Building the Village: Community, Connection, and Parenthood with Peri
At Aspen Grove Counseling & Wellness, we know that early parenthood can feel both beautiful and overwhelming, especially when you’re navigating it without a trusted support network. That’s why we’re excited to share a blog series highlighting local professionals and small businesses offering compassionate, grounded care for new and expecting parents in the Atlanta and Decatur area. You can check out the entire series here.
Each post is a chance to learn more about the people behind the services — what they do, why they do it, and how they’re helping build a more connected and supportive village for families in transition.
In this blog, we’re excited to introduce you to Niki High, co-founder of Peri — a thoughtfully designed parenting community in Atlanta that helps families find real, lasting connection through every stage of early parenthood.
Whether it’s their expert-led prenatal classes, cozy play circles for new parents and babies, or casual parent socials, Peri is built on the belief that parenthood isn’t meant to be done alone. Niki and her team are creating something rare and beautiful — a space where support is consistent, community is intentional, and parents feel less like they’re surviving the early years and more like they’re living them, together.
Getting to Know Peri
Welcome, Niki, and thank you for sharing your story with us! Can you start by telling us a little about yourself and the work you do?
“Hi! I'm Niki, mom to a tiny tornado of a one-year-old, former school counselor, audiobook lover, runner, and co-founder of Peri.
At Peri, our whole purpose is to help new and soon-to-be parents feel connected, informed, and genuinely supported. Whether you're looking for trusted Atlanta resources or a solid parent community, we’re here for you.
Our Prenatal Course is designed to feel more like a social club than a lecture series. We bring in Atlanta’s best perinatal experts to lead conversation-based sessions on topics most hospital classes skip — preparing your relationship for parenthood, choosing a birth team aligned with your values, perinatal nutrition and exercise, infant feeding, postpartum recovery planning, and so much more. Our goal is to help parents learn together, feel less alone, and build friendships that last well beyond pregnancy.
For parents with little ones, we also host Play Circles — relaxed weekly meetups for families with pre-walking babies — and Parent Socials, which range from adults-only outings to family-friendly gatherings.
Everything we do is rooted in connection, community, and making the transition into parenthood feel a little more joyful.”
Do you offer in-person, virtual, or hybrid services?
“In-person! I'm a big proponent of getting out of the house and connecting offline.”
What inspired you to start working with new and soon-to-be parents?
“The transition into parenthood is an all-encompassing evolution—our bodies, values, relationships, finances, and even our homes are transformed. Preparing for the physical part of birth is so important, and it's only one piece of becoming a mother. My OB covered the medical basics, but when it came to the emotional and practical changes, I was on my own. It felt overwhelming and isolating.
After my son was born, I craved connection with other new parents—to share the joys of postpartum, but also the exhaustion and the big, existential questions. But I had no idea where to find other parents! Online groups and social media were a pale substitute for laughing (and maybe crying a bit) over coffee with a friend.
I realized what parents need is one place where expert guidance and genuine community meet. That’s why Peri exists. Our Prenatal Course, Play Circles, and Parent Socials connect Atlanta’s parents and parents-to-be with each other and with the experts who help them thrive.”
What are some of the common challenges your clients face in early parenthood, and how do you support them through that?
“Parenthood is both deeply personal and profoundly universal. The hard parts feel lighter when you have friends beside you.”
Becoming a parent is a massive identity shift, and it impacts every part of life–relationships, careers, fitness, finances, even how we see ourselves. During pregnancy, so much attention goes to the biological changes, and the emotional, relational, and practical transitions can go unacknowledged. That’s when parents-to-be start to feel overwhelmed, disconnected, or just “not themselves.”
At Peri, we work to name those challenges openly and support parents through them. All of our offerings are rooted in community and in seeing the whole person, not just the parent. Through discussion-based classes, weekly meetups where nothing is off-limits, and fun social events, parents get space to process what they’re going through, ask questions, and build connections that last well beyond the newborn stage.
Parenthood is incredible and hard, and you’re not in it alone.
What makes your approach unique or different from others in your field?
“What sets Peri apart is our intentional design, consistent structure, and the fact that we handle the logistical lift for you. Our play circles, prenatal courses, and parent socials are not therapy, but they are deeply informed by best practices in education, group facilitation, and community building.
Our approach is whole-person and thoughtfully sequenced: we start with prenatal courses so you enter parenthood with real connections, then continue with weekly play circles that help you get out of the house and find rhythm in the first year of parenthood, and round it out with relaxed parent socials that make it easy to stay connected.
Most parent groups end after six weeks, rely on parents to organize their own meetups, or exist mostly online. We offer real-world, ongoing connection—rooted in structure, supported by expertise, and built around the kind of community every new parent deserves.”
Are there particular moments in your work that feel especially meaningful or rewarding?
“The most rewarding moments are when two parents connect over a shared experience—the sleepless nights, the feeding challenges, the constant desire to do what’s best for their baby while feeling completely unsure what that even means. When they’re able to laugh about it together, something shifts. They realize they’re not alone in this. Those moments capture what’s so powerful about community: the reminder that parenthood is both deeply personal and profoundly universal. Seeing that recognition on someone’s face—the relief, the belonging—that’s the best part of what I do.”
Can you share one thing you wish all new parents knew or believed about themselves?
“I want every parent—especially moms—to know that it’s okay to want to be a whole person with dreams, goals, and interests beyond parenthood. It’s okay to grieve the version of yourself and the life you had before, and to know that becoming a mother doesn’t mean losing who you are. It can be an expansion into a fuller, deeper version of yourself. And you don’t have to figure it all out alone—the hard parts feel lighter when you have friends beside you.”
What’s something you wish more people understood or asked about your work?
“I wish more people understood that preparing for birth is about so much more than learning the physiological process. It’s also about preparing your mind, your relationships, and your sense of identity for this huge life transition.”
How can someone know if your service might be a good fit for them?
“If you’re pregnant or a parent in Atlanta who’s craving real, consistent connection, Peri is for you.”
We’re so grateful to Niki for sharing a window into her work with Peri and for being part of the village of support around new parents in our community!
You can contact Niki at niki@with-peri.com, learn more about their services at https://www.with-peri.com , or follow along at @parentwithperi.
About the Author - Aspen Grove Counseling and Wellness
Aspen Grove Counseling & Wellness is a Decatur-based therapy practice supporting individuals and couples across Georgia. We offer warm, steady, emotionally attuned care through all stages of parenting — from pregnancy and postpartum to the ongoing changes of family life.
Our specialties include pregnancy/postpartum therapy, couples counseling for parents, and The Intentional Babymoon — a private, retreat-style intensive designed to help partners reconnect, communicate, and prepare for life after baby.
Whether you’re navigating new parenthood, shifting identities, or the long-term work of caring for others while staying connected to yourself, you deserve support that honors the full complexity of your experience. We’re here to walk alongside you.