Motherhood Identity Series with Britt Riley, Founder & CEO of Haven
After becoming a mother, this entrepreneur set out to build the modern village working parents deserve — starting with Haven, a reimagined support system for family life.
Britt Riley didn’t set out to launch a national movement—but like so many entrepreneurial mothers, she saw a gaping hole in the way our culture supports working parents and decided to build the thing she needed most.
After giving birth to her daughters Harper and Zoe, Britt’s once high-flying marketing career felt increasingly incompatible with the demands of caregiving. It wasn’t a failure of ambition: it was a failure of infrastructure. So she reimagined the village.
In 2019, she opened the first Haven club: a space designed to support modern parents with holistic services that blend workspace, childcare, community and calm. Since then, she’s scaled her vision into multiple flagship locations, launched a growing national franchise program, and raised nearly $20 million to expand her mission. But her biggest transformation hasn’t just been professional… it’s been deeply personal.
In this week’s interview, Britt shares how motherhood stripped away her old definitions of success and replaced them with clarity, intuition, and a more integrated way of being. She opens up about the moments of doubt, the power of quiet seasons, and the immense strength of parents when they’re truly supported. Her story is proof that building something better isn’t just possible—it’s necessary. And the ripple effect? It’s just beginning.
Before founding Haven, what did you imagine balancing work and motherhood would look like and how did reality reshape that vision?
I thought I’d plan well enough to make it work. I had always operated under the belief that if you work hard enough and have the right calendar, you can manage anything. But motherhood cracked that belief wide open. It wasn’t me that needed better time management and a more steely reserve, it was the whole support system for families that needed rethinking. The world just hasn't been built to support someone being a caregiver and a professional at the same time. That breakdown is what led me to try to build something better.
How has your definition of “thriving” changed through motherhood?
Thriving used to mean progress, financial strength, metrics met and goals hit, it was always about movement forward. Now it means integration. Do I feel like I’m living the version of my life that reflects my values? That’s the new metric. Thriving is presence, clarity, connection.
It’s quieter, but so much more powerful and has led to a decade now of feeling more whole and secure than ever before, regardless of what I had thought of as measures of success prior to parenthood, despite that in fact. That has been something I look back on now and am in awe of, having the girls and navigating into what has become Haven has redirected me as a person, in all the best ways possible. I have never been more grateful for the struggle than I am when I look back on how far I have come as a person through all of this.
What parts of yourself feel sharper or more unapologetic today because of motherhood?
Motherhood made me quicker to say ‘no,’ slower to explain myself, and much more anchored in my own intuition. I’ve stopped trying to mold myself to systems or cultures that don’t reflect what I value. I’m more sure now of what’s worth protecting and less worried about what people think about me or how I stack up against the status quo.
Was there a particular moment you knew you had to build something better for working families?
Yes, several. One stands out. I had been trying to raise the initial funds to open a club for over a year. I was sleep-deprived, stretched thin, and deeply unsure if the dream could become real. I didn’t have the resources to open a club on my own. Then I drove past a “For Lease” sign on a building and felt something shift. I pulled into the driveway.
The owner, who had three young kids, saw the vision instantly. That space became our first Haven. That moment reminded me that sometimes, all it takes is one person to believe with you, and the path starts to clear. I was fully reinvigorated that day and more determined than ever to make it happen.
How do you stay grounded while balancing motherhood and Haven’s big vision?
I’ve learned to respect the quiet seasons. Right before a big push, there’s always a lull, a quiet, questioning stretch where the hardest questions are worked out in my mind. I used to panic during those times. Now I recognize them as the space where clarity shows up. Also, I have the greatest team on earth, which means I don’t have to carry every piece alone. That’s everything.
How has the idea of mentoring others through Haven’s emerging franchise program shaped your path forward?
The idea of being able to stand next to this next generation of Haven club owners and help guide them through the journey is the path forward and I feel so grateful for the opportunity to be in this position to grow every time I think about it. Now, getting to offer support to people who believe in this mission too, who want to build something meaningful in their own communities, has become one of the most fulfilling parts of the work.
I get to be the person I wish I’d had when I was just starting out, who knew that all of those trials and tribulations would lead us here where we get to help so many others open their own Haven clubs, we get to be with them and get to see them experience their first tours and those emotional moments which happen every time a parent realizes that the support they may not have ever thought they would have is right here for them, with open arms.
What part of the working parent experience is still misunderstood?
That we’re less committed or less available. In truth, parents are some of the most disciplined, efficient people I know. What we lack isn’t energy or commitment, it’s infrastructure. When we’re supported, our output is unmatched.
Where do you find courage when progress feels slow?
In our members. In the stories they share. In the emotion on someone’s face when they walk into a Haven for the first time and realize it’s exactly what they’ve been needing. Those are the reminders that this matters.
What helps you reconnect to your purpose in hard moments?
Quietly sitting in my thoughts putting the girls to bed and those moments in the lull which I mentioned earlier when we are in a valley between mountains and are looking for answers to a whole new set of questions, whether that is how to open our first, second or third club, whether to franchise or grow as a corporate-owned network of clubs and what we need to do to ensure we are always completely aligned with our values and mission as a company.
The quiet time after playing or exploring with the girls, and having those lulls between climbs lets me process it all. And it helps me notice the patterns. Almost every breakthrough we’ve had came right after a season of discomfort and questioning.
If you could redesign one thing about modern parenting culture, what would it be?
The idea that you’re supposed to do it all alone. That kind of isolation is baked into how we parent in this country, people seem to think that family is a personal problem to solve when really support of families is an economic issue and childcare is infrastructure, any other mindset is not sustainable or true to how humans are wired. If I could redesign anything, it would be to normalize supporting families' well-being as part of our economy's infrastructure. That’s what we’re trying to do at Haven: build the infrastructure for a modern village.