From Lurking to Launching with Molly Bagwell
This week on the Becoming a Sleep Consultant podcast, I’m joined by Molly, a former nurse and women’s health professional who is just months into her journey as a certified sleep consultant and already building some real momentum.
In this conversation, we talk about what it really looks like to move from “I’m thinking about it” to actually getting started. Molly shares about pushing through imposter syndrome, finding the courage to put herself out there, and learning to believe in the value she brings to families. We also dig into the mindset behind early business growth and the personal growth that happens when you begin to believe in the possibility of your own success.
If you’ve ever felt stuck, behind, or unsure whether you’re ready to get started, this episode will remind you that confidence is built in motion and that you don’t have to have it all figured out to begin.
Links:
Website: Sweet Sleep and Wellness
Instagram: @sweet.sleep.midwife.molly
If you’d like to learn more about becoming a Sleep Consultant, please join our Facebook Group: Becoming A Sleep Consultant
CPSM Website: Center for Pediatric Sleep Management
Book a free discovery call to learn how you can become a Certified Sleep Consultant here.
Transcript:
Intro: Welcome to Becoming a Sleep Consultant! I’m your host Jayne Havens, a certified sleep consultant and founder of both Snooze Fest by Jayne Havens and Center for Pediatric Sleep Management.
On this podcast, I’ll be discussing the business side of sleep consulting. You’ll have an insider’s view on launching, growing, and even scaling a sleep consulting business. This is not a podcast about sleep training. This is a podcast about business building and entrepreneurship.
This week on the Becoming a Sleep Consultant Podcast, I’m joined by Molly, a former nurse and women’s health professional who is just months into her journey as a certified sleep consultant and already building some real momentum.
In this conversation, we talk about what it really looks like to move from “I’m thinking about it” to actually getting started. Molly shares about pushing through imposter syndrome, finding the courage to put herself out there, and learning to believe in the value she brings to families. We also dig into the mindset behind early business growth and the personal growth that happens when you begin to believe in the possibility of your own success.
If you’ve ever felt stuck, behind, or unsure whether or not you’re ready to get started, this episode will remind you that confidence is built in motion and that you don’t have to have it all figured out to begin.
Jayne Havens: Molly, welcome to the Becoming a Sleep Consultant Podcast. I’m so excited to chat with you today.
Molly Bagwell: Hi, Jayne. Thanks for having me. I’m so excited to be here.
Jayne Havens: Before we get started, why don’t you share a little bit about yourself and how it relates to your work as a sleep consultant?
Molly Bagwell: Absolutely.
So I have a background in nursing. I have a bachelor’s degree in nursing and a master’s degree in women’s health. I have over 10 years of experience as a labor and delivery postpartum nurse. I was actually certified as a nurse midwife. I put my career on hold to raise my kids, but all during that time, I continued to grow and learn all things women health and babies and, more importantly, sleep. I actually sleep shaped my newborns from day one, and had amazing success learning the importance of sleep on everybody. And yeah, it’s just shaped who I’ve become as a sleep consultant.
Jayne Havens: And so you’ve been certified for about five months. You’re pretty new to all of this. Take us back to the moment when you decided to start. What was going through your mind? Did you have any objections? Were you afraid? Did you have fear of failure? What was going through your mind?
Molly Bagwell: Oh, well, we’re going to talk about that. Let’s go all the way back to the real start. I had been lurking, I think, for almost three years. I haven’t looked up the exact date, but almost three years. Finally, just one day, something that you said on the podcast finally hit me. I said it was time. So I actually enrolled. I think it was October of 24. I got through the program very quickly. And I will be very honest in saying I got to the final exam, and I froze. Lots of imposter syndrome and “What am I doing? Am I good enough at this?” It took me several months to overcome that hurdle. Once I did, I graduated and just hit the ground running.
Jayne Havens: What do you think you were so scared of?
Molly Bagwell: I’ll be very honest with you, Jayne. Writing has never been a strong suit of mine. I was really scared of plagiarism, copying your sleep plans, not being heard in my own voice. I was also struggling through some personal things. And I’ll be honest. Another rejection or another “You didn’t do this right. Do it over,” seemed really hard at the time.
Jayne Havens: Okay, but you pushed through because you’re on the other side of that now. And thank you for sharing because I’m sure people are listening, having similar thoughts. I’m sure you’re not the only person that feels this way. And so to hear that you figured it out, got on the other side of it, and now you’re out there supporting families, I think, is a really valuable share.
Tell me a little bit about what it’s looked like to get your business up and running. I know that you started by supporting some families pro bono. I’d love to hear about that, and then the transition to actually charging people for this work.
Molly Bagwell: Absolutely. One of the things that actually got me across the finish line was a coach and mentor within the CPSM community. I just needed somebody to cheer me on and remind me that I do know what I’m talking about and I can do this. That helped me get through the finish line. I also took your advice and had a business bestie even before graduation—who, literally, Jayne, daily would we encourage each other. “What are you doing today? How can I encourage you?” And that got me over the finish line.
So with the mentor’s advice, I took on pro bono clients, and it was the best experience ever. I highly recommend that CPSM grads do that. It gave me the confidence that I needed to remind me that I do know what I’m talking about. I do bring huge value to these families. And once I had a few clients under my belt, it was time to start charging.
Jayne Havens: Were you nervous to actually charge for this work? I think that that’s something people get stuck on, is they have this mental block in their minds. Like, “I don’t want to charge tired moms. I just want to help them for free.” How do you get your brain to a place where you can accept and believe that your services and your support is worthy of doing this for a living, earning an income off of this?
Molly Bagwell: Such a great question. One of the things that really motivated me to launch was I was reminded, as a teenager, I babysat. That was one of my first businesses. I was a babysitter. I just remind myself that I had value back then to these moms and women, and how much more value am I bringing now with all my expertise, my background, my passion. And so, honestly, Jayne, charging—after I had gone through a couple pro-bono clients—was not an issue for me at all. I felt valuable, and I knew the value and life change that I could bring to these families.
Jayne Havens: You told me separately, before this interview, that you actually earned back your complete investment. You got a complete ROI from what you paid for the course within two and a half weeks of taking on paying clients. Is that right?
Molly Bagwell: That is correct. Yes, two and a half weeks. Once I had my first paying client, CPSM was paid off within two and a half weeks.
Jayne Havens: I mean, that just makes me so happy. I think that so many people get stuck on the fear of investing in themselves. What people will say to me is like: “Is the course worth it? Is getting certified worth it?” I don’t look at it as investing in a course. I look at it as investing in yourself and giving yourself a new set of tools, a new set of skills that you can then market and leverage to grow a successful business. And the fact that you did it so quickly is proof in the pudding that, like, once you believed in yourself and once you put yourself out there, it was done and done.
Molly Bagwell: Yes, absolutely. And if I could go back and tell Molly, who was struggling to even enroll in the course because of that fear, I would have said, “You can do this. You can absolutely do this.” And yes, it does look like a big investment, especially for stay-at-home moms who are not used to investing in themselves. I saw the big number. But what I didn’t take a step back and look at is, wait a minute, the payment plan, how many months we could divide it by? I could easily have earned that back.
Jayne Havens: You waited three years. I mean, imagine like if you had started your business three years ago, where you would be? I’m not going to hold that against you, but I do think about that often with people who sit and wait and hesitate. It’s like, where would you be three years from that moment?
Molly Bagwell: I literally think, Jayne, that was the podcast that pushed me over the edge when you said that. I was like, “Yeah, she’s literally talking to me. This is ridiculous. Why am I waiting?” But I do believe that there is value in the right time. And for whatever reason, it was finally the right time for me. I contribute my success to that—that it was the right time.
Jayne Havens: And so since you’ve started your business, you’ve supported, I think it’s 14 families, which is incredible. You told me you’ve actually already raised your pricing a few times, which makes me also very proud. What gave you the confidence to raise your rates so early?
Molly Bagwell: That’s a great question, because that is something within the CPSM community that I feel is always a topic of conversation. Very controversial. I just felt I was worth it. The level of support I was giving my families was worth it.
Jayne Havens: You knew your own value, which I think for some people, it takes them months or years to really believe that about themselves. I see it all the time. I see people for years and years and years undervaluing themselves and feeling like they’re only worth whatever value they place on themselves. And what I know to be true is that we’re out there changing lives, and the transformation that we provide to the families that we’re supporting is priceless, if you ask me. So I’m excited that that wasn’t something that you got stuck on for too, too long.
Let’s talk about the podcast and how that’s impacted you and your journey in becoming a sleep consultant, getting your business off the ground. I know that you’re an avid listener, and I know that you really take these words to heart. Tell me what sort of role has the show played in your mindset, and then also just the decisions you make in your business.
Molly Bagwell: It has been priceless. There really is no value I can place on what the podcast has done for me. I am an avid listener. I’ve listened to every episode several, several times. I have my favorites that I go back to and even listen to if I need extra encouragement one day or feeling stuck. But it really helped push me towards “I can do this.”
Hearing the success stories of other women very much reminded me that I do have value. Even though I had been a stay-at-home mom for several years, I had something in me that could help change other families’ lives. It’s been invaluable. I can’t thank you enough for the podcast, the work that you’ve done, and the graduates that have come on, been vulnerable, and shared their struggles—the truth of how hard it can be—but when you push through and get on the other side, how incredible it can be also.
Jayne Havens: And look at you. You’re already on the podcast five months into your business. How cool is that?
Molly Bagwell: It’s amazing. It’s a full circle moment. To be honest with you, it’s almost like a pinch-me moment for me.
Jayne Havens: And I think I asked you. You didn’t ask me, right?
Molly Bagwell: You did.
Jayne Havens: I asked you to come on the podcast. So it wasn’t like the only reason that you’re on the podcast this early is because you pitched yourself. I really wanted you to have the opportunity to share your story, and I’m so grateful that you’re willing to do so.
Let’s talk about networking. I know that this has been a big piece of the puzzle for you. If you’re willing to share, tell me what it looks like for you to connect with other professionals. How are you approaching networking? What does this look like in the real world for you?
Molly Bagwell: Absolutely. My very first client came to me, and it was clear to me on the discovery call—and thank you again for the phenomenal coaching of what a good discovery call should look like. It was very clear to me this was more than a sleep issue. In that moment, I decided I want to have a strong village of providers around me that I can refer my clients to and know that they’re going to get the same level of support. That is how my network was built.
My very first practitioner I reached out to was a pediatric OT. What I said to her was: “My name is Molly. I’m a pediatric sleep consultant. I have a client that needs your support, but I would like to speak with you first to make sure that you’re a good fit for my client.” It has blossomed from there.
Jayne Havens: Making these relationships, I think, look, there are 1,000,001 ways to grow a successful business. I’m sure you’ve heard me say that once or twice. But I personally believe that surrounding yourself with other professionals who are really good at their jobs and are supporting families at a really high level that can become your circle of trust is invaluable.
I think it’s never-ending, the resources that they can provide to you, to the families that you support, and hopefully send referrals your way. I love that you started by referring out rather than asking for a referral. That is something that I always try to do myself. I never reach out to someone and say, like, “I’d love for you to refer me business.” That’s not the approach. It’s always finding someone that can actually be helpful to my clients and then connecting with them, as you did, for the sake of fostering a longer-term relationship.
Molly Bagwell: Absolutely. And I used so much of your verbiage and language when I was reaching out. “I would love to collaborate with you. How can I help support your clients?” I never once said, “Hey, would you refer me clients?” Actually, as I was doing it, Jayne, because again, of your encouragement, I found so much joy in planting the seeds. I’m trusting that I planted the seeds. And in months to come, I will see growth from those relationships. And that is really encouraging to me.
Jayne Havens: Yeah, I think you will. I do think that when it comes to building a network of other professionals for the sake of referring business back and forth, it is a long game. It’s absolutely a long game. Sometimes it’s indirect. Sometimes, the person that you’re connecting with connects you to somebody else, that then becomes a major referral source for you. So I would suggest that you keep at it and not just continue to reach out to new people, but also maintain the existing relationships that you’ve already started to work for.
Because I think one mistake that sleep consultants and other professionals in the consulting space, I think the mistake that sometimes people make, is that they just think, “Oh, if I reach out to somebody, I have one conversation and now our emails know each other, that’s the end.” It’s really not, right? It’s, how can we collaborate? How can I keep in touch with you in ways that feel organic and in line with the way that I want to be growing my business that feels sustainable? Some of them will turn into friendships and deeper business connections, and then others will fizzle out. But I do think it’s a long game, and you got to keep it up—which I know you’re doing.
Molly Bagwell: Exactly. It’s really important, I feel, for new business owners to know that and to remind themselves of that constantly. Had I not known that in the first two months, I would have said, “Well, this is a waste of time.” Then I would have pivoted and tried to grow my business in another way. But again, because of your voice in my head and encouragement that this is a long game—plant the seeds, they will grow—I’m super excited to sit back, water those, and see what happens with those relationships.
Jayne Havens: The families that you have supported, would you say that most of them have come by way of referrals from past clients? Like you supported a few families and then they shared your name with their circle? Where did those families that did hire you, where did they come from?
Molly Bagwell: To be honest with you, I have not had one referral yet from a previous client, which has been very surprising for me. All of my clients have come from Facebook connections. I’m in several local mom groups. I show up, as you’ve coached, as the most helpful person in the room—not salesy, not pitching myself. And I would say, 90% of my clients have come from those groups. Also, because of the connections I have made with providers, if a mom pops on and asks a question about sleep, automatically, people are already tagging me. “This is for Molly. Reach out to Molly. This sounds like something Molly can help with.” The first time that happened, I was over the moon.
Jayne Havens: Yeah, that’s really incredible. I find that happens in my local Facebook communities as well. I have enough people locally who know what I do and have seen that I’ve had success in supporting families, whether they be professionals or other moms. Then sometimes they’re just people who have recognized my name in the Facebook group over and over and over again, right? And so if somebody asks for a sleep consultant, I’ve had people chime in and recommend me. I look back and I’m like, “I don’t know who this person is. We don’t really have any mutual friends.”
What I will do—I don’t know if you’re doing this, but I’m going to give you a little tip—is, if a complete stranger is recommending you in a Facebook group, send them a friend request.
Say, “Hey, thank you so much for sharing my name. I really appreciate that. I’d love to connect and learn a little bit about you. I’d like to know you. I’m so grateful that you were willing to put yourself out there and speak on my behalf and make a connection that way.” That way, they’re feeling grateful, and they’re feeling like what they did was really — I don’t know. I always like to say thank you. I always like to acknowledge the person that is going out on a limb for me, especially if I don’t know who they are or why they’re recommending me, other than they just see my name pop up regularly in that space. So if you’re not doing that, I would recommend it.
Molly Bagwell: Actually, I have a funny story about that. So I am and I do have a woman that has recommended me several times, who has never worked with me. I reached out to her, and I said, “Thank you so much. This is amazing.” She said, “I cannot help but notice how many families who have worked with you are posting their testimonials and how you’ve changed their lives.” She said, “I don’t have the funds right now to be able to work with you, but I want to someday.” So I actually gave her a discount code. I said, “When you’re ready to work with me, I would love to work with your family.”
Jayne Havens: I love that. I actually was going to suggest maybe you could make her a little, on Canva, a little graphic of a gift card, and just say, “You know what? I’d like to share this with you. You can use it towards services for yourself, or if you want to gift it to a friend as a baby shower gift or whatever.”
Sometimes I do that for referral sources of mine. I have this one mom who I supported her—I think her son is seven now—when her son was like five months old. She still refers me regularly to people in her circle. Every once in a while, I just send her a text with a little graphic. I just share a gift card. Her kids are older. I don’t think she really needs my help, but she’s free to share them with friends and use it as a baby gift. It’s just my way of acknowledging the support that she’s offered me in my business over the years.
Molly Bagwell: I love that. Such a good idea.
Jayne Havens: I know that you’re still new at this, but I’m going to ask you to maybe share some words of wisdom, if you have any. For people who are either on the fence about getting into this field, or maybe they’re stuck where you were—where they went through the course, but they just can’t turn in that final assignment—they’re just stuck somewhere, what would you say to them?
Molly Bagwell: I would say, you’re not alone. You’re not the only one that’s ever been stuck. Reach out. Find either a mentor within the community—I cannot place enough value on that—or get a business bestie and someone that’s really going to encourage you to get across the finish line.
Jayne Havens: Yeah, I think that community support is so valuable. This is really the main reason for why I created CPSM, is I wanted sleep consultants to have a community. I think growing a business on your own can be really lonely and overwhelming. It’s just really easy to stop because nobody’s next to you telling you, “No, no, no, you have to keep working on this. No, no, you’re not done. You have to keep going.” Right? There’s nobody cracking the whip. I think that having a mentor, having a business bestie, is instrumental in everybody’s success—even my own. I have people in my life that I lean on for advice and support and encouragement and motivation. I truly believe that everybody should have that.
I feel like we should give Sue a shout out. Sue Mcglinchey, she’s in our CPS M community. She mentors some of our students and grads. She’ll support you before you even finish the course. I know that she’s been instrumental in your success early on in your business. So I just want to give her a shout out. I feel like she deserves that.
Molly Bagwell: Yeah, her support was priceless. Honestly, a lot of it was just cheering me on. “You can do this. I believe in you.” But I also want to say that my high level of support and what I deliver to my clients is a mirror of how she supported me. She really taught me, especially on those first few nights when parents need a lot of support. She was there with me every minute as I was doing that. It was priceless and invaluable. So yeah, shout out to Sue. If you’re a new grad or even, like you said, someone who hasn’t graduated and is struggling through the course, don’t stop. Don’t stay stuck. Reach out.
Jayne Havens: I’m so glad that you were willing to share your story. We’re certainly going to have to do this again, because you’re a baby. You’re literally just getting started, but I think you already have so much wisdom, and you’ve already learned so many valuable lessons in your business. I’m just so excited to see where that takes you in the coming six months to a year. Because I think the way that you’re feeling in your business, at least your mindset and your mental space around all of this, is sort of wise beyond where most people are five months in. So I think you should be really proud.
Molly Bagwell: Thank you, Jayne. I can’t thank you enough for all of your help and support and the pricelessness of the community that you have built within CPSM.
Jayne Havens: Thank you.
Molly Bagwell: I can’t wait to come back and share.
Jayne Havens: Yeah, we’re definitely going to do it again. Before we wrap up, do you want to share your website, social media, where people can follow along your journey, if they’d like to?
Molly Bagwell: I would love to. My website is sweetsleepandwellness.com. My Instagram handle is @sweet.sleep.midwife.molly.
Jayne Havens: Molly, congrats on your early success. Thank you for being willing to have this conversation with me on the podcast. We certainly are going to do this again soon.
Molly Bagwell: Thanks, Jayne.
Outro: Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the Becoming a Sleep Consultant Podcast. If you enjoyed today’s episode, it would mean so much to me if you would rate, review, and subscribe. When you rate, review, and subscribe, this helps the podcast reach a greater audience. I am so grateful for your support.
If you would like to learn more about how you can become a certified sleep consultant, head over to my Facebook Group, Becoming a Sleep Consultant or to my website thecpsm.com. Thanks so much, and I hope you will tune in for the next episode