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Before the spotlight of The Jennifer Hudson Show, before the grant awards and glowing media features, DeAnna Taylor sat alone in her car — not to drive anywhere, but to stop. To be still. To breathe.

That pause, brief and silent as it was, became a revolution.

In 2016, Taylor was stretched impossibly thin. A full-time professional, wife, mother of three children under five, and newly pregnant with her fourth, she also carried the emotional labor of being the go-to friend, the rock for her community, the one who never said no. Until her body did it for her.

“I was falling apart,” she said. “My face broke out, I couldn’t think, I didn’t feel like myself. I was drowning.”

And so she asked her husband for something she’d never demanded before — one evening each week, just for her. She didn’t know what she would do with that time, but she knew she needed it. Sometimes she sat in her car in silence. Sometimes she drove nowhere. Always, she returned to herself, little by little.

That simple act of claiming space became the seed for Mom Care Oasis, a wellness company focused not on pampering, but on emotional self-preservation. Taylor, now the founder, CEO and executive coach, built a business grounded in a radical but urgent idea: what if self-care wasn’t an afterthought for mothers, but a foundation?

Mom Care Oasis is not about candles or bubble baths. “We’re not in the aromatherapy business,” Taylor said. “We’re doing emotional self-care.” Instead, the brand offers physical tools that serve deeper, quieter needs — a “Mommy Needs a Minute” door hanger that signals a boundary, a celebration stand that simply says “Girl, you did that,” and stress-management notepads that help women reclaim their day.

For Taylor, it’s not about indulgence — it’s about restoration. And for the women she serves, it’s often the first time someone has reminded them that they deserve peace, not just productivity.

Trained in psychology and certified in coaching during the pandemic, Taylor brings a strategic lens to her work. Unlike therapy, which often explores the past, coaching, she said, focuses on what’s next. She helps women sift through the mental clutter and take practical steps forward — not as an expert on their lives, but as a guide who helps them rediscover their own wisdom.

“I don’t tell them what to do,” she said. “I ask the kind of questions that change the way they see themselves.”

That journey, once personal, is now a shared one. Through one-on-one coaching, group wellness workshops, and retreats, Taylor supports mothers in creating boundaries, making space for rest, and trusting their instincts again. Many begin with her signature phrase: “Mommy needs a minute.” But they leave knowing they’re allowed far more than that.

Her impact extends beyond homes and into boardrooms. With MCO Executive Wellness — the corporate arm of her brand — Taylor brings this same philosophy into the workplace. Drawing on her own HR background in Fortune 500 firms, she facilitates executive coaching, team retreats, and wellness workshops that prioritize emotional health on the job.

“Because it’s not just about what happens at home,” she said. “Workplace culture contributes to burnout too.”

Her reach has grown fast — and so has the recognition. In October 2023, Taylor was featured on The Jennifer Hudson Show, where she was honored as a changemaker uplifting mothers and awarded $10,000 to continue her work. “It was a surreal moment — to be seen, to be validated, and to give Jennifer her own ‘Mommy Needs a Minute’ box,” she said with a smile.

She was also awarded $100,000 in in-kind marketing from iHeartRadio’s “Brilliantly Black” campaign and selected as a Black Girl Ventures Emerging Leader. But for Taylor, the most meaningful impact comes in quieter forms. Like the woman who called after a workshop to say, “My life hasn’t changed — but I see myself differently now.” That moment, Taylor said, affirmed it all.

She now leads retreats designed for mothers to rest without guilt — to sleep in, laugh, cry, and heal. Her signature wellness framework, “Mom Care 7,” helps women practice emotional boundaries, reframe perfectionism, and re-learn the sacred act of rest. It’s not flashy. It’s human. And it’s deeply needed.

“When you help a mom, you help a whole world,” she said. “We touch everything — our children, our partners, our work. When we’re well, everything shifts.”

DeAnna Taylor is building more than a business. She’s building a counterculture, a quiet rebellion against burnout — and inviting mothers everywhere to believe that stillness, too, is productive.

And it all started with a woman, a car, and a few sacred minutes to herself.

Mom-Care Oasis is hosting The Ultimate Mom-Care Oasis Retreat at The Marina Grand Resort in New Buffalo, MI, from May 8–10, 2025. For more information, visit www.momcareoasis.com

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Mom Care Oasis