Meet the Team

Alisa was born and raised in Iowa before attending Arizona State University. She then lived in Chicago, Georgia and Florida before settling in Madison. From her nomadic lifestyle grew a love for the beach, as well as a fondness for spicy food, sushi, white wine, southern charm, Diamondbacks baseball and idyllic ocean sunsets. Alisa and her husband, Joe, are parents to Ava Mae (August 2012) and twins, Nora & Jacob (March 2014). Alisa is a work-from-home entrepreneur with a passion for business, fashion, fitness, community and all things mom. When she’s not enjoying time at home with her family, you can find her sweating it out on the tennis court, training for the next big race, pinning her heart out on Pinterest and exploring Madison with her little ones (and sweet Boston Terrier,  Peaches) in tow.

Becky is the owner of Twin Cities Family and owner and founder of Rochester Mom. Born and raised in Rochester, she considers herself a Minnesota girl through and through with having spent time in many areas of the state. Becky has a bad case of wanderlust and is always looking for the next big adventure. This has served her well while looking for new and exciting resources in the Twin Cities & Rochester areas. Wife to AJ and mom to Evie (2014) and Teddy (2015), as a family they enjoy all that Minnesota has to offer. When not pursuing a crazy idea, you can find Becky baking an elaborate cake, planning her next party, or exploring local events and small businesses.

Heather is the Sponsorship Coordinator for Twin Cities Family. She first joined the TCMC Events team back in 2016 and has never looked back. Heather has 13+ years of buying, sales, marketing and digital experience in the retail world and loves being able to apply those skills to TCMC. She has a passion for local businesses, especially those led by females and loves to share that with her community. She grew up in Wisconsin as a cheesehead, but came to Minnesota to become a Gopher, where she met her husband and die hard Packer fan, Jason. They live in Saint Louis Park with their bernedoodle Vince and their daughter Amelia (2017). She loves being outdoors, boating, drinking fancy lattes and Rosé, occasionally hydrating, eating lettuce and maybe exercising.

Amber has lived in Minnesota her whole life, with a 4-year stint in Iowa for college (Go Norse!). She and her husband met while both trying to kayak for the first time. The kayaking didn’t go well, but their relationship did! They’ve been married for over 10 years and welcomed a daughter into their family through International adoption and a son and daughter through birth. Fortunate to call raising children her full-time job, Amber also works part-time for encompass Church and has a small photography business. Whenever there’s free time to be had, she enjoys getting lost in a book, savoring a cup of coffee on the front porch, or walking to the neighborhood restaurant for dinner with her husband. Amber is a recovering perfectionist, unashamed introvert, and extremely empathetic.

I spent my ‘growing-up’ years in India, and adulting years in America! Me and my husband moved from Nagpur, India to Eden Prairie, Minnesota 12 years ago; at once falling in love with the charm that every season brings to this warm, welcoming state. I am a mother to my feisty 6 year old daughter and my equally spirited 2 year old boy. When I am not participating in their hoodlum/shenanigans, you will find me obsessing over books of all sorts. A self-proclaimed children’s book enthusiast, with a slight problem of hoarding books. I am passionate about early childhood education and developing emotional intelligence at a young age. When I am able to, I volunteer with a Non-Profit called One Life to Love. I enjoy gardening, books, coffee, and soaking in the world through my kids’ eyes. You can find me sharing tidbits about my parenting journey on Instagram @ohmycuckoolala

Nice to meet everyone! I am thrilled to be a part of the TCMC writing team! My name is Ashley Saaranen, and I live in Rosemount with my husband and our 3 kids. We have loved spending the past few months together and really enjoy spending as much time outside as we can. We have our own little backyard zoo complete with 2 German Shepherds, a cat and 6 backyard chickens. I am a 2nd grade teacher and am also a breast cancer survivor. I help lead the Minnesota chapter of the non-profit, The Breasties, which is an amazing organization that helps support and connect women affected by breast and reproductive cancers. I love being able to connect with other women and moms and have been so lucky to have a great circle of women around me helping me through life!

Danielle Venticinque is a health and wellness guru, author, actress and momprenuer. During the 2020 pandemic she founded Thrive Betterments (ThriveBetterments.com) personal growth products. The betterments are a stylish, wearable progress report that cultivates accountability and self-management. Her jewelry line empowers women to establish up to 6 daily habits of prosperity and wellness focusing on positive mindset and goal attainment. Danielle thrives in Saint Paul, MN with her husband, 2 sons and 75lbs mutt. Follow @Thrive_Betterments on IG for more wellness tips and positive vibes.

Kami moved to the US when she was 17 from Guyana, South America. She currently lives south of the river with her husband of 17 years and three kids; ages 15, 12, & 5. Kami is a work at home mom that loves all creative things; she enjoys photography, cooking, crafts, and shopping at Kirkland's and Target by herself. When Kami's not working on her Family & Lifestyle blog Life With Kami and homeschooling her 3 kids, her guilty pleasure includes binge-watching Netflix and doing at-home mani. You can see her creative side on her Instagram page @lifewithkami.

Hi ! I am Madhura 🙂. I live in Maple Grove with my husband and daughter. My daughter just turned 2 so I am relatively new to parenting. I believe I am learning something new everyday as my daughter grows older. I studied Computer engineering in India and worked in US for few years before becoming a stay at home mom which I love very much. Born and raised in India and now living in Minneapolis for almost 13 years I feel my life experiences are an amalgamation of East and west. I would describe myself as inquisitive and I am always on the lookout for artistic endeavors. Currently my favorite activities include jumping in rain water puddles and making funny faces with my kiddo.

I’m a wife, mom and lover of burgers and fries - seriously, take me anywhere, i’ll always order the burger. I spend my days homeschooling, playing, cooking, cleaning, and doing mountains of laundry! Life with three girls (6yrs, 3yrs, 1yr) is anything but dull. There’s glitter, bows and princess dresses everywhere. Oh, but we are expecting our first boy in December so things are sure to take a turn around here! I love to write and share my faith, inspiration, the things I love and my everyday life in the hopes that women like you will be empowered to live your best life, the one you were born for. I aim to see the good in the details of my everyday and want to share with you my experiences, struggles and wins! When I’m not chasing kids and changing diapers, you can find me on a date with my amazing husband, Ryan or volunteering at my church which is like a second home to me!

Rachel and her college sweetheart met in Indiana, spent early married life in Chicago, and now parent three children born in three different states, but since landing in their south Minneapolis neighborhood in 2017, decided with the access to good ski trails, running paths and beach side picnics, this might just be their forever home. Rachel is the curator of family adventures, builder of epic train tracks, lover of all of the library books, mixer of fancy cocktails, and writer in the in-between. You can read more from Rachel over on her blog or Instagram page. 

Shannon is a writer, reader, Minnesota native, and Enneagram 1. She and her husband have always been overachievers so they kicked off this whole parenting thing by having three kids in two years. She believes firmly in the power of iced coffee, books, and pedicures. You can find her scribbling her thoughts on motherhood and life at shannonscribbles.net and see her day-in-the-life chaos over on Instagram.

Hi! My name is Val or I'm also known as "MinnesotaMrsMom" (Instagram). I grew up in Wisconsin (GoPackGo) but I have enjoyed living most of my life in Minnesota. I have a handsome Husband of over 12 years, a beautiful Teenage StepDaughter and two handsome young Sons. I enjoy going on new adventures and making happy memories with my family! I also love a good belly laugh, decorating my house with each new season, hot coffee and cooking/baking. I am also a Certified StepMom Coach (yes, that's a real thing). I became a Certified StepMom Coach because I wanted to become more educated on the Step Family Life. - www.stepfamilylifecoaching.com.