Lindsey McGonegal Interview – US Sleep Consultant

LINDSEY MCGONEGAL – UNITED STATES – CERTIFIED MARCH 2018

www.sleeplittlelamb.com

1. What drew you to making the life changing decision to study and become a sleep consultant?

I experienced the pain of chronic sleep deprivation up close and personal with my second child. My first hadn’t been a great sleeper either, but I managed to figure it out enough to get her sleeping, so I thought I was ready for #2. But my second daughter was even more difficult than my first, which led to 10 months of not one night of consolidated sleep. I was at my wits end and finally decided to hire a sleep consultant. It was life-changing and absolutely the best money I’ve ever spent. I realized that she had given me such a priceless gift – enjoying being a mom again, and it grew in me a deep desire to help other moms in similar situations, while still allowing me to keep raising my girls as my first priority.

2. What sort of clients motivate you the most? Tell us a story if you have one.

My favorite case so far has been a 2.5-year-old who had never slept through the night and had literally never fallen asleep independently. By the time his mom contacted me, she was defeated, her marriage was suffering, and she felt resentful towards her toddler. But, she had enough of a glimmer of hope (through another parent’s testimonial) that maybe things could get better. She reached out, and I wrote a comprehensive plan using the 4 Rs plus gradual withdrawal. Even though he was young, he was quite verbal and bright. He took to the sticker chart immediately and was excited about earning his stickers. The first bedtime took a long time for him to fall asleep, but he did it! And then, to all of our surprise, he slept straight through the night! His parents were shocked and cautiously optimistic. Although it took about a week for him to stop fighting bedtime and for him to start falling asleep happily and with his parents outside of his room, he literally slept through the night every night since then. His mom’s testimonial literally made me cry. The quality of their marriage and parent-child relationship had drastically improved, just by empowering them to implement an awesome plan with good backbone structured into it.

3. Is the role rewarding, what do you find rewarding?

This job is incredibly rewarding. Not only am I helping moms who I relate to on such a personal level, but I get to help their kids begin to thrive in a way that the parents didn’t even realize was possible. It’s also amazing to be able to sometimes help moms with just a few adjustments, like moving around their nap schedule or bedtime to see drastic improvements. That’s when they feel like you’re a “miracle worker”, which of course, you know is just because you understand the science behind it all, but it’s still great to be able to serve them in that way.

4. What has been your biggest challenge to date, how are you dealing with this?

Biggest challenge so far has been getting organized with all the moving parts – the marketing, the emails, keeping track of different clients…organization is not my strong suit, but it’s really important for running your own business!

5. Why do you believe sleep is important for all families?

Sleep is as essential as food and water!! You can’t function well without adequate amounts for long. Not having it brings out the absolute worst in most people, but being well-rested is foundational for happy, healthy families.

6. Tell me one thing you learnt in your studies that will stick with you forever?

That the best method is what works best for each individual family. You can’t impose your own method or personal beliefs on a family, you need to create a personalized plan that each particular family can confidently commit to, because commitment is key to success, and if they’re not comfortable with the plan, they won’t commit.

7. What are your plans moving forward for the next 12 months?

My plans are to grow my business enough to bring on other moms as consultants for my business! I’m also planning on growing my Instagram following and creating video sleep courses, but that’s probably further down the road.

8. If you could tell tired desperate parents one thing, what would that be?

There is HOPE!! You don’t have to continue living this way. Just because it didn’t work in the past doesn’t mean that we can’t figure it out together in the present. You can enjoy being a parent again!

LINDSEY MCGONEGAL – April 2018