Meet Kaylee Woodard | Sleep Consultant and Occupational Therapist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kaylee Woodard and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kaylee, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
As a pediatric occupational therapist and mom of 2, I quickly realized how much conflicting and polarizing information was being thrown at new moms, especially when it comes to baby and child sleep. Throughout my 8 years as a pediatric and NICU occupational therapist, I repeatedly saw the connection between sleep and development. Sleep is a basic human occupation essential to overall mental, emotional, cognitive, and physical health, yet so many families lack this basic necessity for years. As a childhood developmental expert, I realized I had the platform and opportunity to equip parents with empowering, life changing sleep and developmental education to help their families thrive and to actually enjoy each stage of parenting. As a mom of 2 excellent sleepers, I want every new mom to know that is possible for her family too and isn’t just reserved for the “lucky” parents of “good” babies.
Sleep is not a luxury and I am on a mission at Rested Roos Sleep Consulting to help families get healthier sleep worldwide.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am the owner of Rested Roos Sleep Consulting, where I serve exhausted families who are ready to make healthy sleep habits a priority. I empower parents to teach their children to sleep really well with nonjudgmental support. However, my career did not start with my sleep consulting business. I am also a pediatric and NICU Occupational Therapist (OT) with a Master’s Degree of Occupational Therapy, so I have extensive training in childhood development and a passion for teaching parents how to support their child’s developmental needs through everyday interactions and activities. I have always known I wanted to be a business owner, and my more than a decade of working with children and their parents has led me to specializing in sleep. There have been many challenges along the way, like moving to Houston away from our support system in Kansas and parenting through and starting a business in a pandemic. I’d say my current biggest struggle is finding a bit of balance as I return to my business after maternity leave. I am figuring out what Rested Roos can do as it rapidly grows alongside managing mom life with a 3 year old and 5 month old. I am learning to take things more slowly, enjoy the present, and give myself grace when ideas take longer than expected to come to fruition.

I want the world to know Rested Roos is just beginning! There are big projects and plans in the works, so stay tuned!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
As a lover of Tex-Mex and a self-proclaimed queso connoisseur, our first stop would probably be El Tiempo for fajitas and margs! A Houston staple. After that, we’d either head to Montrose or the Heights for a fun cocktail and a laid back patio or rooftop. We’d have to find some great live music, preferably an acoustic cover band, so maybe The Rustic or Armadillo Palace. Oh, if you have any hidden live music gems, please send them my way! I’d have to take the girls for brunch at Tiny Boxwoods or Eloise Nichols followed by some shopping at Rice Village or Highland Village. One of the best things about Houston is the amazing food scene. There are always so many interesting, cute restaurants and bars popping up over the city! Other than food though, we’d definitely find our way to the Rodeo if it’s that time of the year!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate this shoutout to my kids Jaxon and Eloise, the inspiration for Rested Roos and the reason for my deep dive into self-reflection and parenting research. They spark my joy and creativity in this endeavor on a daily basis. I would also like to recognize my husband Jake who has always supported, challenged, and encouraged me to bet on myself and take the risks.

Website: www.restedroos.com

Instagram: @restedroos

Facebook: facebook.com/restedroos

Image Credits
Barbara Lipohar, Blip Photography