Meet Michelle Prentice

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

Michelle , thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?

I guess my optimism comes from my dad, he had cancer from the time I can remember, and he passed away when I was 10, but during that time he was alive I always saw him be upbeat and look for the good in things in the positive in a situation And I was blessed with people around me that that would perpetuate the same attitude. My vocal teacher was one of those people as well. I would hear people say that you make your life what it is by your attitude. So I decided it could be great or it could be bad. I would choose great.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

My name is Michelle Nicolo apprentice.I’m a singer/songwriter in Nashville Tennessee. I also am a practitioner of an emotional process called Faster EFT. I have three beautiful adult children two amazing gorgeous grandchildren. I live in Nashville with my husband, Mark, who is a fabulous musician and Grammy award winning producer.
I grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah, where my parents owned an Italian restaurant called Mama Nicolo’s. On the weekends I’d go with them and listen to the little trio they hired. The girl singer absolutely mesmerized me. One day, I grabbed my dad’s hand, pointed straight at her, and said, “That’s what I wanna do! One day my name is going to be in lights!” I was three years old. But I knew it. I felt it in my bones.

When I was five, a family with six children—three boys and three girls, just like the Brady Bunch—moved down the street. I became fast friends with the girls, and one afternoon when I went over to play, I found a bunch of kids gathered around their mom at the piano, all singing. They invited me to join in, and that was it. I was hooked. I started going every week to rehearse.

After a few months, the creator of the group Becky Keil announced we had a performance coming up and told us to invite our parents. So I walked home, and asked my parents if they would come to my performance ,they looked at me and said , “What performance?” They had no idea I had joined a kids’ group called The Small World Entertainers. But they showed up—and it became the first time they ever saw me perform.

Those years were magical. We sang at the zoo, in parades, on the Jerry Lewis Telethon, and even at Disneyland. When I turned seven, Beccy finally gave me my first solo, and from then on, I knew I wanted to sing on my own.

My dad, even though he was fighting lymphoma, became my manager. He booked me at restaurants, retirement homes, and eventually I even had an agent in Los Angeles. I got to appear on a cable show called America Tonight. Unfortunately, after that my dad’s health had declined. Before he passed , I was about nine years old he wanted to make sure I had a mentor—someone who would guide me. We were led to Blanche Christensen, the former premier vocalist of the Utah Symphony and a professor at the University of Utah. She auditioned me, told my dad I was a little young, and that he should bring me back in a couple years. That’s when he pulled her aside and said, “ listen I only have about six months to live. I need to know she’s in good hands.” And bless her—she took me on right then.

Blanche became like a second mother. She taught me how to sing opera, and about artistry, visualization, discipline, and so much about life. She shaped who I became as a performer and as a person.

In my senior year of high school, after being the lead in the school play “Annie “I learned I had been awarded a full four-year scholarship to the University of Utah for musical theater. I would’ve been the first in my family to go to college. Then one month later, I found out I was pregnant. That was one of the hardest moments of my life— I was petrified of what people would think. I was hearing people tell me I would ruin my future if I had my baby. But something inside me knew that wasn’t true. So I got married to my first love on a Saturday, went back to school on Monday, graduated five months pregnant, and had our beautiful daughter in September 1985.

During the eighth month of my pregnancy, I developed Bell’s palsy—half my face was paralyzed. Being pregnant, all I could do was wait. They kept assuring me it would go away after birth, but it didn’t. For months, I truly thought I would never sing again. One day my teacher, Blanche, called and asked when I was coming back for lessons. I told her I didn’t think I would ever sing again. She said, “That’s ridiculous of course you’re gonna sing again! Go see this acupuncturist.” I did—and in three sessions my face came back. Her positivity and belief in me I will forever be grateful to her for that.

Two and a half years later, we had our son. Those were two of the best decisions I ever made. But my marriage was difficult. My husband had so much childhood trauma, and he turned it inward. He struggled with addiction to drugs and alcohol. In my youth and innocence, I believed I could love him enough to save him. Through hours of therapy, I learned that healing is something a person must choose for themselves. After eight years, we divorced.

I met my current husband, Mark, during the last year of my 1st marriage. He hired me to sing in a show he was producing in Phoenix called The Red River Opry. We worked together for three years, fell in love—yes, the producer and the chick singer, imagine that!—and eventually married. I moved with my two children to Nashville, where he lived and had a very successful career as a session player and producer . And six weeks after our wedding, I found out I was pregnant again. It was the most perfect surprise. Our son John connected all of us together as a family.

Those early Nashville years were bumpy—all transitions are. Mark had never been married, never had kids, and suddenly he had three in the house. We made mistakes, but we learned. And we grew.

I built a singing career here in Nashville while still able to be home with my children, which I’m truly grateful for. Then, in 2016, Mark was hospitalized for a weekend, and I stayed at his bedside. Trying to sleep in that uncomfortable chair, I remembered that he and I had recorded a demo of a lullaby earlier that week for one of his clients. I put in my earbuds, listened to it, and it calmed me instantly. I fell asleep. The next morning, I woke up with this overwhelming thought: maybe Moms need lullabies too—songs made just for them, to soothe and calm them.

The idea wouldn’t leave me alone. I told Mark when we got home and he said, “Can I have a minute? I just got out of the hospital.” And then…I sat on it for two years.

One day while driving, I literally heard a voice say, “It’s time to start writing lullabies , Call Marcus Hummon.” Marcus is a Grammy-winning songwriter—and a longtime friend. I called. He answered. I told him I wanted to write lullabies for moms. He said, “sure Come over.” In 2018, we wrote the first song “Say Beautiful“
After that, names of other writers would just drop into my spirit. I would call—and they would say yes. Before I knew it, I had two volumes of songs co-written with extraordinary artists: Amy Grant, Linda Davis, Victoria Shaw, Mike Reid, Chris Roberts, Lisa Aschmann…so many more. I knew this was divine. I could never have conjured this on my own.

I began recording in 2020. When we finished, I thought, “Great. Here’s the music for moms.” But God had other plans. The more I spoke with mothers, the more I heard the same words: “I feel alone. Overwhelmed. Isolated.” We don’t live in villages anymore, surrounded by wise women and aunties and grandmas who support new mothers. We’re scattered. We’re disconnected. And moms are carrying the weight of the world.

That’s when I realized: Mama’s Lullaby had to be more than music. It had to be education, emotional support, healing, and community.

Motherhood is the bedrock of society. When mothers are healthy and supported, their children thrive. When children thrive, families change. When families change, communities change. Generations change.

In 2024 we launched the Mama‘s lullaby podcast on streaming platforms and YouTube. I interviewed all of the co-writers of this project and we discussed the subject matter of each song as well as professionals in the healing arts. We will continue to interview as many women with different viewpoints and different experiences as possible as to create a library of support for whoever might be going through something similar. It’s a way they can connect 24/7 with someone they might relate to.

My husband and I are also in the process of creating a Mama’s lullaby. One woman show in 2026!

And finally I’m preparing to launch the nonprofit side of Mama’s Lullaby so we can financially support women in accessing healing modalities—trauma release techniques, emotional wellness tools, stress relief processes—that are life-changing but rarely covered by insurance. We will also begin our Village Builders pilot program in 2026: small groups of seasoned moms and new moms, guided by a professional, learning emotional tools, eating nourishing meals together, building true community, and remembering that none of us are meant to do this alone.

I never imagined this would be my life. But looking back, every part of my journey—every hardship, every blessing, every song, every mentor—was preparing me to help mothers heal. This has been one of the most challenging, scary, beautiful callings I’ve ever stepped into. And I haven’t done it alone. I’ve been carried by my incredible Family and friends, my community here in Nashville, and people cheering us on all over the country.

I believe the next year will bring transformation for so many women. And I am ready to serve in every way I can—because when we lift up mothers, we change generations.

⸻

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Three Traits That Have Helped Me on My Journey

1. Perseverance
When you’re building something, there will always be roadblocks. Things that set you back, disappoint you, or make you want to crawl under the covers and quit. I’ve had many of those moments. What I’ve learned is that you can’t let those moments stop you — but you also can’t bulldoze through them. Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is take a day off, breathe, pray, get centered again, and trust that the right thing is unfolding even if you can’t see it yet. Perseverance isn’t about never getting knocked down — it’s about getting back up with purpose and remembering why you started in the first place.

2. Trust
I’ve had to learn to trust the process, trust myself, and trust that divine voice inside that always seems to know the next right step. We all have big dreams, but those dreams are built through tiny micro-steps — steps that sometimes seem so small you wonder how they could possibly matter. But they do. When I quiet myself enough to listen, that inner guidance is always directing me. For years I thought everyone else knew better than I did — but over time I learned to trust my gut. If something doesn’t feel right, even if it’s scary, I say so. Trusting yourself is one of the most important tools you will ever develop.

3. Being a “Squeaky Wheel”
This one makes people laugh, but it’s absolutely true. If you’re trying to build something, you will need other people — and sometimes they are busy, distracted, or forgetful. Many of us don’t want to be a “bother,” but you cannot be afraid to follow up. If someone has said they want to help you, you have every right to be professionally persistent. I’ll even tell people, “Unless you want me to stop bugging you, you’ll need to tell me directly.” Most people actually appreciate the reminders. Being a squeaky wheel isn’t about nagging — it’s about advocating for your mission with clarity and consistency.

⸻

My Advice for Someone Starting Their Journey

Quiet the noise around you so you can hear your inner wisdom. Trust your instincts more than your fears. Take the small steps — they are shaping your future even when you don’t realize it. And when challenges come, don’t let them convince you that you’re not meant for this. Sometimes the delay is the direction.

And finally, don’t be afraid to speak up, to follow up, and to advocate for your dream. If you don’t fight for what you’re building, no one else will know how important it

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I’d love to connect with people , companies and organizations who support women and mothers—podcasts, companies, leaders in emotional health, mindset coaches like Tony Robbins, and spiritual leaders. I’m also looking for foundations and philanthropists to invest in our nonprofit and help bring support, education, and community to moms.
And lastly, I would love to be connected to the comedian group, Jen and Kristin in “I mom so hard “ and the fabulous LeeAnne Morgan. I would love to have them on my Mamas lullaby podcast!!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.Mamaslullaby.com www.michellenicoloprentice.com
• Instagram: @Mama’s lullaby home
• Facebook: Mamas lullaby home
• Youtube: @MamasLullaby-rq4bj. @michelleprentice5560
• Other: https://www.michellenicoloprentice.com

Image Credits

Photo by michelle