum, including multiple recurring programs
- Events and photo experiences in iconic venues
- Eight monthly book clubs across the city in coffee shops, wine bars, and cozy local spaces
- An off-social-media app that connects moms: essentially modern-day mom friend matchmaking service with fun programs like Neighborhood Cookbook Clubs, Bunco Nights, Coffee meetups etc
- Volunteer and give-back partnerships with local nonprofits
- Large-scale community collaborations, including working with Mariah Antetokounmpo on the first CAFF Family Day in Milwaukee
Most importantly, Babbling Babes is for the women behind the mom label. No parenting philosophy, no religion, no pressure, just a space where moms can make real friends, explore the city, support local, and feel like their world is expanding, not shrinking.
If you’ve ever wished motherhood came with a village, with beautiful spaces, with connection, with a reason to get dressed up and go somewhere that makes you feel good..this is exactly why Babbling Babes exists.
I also have a podcast called the BUILT by Babes podcast which features the birth stories of local mom-owned businesses.
Where did you study (if you did higher education)?
UW Madison for undergrad, Marquette for masters
What do you do for work now (where you work, title, job responsibilities, etc)?
Founder, Babbling Babes– I am the sole “employee” with some great volunteers who help host our Gatherings. I do the socials, website, hosting and editing the podcast.
Can you talk a little bit about your career journey? How’d you get to where you are now?
I took the leap- I went in blind with the first Babbling Babes Gathering at Little Sprouts Play Cafe and hoped that someone else would show up. From there, it really organically spread and grew as more and more moms reached out looking for this exact thing.
Can you talk more about your community involvement or volunteer experience?
Community involvement is a huge part of what I do. During the recent SNAP benefit pause, I organized a mom-to-mom matching initiative that connected more than 150 Milwaukee moms with others who needed help, offering groceries and essentials directly—no barriers, just community showing up for each other.
I also partner with local nonprofits like We Got This MKE, Kids Impact Community, Diaper Mission, and Fostering Community to lead diaper drives, holiday giving programs, and family volunteer opportunities. The goal is always the same: support local families, uplift our city, and make sure moms feel the strength of a real, active village.
What are some ways you have impacted the community in your line of work?
During COVID and moms were delivering by themselves and the isolation of the moms during their babies/kids first years was heightened even more- I connected moms in groups of 3-4 with similar aged kids and in the same area.
They supported each other virtually and when restrictions lifted, they were able to meet in person and truly showed up for each other. Connecting even one mom in a hard season of life with each other or with local businesses or organizations that can make this season of life a little easier is so impactful and important.
What do you like about living in Milwaukee?
I love how close it is to Lake Michigan and I love that it truly is Smallwaukee. There’s a supportive and midwest nice aspect to it that I haven’t found while living in other cities.
What do you want to see for Milwaukee’s future?
I want to see even more businesses and organizations supporting backbone of the city- the moms.