Can You Expect to Sleep Again? Pediatric Sleep Consultant Arielle Says Yes!
Ah sleep. Glorious, elusive sleep.
Everyone wants it. It seems no one is getting enough of it. And new parents especially? They would walk 500 miles and they would walk 500 more just to be the parents who walked 1,000 miles to fall down sleeping at your door.
But fortunately for new moms and dads, they don’t have to go to that extreme. And according to pediatric sleep consultant and founder of Expect to Sleep Again, Arielle Greenleaf, you can absolutely expect to sleep again.
Intrigued? Come meet her in this Q&A!
Meet Arielle From Expect to Sleep Again
Becca: Arielle, what inspired you to become a sleep consultant?
Arielle: For the first four months of my daughter’s life, I feel like I didn’t sleep more than 2-3 hours at a time.
I am one of those people who needs long, uninterrupted periods of sleep in order to feel human. When I was returning to work and not sleeping, I was absolutely desperate. I felt physically and mentally exhausted, and honestly felt sick most of the time.
A friend suggested I hire a sleep consultant. I had no clue what a sleep consultant did but she told me to trust her – that sleep consultants were angels from heaven who can help people get their babies to sleep. She was right.
Within two weeks of my work with her, my daughter and I were both sleeping the longest stretches we’d ever slept. I felt like the clouds parted and I was semi-human again. Hiring a sleep consultant was a life-changing experience for me and it led me to want to help others who were in my shoes… and there are plenty of tired parents out there!
Becca: And now you’re life coach and educator too!
Arielle: Throughout my 3+ years in business, I have been approached to share how I made this career change, how I grew my business, how I found the strength to do something new.
The universe kept pushing me to learn more about how to guide others to follow their dreams, change patterns of thinking and behavior, and build a fulfilling life. Finally, I found the time to get certified as a life coach.
Now, I’m launching my first sleep consultant certification program, Expect to Sleep Again Dream School! All students will not only learn to become certified pediatric sleep consultants but will also have one-on-one life coaching sessions with me! I’m able to meld my two passions into one with this program, and I’m super excited for the September 2019 launch!
Becca: What is your favorite part about working with parents?
Arielle: So many of the parents that come to me are feeling broken, defeated, desperate, and (of course) exhausted. It’s always incredible to me to see the transformation within the entire family unit when they follow the plan and are finally getting the rest they need.
When I see that same life-changing moment that I experienced – that’s my favorite part!
Getting Down to Business
Becca: You’re your own boss! Making an impact, carving your own path, living the dream! But I know there is a lot of work behind the scenes.
What’s been the most challenging part of starting and growing your business?
Candace: Haha – it’s a constant hustle. CONSTANT.
I think that’s how most people fail, quite honestly. It requires SO MUCH work to get a business off the ground and thriving.
I would say I spent my first year constantly reaching out, making connections, putting myself out there on social media, and, most importantly, getting that “word-of-mouth” marketing working for me. Word of mouth is my number one marketing tool but it certainly took (and continues to take) a lot of time and relationship building to keep things running.
I think this is the hardest part of the business; however, I wouldn’t have it any other way! Owning a service-based business means that my revenue isn’t steady. There are super busy periods and super quiet periods. When I first started out, I would panic during the slow periods. Now, I take advantage of the “quiet” and use the time to work on achieving new goals and expanding my business (slowly but surely).
Becca: What advice do you have for someone looking to start their own business?
Arielle: Give it time! A thriving business doesn’t just happen overnight. Don’t give up on yourself, continue to make connections with folks in your community, try not to let panic set in. If you want it, and you work for it, success will come.
Becca: Tell us how you found your “sweet spot” as a sleep consultant and life coach?
My career coach mind defines “sweet spot” as the overlap between your skills, your interests, and the value you bring to others.
Arielle: When I was trying to decide how to move forward with sleep consulting and life coaching, I was a bit unsure how to handle both. That’s when I decided that the universe was telling me to follow the overlap and start training sleep consultants while incorporating my life coaching skills.
I am slowly backing away from taking on sleep clients as I build my boutique “dream team” of sleep consultants, but I will always have a few clients because that’s really where my heart is – with the families!
Read More on Finding Your Career Sweet Spot
When Can We Expect to Sleep Again?
Becca: Alright, inquiring minds have to know! I know every situation is different, but…
What is your favorite piece of sleep advice for parents?
Candace: Embrace an early bedtime!
People are so scared to put their infants/toddlers/children to bed early but they need SO MUCH sleep! And biologically, kiddos do best with a bedtime sometime between 6 and 8 p.m. (for the most part).
If you have an infant or toddler, you may be scared to put your child to bed early for fear of an even earlier wakeup. In fact, getting your child to bed early before they become overtired will often lead to a LATER wakeup. Early bedtimes help keep kiddos well rested and allow for parents to embrace some self care in the evening hours!
Career advice AND sleep advice! We’ve hit the jackpot here folks.
Thanks so much to Arielle for joining us here on With Love, Becca! Make sure to check out her website if you are desperately seeking some sleep, or want to help others get some sleep! You can also follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
One more fun fact: I met Arielle at the networking event I REALLY didn’t want to go. Networking for the win!
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We’ve had our share of sleep issues, but the early bed time thing is so true. People always act surprised when we say we put our kids to bed at 7, and then usually tell me what a good mom I am for getting them down early. What I don’t understand is why anyone WOULDN’T put their kids to bed as early as possible. There’s no way I could handle letting them stay up any later! Mama needs a couple hours to watch Netflix and munch on their Easter candy in peace.
Does Arielle work only with babies, or older children too?
Totally feel you on needing to get those kiddos to bed! If I got home a bit earlier from work I’m sure we would be closer to 7 than 8 with bedtime too.
Arielle works with families with kids up to age 6!