Supporting Families Pro Bono with Natalie Annillo

 

Fresh out of high school, Natalie embarked on a journey as a nanny, fueled by a profound love for children. This passion has taken Natalie across the globe, including France, Switzerland, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Guatemala, New York, and Colorado. Throughout these travels, Natalie quickly recognized the critical importance of a predictable routine for young children and the necessity of establishing healthy sleep patterns.Natalie Annillo

Some years back, while attending an INA webinar, Natalie was introduced to sleep consulting, planting the seed for a future venture. For the past three years, Natalie has been working as a placement counselor with a local household staffing agency. This role has not only honed her customer service skills but also ignited a desire to start her own business.

Natalie is eager to hit the ground running with her own sleep consulting business, aiming to help clients establish healthy sleep routines for their children while also creating the lifestyle she desires for her own family. Natalie Annillo

 

Links:

Website: Simple Slumber Pediatric Sleep Consulting

 

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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.

Fresh out of high school, Natalie embarked on a journey as a nanny, fueled by a profound love for children. This passion has taken Natalie across the globe, including France, Switzerland, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Guatemala, New York, and Colorado. Throughout these travels, Natalie quickly recognized the critical importance of a predictable routine for young children and the necessity of establishing healthy sleep patterns.

Some years back, while attending an INA webinar, Natalie was introduced to sleep consulting, planting the seed for a future venture. For the past three years, Natalie has been working as a placement counselor with a local household staffing agency. This role has not only honed her customer service skills but also ignited a desire to start her own business.

Now, Natalie is eager to hit the ground running with her own sleep consulting business, aiming to help clients establish healthy sleep routines for their children while also creating the lifestyle she desires for her own family.

Jayne Havens: Natalie, welcome to the Becoming a Sleep Consultant Podcast. I’m so glad you’re here with me today.

Natalie Annillo: Thanks. I love being here. So glad to be here.

Jayne Havens: Before we get started, tell us a little bit about you. What do you do professionally, and why did you decide to get certified to work as a sleep consultant?

Natalie Annillo: I love this question. So a little bit about me, I’ve actually been working with families in some form or fashion since 2003. So I started out as a career nanny, fell into that completely by accident. But you know, with being a nanny, there’s a lot of sleep training, especially when you’re working with the younger bunches. So that’s kind of how I got started in child care.

Then I saw you speak, I think, at a webinar or something. So my interest was piqued years ago about sleep consulting. And I never pursued it until recently. So I felt like the sleep consulting with my nanny experience, they really complement each other. But right now, actually, I am not a nanny. I am working for a household staffing agency placing nannies and other household staff. But I talk to a lot of sleepy mommies, and I’m able to coach them and help them. And that’s my heart and my passion.

Jayne Havens: I think the plan for today is to talk about supporting families pro bono, which I’m actually really excited about because I’ve never covered this topic on the podcast before. Personally, I have had, I think I would say, limited success supporting families for free. I think because, I don’t know, in my experience, I think the financial commitment is a big piece of what holds parents accountable during the process. And I guess I’m really curious because I sense that this has not been your experience. So I’d love to hear a little bit about your experience supporting families for free, and how that works out, and what it looks like.

Natalie Annillo: Yeah, I’ve just been so fortunate to work with some really great families that truly needed my help. When I did my discovery calls with them, I really got to the heart of the matter, and I could sense that these families were needing help. They were needing change. They were kind of at rock bottom, so I felt like they were very invested. In addition to that, they were very appreciative. So that was really just so reassuring for me. But to walk alongside these mommies that were, you know, some of them struggling financially. And to support them is very rewarding for me.

But I think my mindset was really important going into working with these pro bono clients. Because I went into it thinking I’m going to treat this person just like a paying client. I am going to give them the full experience that I have to offer. I don’t cut any corners, and I really give them everything that they need. I’m supportive. I’m responsive to them, just like I would be with a paying client. And I really think they feel that, and they sense that. Then they go on, and they tell others about my services. That has been sweet for me. So yeah.

Jayne Havens: How are you connecting with these families that need your help?

Natalie Annillo: Facebook has been my jam. I am slowly getting into Instagram, very slowly. But Facebook is where I kind of hang out. And honestly, Jayne, it was from your teaching that I’ve really kind of taken a different perspective on Facebook and Facebook groups and really using them for building connection and relationship. It’s not me just going, “Hey, I’m a sleep consultant. Hire me. I have three slots this month.” It’s really being intentional and purposeful. I’m getting better at it every day. But it’s, again, that mindset shift where you are focusing on really helping people. And I feel like that comes across through my messaging.

Jayne Havens: Yeah, I’m wondering if there’s a bit of a dual mission here. You’re helping families that perhaps otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford your services paid, but it’s also allowing you to gain the experience that you need in order to really provide families with a super high level of expertise. Win, win, right?

Natalie Annillo: Totally. It’s a huge confidence boost. My poor husband has to listen to all of my success stories. I’m like, “Oh, my gosh. The baby did so great tonight.” I get so invested. And it just does elevate me so that I can feel more confident for the next client. So it’s been great.

Jayne Havens: I really love that. The other day, I actually just recorded a podcast on this exact topic that’s going to probably be released right before our episode. But I’m going to share the story today, because I think it’s so relevant to your journey through sleep consulting.

So I was watching the new version of Million Dollar Listing. I don’t know if you’re familiar with that show, but there’s a spin off that’s now on Netflix. I think it’s called Selling Manhattan. This guy, Ryan Serhant, is a big-time real estate agent. He sells expensive apartments in New York City, and he has all of these agents working under him. He was giving some advice to a green agent. He said to her, “Instead of spending so much of your time trying to get noticed, spend your time trying to be great. If you spend half your time just trying to be great, you’ll be so great that everyone would have to notice you.”

And I think that’s what you’re doing. I think that’s what you’re doing. I love it so much like you’re focusing on just getting better at what you do, while getting out there and supporting families that maybe otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to work with you. I think when you come out on the other side, you’re going to have such an increased level of confidence but also an increased skill level that’s going to position you to just be one of the best in the biz.

Natalie Annillo: Yeah, that’s my goal. But ultimately, it’s just so rewarding, the work that we get to do. You know, coming alongside families and coaching them and telling them, “This is going to be okay. This will pass.” It’s just great. It’s kind of the payment in and of itself just getting that. So, yeah.

Jayne Havens: Have you had any pro bono clients who have not been successful, either just they weren’t committed to the process or, you know, I think that happens, right? Have you had that happen on your watch yet, or maybe not?

Natalie Annillo: Honestly, not too much. The only thing I can say about one client is that she’s not as quick to give me feedback or when I do my check ins with her daily. But I feel like that’s working for her, and I do see the progress. But ideally, I’m the kind of person that I check in in the morning. I’m checking in around noon. I’m checking in before dinner and at bedtime so that she can really feel supported. But what I’m noticing is, that’s not her. She’s okay with what she’s getting. She’s told me that. So it’s kind of learning each client’s communication style and preferences and frequency. So, yeah. Honestly, it’s gone so well. It really has.

Jayne Havens: That’s so great. That’s great. Do you want to share a success story? Is there a specific family that comes to mind that really just lifted your spirits and made you feel like you were a magician?

Natalie Annillo: Yes, it was the sweetest first-time mama, and I think baby boy was about four months and had never slept on his own in his room. She just wanted to go for it. She just wanted to do all of the changes at once. I prepped her and I said that, “It might be bumpy, but I’m going to be there just holding your hand and getting through it.”

The first night, I think he fussed for maybe eight minutes, and he was out. She dropped some choice words because she was so excited. And I was just like, I was on cloud nine. Because she was just like, “You have helped me get here.” I was like, “I have, but you’ve done the hard work, you know. So this is a team effort here.” But it was just, it was such a beautiful thing. It was so great.

Jayne Havens: Don’t you love it when it’s so easy? I find that that happens more often than not. I mean, it’s not always that seamless, but I think I can confidently say, at least, it’s almost always easier than what my clients think it’s going to be. Like, even if it’s not super easy and super seamless, I think that usually the parents, at least the parents that I work with, they paint the worst possible case scenario in their minds. They think that implementing these changes, implementing sleep training, is going to mean that they’re up more in the middle of the night.

At least in my experience, it’s almost always the opposite. That like that very first night when the baby or toddler falls asleep without being assisted to sleep, they instantly have the best night they’ve ever had.

Natalie Annillo: Yeah, and then they’re so encouraged, right? It’s just that up until that point, they’ve probably only heard all the horror stories of failed attempts and inconsistent parenting and things like that. So, yeah, it’s really great when you are honest with them about, you know, we might experience some bumps in the road. It might be a little hairy tonight. But overall, I think they’re usually pretty shocked at how easy it can be, you know. Not always but a lot of times, yeah.

Jayne Havens: I know that the CPSM community has been really helpful to you. If you’re willing to share, can you speak to that a little bit?

Natalie Annillo: This is what I was just really hoping to talk about most today. Because it has been, Jayne, it’s been a game changer. You know, you always hear about Facebook groups and how you’re supposed to help each other and support each other and create this community. This is a legit community. I have never experienced this anywhere else. People in this group genuinely care about each other. You care about us. You continue to support us and help us grow.

I’ve made great friendships with fellow grads. And it’s not like we’re trying to outdo each other or be better. It’s all about, “Hey, let me help you,” or, “Here are my thoughts.” It’s just so open and supportive and accepting. I just can’t say enough great things about it. It’s been just really, really great to be a part of. I’m starting to chime in a little bit more, hopefully, with a little bit more expertise and not as many questions. But I feel like there’s always a place for us to learn and grow. And this community is just it, just really great.

Jayne Havens: Thank you for saying so. I worked really, really hard to facilitate that type of culture within a community of people who are all doing the same thing. Technically, we’re a little bit like competitors, but we’re not. We’re in community. We’re friends. We’re a cohort. And I truly believe that we’re all stronger together. And it’s important. I actually think it’s really important for our industry, for sleep consultants to be really good at their jobs so that we can have a positive reputation amongst parents, right?

Natalie Annillo: Absolutely.

Jayne Havens: I think that’s really, really important. And so if somebody in our community is not doing a great job, we need to come together to collectively make sure that they are on the right track to do better work so that it’s a positive reflection on all of us. That’s really, truly how I see it.

Natalie Annillo: Yeah, that’s a great point. That’s a great point. I wanted to touch on another thing you said about, we’re kind of competitors. But there are so many families out there having babies every single day. I feel like there’s going to be enough for us all, you know. So let’s help each other do the best, and we can just, like you said, elevate this community. So it’s just been so, so great. And I know that when I post a question or I ask for some advice, I’m going to get a response from someone. I’ve already made connections with several members just on our own. And, yeah, it’s just, it’s really great. I’ve gotten new friends, so it’s awesome.

Jayne Havens: That makes me really happy. One of the questions that I am asked often when somebody is interested in Center for Pediatric Sleep Management, they want to know what support looks like. They want to know what mentorship looks like. What I will often do is literally get on Zoom with them and give them a tour of our CPSM Facebook group and show them how, yes, I chime in on almost every single thread. But if I don’t, I have two paid moderators that are chiming in on pretty much every single thread, and I have community members who are just doing it out of the goodness of their heart. And really, it is so much more about larger community support than me answering everybody’s questions.

I’m happy to answer everybody’s questions. But actually, I’m not always the best person to answer the questions. That’s the beautiful thing about our community. I always say with each person who enrolls in the program: our community becomes stronger. Because maybe they have a child with special needs, or maybe they have multiples, or maybe they breastfed their babies until three, right? Like all of these are experiences that I don’t personally have myself, and so I’m not necessarily the expert on every single issue. I love that there are people inside of our community who have supported circumstances that I’ve never personally supported in my business.

That’s really what makes our community special, is that people are willing to come out of the woodworks to answer questions for one another in a way that is truly supportive and collaborative. And it’s not just answering a question and dodging. I was showing somebody the other day what the threads look like in our Facebook group, and it was literally — someone was asking a question. Maybe Sue answered it. Then there was a response. Then sue responded to that. There was another response. So it’s like, it’s a whole dialog. It’s a whole conversation that’s going on. And even people who are just lurking inside of the group are able to learn from these conversations that are happening inside of our community.

Natalie Annillo: Yeah, that’s exactly what I was going to say. If there’s something that I’m like, oh, yeah, that could be a potential issue with my current family, I will follow that comment the thread and check in on that. And yeah, you’re going to get an answer. You’re going to get support.

So, Jayne, if you need to send some people to me and I can tell them how great it is, I will because it really is so valuable. It’s so valuable. And it gives you that little extra sense of confidence too if you’re speaking with a client. You’re like, “Mm, I’m not entirely sure how to answer this, but I’m going to do some research and find out.” And I do. I go to my books and stuff, but I’m always going to go to the group and see if someone’s had a similar situation and how they handled it. So it really helps you feel secure, a little more supported, when you’re launching your business.

Jayne Havens: I know that you’re still at the very beginning stages of your business. You only launched in, I think it was April of this year. So you’ve only been at it a few months. How do you see your business evolving as time goes on?

Natalie Annillo: Yeah, that’s a good question. You know, I do still work full time, so there’s only that so many hours in the day that I can pour into it. I’m so in love with this, but I do know that I have to pace myself. But I I’m so blessed to love what I do and my other job as well. So we’ll just see what happens. But right now, I like to kind of take on about two or three people a month, and then I’m chatting with others as well. So yeah, that’s kind of where I’m at right now.

Jayne Havens: Okay. I think that’s really beautiful. One of the questions that I get asked all the time is about the success of my grads. I explain to the people who asked me this question that, some people, it is literally their goal to support one to two families a month and that is considered a success for them. They’re not looking for anything more. Then there are other people in our community who are doing this work full time, have a few sleep consultants working under them. They’re building empires and everything in between.

I truly believe that success is whatever you make of it, and it can evolve and grow. I just love that it’s bringing you so much joy. Because I think that that’s really why most people get into this line of work. It’s because they’re really passionate about supporting moms and supporting families. And really, when you show up with that energy, I think the business will come, right?

Natalie Annillo: Yeah.

Jayne Havens: You’re not going to build an empire tomorrow, but you’re enjoying the families that you’re supporting. You’re receiving so much gratitude from the families that you’re out there changing lives. And I think if you continue to show up with that sort of heart-centered mentality, it will grow.

Natalie Annillo: Yeah, I think so too. I feel confident in that, like I said before, that when the timing’s right, what will happen, will happen. But right now, I’m just having a good time. It’s just so rewarding what we get to do. I’m starting to network more and being creative with finding new clients. That’s been new for me. That’s something that I’ve never had to do. So that’s been fun and interesting to do that and starting to meet more people in my community. So yeah, it’s really helping me grow kind of in all areas.

Jayne Havens: Yeah, I can imagine. I can imagine that. Before we wrap up, why don’t you share — do you have a website? Do you have social media? I know you’re not super active on Instagram. But whatever you want to share, please do.

Jayne Havens: Yes, so my website is slumberpsc.com. I’m on Facebook, Natalie Annillo, and coming soon to Instagram. But I’m going to take my time with that, so yeah.

Jayne Havens: Perfect. Natalie, it was so great chatting with you. I can’t wait to hear where you’re going to be six months from now, one year from now. We’ll have to check in. But I’m really proud of you. I’m really proud of the way that you’re building your business from the start, and I think only good things are going to come for you.

Natalie Annillo: Thank you. Thanks for your support.

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.