SHREVEPORT – As a mother of two kids, LSU Shreveport student Paige Schuldt was well versed in the difficulties new moms face in partaking in Shreveport-Bossier’s public festivals and events.

Schuldt’s answer was The Nurture Nook, a furnished pop-up pod that allows moms a clean, safe space to feed their infants and relax from the hustle and bustle.

The idea captured the undergraduate Pilot Pitch title this past November, and Schuldt used the $3,000 cash prize to manufacture a second Nurture Nook pod and launch her first Nurture Night event.

The Feb. 21 event, titled “Loved, Lifted & Local” will take place at the Riverview Theatre and feature bingo in the afternoon, a farmer’s market-style shopping atmosphere with 25 local vendors, and a craft night with dinner in the evening. The event is hosted in conjunction with North Bossier Shop Hop.

“It’s already hard to get out and enjoy public events as a mother, and I felt very overwhelmed in public when it came to trying to breastfeed,” Schuldt said. “Moms are forced to choose to nurse or pump in a hot car or in an unsanitary public restroom – or stay home.

“We not only want to support moms in being more active socially but also to create a more connected community through events like Nurture Night.”

 

THE BEGINNING

Schuldt launched her business this past September, right before she received an invitation to participate in LSUS’s Pilot Pitch, an entrepreneurial competition in which students participate in a series of workshops before pitching their business idea to a panel of judges.

In Schuldt’s case, she and her husband already completed their first event at the annual Wiener Dog Charity Races at Louisiana Downs on Labor Day weekend.

But Schuldt said the Pilot Pitch experience came at the perfect time.

“I’m not the public speaker type, but this experience helped my confidence so much,” Schuldt said. “The feedback in how to structure going forward was immensely helpful, and we gained nonprofit status shortly after the competition.

“The experience was so much fun, and it helped me get a clear view of the steps I needed to take. I’m so thankful LSUS offers Pilot Pitch.”

 

THE POD

The Nurture Nook pod features a comfortable chair, a changing table stocked with items like wipes and diapers, a phone charging station, and a mini-fridge with refreshments.

The pod, which her husband sets up and tears down, has fans and blankets to manage year-round weather conditions.

Schuldt said early response to the pod has been extremely positive.

“At our first event, we had so many people come up to us and say, ‘What is this?’,” Schuldt said. “We had parents but also grandparents who take care of children saying how amazed they were, and it’s something you hope for but not necessarily expect.

“Even a lot of parents who didn’t have young kids any more say they wish this was around when their children were younger.”

The largest portion of Schuldt’s revenue comes in the form of rental fees from events and venues with a portion coming from donations to support the acquisition of stocking the pod with items.

“We always want this to be a free service we provide, so we have an honor system where people can pay what they can for things like diapers, wipes and snacks,” Schuldt said. “We wanted to provide a space for moms to take a second, somewhere clean that’s well maintained.

“The biggest struggle is trying to plan whether I was leaving an event early or coming late, based on a feeding schedule. But the idea is for moms to come in, nurse or feed, decompress, and then get back out there.”

 

BALANCING THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE

Schuldt balances a full-time career as a bookkeeper, the pursuit of a marketing degree at LSUS, motherhood to a four-year-old son and 16-month-old daughter, and the launching her business.

The 30-year-old originally started as a finance major, but after taking several years off from school, she thought marketing was the best route to bring this newfound business idea into existence.

“I do struggle some days with balancing it all, but I have an extremely supportive husband,” Schuldt said. “This started as a passion project, and the ultimate goal is to do this full time and be more involved in the community.”

Schuldt is on schedule to finish her degree this summer or fall.

“I wanted to accomplish this for myself, to prove that it’s not too late to go back and do what you want to do,” Schuldt said.

The Nurture Nook aims to spread the word in the community and to event planners and coordinators, particularly for downtown Shreveport festivals.

Schuldt is scheduled to appear at family events this summer at Louisiana Downs and hopes to add to its 2026 slate of events, building off its success at places like Haughton’s Dogwood Food Truck and Vendor Market this past fall.

“We’re still in the launching phase and trying to get our name out there, but we’re getting connected to people who want to have Nurture Nooks at their events,” Schuldt said. “God is putting a lot of people in our path that’s helping us get there.”