Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsay Miller.
Hi Lindsay, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I took my first psychology class as a junior in high school. I was going through a particularly rough season of life and quickly became enamored with the process of thinking about thinking. Fast forward 10 years to another tricky phase of life when I was navigating infertility and benefited so much from utilizing mindfulness to process all the emotions I was feeling. Fast forward another 10 years to when I had a toddler, a miscarriage, a puppy, a new business, and an autoimmune flare. When everything felt like it was falling apart, mindfulness helped me stay focused on managing my stress levels and working toward recovery. After going into remission, I wanted to do use the tools and skills I had learned in a meaningful way. I’d often thought to myself “If only I’d had this knowledge earlier…” and so I decided to create a playful and effective way to teach mindfulness to children and The Stress Nanny was born.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Like any growth-oriented, meaningful endeavor, there have been plenty of challenges. I have another online retail business (The Essential Calendar) so juggling both businesses and motherhood and life has been challenging.
My degree is in marriage, family, and child development and initially I thought I would go into therapy to help kids and families. After taking a few graduate-level counseling courses I realized that I wanted to help families in a more informal way that allowed greater integration between parent, child, and practitioner. I also had a vision for making the support process more efficient because I believe all kids need mindfulness but it’s tricky to add one more thing to an already full after-school schedule. It’s taken several years to refine my coaching process but I love being able to help families with online courses, individual coaching, and my Mindfulness Club.
Mindfulness coaching for children is gaining popularity but it’s a relatively new field. It was challenging to be a new business owner in a field that many people weren’t familiar with. I had to trust that mindfulness would continue to gain ground and that the offering I had created, which I knew was really relevant for modern kids, would find the families looking for it. I’m thrilled that that’s been the case and I’ve gotten to work with some of the most amazing families. I had to stay committed to the vision of children around the world having greater access to mindfulness to make it through the times when I doubted this would work.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The Stress Nanny partners with parents to teach kids emotional regulation, communication, and conflict resolution which enables them to grow up with more confidence and resilience. I offer a weekly podcast where I interview guests and share tools to help families normalize everyday stress and then build a resilience toolbox. I offer individual coaching to help kids learn to focus, recognize and process emotion skillfully, develop positive self-awareness, and build strong relationships. My Mindfulness Club lets kids do that in a fun, safe, and supportive group setting. All of my offerings are online so it’s easy for families to access courses, coaching, or the club without leaving their homes.
I think what sets me apart is the efficiency of my method. I structure my time with the kids to include as many supportive practices, tools, and conversations as I can. I incorporate mindfulness mail with my coaching and each week I send a craft or object lesson to the kids. We make things like glitter jars or do sphere breathing. Having concrete ways to understand abstract concepts like emotional regulation and focusing our thoughts helps kids to learn more effectively and it makes it more fun too. I have figured out playful and simple ways to teach an essential life skill and families love it because kids that were frazzled start to flourish. That’s the thing I’m most proud of when parents come to me and share a moment when their child processed anger without having a meltdown or they tell me about how anxiety didn’t get in the way of a child trying a new thing. I know that learning mindfulness in childhood will empower children and change the trajectory of development and I light up inside every time I hear about that happening.
What do you think about happiness?
It makes me happy to use my life experiences in a meaningful way to support the growth and resilience of other people. I have navigated a lot of challenging seasons and each time I was going through something really hard, I thought to myself “By going through this I will have empathy for even more people.” That thought really got me through some tough times and it brings me so much joy to be at a place where I can share the resilience that life has invited me to cultivate with other people in the hopes that it makes their journey a little more easeful.
I am also happy in nature because I feel grounded and it brings me a sense of awe and wonder. I am so curious about the ways we’re all connected and whenever I stop and connect with the earth, I feel a sense of presence that leaves me grateful to be alive.
My family also makes me happy. I love spending time with my husband and daughter and our two dogs. We worked hard to create this little family that we have and each day I feel so grateful for the chance to be a part of it.
Pricing:
- Mindfulness Club & Individual Coaching $350/mo
- Podcast – Free
- Online Courses $125
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thestressnanny.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thestressnanny/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vibrantvillageyoga
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsay-seil-miller-79a409149/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/millerlindsay2
Image Credits
Jessica Miller, the denim jacket with my arms crossed (curly hair one) was taken by Gina Yavalek.
