A little bit about me...
Hi! I’m Gillian and I live in the beautiful city of Charlottesville, Virginia with my husband, two little boys, my beautiful English Setter and three cats too many! You will probably notice that I spell some words differently to you – that’s because I am originally from the UK. Before moving to the USA I made a living working as a boat driver and natural history guide on small expedition cruise ships. I had the most amazing time travelling from pole to pole, and going from one adventure to another.
But, eventually it was time to settle down and begin the journey I had most been looking forward to since I was a little girl… that of motherhood! I have ALWAYS known that I love kids, and I always knew that I wanted to be a stay-at-home parent. In fact, the day my husband proposed it was one of the very first things I told him… it was my dream, to have kids and to not have to send them to daycare. It is not everyone’s cup of tea; but it is mine.
The first part of my dream came true in December 2007 when Jack was born; however, our financial situation did not allow me to stay at home with him. So, when he turned 3 months old, I started entrusting his care to other people. It was like I was dropping off a piece of my heart at day care every morning. I just wanted to be with my baby!
22 months later, Henry was born – and then the maths became easier. I was going to have to go to work just to pay for childcare. Was a health plan worth leaving both my boys with other people? Nope! It was incredibly hard to reduce our finances further just so that I could stay at home, but we made it work.
I started looking for ways that I could make some sort of a living from home, without having to leave the boys with someone else. So, in 2010 I decided to start my own business.
Since then, I have started 3 businesses, and I loved each of them passionately. My first business was teaching infant sign language, something that I was doing with both the boys anyway. I ended up creating a studio in the basement of our house – and I met a bunch of wonderful babies and their parents. It was such a happy time… lots of signs, songs, bubbles, babies and learning.
Fast forward a few years and my kids were older and beginning their LEGO® obsession. It was time for another change. My friend and I bought a Bricks 4 Kidz franchise and we enjoyed massive success teaching after-school S.T.E.M. classes, and summer camps, using LEGO® bricks at many of the Charlottesville area schools. It was a very, very busy few years!
In fact, the growth and demand of our programme actually made it too expensive and logistically challenging to run. Both of us had young kids and we began to feel like we were spending more time on the business than with the little people that we were essentially doing this for. It was a heartbreaking decision, but we decided to sell the franchise.
So, that leads me to today!! I feel like I have FINALLY found the perfect combination of ALL my passions! As I already mentioned, I love kids, and I also LOVE having my own business – I find it empowering and fun. I also love teaching, meeting new people, and helping others.
I have recently become a lot more focused on healthier living since my husband was diagnosed with cancer. Now I am passionately committed to helping other families learn how to make cleaner living simple, affordable and fun. I want to help other parents learn how to make better choices for their families, and I particularly want to teach parents how to use natural remedies as safer alternatives to conventional methods.
I want to show kids the benefits of a healthier life-style and empower them to help themselves by teaching them how to support their own health and emotions using natural resources.
Imagine if your kiddo was feeling overwhelmed and frustrated, but they knew where to find a solution to that problem for themselves? What if your child could help their own focus and concentration? What if your tiny first-aider knew what to do if you were to burn yourself while making dinner?
And what if teaching them about healthy nutrition, the importance of exercise, the healing power of essential oils, and the magic of creativity were super fun?! Sounds great, right? I would love to be your guide and help you and your children to playfully embrace a better way of life! Think of me as your virtual Mary Poppins... I even have the right accent!
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