About Kim

Kim Corley

Hi, I’m Kim – a Behavioural Sleep Specialist.

I provide an understanding of child development, human behaviour, physiology and how drugs work on the body with my background in science, psychology and pharmacology. Over ten years of experience in health and adult education have given me a unique perspective on the field of sleep.

I have had an eclectic career, which has included working as a relationship manager for Southern Cross healthcare, taking emergency 111 calls and dispatching for the NZ Police; and being a trainer in the Police Communications Centres.

Then after becoming a mum I started learning about what really matters in life! SLEEP!

Our Family’s Challenge

I’m a Mum of 2 (a girl who is 13 years and a boy, who is 17 now), and have followed Sleep Sense for over 17+ years. Ever since my son was a newborn and had his days and nights mixed up (yes, that’s a thing).

But I didn’t train with Sleep Sense until broken sleep hit us again when my son was 7 years of age, and suffered from anxiety and panic attacks around the topic of sleep and bedtime.

No one could help us specifically with sleep and school-age children at that point, and to date, I believe I’m still the only behavioural sleep specialist (or sleep consultant) that works with school-age children in New Zealand. My son also has dyslexia (and was later diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety), so I needed a method that would work with his unique brain and development. It worked; but wasn’t as streamlined as it is now.

We tried it all and even got a dog to sleep in the room with him, so we, as parents, didn’t have to stay with him all night. but it didn’t work! So, I researched more and used my psychology training plus information online to devise a plan and help him combat his bedtime anxiety. During that phase of severe sleep deprivation, my marriage almost dissolved.

And after we’d come out the other end is when I considered helping others with sleep issues, because the effects on family life are devastating. Everything falls apart if you’re not sleeping well. Including your most important relationships.

My extra training as a certified sleep sense consultant, and continued learning, definitely helped me develop a sleep plan that works.

Sleep Sense Method

We got through it, so I took up an offer of training directly under Dana in the Sleep Sense Method.

In fact, it was an inheritance from my Nana, who was once a Karitane nurse working with babies, that allowed me to fly to Florida and train. Then there were 6 months+ of midnight lectures to keep up with the other side of the world. There are still monthly webinars, but these days I tend to watch the replays!

I have also attended lectures by overseas sleep specialists who have worked with children with learning differences (like ADHD and autism) to ensure my methods were compatible. And I continue to study and keep up to date on sleep research. I’m so good at sleep, I can do it with my eyes closed (joke).

Now, I mentor new Sleep Sense consultants around the world.

I’ve experienced it, and I know how to solve it!

Almost everything that can go wrong with sleep has happened to our family:

  • Night terrors
  • Sleepwalking (my son and daughter)
  • Cows milk protein intolerance/allergy (daughter)
  • Sleep apnoea due to large tonsils (daughter)
  • Sleep apnoea due to sinus issues and environmental allergies and hay fever (my son).

My husband also has sleep apnea and now uses a c-pap machine (so he no longer snores and is now off the couch haha).

While I work largely with sleep behaviour, I also have the knowledge to screen for medical issues. If you want to climb Mount Everest, you want to do it with a guide who’s been there and made it through. Not one that has only read about it in a book! The same applies to sleep issues.

Let me help you!

I’m a sleep consultant because my children didn’t sleep well. Not because they did! I know what can go wrong with sleep, I’ve experienced it, and I also how to solve it! I don’t judge, as I know how hard parenting is, especially when you’re sleep-deprived. My why is to help you and your children sleep well.

I want to build parents’ confidence, help them be better rested to parent the way they want to, and ensure their child gets enough sleep to reach their potential developmentally. It’s not about surviving, we want our children to THRIVE – I want to build a picture of good sleep for as many families as possible.

There’s nothing better than crawling into your bed with clean sheets at the end of a hard day and sleeping well. It’s the best feeling. And children can experience that too.

There’s much more to sleep than sleep! Or as the sleep experts say:

“Sleep health is a multidimensional pattern of sleep-wakefulness, adapted to individual, social, and environmental demands, that promotes physical and mental well-being. Good sleep health is characterized by subjective satisfaction, appropriate timing, adequate duration, high efficiency, and sustained alertness during waking hours.”