Building a Business That Puts People First with Jayne Havens
When I first enrolled in a sleep consultant certification program, it gave me the information I needed, but it lacked something important: connection.
No personal welcome. No opportunity to build a relationship with the course creator. And I’ve found the same to be true in other programs I’ve joined over the years.
Center for Pediatric Sleep Management is different. From the very beginning, my goal has been for every student to feel seen, heard, and supported. CPSM was built on connection, and that same value guides the way I run my business every day.
In this episode of the Becoming a Sleep Consultant podcast, I’m sharing why connection matters so much, not just in online education, but in any business. Parents don’t just want a plan. They want you.
Links:
If you would like to learn more about the Becoming a Sleep Consultant, please join our free Facebook Group or check out our CPSM Website.
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.
Jayne Havens: Hi, everyone, and welcome back to the Becoming a Sleep Consultant podcast. Something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately is how online education can feel somewhat lonely sometimes. You sign up for a program, you get an automated email, and then you’re basically on your own. That lack of human connection can be pretty discouraging, and it’s exactly the opposite of what I built inside of CPSM.
Today, I want to share with you a little bit of my story and talk about why human connection has always been at the core of what I do. Because at the end of the day, whether we’re talking about sleep consulting, parenting, or business building, none of us thrive in isolation. We thrive with connection.
When I first decided to become a certified sleep consultant, I approached it the way so many of you probably would. I did my research online. I compared certification programs. I weighed the cost of each of the options, and I chose something that felt doable for me. The program I picked wasn’t a bad one. It checked all the boxes. It was somewhat affordable. It was flexible. It was self-paced, which fit my needs at the time. It gave me the nuts and bolts of what I needed to know.
But here’s the thing: I can still remember the moment that I hit enroll, and I got that confirmation email. Then a generic automated welcome—something like, “Thanks so much for signing up. Here’s how to access the course.” And that was it. Nobody ever reached out to me to say, “Welcome. I’m so glad you’re here.” Nobody asked about my goals or what made me want to become a sleep consultant. Nobody ever made an effort to get to know me or to connect with me or others inside of the program.
At first, I thought, okay, maybe this is just how online programs work. But as I worked through the materials, I started to realize how much I was creating that human connection. I wanted to know that someone cared that I was there. I wanted to feel like I just wasn’t a transaction in somebody’s Stripe account.
Fast forward to more recently, I decided to invest in myself again. This time, it wasn’t a certification program; it was a group mastermind. This one was run by a coach who I had admired online for years. I followed her on Instagram for what feels like forever. I love her content. I resonated with her style. I thought this is somebody I can learn from. I want to be in the room with her. So when she ran a sale on her group program, I jumped right in.
As soon as I paid, I got that automated email, and then nothing. No personal welcome. No, “Hey, Jayne. I see you. I’m excited you’re here.” Literally, no effort to connect human to human. And again, I felt pretty disappointed. I built up this moment in my mind thinking it was going to feel so special, and then it was just crickets.
Now, let me be clear. I don’t need handholding. I don’t need someone to roll out the red carpet for me. But what I do want, and I think what all of us want, is acknowledgement. We want to feel like we matter. We want to feel like the person on the other side cares. These two experiences—when I initially enrolled in a sleep consultant certification program and then, more recently, enrolling in this mastermind—really drove home something I’ve already believed so deeply. But just because a program happens online doesn’t mean it has to feel impersonal. In fact, I’d argue the opposite. The more digital our world becomes, the more people crave human-to-human connection.
Think about it. When you invest in a program, you’re not just handing over your credit card. You’re investing your time and your energy. This deserves more than an automated receipt, if you ask me. And when there’s no connection, here’s what happens: students feel like they don’t matter, they feel isolated, and they’re less likely to ask for help when they need it. To me, this is so unfortunate. Because it doesn’t have to be this way.
Making someone feel seen and valued is actually so easy. It takes so little effort, and it has such meaningful impact. So when I created the Center for Pediatric Sleep Management back in 2019, I knew I wanted to do it differently. If there was one thing top of mind when I was getting started, it was that strong desire for human connection. CPSM would never just be an online course. CPSM was going to be a community. Now, when you enroll in CPSM, you don’t just get a username and a password to a course portal. You get me. You get a personal welcome. I know your name. I know your story. I know what brought you here because I ask, and I don’t stop there.
One of the first things I do when a new student joins is I connect them with our larger community. If I know someone else has a similar background—maybe it’s another nurse, or another doula, or another mom with kids the same age—I’ll make that introduction. I want people to have colleagues and even friends right away, because I know how powerful that is when you’re starting something new.
Beyond the introductions, I’m always present. I take great pride in this. I check in, I answer questions, and I show up in our Facebook group for students and grads every single day. I want my students to know that if you need me, I’m here. You don’t have to sit there wondering if you’re doing it right. You can reach out and get real support.
I think my favorite part of the CPSM community is actually the student-to-student support. If someone asks the question, there are often a dozen community members or more chiming in with their thoughts. If someone has a medical question, our medical professionals within the community are right there with answers. Veteran CPSM grads are cheering on the new grads as they land their very first paying clients. We are celebrating each other’s wins and sharing encouragement when things feel hard. This energy is what makes CPSM so different and, dare I say, so special.
One of my favorite parts of the human connection that’s so front and center inside of CPSM are the friendships that are formed within our community. Students who live on opposite coasts become accountability partners. Grads who have babies at the same time troubleshoot newborn sleep together. There’s an abundance of collaboration, and there’s no room for competition. We are all truly stronger together.
Let’s zoom out for just a second. Because this isn’t just about CPSM. This is a lesson for all of us as business owners. At the end of the day, people are drawn to businesses and to business owners who are responsive, caring, and truly present. Think about your own experiences as a customer. When you send an inquiry and someone responds quickly, warmly, and with genuine interest, don’t you immediately feel more confident in them? Don’t you immediately feel like this is someone I want to work with? This is no accident. This is the power of showing up.
And here’s the thing: every single one of us has the same opportunity. We can all choose to show up as our best selves. We can all choose to make our prospective clients feel seen and heard. And when we do, that’s what helps our business grow—not just the service we’re providing, but the experience we deliver from start to finish.
When it comes to our work as sleep consultants, parents aren’t hiring us because they want a sleep plan. We all know they can Google a sleep plan and piece something together themselves. Parents are reaching out because they want you. They want your empathy when they’re exhausted and unsure. They want your encouragement when the plan feels hard. They want your perspective when they’re second-guessing themselves. They want to know that someone is walking with them through this process, not just handing them a PDF and sending them on their way.
This is why the human connection piece is so powerful. It’s not just about what you teach. It’s not even about the results you deliver. It’s about how you show up for them. When you’re fully present, when you’re responsive, when you truly care, this is what makes people trust you. This is what makes people want to hire you. And this is what makes people refer you to their friends and their family. Because at the end of the day, people remember the way you made them feel.
So, yes, Center for Pediatric Sleep Management has all the practical benefits, the evidence-based and comprehensive curriculum, the lifetime access, the ongoing updates. But the secret ingredient, the piece that makes it truly special, is the human connection. When you enroll in CPSM, you’re not just signing up for an online course. You’re joining a community. You’re joining an incredible group of people who believe in supporting families at the highest level and supporting each other just the same way. And most importantly, you’re not doing it alone.
If you’ve been listening to this podcast and on the fence about joining us, now is the time. Let me take this opportunity to invite you to spend 30 minutes on Zoom with me. I would love to learn about your family, your professional goals, and why this work appeals to you. I would love to understand both what scares you and what excites you. I can’t wait to show you all that we have to offer inside of CPSM. I can’t wait to get to know you, and I hope you will say yes and enroll in our program.
Links to book a call with me and to sign up for Center for Pediatric Sleep Management are in the show notes below.
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.