BY DAVE DROSCHAK

Few things stir emotion like the birth of children. For small business owner Chelsea Jennette it was natural to name her downtown women’s fashion boutique CharleyMadelyn: A Fashion & Faith Boutique to honor her kids. 

But there is more to this story for Jennette and husband Jason, who went through an 18-month fertility journey with frustrating results before the birth of their daughters became a dream come true five years ago. 

That struggle is what prompted Jennette to start a program called Fertility Believers, where she donates 10% of her business proceeds to couples who are going through a similar experience. 

Her company website, charleymadelyn.com, offers a dedicated space where couples can share their stories and offer support for one another.

“Jason and I saw how isolating that experience was, from the time of being diagnosed with unexplained infertility to actually being able to conceive,” Jennette said. “There was just so much isolation and not a lot of information out there. It has gotten better now, thankfully, but back then there was this social norm to keep things like that hidden and not talked about. As a woman, I needed support from others that I just didn’t get.” 

Back in 2017 Jennette started a regular blog, A Fashionable Believer, devoted to supporting women who struggle with fertility issues. “I wanted to coin that term for women to really find hope and support throughout their process, wherever they are in their infertility treatment—whether they’ve already conceived or whether they’re in it knee-deep—because it’s never-ending,” she says.

Jennette, 34, now has four children. She and Jason recently celebrated the birth of their son Henry, who was born without fertility intervention. The husband and wife team run their business in deep gratitude for their beautiful family.

Check out more from around the Western Wake at 5westmag.com.