I'm Charlee, a certified Holistic Sleep Coach (OCN Level 6), mum of two, and the person behind Velvet Moon.

I have two beautiful girls, and this story started with them.

My eldest daughter was an incredibly alert, high-needs baby who was later diagnosed with reflux and cow's milk protein allergy. From the very beginning, sleep (and motherhood!) felt much harder than I'd expected. I spent countless nights on her bedroom floor trying to help her settle while wondering when on earth she was going to "learn how to sleep" (spoiler: that was never the issue!).

By the time I was heavily pregnant with my second daughter, I knew something had to change.

Eventually, I reached out to a sleep consultant because I was desperate. The support helped, and our sleep improved, but as we worked through the plan I realised that "gentle" means very different things to different people. I found myself dreading the night because I felt like I had to choose between protecting the progress we'd made and responding to my daughter in the way that felt natural to me. I remember thinking, surely this can't be the only way? But at the time, I honestly had no idea there was another option.

As I started learning more, I discovered there were ways to improve sleep that didn't rely on mainstream “sleep training” or one-size-fits-all approaches. I also realised that my daughter's individual sleep needs had never really been considered, which explained why challenges like early mornings never truly went away. I wanted to understand why sleep can feel so difficult in the first place and how to support it in a way that was truly responsive and individual to each child.

That journey led me to train with Dr Lyndsey Hookway and become an accredited Holistic Sleep Coach (OCN Level 6).

Now I help families get better sleep by looking at the whole child, not just the night. Every child is different, so instead of searching for one magic solution, I look at everything that could be affecting sleep to create an approach that feels responsive, realistic and right for your family.