ABOUT
MILLION FAMILY MOMENTS MOVEMENT™
The Gift You’ve Received, Give as a Gift.
That’s not just a motto.
It’s how I live.
It’s why I lead.
It’s the heart of Million Family Moments Movement™.
— Zakiya N. Moton, MPH
Founder,
MILLION FAMILY MOMENTS MOVEMENT™
The Roots of This Movement Were Planted in My Childhood
I didn’t create MILLION FAMILY MOMENTS MOVEMENT™after I became a Mommy.
The seeds were planted when I was a child myself.
I grew up on the west and south sides of Chicago surrounded by love, culture, and community, but also by trauma, silence, and systems that often failed the families I knew. I learned early that even when resources were limited, the power of presence shared meals, laughter, love, and family time could still shape something sacred.
I also learned that not everything gets passed down by choice. Some of it is pain. Some of it is pressure. Some of it is protection in disguise.
Still, what I received support, faith, and connection was a gift. And as I grew, so did the responsibility to give it back.
Our Journey into Parenthood and the Birth of This Movement
Motherhood brought joy, but it also brought challenges.
As a Black woman, wife, and mom navigating marriage, identity, faith, and burnout, I quickly realized how few safe, culturally grounded, spiritually rooted spaces existed for mothers like me, especially when needed support for our child’s development.
Pregnancy wasn’t smooth.
I was stressed from work, on bed rest, and trying to hold everything together. I even had surgery while pregnant. And then he came early.
At just 26 weeks and 3 days, our son entered the world.
He spent 95 days in the NICU.
I spent over 20 days in and out of the ICU and endured multiple surgeries of my own after delivery.
We both fought to live.
And when we finally came home, we stepped into a whole new reality:
Monitoring development.
Advocating for services.
Finding the right support.
And doing it all while still healing.
But we didn’t do it alone.
Even as adults, it was our family, our village, that held us down and carried us through.
Our parents.
Our extended family.
Our friends.
Our church.
My colleagues and mentors in public health and healthcare.
The prayers we couldn’t always speak aloud.
The hospital visits, the check-ins, the late-night messages.
When we couldn’t hold everything together, they held us.
And that’s part of what this movement is about too, acknowledging that families aren’t meant to do it alone. Support systems matter. Interconnectedness matters. It’s not just the home, it’s the web of people, prayers, policies, and programs surrounding the home that helps it thrive.
Even advocating for our son, we’ve had to fight for what wasn’t always obvious.
His needs weren’t always visible but they were real.
Like so many parents, we’ve had to stand in the gap to make sure he got what he needed, when he needed it without shame, delay, or denial.
When I gave birth, it wasn’t just a physical labor, it was spiritual.
It was the beginning of a new assignment.
I didn’t want to just raise a child.
I wanted to break cycles.
I wanted to build systems of prevention not reaction.
I wanted to protect peace.
I wanted to make sure no family had to wait too long, search too hard, or suffer in silence to get the support they need.
That was the moment MILLION FAMILY MOMENTS MOVEMENT™ began to take shape, not as a project, but as a calling.
What Is
MILLION FAMILY MOMENTS MOVEMENT™ is a global initiative equipping families and systems with tools that turn everyday moments into pathways for healing, connection, leadership, and lifelong well-being.
We believe that parents are leaders, the first and most influential ones their children will ever know. Whether it’s leading through bedtime prayers, IEP meetings, joyful and tough conversations, or daily routines, parents carry power. MILLION FAMILY MOMENTS MOVEMENT™ helps them lead on purpose.
We’re not just here to inspire change.
We’re here to equip it moment by moment.
Parenting is Leadership.
Whether seen or unseen, titled or untitled, parents shape the future in real time.
We help them lead with intention, clarity, and care.
What We Do
We support and strengthen families through:
Social-emotional development and early childhood support
Faith-based and values-aligned family rhythms
Parent leadership development for advocacy and influence at home and beyond
Tech-enabled, accessible wellness tools
Community and system partnerships for scalable, sustainable support
How We Deliver
Our services are available through:
In-person events, retreats, and workshops
Live and on-demand digital tools
Hybrid and tech-supported coaching
Custom programs for schools, churches, nonprofits, and agencies
Cross-sector collaborations to bring family-centered support into systems
We meet families where they are and build with the people who serve them.
What Makes Us Different
MILLION FAMILY MOMENTS MOVEMENT™ blends public health science, education, spiritual values, and systems knowledge into one approach:
We honor:
Prevention over crisis
Capacity over control
Connection over compliance
This isn’t about perfect families.
It’s about equipped ones because leading a family is leading a future.
Who We Serve
Parents and caregivers seeking practical, non-judgmental support
Churches and ministries nurturing families beyond Sunday
Government and policy leaders working toward family-centered solutions
Employers investing in whole-person wellness
Nonprofits and coalitions seeking tools that scale
A Note from the Founder
"From my childhood to motherhood, I’ve seen what happens when families
fall through the cracks. I’ve also seen the power of prayer,
presence, and prevention. And I’ve learned that Parenting is leadership.
We may not all hold titles, but we hold influence. In the smallest
moments and the hardest decisions, parents are shaping the future.
This isn’t about striving. It’s about equipping families to live well, lead
well, parent well, and multiply the moments that matter most.”
Zakiya N. Moton, MPH
Christian Parenting & Family Well-Being Strategist
Founder,
MILLION FAMILY MOMENTS MOVEMENT™ | CEO, UPLEVEL Management
Multiply the Moments That Matter