How To Become A Child Sleep Consultant

By: Jenn Kelner @MyBabyZzz

We received many questions on how Jenn Kelner became a Child Sleep Consultant. She shares her journey on how she became a Child sleep Consultant.

Become A Child Sleep Consultant

Many people have asked me “so how does one become a Child Sleep Consultant?” It’s not your typical career path, but it’s one that I’m happy I followed.  I’m going to share my journey with you and maybe it will inspire you to find your passions as well.

About a year ago, I still didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up.  I liked my current job as a Chartered Accountant, but I didn’t love it and my employer wasn’t always accommodating when it came to my family.  Somehow I knew there was more out there for me.

You Haven’t Worked Much to Consulting

While I was on my second maternity leave with my twin sons, I decided to seek out some professional advice.  I had so many questions that I couldn’t answer on my own.  Should I go back to my current job?  Should I start a new career?  Is there another job I might enjoy more?  What about my current family situation?  To help me figure it out, I started seeing a career counselor at CareerJoy.   I remember one of my counselor’s comments at our first session.  She said, “you haven’t worked very much.”

At first it sounded like she was criticizing my resume and calling me lazy, but what she was really saying was “you don’t have that many years of work experience, so how do you know that you don’t like it?”  Most of her clients were older and had worked in their fields for many  years and suddenly wanted a career change.  I was afraid to become that person.  I was afraid that I would wake up 20 years from now and feel like I had made a mistake.  It was time  to take charge of my career now when it really mattered.

One key exercise during my counseling was determining what my values and passions were.  I knew what my values were – faith, family, integrity, honesty, trust – the list went on.  But my passions?  I didn’t really feel passionate about anything.  Jokingly I wrote down “sleep” because I knew that I loved sleep and it energized me.  Little did I know that this ‘joke’ was going to turn into something legitimate.

By the end of my 4th session I knew this is what I wanted to do.   I’ll spare you the details, but it involved lots of time, energy, research, and many conversations to figure it out.  But I have to give most of the credit to my amazing husband. He was incredibly supportive in my decision, even if it meant financial uncertainty.  My counselor thought the idea was great too, even though she had never heard of a Child Sleep Consultant.  Seeing the way I lit up when I spoke about it was all she needed to encourage me that I’d made the right decision.

Having made up my mind, I decided to get certified as a Child Sleep Consultant through the Family Sleep Institute so that I could feel confident helping other families get great sleep.  BabyZzz was born and my new journey was beginning. If someone told me a year ago that this is where I would be today, I never would have believed them.  But I’m certainly glad I’m here.

Steps To Become A Child Sleep Consultant

Talk to a counselor about the career change. Does it work for you emotionally, financially and scheduling wise?

Find a local Institution that will certify you as a Child Sleep Consultant.

Get Ready To Study! Set aside time everyday so you can keep up with the program

Get Certified

Find a Position within a hospital, wellness center or start your own business.