Meet Madelyn Ellis

Today we’d like to introduce you to Madelyn Ellis.

Hi Madelyn, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
Thank you so much for reaching out! This dream started when I was pregnant with my first daughter in 2016. After Googling all the advice possible on what to do before having your first baby, one recurring theme in nearly every blog article was to prepare freezer meals to eat after delivery. I have always loved cooking and have my degree from ASU in Nutrition with concentrations in dietetics and nutrition management, as well as a certification in child nutrition.

As I was cooking I thought about how much I would love to do this for others, and it would be my dream job to grocery shop and prepare meals for new moms. I even thought of the name back then- The Nest Prep- and it stayed in the back of my mind for years. Fast forward to 2021, I was pregnant with my third daughter and preparing more freezer meals for my good friend Julia who was about to have her first.

I had been working in school nutrition management for several years, but The Nest Prep was still my long-term goal. I wondered if the name was still out there, and to my surprise, the website domain and social media handles were all available. I took that as a sign that it was meant for me (or maybe it was just a bad name, lol) and purchased the website name that day.

From then until August 2022, I slowly worked on the concept, the details, the menu, designing the website, the labels for all the food, and the financial side of it all. To my surprise, before the website was even done, I woke up to order in early July and it gave me the boost I needed to finish purchasing the paper products and fine-tune the rest of the menu.

The next week, I received another order (this is with no marketing, no Instagram posts, and no launch yet) and from there I hit the ground running. I attended a couple of breastfeeding/motherhood markets and events and the response was unbelievable. I ended up leaving my full-time job in August (which has been quite scary) shortly after launching in pursuit of making The Nest Prep a full-time job for myself.

I am still working out so many details, but everyone is beyond understanding and I have gotten so many words of encouragement. Every order, every review, every tag, and direct message is so energizing to me- a way I’ve never felt before in a job. I have been so busy since my August 8th launch that I have barely had time to market- which I consider a good thing! I will be at the West Valley Birth Expo on October 29th, and the Gilbert Made for Mama Market on November 5th and 6th.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I am still navigating the speed bumps every day as I learn how to best run the business! Nevertheless, I have zero doubt that this is what I am supposed to be doing. Streamlining delivery has been a big one for me- I am debating splitting up delivery days by region of Phoenix (currently delivery is every Thursday, all across the valley).

Figuring out the menu and how to bulk prepare has been another struggle, thank goodness I have my good friend Chef Whitney Salgado for that. We met working in school nutrition in 2020 and I always knew she would be the first person I asked for help if I ever got The Nest Prep off the ground. She and I work in a rented commercial kitchen space together every week and I trust her with my life, both as a person and as a culinarian.

There have been financial struggles, development struggles, scheduling struggles (my girls are 5, 3, and 1- I’m still doing kindergarten and preschool dropoffs and pickups amidst all this), and many others. I didn’t expect this in any way to be a smooth road and if there’s one thing I know about myself, it’s that I will get it done, and done well, every week, one way or another.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’ve never claimed to be a chef, but I do claim to be someone who:

-Loves food and food science.
-Is fascinated with birth.
-Has a major passion for helping postpartum women.
-Is a pretty decent cook.
-Created this company out of both necessity and love.

I knew when I was 4 years old that I would have a career in food. It evolved from chef to food science, to the study of nutrition, but the underlying drive my whole life has been genuine love and curiosity about food and the way it interacts with our body on a molecular level. I was a collegiate athlete at ASU and saw firsthand how nutrition can make or break your energy levels.

After college when I was having babies, I saw firsthand what a difference it makes to have food you love and that makes you feel nourished. This business comes from having a lot of experience in the field and truly comes from a place of wanting to extend this nourishment to new mothers who may not have the time, desire, or resources to do it themselves.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I have kept detailed notes over the years from my bosses and mentors, for both successes and failures, and try to refer to these notes frequently and think back on the times I was experiencing these things. As this business grows it is very important to me to draw upon what I’ve learned from my mentors and apply it to running my entity.

As far as finding a mentor and networking, I think it’s important to put yourself out there and be the one to reach out. I think there is no such thing as too many questions, and you may have to put some pride aside to receive feedback.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thenestprep.com
• Instagram: @thenestprep

Image Credits
Annika Klein