So I thought along with all of this information about sleep, you may want to know a little bit more about the person behind the expert.
So here's a little about me....
WHO: Who is Kendra?
In black and white, my name is Kendra Mueller. I live in Plymouth, MN. I am married to my sweet husband, Greg. I am a mother to 3 boys under the age of 4: twins, Declan and Grant, 3 years old. Dean, 20 months.
Before I became a Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant, I was a professional actress. I got my BFA in Musical Theatre at the University of MN Duluth as well as my MA in Musical Theatre from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London.
I have performed in professional shows here and there, but never anything ‘big.’
When the schedule and demands of being a performer started to take their toll, I dedicated my life to another passion of mine: fitness. I have spent years as a group fitness trainer, and for the last 6 years, I have been working as a certified Pilates trainer. I am lucky enough to have my own Studio, Revive Pilates, where I can teach clients out of my home. Fitness is a huge passion of mine both as a student and teacher.
WHAT: What triggered my decision to become a sleep consultant?
In 2018, I had my first children, my twins, Declan & Grant. I was obsessed with sleep before they were even born, because if you didn’t know, when you are expecting twins everyone pretty much tells you that life is going to be awful. You won’t be able to breastfeed both of them. You won’t be able to do things that a parent with one child can. You won’t sleep… so I obviously had to prove everyone wrong.
Sleep with the twins was a journey…. I spent the first 6 months of their life pumping and bottle feeding them at night- each session taking at least 45 minutes. I didn’t really ‘sleep train’ them until they were 8 months old, and even with that, they were still waking once a night until 11 months old- and that was 100% due to me just not giving them the space they needed to go all night.
When the twins were 10 months old, I was surprised to find out I was pregnant with my third son, Dean. We knew we wanted at least 3 kids, but we didn’t think they would be so close together in age. When Dean arrived, the twins were 18 months old. I was even more scared than I was when I brought the twins home as a first time Mom….
When Dean was 3.5 months old, I hired a sleep consultant. His sleep wasn’t terrible, but I just didn’t want to forget about him. I wanted his sleep to be a priority. After working with our sleep consultant and feeling the relief that came along with her support, I knew I had to make becoming a consultant part of my journey…
WHEN: When did I become a sleep consultant?
I decided to become a sleep consultant in the summer of 2020. I loved the experience of working with a consultant myself, and I just wanted to share that experience and support with someone else. I also thought I would be really good at it. I love working with people and helping them achieve goals (which is also why I love fitness)
This inspiration also came during the global pandemic shutdown… I could see that parents, who were now at home full time with their kids, were struggling, and I wanted to be that light in their life to help bring some sanity and structure back to their homes. I mean we all got thrown into a tailspin…
I spent a lot of time researching different programs, and I landed on the Family Sleep Institute. This school is one of the oldest and most accredited institutions for sleep consultants in the country. Their staff is amazing. And it is one of the only programs where you finish with a legitimate certification, which made we confident in my choice. Education has always been very important to me, so I wanted to know I was learning from the best.
WHERE: Where am I?
I am located in Plymouth, MN- the good old midwest! However, I have served families from coast to coast, and I would love to serve families internationally as well.
WHY: Why do I do what I do?
Oh man, this is just the biggest question. I remember a very specific moment when I was living in London in 2013… I was sitting in a cafe and just couldn’t stop thinking about how I wanted to HELP people. I love performing. I love helping an audience lose themselves in a magical world of song and dance… but I wanted to go behind the spotlight into the REAL stuff. I wanted to support people through real life events and moments. This is when I made the big decision to pack up and move home to Minnesota, essentially starting over.
Shortly after I returned home, I found group fitness and Pilates… I was finally helping people, and I still love this part of my career to this day. But after I had my kids, I felt a calling to people in the same situation as me- parents who have very small children. I wanted to be able to help support them through this challenging and special time of parenthood. I wanted to help them to not feel the stress that comes along with sleep deprivation. I wanted sleep to not be the cause of stress in their homes.
So this is why I do what I do. I want to be IN these moments with you. I honestly feel like it’s the biggest honor and privilege to do this work.
So that’s me!
A performer turned Pilates trainer turned wife turned Mom turned Sleep Consultant- all rolled into one, unique Kendra!
I guess the reason this blog is so important is because if you’re going to trust me to come into your lives, you need to know who the real person is behind Kaleidoscope Sleep.
So hi, I’m Kendra, it’s nice to meet you. I look forward to being on this journey… together.
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