Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Overland.
Megan, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Growing up, I wasn’t the girlie girl who dreamed of her wedding day and played make-believe house. I played every sport my parents would allow, stayed outside until it was too dark to see your hand in front of your face, and always had some kind of stitch or cast from building a ramp or jumping off the roof into the swimming pool. However, as tough as I was, I always had a tender heart toward kids. My dream included a huge house so I could adopt all the kids who needed a loving home.
Babysitting was my first job—so, technically I’ve been in my profession since I was ten, ha! I remember being in 7th grade and being called “the baby whisperer” because I could get my mom’s friend’s newborn to sleep when none of the adults could. Babysitting in high school led to being a nanny in college, which led to being a live-in nanny when I graduated, followed by a short stint with a company as a night nurse. Yet, I never saw taking care of kids as a profession; it was always a means to an end until I got a “real job.”
In 2015 I quit night nursing to pursue event planning—my college major—full-time, and, to no one’s surprise, most of my events were children’s birthdays and baby showers. In the midst of doing events, I was still getting asked to nanny, go on vacations with families, and help solve their baby’s sleep issues. In 2018, I had a “come to Jesus” moment and realized that event planning was not my passion, and working with children was not just a means to an end. Children are my purpose; they are my passion. It was then that I started Littles In Training with the focus of sleep training, and have never looked back.
Has it been a smooth road?
Anything but! Many people see the job of a nanny as not being a “real job,” and I too had that mindset, thinking to myself, “Nannying is just something I’ll do until I start my career.” I was asked for years, even from family members, “When are you going to get a real job?” When you continually hear that what you are good at isn’t a real job, you start to believe it—words are powerful! I wasted many years not living out my passion fully because I listened to what society and others defined as “successful.” The clients have always been there; I just had to believe I was the one who could help them.
My advice to younger women would be to have confidence in your ability. I still haven’t mastered this, but I am getting there. I still get nervous when jumping on a phone call with a mother, but 60 seconds into the conversation something in my soul kicks in and I’m like, “Oh, I totally got this,” and I find myself giving them advice easily and confidently. Often, as women, we struggle with self-doubt. Personally, it has been the journey of finding my identity as a daughter in Christ that has led me to being confident in giving mothers advice.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Littles In Training – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Littles In Training was created to be a true support system for moms—the heart of my career is to see moms encouraged, celebrated, and given the tools they need to be confident and successful. I believe today more than ever we are failing our moms. When first-time mothers leave the hospital, they are often told, “Your maternal instincts will just kick in; you got this,” but sometimes you need some support. I once had a new parent consultation for a family with a five-week-old little that said they had learned more from me in one hour than they had the last five weeks.
We live in a world where we can access information easily, and unfortunately, that information is not always helpful. The first thing I tell my clients is, “Do NOT Google your baby questions.” There is so much information out there and every article contradicts the one you read before. Even social media can be a dark place for moms— posting a photo of your child too often results in critical commentary that leaves new moms feeling lost and discouraged once again.
The second reason I created Littles In Training—and the primary focus of my work—is to educate moms on the importance of sleep and teach them how to get their baby to sleep through the night on their own. My business motto is: “Sleep training is not a deprivation, it is a gift.” Sleep training is often looked at as negative, but it is quite the opposite. Think of the Chinese proverb that says, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” Teaching someone a skill is the most precious gift you can ever give, and teaching a baby to sleep on a schedule (and to do it on their own) is a gift that will last a lifetime for both child and the child’s family.
I approach work no differently than I do everything else in life—with passion. As an Ironman athlete, I strongly believe in routine and schedule. It’s important to practice what you preach so prioritizing the adequate amount of sleep while in training is vital. With the constant on-the-go mentality our society has today, sleep is the vital key our children are missing. Instead of making sleep fit into our routine, we need to make our routine fit around our sleep. It needs to be the foundation from the beginning and remain a priority as they grow.
What I am most proud of and what sets me apart go hand-in-hand—I am very relational. My clients aren’t just clients; they are my parents and my kids. They are real people with whom I have built authentic relationships with, and when possible, I love to keep up with them. In fact, one of “my kids” who I sleep trained at six weeks old will be turning five next month! I will be sending her a birthday video. All because of the bond that was started at six weeks with her and her family. I often have clients who will contact me several years later because they have had another child and are ready to start sleep training again.
So, how does this all work? I offer two options: phone consultation packages and in-home training packages. I often help families determine which option is better suited to their needs during a free, 15-minute phone evaluation. During the call, we will discuss the sleep issues the little is experiencing, determine the next steps, and I will educate the parent on which tools are needed to get their child sleeping successfully. However, this is not just a tool and data dump service; I intentionally walk parents through the whole plan and provide support throughout the entire process. Again, for me, it’s really about building a relationship with parents that will result in them feeling supported and confident.
Were there people and/or experiences you had in your childhood that you feel laid the foundation for your success?
I’ve referenced several times throughout this article that I am an athlete. I became an athlete at a young age, so it has played a huge part of who I am. By the age of seven, I was on a competitive swim team; in high school, I led my volleyball team to the state championships; in college, I started competing in triathlons; and now I am on the journey to qualify for the Ironman World Championships. Competing in sports from a young age has taught me discipline, determination, grit, and patience—all of which are needed if you want to build clientele and make it as a small business. You don’t get to the world championships overnight.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 5303567143
- Email: megan@littlesintraining.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littlesintraining
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