From Sleepless Nights to a Fulfilling New Career: How One Mum Found Her Purpose with the Fox & The Moon Sleep Practitioner Course
When you become a parent, it can feel like your whole world changes overnight, and for many of us, sleep (or lack of it) becomes one of the biggest challenges. For one mum, those early, sleep-deprived months led not just to understanding her little one more deeply, but to finding an entirely new career that fits around her family life.
We recently caught up with Gemma, graduate of the Fox & The Moon Sleep Practitioner Course, to talk about her journey from overwhelmed mum to confident holistic sleep practitioner, and how she’s now helping other families find their calm too.
“I just wanted to help other parents feel less overwhelmed”
“When I had my little boy, I became a stay-at-home mum, and it was really tough! He had what I now know was undiagnosed reflux, combined with low sleep needs, and would only nap on me. I spent so much time googling, wondering what I was doing wrong and why everyone else’s baby seemed so much easier!
I found the Fox & The Moon Instagram page during that time, and honestly, I can’t explain the relief I felt reading Emily and Molly’s posts. When I saw the information pop up for the Practitioner Course, it just felt like a no-brainer. Things were finally settling down at home, and I wanted to do something for myself — something meaningful that could help other families the way Fox & The Moon had helped me.”
From retail to responsive sleep support
“Before joining the course, I worked in retail and customer service — I was a store manager for a small country store and I loved meeting people and building relationships. I’ve also got a degree in psychology, which included child development, so that was always an interest of mine.
I decided to train as a root-focused child sleep practitioner because I’ve always felt that traditional sleep training just didn’t sit right with me. Once I realised there was a middle ground between ‘doing nothing’ and sleep training, I felt a real pull to help other parents understand that they weren’t doing anything wrong — that sleep is about so much more than sleep.”
“It made me realise that responsiveness is what builds independence”
“I absolutely hated the mainstream sleep training advice — being told to leave my baby to cry or not to comfort them just felt wrong. The course helped me understand the science behind responsiveness — that comfort and connection actually help babies feel safe enough to sleep more independently later on. That was a huge lightbulb moment for me.”
Learning, community, and ‘aha!’ moments
“I loved the modules — it was fascinating to dive deep into topics like infant biology, attachment, feeding, and how everything connects. The community aspect was amazing too. Having a group of like-minded people to bounce ideas off and turn to for support made such a difference.
One of the biggest ‘aha!’ moments for me was realising how everything is linked — from birth experiences to feeding to temperament. Suddenly, all of the struggles I had in that first year started to make sense.”
A balance of science and real-world practice
“The balance between scientific knowledge and practical application was spot on. The information was detailed but not overwhelming, and seeing how to analyse real sleep diaries and case studies made me feel prepared to work confidently with families.”
Building Hello Moon Sleep and finding confidence again
“Since finishing the course, I’ve started building my own business — Hello Moon Sleep. It feels amazing to support other parents through gentle, responsive sleep work. I love being able to reassure them that they’re doing nothing wrong, and help them see real improvements without ever needing to use sleep training methods.
It’s also made me more confident in supporting my own little boy, who’s now nearly four! I know that connection is key — and now I have the training to back it up.”
“This course gave me something that was mine again”
“As a mum, it’s so easy to lose yourself. This course gave me something that was just mine. I got to learn, connect with others, and rediscover my confidence. I can grow my business at my own pace and fit it around family life — which is exactly what I wanted.”
Her advice for anyone thinking about joining
“Just try it! You’ve got nothing to lose. Even if you don’t end up working with clients, you’ll walk away with so much knowledge that will help you understand your own child — and other families — in a completely new way.”
Looking back: the biggest change
“The biggest change for me is confidence — being able to talk about sleep in an evidence-based, science-backed way. The Fox & The Moon Sleep Practitioner Course gave me clarity, purpose, and a new direction at a time when I really needed it. I can’t thank them enough.”
Ready to start your own journey?
If you’ve ever wondered whether there’s a way to turn your passion for helping families into a meaningful career — one that works with your family, not against it — the Fox & The Moon Sleep Practitioner Course might just be your next step.
✅ CPD-certified
✅ Teaches gentle, root-cause-focused sleep support
✅ Combines science, empathy, and practical tools
✅ Flexible online learning with lifetime access
✅ Supportive community and monthly mentoring
✨ The next cohort begins this November.
Join a growing movement of holistic sleep coaches changing the way the world supports families.
👉 Learn more and enrol here or email emily@foxandthemoon.co.uk for more info!
Follow Gemma at Hello Moon Sleep
@hellomoonsleep
