Founder of The Sleep Collective, Gerri has over a decade of experience in education and curriculum design and development. Working in schools, Gerri knows first-hand how essential quality and restorative sleep is for the developing brain and unfortunately how sleep deprivation can impact a child’s learning and behaviour. It is her hope that through building awareness, education and a foundation of healthy sleep habits that she can create sustained improvements in the education and health outcomes of children. At the start of her own parenting journey, the shock of sleep deprivation hit hard, and Gerri struggled to accept that disrupted sleep was the status quo for parents. Conflicting advice from well-meaning family and health care professionals only made the sleep situation more difficult to navigate. It was a week-long stay in a maternal health unit at a private hospital that helped to turn things around. Gerri was supported and educated on how to guide her child’s sleep and was empowered to achieve that in a way that was not only matched to her parenting style but also built her confidence as a mother. The parenting experience became so much more enjoyable once everyone was getting the rest they needed. Through this experience, Gerri discovered a desire to use her skills in education in a whole new way. She wanted to be able to help parents learn what healthy sleep looks like and how they can promote that in their own children. Gerri has an approachable and non-judgmental nature which helps parents to feel like they can be open and honest about their worries, concerns and limitations.