Transform sleep challenges to sleep success
Hi, I’m Barbara. I love helping individuals and families obtain more nourishing sleep.
My daughter had many sleep challenges. I would spend countless hours rocking, patting, driving, singing, rocking some more and scrolling google looking for ways for both of us to just get more sleep. Sleep wasn’t meant to be so hard. In desperation I hired a sleep consultant, one that promised a gentle method and no sleep training. She came with many positive reviews and had even been featured on a prominent news show as a baby whisperer. When she arrived she promptly put up a curtain of baby blankets tied on the cot. I was told not to look at my crying baby, nor to hold her hand. When I asked ‘but what if she has teething pain’ I was told to ‘rub teething gel on the gums through the curtain’. I was given a document that contained a one-size-fits-all routine that required me to spend up to 2 hours in a dark room to get my daughter to nap. I didn’t know it at the time, but these were all sleep training methods even though the consultant claimed not to sleep train. In the one 15 minute follow up consult I was told that we were causing the sleep issues. Rather than solve our sleep challenges it led to intense frustration for both my daughter and I.
My desire to understand the ‘why’ behind my daughter’s sleep issues resulted in me gaining further education in the field. I know now that my daughter wouldn’t nap because she wasn’t sleepy. She didn’t need a one-size-fits-all routine. She needed no routine and a mum empowered to follow her cues.
Along the way my own sleep derailed and I developed sleep maintenance insomnia. Today, to ensure I sleep well I use a variety of natural treatments, dietary and lifestyle modifications, healthy breathing, and strategies from CBT-I.
Overcoming my and my daughter’s sleep struggles has fuelled my passion for supporting sleep in people of all ages. Now, I aim to educate and empower about all things sleep so that you can sleep better and live well!
Not just ‘another sleep consultant’
I am a Naturopath (N.D., BHSc), Certified Paediatric Sleep and Wellbeing Specialist, Adult Sleep Coach, Possums Neuroprotective Developmental Care Provider and Educator, Accredited G.E.M.M Practitioner, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Insomnia practitioner and mum to one beautiful girl and two fur-babies. I graduated as a Naturopath in Australia some time ago and followed this up with a degree in Health Science and a Graduate Diploma in Psychology. I am currently completing an Honours degree in Psychology. I have worked in private practice and for natural health companies in both Australia (Metagenics) and the United States (Standard Process and Raintree Nutrition).
At Lavender Sleep and Wellness I take a holistic approach to sleep and look at and address the underlying causes of sleep challenges. What sets my work apart is the unique combination of natural medicine and psychology — addressing the physical and psychological contributors to sleep so you can achieve meaningful, lasting change.
Integrative Sleep Support
Sleep isn’t shaped by just one factor — it’s the result of a complex interaction between biology, environment, nutrition, lifestyle, emotional wellbeing, and family dynamics.
My Integrative Sleep Support approach looks at the whole picture. I identify the root causes affecting your sleep or your child’s sleep and create a personalised plan that supports change across the areas that matter most.
What makes this approach different
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Root-cause focused – We explore what’s truly contributing to the sleep challenges.
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Tailored and multi-factor – Your plan targets the specific areas influencing sleep for you or your child — biological, psychological, environmental, nutritional, behavioural, and developmental.
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Evidence-based – Strategies draw from current research in psychology, sleep science, naturopathy, neuroscience, and nutrition.
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Gradual, sustainable change – We focus on realistic shifts that support long-term improvement, not quick fixes.
For infants and children
There is no cry-it-out or controlled crying in my approach. Instead, I use cued care, a responsive method based on understanding and meeting your child’s needs. This approach supports healthy attachment, respects developmentally appropriate sleep patterns, and addresses underlying factors.
A – Age appropriate
Integrative Sleep Support is age appropriate to address the changing sleep needs across the lifespan.
B – Be Safe
Sleep advice is aligned with the latest sleep safe research.
C – Common Challenges
Common sleep challenges, where experienced, are addressed in the integrative sleep therapy.
S – Sleep Science
The foundation of all support addresses the biology of sleep.
S – Sensory
Integrative Sleep Support identifies and addresses how sensory impacts sleep.
We all have different sensory needs which can impact sleep. Some people, for example, need deep pressure to ease them into sleep, others specific noise, while others require no noise. In Integrative Sleep Support we’ll explore if any sensory preferences are impacting on your quality of sleep.
L – Lifestyle & Environment
Our environment and lifestyle habits affect sleep. Without healthy balanced habits quality sleep will be a challenge.
In integrative sleep therapy you will learn about the role sunlight, blue light, our sleep environment, daily routines, tech exposure, alcohol and drug use, nature and toxin exposure plays on our sleep. You’ll be provided with easy sustainable steps to make changes in these areas, to reclaim sleep.
E – Eating
What we eat, our diet and nutrition, has been linked to how well we sleep.
There is increasing research to show diet and nutrition significantly affects sleep. As a result, in Integrative Sleep Therapy you will learn what foods to eat and when you should eat to improve sleep. You will also learn about the many sleep-promoting nutrients that can be consumed, and evidence-based supplements that you can take to improve sleep.
E – Emotion (Social & Psychology)
Our emotions, connection to others and our cognition can impact our sleep.
Our connection to others and social relationships can influence our sleep, along with mindset, gratefulness and cognition. Integrative Sleep Therapy also explores cultural influences on sleep, and empowers individuals to experiment with sleep advice that aligns to their values.
P – Physical
The physical – the biological, medical, our blood sugar, hormones and gut health – can all impact sleep.
There are several physical factors that can influence sleep and if not addressed quality sleep will be difficult. Some common examples of physical factors that can affect our sleep include various health conditions, pharmaceutical medications, sleep apnea, breathing issues, snoring, blood sugar and hormonal imbalances and gut/digestive health (gut-brain relationship).