Rising Stars: Meet Carly Black and Danielle Smason of Littleton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carly Black and Danielle Smason.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Before The Mia Michelle Project ever existed, Danielle used to send me voice notes, simple, honest messages with calm music in the background. Nothing scripted. Just real words that came from GD that helped me breathe on days I didn’t even realize I was holding my breath.

I didn’t know then how much I would need them.

I listened during pregnancy, labor, delivery, and postpartum — in the everyday chaos with my boys, and on the days when motherhood felt heavier than I could put into words.

And then came the season I never expected, becoming a mom to my baby girl I never got to hold. When I lost my daughter, Mia Michelle, those same voice notes carried me through. I listened when I found out I was pregnant, on the nights I couldn’t sleep, while miscarrying, while driving to the hospital bracing for the worst news imaginable, and again when I came home no longer carrying her. Those messages were the only thing that made me feel like I wasn’t alone.

They reminded me that even in hard horrific times, we don’t have to go through it in silence.

That’s why my sister and I created this project.

Because mothers don’t always need advice or fixing, sometimes we just need to feel seen, heard, and validated for a moment. We need someone who understands that being strong doesn’t mean we don’t get tired. We need a place to land when life feels like a lot, and a reminder that we’re not alone in any of it — whether we’re grieving, growing, starting again, or just making it through the day.

This space was created from love, loss, sisterhood, and the quiet moments no one else sees.
For mothers who feel deeply.
For the ones carrying more than they say out loud.
For the hearts who just need a place to rest, even for a minute.

We’re here with you.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not even close — and honestly, that’s where the heart of our work comes from. Every project we’ve created was born out of something deeply personal: seasons of loss, exhaustion, reinvention, and the kind of healing you can’t fake.

For years, we both carried so much — trying to do everything right, hold everything together, and still feel like ourselves in the middle of it. From navigating motherhood and entrepreneurship to facing heartbreak and grief, the road has been anything but smooth. But it’s also what shaped the way we see people — the way we understand pain, resilience, and what it means to create something that helps others feel less alone.

There were seasons when we didn’t know what was next — when we were rebuilding from the ground up emotionally, financially, or creatively. But those same moments became the foundation for everything we do now. We’ve learned that what breaks you often becomes the thing that connects you most deeply to others — and that’s really the thread through all of our work today.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
At the core of everything we do is one shared mission — to help people feel seen, heard, and validated in the moments they usually face alone.

Together, we’ve built spaces that meet people in the middle of real life — from emotional healing and motherhood to everyday resilience. Danielle brings the voice — the calm, grounded presence that helps people feel safe enough to exhale. Carly brings the storytelling — the bridge between the inner world and the outer one, helping people put words to what their hearts have been carrying.

Our work spans two connected spaces — Revival Society, which helps people release the emotional weight they’ve carried for decades, and The Mia Michelle Project, created in memory of Carly’s daughter to support mothers through every chapter of the parenting journey.

What we’re most proud of is the honesty behind it all. None of this was built in theory — it was built from lived experience, from our family’s own seasons of loss, healing, and rebuilding. What sets us apart is that we don’t speak at people; we speak from the middle of it. We’ve both lived the stories we now help others navigate — and every word, recording, and moment comes from that place of empathy, truth, and real human connection.

What makes you happy?
For us, happiness isn’t loud — it’s found in the quiet, ordinary moments that remind us we’re alive and connected. It’s hearing our kids laugh in the next room. It’s watching someone’s shoulders drop when they finally feel seen and understood. It’s creating something that helps someone else breathe a little easier.

Our happiness comes from living in alignment with what matters — family, purpose, and honesty. We’ve both learned that life can change in an instant, so we don’t take peace or presence for granted. Joy shows up in the small things now — tea before the day starts, late-night talks, a message from someone who felt less alone because of something we made.

That’s the heartbeat of it all for us — knowing that what we’ve lived through can somehow help someone else feel a little more seen, heard, and validated in their own story.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.revivalsociety.com and www.themiamichelleproject.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/revivalsocietyjourney and Instagram.com/themiamichelleproject
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/revivalsocietyprocess and https://www.facebook.com/themiamichelleproject/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlyeblack/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellesmason/
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/the-mia-michelle-project
• Substack: https://substack.com/@themiamichelleproject