Meet a Mom: How Em Glassie is Redefining Pregnancy Support with StorkManager

Introducing to the Chicago North Shore Moms community, Glenview mom, hockey enthusiast, and innovative female founder of StorkManager, Em Glassie!

What started as a personal need to feel more organized and supported during her own pregnancy quickly evolved into a full-fledged platform helping expectant parents manage milestones, share updates, and stay connected with their “village.” With her background in communications and her fearless attitude, Em brings both creativity and purpose to her work. Through StorkManager’s combination of tech, thoughtfully designed products, and community events, she’s redefining how parents prepare for and experience pregnancy that includes features to help track how mom is doing, not just baby.

Get to know Em, her hockey obsession, original restaurant recs to try and great reads, and prepare to be inspired by this passionate brand new mom and entrepreneur who’s making the journey to parenthood a little easier, and a lot more connected, for families everywhere. Welcome, Em!

Hi Em. Please introduce yourself. Where are you from originally? What city do you live in now? What brought you here?

I’m originally from the Rockford area just up I-90 and now live in Glenview with my husband, daughter, and two Patterdale Terrier mixes. While we were dating, my husband’s job moved him from West Texas where we met, to their facility in Morton Grove. Of course, that was 3 weeks before Covid-19 shut things down, so then he came to stay in Rockford – there were five people and three dogs under one roof for a while! Afterwards, I joined him here in the suburbs, and we’ve been here ever since. We’re planning on moving soon, so I’m excited to see where we end up and find all the cool new places to explore!

Congratulations on becoming a mom! Tell us about your daughter… what’s she like, and how has becoming a mom inspired you personally and professionally?

Our daughter is the best, truly! She is the happiest, most content, easygoing firstborn. As someone who wasn’t sure if she wanted to be a mom, our daughter has made this the easiest and most fun transition into parenthood. I am absolutely in awe every day watching her brain develop and the new things she learns constantly. She just started crawling, clapping, and recognizing “mama” and “dada.” She is such a beautiful blessing.

She is also the best little business-building buddy! Her independent nature has allowed me to work while she plays, and her long naps give me time to have uninterrupted meetings. This little girl has SO many ideas and opinions I can’t wait to hear once the sweet babbles turn into actual words.

My daughter is my reason for starting StorkManager, and I’m sure soon enough she’ll be the one running it (or telling me how to do it).

What are one or two fun or interesting things to know about you?

I am a MASSIVE hockey fan. A rerun of the 2010 Stanley Cup Game 7 (aka the Blackhawks first of their three recent championships) changed the entire trajectory of my life. Instead of continuing with an elementary education major, I switched to a communications major with the goal of working for a professional hockey team. To give myself the best shot after graduation, I packed up a U-Haul, moved halfway across the country where I knew absolutely no one, and started grad school at Texas Tech University (which I loved!).

I’ve been to countless regular season and playoff games both for the NHL and AHL. My absolute favorite game was the Seattle Kraken’s 2023 Game 6 win over the Dallas Stars. I have never been to a more energetic arena; that place was electric!

In my free time, I love playing board and card games. Some of my best memories growing up were playing games with my family and friends. When my out-of-state aunt came in for the holidays, we had a dedicated “Game Day” to try out the latest game she got from GenCon, the nation’s largest gaming convention. I love everything from group games like Ticket to Ride, Five Crowns, and Codenames to cooperative games like Pandemic and Spirit Island to long-term strategy games like Killer Bunnies and Terraforming Mars. Anything that lets me spend time making memories with my favorite people is the best. Hopefully our daughter and her friends will have the same type of fun game memories that I had as a child.

What are your favorite North Shore places, spaces and eats to frequent with family, date night, hang out, etc.?

Omega Restaurant and Bakery in Niles is our go-to spot we take everyone who comes to visit. There’s something for everyone! My personal favorite is their chocolate chip crepes. It’s a chocolate lover’s dream! Their French onion soup is second to none. I also really love Iron Age Korean Steak House in Glenview. I never knew what I was missing until I had their bulgogi; it is absolutely delicious!

Being a game person, I enjoy doing escape rooms. Any of the 60 to Escape locations have hands down the most intricate and extensively thought-out rooms.

Any good reads or tv shows you’ve binged lately?

I’m currently listening to Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger to learn what makes things go viral and how I can apply that to my own work with StorkManager. My favorite example so far has been dissecting why Blendtec’s Will it Blend? series was a massive success. It was so simple, yet so surprising and entertaining people couldn’t help but share.

As a family we recently finished Person of Interest, which I’d highly recommend, and are working our way through Stargate SG-1. Over the last several years, I’ve really become a sci-fi fan, having watched the first four Star Trek series, Star Wars, Firefly, and the original Dune. It’s so cool to see what futuristic things the Original Star Trek Series created that we have now, like Siri, touchless thermometers, and cell phones.

Your mantra?

“Walk into the room like God sent you.”

As a new entrepreneur, I often find myself questioning whether I’m qualified or the right person for the job. This phrase gives me the comfort and confidence that I am exactly where I’m supposed to be. I can walk into every room knowing God has prepared that space, because He has gone before me, so I do not need to be afraid (Deuteronomy 31:8). It doesn’t mean I’ll always succeed, or I’ll always get my way, but it means I am not alone, and I have a purpose for every space I am in.

As the saying goes, if not me, then who?

Speaking of “if not me, then who?” it’s time to get down to business. Tell us all about your new business, StorkManager. 

StorkManager just launched on Labor Day, 2025 (pun intended). StorkManager, which is a first-of-its-kind Pregnancy Management Platform. It actually stemmed from my own needs during my pregnancy last year.

This sounds like a resource that I could have used during my own pregnancies – a game changer. How does it work?

StorkManager is a pregnancy management platform with three components:

1. a web app
2. physical products
3. events

What can we expect from the web app?

The web app (mobile app coming soon) is designed to help expectant parents stay organized throughout their pregnancy by managing milestones, appointments, and important details all in one place while safely sharing updates with their support system. As parents maintain control through all four trimesters, guests feel involved and valued with real-time updates, shared photos, and interactive games bringing everyone closer during the process.

Parents have access to seven tools:

1. One-way update feed: share the latest information with all (or just some) of your village with a single click
2. Event and memory tracking calendar: store favorite milestones, list appointments, and manage RSVPs for the baby shower
3. Health monitoring tab: track mom’s wellbeing, prep for birth, and organize important information like the hospital bag packing list and birth plan
4. Collaborative photo album: parents and guests upload pictures anytime, keeping precious memories from getting lost in text threads
5. Centralized Registry Hub: compile all the registries into one, easy-access space for you and your guests
6. Nostalgic Virtual Waiting Room: gather the village into a virtual chat room where they excitedly await the arrival of the newest family member
7. Community baby games: engage with your village through fun, interactive baby guessing games (more games coming soon)

How do guests interact with the expecting mom through StorkManager?

Guests can like and comment on parental updates; view and add to the photo album with their own pictures, particularly after parties; browse the provided registry links; join the virtual waiting room once the parents head to the hospital; compete in baby games against other guests for the highest score.

Tell us about the products you offer through StorkManager.

Our physical product, the Nesting Bags, are made with moms of young kids in mind. Modeled after the Russian nesting dolls, these small pouches are designed to securely hold mom’s essentials – keys, wallet, phone – and move effortlessly from purse to diaper bag to stroller tote and back again. With a quick zip, everything important is safely tucked away, ready to go, so there’s no more second guessing if you looked under that diaper or moved those toys to find your wallet in the Walgreens checkout line.

And what events will you be spearheading for the expecting and new parent community?

Our events, the Pregnancy PowerHours (PPH) bring together both sides of the parenting journey for an encouraging and educational space to learn, ask questions, and get support. These in-person and virtual events feature expert speakers like pediatricians, lactation consultants, car seat safety technicians, physical and mental health therapists, and NICU parents with even more to come.

Each session includes one or two keynote presentations followed by a Q&A and time to meet that event’s sponsors. Our sponsors are more than names on signs; they are carefully chosen resources who provide support through every shift, surprise, and milestone. In-person events also include dinner served during the presentation, because no one learns well when they’re hangry.

You mentioned the impetus behind “birthing” StorkManager was your own pregnancy experience. Let’s get into then nuts and bolts. How did you turn your idea into action?

I decided one life-altering event wasn’t enough for the year, so when my daughter was four months old, I began building StorkManager. Two months later, I launched an early access on Labor Day!

Towards the end of my pregnancy, I was telling my husband the types of tools I would want for next time. One idea turned into two, two turned into three, and before I knew it, there was a fully-fledged business plan staring at me begging to be built.

What was meant to be something for me turned into something for people like me: expectant parents who wanted to feel more organized, prepared and supported during their pregnancy.

I found great apps to track baby’s development, but there were surprisingly few focused on moms and their overall wellbeing. Those that did were very specific to one idea: symptom tracker, kick counters, contraction timers, and the like.

Looking back, I realized I used 14 different apps during pregnancy. That didn’t include the websites, books, blogs, or magazines we learned from.

So, I built a single, comprehensive platform for parental pregnancy management and called it StorkManager. After all, it’s the storks that bring the baby, but it would be nice to have a little control in the meantime.
From there, the Nesting Bags and Pregnancy PowerHours followed naturally as additional ways to encourage, educate and equip new and growing families for their next exciting journey.

Parent care is not something that is top of mind when we think about ways to prepare for all of the changes that mom undergoes. How does this app help?

Research shows both parents experience some level of change during pregnancy. The gray matter in mom’s brain decreases to make room for more maternal responses to develop. Dad’s testosterone decreases for increased caregiving and empathy. With both parents’ changes, it’s so important to give them the tools and support they need to succeed even now before baby arrives.

Sometimes there are events or milestones that neither parent is aware of, particularly with first time parents. That’s why the calendar has a long list of medical, milestone, celebratory, preparation and familial events to add to the forward-facing calendar. Creating all the events that went into the calendar, I learned there were things I still didn’t know, like all the types of genetic testing that could be done and different tests to see how baby’s doing past the due date.

Our intent with StorkManager as a whole is simple: while you’re taking care of baby, we’re helping you take care of you.

Tell us more about the virtual waiting room on your website or app. It’s so cool and smart!

Thank you! It’s honestly my second favorite feature (after the health tab, because it’s so helpful).

The virtual waiting room is exactly as it sounds: a digital space for the village to excitedly await baby’s arrival together. Physical distance and hospital policy have influenced the waiting room experience. Entire families often are not able to gather in a single room to wait for the good news, as we have personally experienced, but we didn’t want to lose the anticipation and camaraderie that happens when everyone is together. That’s why we created the opportunity to have it virtually!

When it’s time to have the baby, the parents click the “Heading to the Hospital” button to notify their village the virtual waiting room is open. They can hop in, share messages, and chit-chat with each other while waiting for the big announcement. Unlike the update feed, the parents and guests can post in the waiting room. There’s even a direct message option, so in-laws can coordinate visits or friends can organize the meal train.

Once the baby arrives, the parents decide when to close the room. Guests get a little wrap-up time before everyone is transitioned back to the regular update feed. It’s a great, nostalgic way to include your favorite people in one of the biggest moments of your life.

Can you connect baby registries to your personal StorkManager account?

Definitely. Under the Registry Tab, simply paste all the links from all your registries. Connect lists from Amazon, Babylist, Crate & Kids, MyRegistry, Pottery Barn Kids, Registry Finder, Target, Walmart, and Zola Baby.
Guests will see the registries in one centralized spot, rather than digging through texts, invites, and social media. Just point them to the Registry Tab and skip the confusion entirely.

Is there anything else you’d like us to know about yourself or StorkManager?

Yes! Our Pregnancy PowerHours officially kick off in November with a talk on Early Intervention, led by a parent-turn-professional who will explain why getting support early can make such a difference for kids and their families.

December introduces our first in-person event titled “NICU and You” featuring a certified perinatal therapist and a mom who has experienced NICU life. Together, they’ll share what a NICU stay can look like and how to prepare mentally and emotionally for the unexpected.

We’re always on the lookout for prenatal, postpartum, and early childhood professionals eager to share their knowledge. Each PowerHours have ten sponsorship spots, so businesses and organizations can show visible support for the attending families during this life-changing transition. If you’re a local business and that sounds like something you or someone you know may be interested in, I’d love to connect and explore ways to work together to uplift and encourage expectant and growing families.

Last but not least, give us your contact details.

My email is [email protected]. Text or call me at (708) 526-8104. You can also contact us through the website at https://storkmanager.com/contact with questions.