We recently connected with Michelle Nirumandrad and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Michelle thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

At The Human Milky Way, our mission is to create equitable access to human milk for all families—a mission born from personal experience as a mother of four and as a peer-to-peer milk donor. I’ve felt the joy of nourishing my children as well as the feelings of inadequacy and despair that come with interuptions in supply. Seeing other families go through the same struggles, often with no support or resources, made it clear how isolating lactation can be. We know “breast is best,” and the research and recent NEC lawsuits are showing us this now more than ever, but accessing human milk has, in a lot of ways, become a privilege. Only families with adequate care, support, and work accommodation have much of a choice in whether or not they will be able to succesfully provide human milk to their children.
The Human Milky Way is committed to breaking down these barriers so every family has equitable access to our magnificent milk!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Of course, I’d love to! I’m the founder of The Human Milky Way, a business developed after my own lactation journey. I became a donor rather unintentionally. I was actually struggling with a drop in supply because of a nursing aversion (another frustrating nuisance of breastfeeding with very little information on for parents) and was panic pumping around the clock. When my baby continued to refuse to latch on anything but me, I found myself with excess milk that I ultimately began sharing with other families in need. This experience showed me just how strong the demand is for accessible support and resources in lactation, inspiring me to create software that makes human milk access easier for all families. Our platform virtualizes and gamifies proven lactation interventions, providing evidence-based education and motivation to help parents express more milk and meet their feeding goals. We also actively recruit donors and showcase the incredible community impact of human milk—tracking lives touched and lives saved by each ounce donated.
I’m proud to be building a community-focused platform that not only supports families’ health goals but also fosters a movement of recognizing just how valuable and powerful our milk really is.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Absolutely, Psycho-Cybernetics by Dr. Maxwell Maltz has been a transformative resource for me! Dr. Maltz’s insights on the power of self-image and positive manifestation have profoundly shaped my approach to both management and entrepreneurship. His philosophy taught me that how we envision ourselves directly impacts our ability to succeed and overcome challenges. By applying his principles, I’ve learned to harness visualization as a tool to build resilience, focus, and creativity in my work. This mindset shift has been instrumental not only in setting ambitious goals for myself but in maintaining the motivation and confidence to bring them to life.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

One of the most challenging moments in my journey happened very early on when I developed a sudden, intense aversion to breastfeeding my first child. One morning, I woke up and simply couldn’t stand the sensation of him nursing—it was completely overwhelming, unnerving, and made me want to crawl out of my skin. There were no resources or clear explanations for what I was feeling, and I was left to cope alone. I would pace frantically while he nursed, and claw at my chest and head to distract from the sensation. Once, I even accidentally kicked a hole through our wall in knee-jerk discomfort and disgust. But, with how limited donor milk access is, I knew if I wanted my child to have human milk, the only choice was my own. I kept searching for answers, determined to understand and overcome what was happening to me. This experience not only reiterated to me the power of a mother’s love, but ultimately fueled my drive to help other families facing challenges in lactation, hoping they won’t feel as isolated and as lost as I once did.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thehumanmilkyway.com
• Instagram: @capturedskyart
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-nirumandrad-442a312bb

Image Credits

Ashley Wright
Michelle Nirumandrad
William Franklin Cole III