May 19, 2025 • 19 mins
Struggling with sleep? You're not alone. In this eye-opening conversation with certified sleep science coach and licensed clinical social worker Keri Cooper, we uncover the profound connection between quality sleep and virtually every aspect of our wellbeing.
Drawing from her 25 years of experience as a therapist, Keri explains how she consistently observed sleep quality directly affecting her clients' mental health. This pattern became so apparent that it inspired her to become certified in sleep science and launch Sleep Solutions by Keri, where she helps clients transform their relationship with rest using cognitive behavioral approaches rather than medications.
The science is compelling: during our nightly sleep cycles, our bodies activate immune functions, detoxify systems, repair muscles, and process emotions. Without proper sleep, these critical processes break down, affecting everything from weight management to workplace productivity. Keri shares practical strategies for improving sleep hygiene, including limiting caffeine after noon, removing electronic devices from bedrooms, and restructuring how we think about sleep itself.
What's particularly fascinating is Keri's work with corporations, where she addresses the costly myth that burning the midnight oil equals productivity. Sleep deprivation costs businesses billions in errors, accidents, and diminished output. Her message is clear - well-rested employees accomplish more in standard hours than exhausted workers putting in extra time.
Parents will find Keri's insights especially valuable as she discusses how exhaustion undermines even the best parenting intentions and offers guidance on helping teenagers develop healthy sleep habits in our screen-dominated world. Her books, "Mental Health Uncensored: 10 Foundations Every Parent Needs to Know" and its companion teen workbook, extend her expertise beyond her practice.
Ready to transform your relationship with sleep? Visit sleepsolutionsbyKeri.com to learn more about her virtual coaching services that typically produce significant improvements within just four sessions.
Sleep Solutions by Keri
Keri Cooper
47 North Franklin Tpk, Ramsey, NJ
keri@sleepsolutionsbykeri.com
201-256-4141
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Doug Drohan.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Hey everybody, welcome to another episode of
the Good Neighbor Podcastbrought to you by the Bergen
Neighbors Media Group.
Today we are joined by KeriCooper, who has a company called
Sleep Solutions by Keri, whichis we were talking offline for
about 15, 20 minutes and there'sso many things that she does
that are so effective that youknow, when I think of a new
business, you always ask thequestion do they, you know, is
(00:35):
it something that people want orneed and do they solve a
problem?
And I think she checks off twoof those boxes.
I think it's something peopleneed and I think she solves the
problems.
Keri, welcome to the show.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
So you are a certified sleep coach, sleep
science coach let's not forgetthe word science that's in there
.
So tell us a little bit aboutyour background and how you
became.
You know to focus on sleep.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Sure.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
I've actually my first, you know, my real job.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
I guess I can call it is that I'm a therapist and
I've been a therapist for 25years and I really work with
high school and college kids andI take a very holistic approach
and I've always, you know,asked them how is your sleep,
how are you eating, are youexercising?
And what I've always noticed isthe moment their sleep starts
going downhill, so does theirmental health, and there's a
huge connection in the researchabout sleeping and mental health
(01:30):
.
So I've always known that weneed to focus on that and get
that under control if they wanttheir mental health to be better
.
But as I've been working withthese kids for a very long time,
I also work with their parents,and lots of times their parents
would come into my office andsay I want to be a better parent
, I want to use all the toolsyou're telling me, but I'm
(01:51):
exhausted, I'm tired, I have nopatience, I'm overwhelmed.
And then I'd start talking tothe parents about their sleep
and realize they were absolutelynot getting enough sleep at all
.
And then, you know, duringCOVID times, especially when
everyone's sleep was a disasterbecause of our routines and
schedules and screen time, Iwrote two books Mental Health
(02:12):
Uncensored 10 Foundations EveryParent Needs to Know.
And then I wrote a workbook forthe kids and in both of them I
wrote an entire chapter aboutsleep and I really dove into the
research about how sleep isconnected to our physical and
mental health and how it's trulythe number one foundation we
need to fix.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Well, after all of that, I decided let me get
certified as a sleep sciencecoach.
So I went back and did that andopened up a business for adults
where I'm a virtual sleep coachand normally within around four
sessions they're sleeping a lotbetter.
What the research really findsis that the best approach to
sleep therapy is a cognitivebehavioral approach, and that
(02:49):
was already within my wheelhouseas a therapist.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
So it's not about taking Ambien or something like
that.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
No, it's not.
And that's not to say if youare taking it, stop immediately,
but it's to say there arebetter ways out there.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Right, and you know it's interesting.
I used to travel overseas a lotand I used to blame getting
sick on the air quality of theairplane.
But you know, when you'retraveling in different time
zones and I didn't sleep well ifI was giving a presentation, so
that was also compounded.
But there is, there is a linkbetween you know, your general
(03:23):
health right, maybe a weakenedimmune system if you're not
sleeping well.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
So during sleep we go through these REM cycles and we
go through around four of themand every aspect of them helps
our body in some way and helpsour mind in some way.
So our immune system actuallykicks on.
Really during sleep, that'swhen you know all that good
stuff is activated in our body.
It's when we detox stuff fromour body.
So we need restful sleep andyou know they say, you know when
(03:52):
you're sick, oh, go sleep allday, go take a nap, like you
know your body needs that andthat's because it needs to
repair itself.
That's also when you know allyour muscle repairing is
happening as well.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Sleep is really crucial to like every aspect of
our well-being yeah, and youknow I mean, there's a lot of
things associated with sleepproblems, you know, aside from
the weak immune system and um,you know, one of them you you
have here is called weight gainand I found that, and I know,
talking about cognitive andbehavioral changes, if you're
exercising and especially, likeI used to, to work out a lot at
(04:25):
night.
I used to train, I used toteach classes.
I slept pretty well, you know,when I was working out at a more
regular and intense levelbecause my body needed to repair
, yes, and you know, as long asI didn't come home, and then,
you know, sometimes you got tocool down, you know, mentally
and emotionally after a class,but once I hit the pillows, man,
(04:48):
I was out and I think that youknow, as a parent, like you said
, you know it was the parentsthat then came to you and said I
need help.
You know, going back yearsbefore people like you existed,
you know my mother had five kids, four of them in four and a
half years.
You know, mothers, parents,they were overworked and the
less sleep you got, probably themore you know edgier, less
(05:12):
patience you had with your kidsand it was kind of like a cycle,
because the less patience youhave, the more anxiety there is,
the more tension there is, andthen the less you're going to
sleep and it just keeps goingand going.
So you know, you know with youand bringing these issues to
light, I think a lot of peopleare recognizing this now and
you're positioned in a greatspace because I think, anyway,
(05:35):
from things that I read and inthe media, that there is a more
of a heightened sense of howimportant sleep is.
Do you find that to be true?
Speaker 3 (05:44):
Absolutely.
I think people are reallyrealizing how crucial it is.
And you talk about exercisingand weight loss and all of that.
And I always kind of chucklearound January 1st when everyone
starts posting like, oh, I'mgoing to eat well and exercise,
and I always want to say, butwhat about sleep?
Because if you're not sleeping,you're not going to be able to
wake up in the morning andexercise easily.
(06:05):
You're not going to have themotivation to do it.
You're not going to be able torepair your body if you are
exercising.
And during sleep is when ourhormones are all made for like
to let us know oh, I'm full, oh,I'm hungry.
So sleep is really.
You know, everything we do inlife.
It comes back down to sleep.
So if we we're not sleepingwell, weight loss is going to be
an uphill struggle as well yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
So you know.
Another thing that's obviouslymore prevalent, that my mother
didn't deal with when she wasraising us, was having a cell
phone.
One of my habits is my son's,11 years old.
He wants me to like be in theroom with him when he falls
asleep.
So I sit in a chair.
I tend to fall asleep in thatchair, but before I do I'm
reading the news.
(06:47):
I'm checking out the Mets score, Cause maybe I went to bed
before they.
Luckily they've been winning alot of the.
They got shut out last night.
So I'm reading my phone.
I'll say reading my phone.
I'm looking at my and sometimesI get you know if I read a book
I fall asleep within fiveminutes, but I can't read a book
(07:08):
cause I don't have a light.
I got to turn the light offwhen my son's sleeping.
But I know that's not a greathabit.
It's a habit I need to break.
I think there was a song it's ahard habit to break by Chicago
or somebody like that.
But what do you like?
What's your advice to peoplethat you know?
I own a business on my phone.
It's part of my, it's anappendage, it's part of my.
It's my third arm, my thirdhand.
What do you say to people thatjust can't seem to turn off?
(07:31):
And I'm not just talking aboutadults.
What about teenagers?
Speaker 3 (07:34):
Yeah, it's a huge issue and I do say that like an
hour before bed you got to putthe phones away and you know you
were saying like, well, I wouldread a book, but I don't have a
light and you can get like a$10 book light off of Amazon.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
There's solutions to all of these issues, like a
miner's hat light that goes onmy head, put it onto a book.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
Also, all the phones have, you know, night mode, and
that at least helps a little bitwith the blue light.
But for your kids especially,get the phones out of their
bedrooms.
It is so important Nothing goodis happening at 3 in the
morning on your child's phone,and especially with the
population I work with, I knowhow disruptive those phones are
in the middle of the night andas adults put your phone on.
(08:15):
Do not disturb.
Get it out of the room if youcan.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
You don't always need to be available.
Yeah, that's true.
That's true, I think.
Um.
It leads me to my next uh topic, which is, aside from working
with teens and kids and parentsand adults, you also address
corporate um issues, which is,you know, the old mindset of I'm
multitasking, I'm working, I'mso busy, I don't have time to
(08:42):
sleep much, and that was like abadge of honor, man, yeah, I'm
so.
How you doing?
Oh, man, I'm so busy.
Like nobody ever says, ah, Igot nothing to do all day.
You know, work is great, man, Ilove the fact that I got this
work-life balance.
Nobody would ever say that totheir boss, to their colleagues.
But yet, you know, I mean, youcome to work and you're you're
(09:07):
dragging your butt and then attwo, three o'clock, you got to
get that caffeine lift afterlunch because you know you're
hitting the, you know your yourhead's kind of nodding off.
It could cost.
I guess there's a dollar figurethat you could attribute to
worker fatigue, is that correct?
Speaker 3 (09:18):
There is, we're losing a lot of productivity, a
lot of mistakes are happening atwork.
You know, especially when we'redealing with some industries
that are dealing with, you know,heavy machinery or anything
like that they know.
They do know that theiremployees need to be well rested
in order to function, and I dothink that, depending on the
(09:40):
industry, there's definitelysome that are still like oh,
it's a badge of honor, andothers who are focused more on
work-life balance.
But this whole concept ofmultitasking and staying up late
at night in order to do morework, you're not productive, you
just aren't.
And if you actually slept well,you can get so much more
accomplished during the daytimehours, and you can get it done
better too.
So what does that look like?
Speaker 2 (10:01):
So you come into a company, they hire you to come
in and give a workshop, or howdoes your corporate and you can
get it done better too.
So what does that look like?
So you come into a company,they hire you to come in and
give a workshop, or how doesyour?
Speaker 3 (10:07):
corporate.
Sometimes they'll bring me into do a workshop just to talk.
Lots of them have wellness days, and other times they'll have
me come in and actually workone-on-one with their workers.
That way we can talk about whatexactly is happening with them
and how can they get some bettersleep.
Nice, nice.
That way we can talk about whatexactly is happening with them
and how can they get some bettersleep, nice, nice.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
So if somebody were to you know they gave you a call
like how does the process work?
And you said it's virtual right, they don't have to come to
your office.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
Right, I do have an office in Ramsey, but I am
virtual as well.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Okay, so how does the process work?
They reach out to you.
They say hey, man, I'm Carrie,can you help me?
I'm really at my wit's end.
I'm not sleeping and I knowit's affecting my health, it's
affecting my relationship.
Can you help, like what's thenext step?
Speaker 3 (10:50):
So the next step is we will set up a time to talk
and I will send them a ton ofintake paperwork, because I have
a lot of questions, before weeven meet for the first time,
about what their daytime routinelooks like, what their
nighttime routine looks like,what their sleep looks like, how
they're feeling, how muchcaffeine they're using, alcohol,
(11:13):
all of that stuff.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
That way, day one, we jump right into making the
changes that we need to makeRight?
And you know, my father drinkscoffee at 10 o'clock at night
and falls asleep Like he has noproblem.
He can.
You know the the.
The funny thing with my dad islike if you come over, if you go
to the house and he says, doyou want a cup of coffee?
I always have to ask is itfresh?
Because he won't throw out.
He and my mother will not throwout any leftover coffee.
(11:34):
So if they made a pot in themorning and they only drank half
of it, that's just going to goin the microwave if you want a
cup of coffee.
So but it's throughout the day.
When they come to visit me,there's always coffee on up
until they go to bed, and maybethey're.
You know, they are a rare breed.
Obviously my dad has becomesomewhat desensitized to
(11:55):
caffeine, but um, it's.
It's funny because I I like mycoffee in the morning.
I get up at five.
I don't sleep that great, wecould talk about that another
time and I usually have anafternoon cappuccino or cortado
or something after lunch andthen I'm good.
I found that if I drank anormal cup of coffee after four
o'clock that would affect mysleep.
But are you saying that, evenif I have a cup of coffee at
(12:18):
three o'clock in the afternoon,that that could affect my sleep?
Speaker 3 (12:22):
Everyone's a little bit different based on their
metabolism.
But if you're having sleepissues, I would definitely say
no caffeine after you know.
12 o'clock in the morning I'mreally fine with it, but in the
afternoon, even if you, you knowlike your dad, could fall right
asleep.
But is he getting a restfulsleep?
Is he getting into?
Speaker 2 (12:45):
So if I look at your client base, you're going from.
You know you have teens.
How young do you start withhelping somebody with their
sleep?
Speaker 3 (12:54):
With their sleep, definitely within high school.
We start because a lot of highschoolers have some issues.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
It's funny.
I met someone yesterday who'slike a pediatric sleep
consultant.
Yeah, consultant, yeah.
So uh, she'll have kids upuntil like seven years old you
know eight years old, um and theparents and help them with you
know a cognitive approach to tosleep, um having better sleep
yeah, when you're that young,really more of the work is with
the parents yeah, yeah.
(13:24):
So yeah, I mean, if we gothrough all the different stages
of our life, of when we havestress, certainly as a teenager,
you're worried about all theexams you have to take, and
maybe you're in sports and thisand that.
And then there's the socialmedia part that you know, you
and I probably didn't have, Iknow I didn't have.
And then there's the new mom,and then there's the parent with
you know, now you're raisingyour kids and you're worried
about what they're doing, you'reworried about your job, you're
(13:52):
that.
So there's a lot to turn off.
You know, and I could, you know, it's no wonder we as a society
have problems sleeping.
So you're saying within four,say four sessions, if I
implement the things that you're, you know, these science based
habits, that I should start tosee some, some improvement.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
Absolutely, Because it's not just about structuring
your day better which we dotackle and structuring your
nighttime routine.
It's also about the concept ofsleep and how you approach it,
because too many people areapproaching it like it's a
battle and then it's driving uptheir anxiety and, oh my gosh, I
only got five hours last nightor up at 2am.
My day is going to be awfultomorrow and we need to address
(14:28):
really those cognitions so thatsleep is no longer a battle and
that it's more like your friendopposed to your enemy.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
Yeah, no, it's true.
Sometimes I've gone to bedthinking, oh my God, am I going
to sleep tonight?
And then you wake up at one andyou're like, oh my God, it's
one o'clock, I can't believe I'mup.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
Yeah, and that starts to snowball and it snowballs.
So it's really about changingthe thought process behind sleep
as well.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
So when did you start ?
So you're a licensed clinicalsocial worker.
Have you always been on yourown as a business owner?
Speaker 3 (14:59):
I think my private practice has been around 13, 14
years at this point.
So yeah.
I've been my own boss for quitesome time now.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Yeah, and what has that been like?
Did you go to school?
Did you study accountingmarketing?
Speaker 3 (15:15):
No, I was just a therapist and you know I've
worked in numerous therapeuticsettings and then eventually
went into like a group settingsfor private practice and decided
.
I don't really fit neatly intoany of these group practices
because I'm so holistic innature.
Speaker 1 (15:32):
And.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
I just went out on my own and figured a lot out and
joined a lot of great womenbusiness groups.
And they were so amazinglysupportive and helpful.
And yeah, 10 years later.
Now I'm giving advice to othersmall businesses.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Yeah, that's great.
Do you have a business coach orany kind of marketing
consultant?
Speaker 3 (15:52):
I've had a business coach for a little bit and I
have somebody who's helped mewith like the website designs,
but besides that it's reallyjust me.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
Yeah.
So what advice would you giveto somebody Say it's a, you know
somebody wants to start atherapy practice.
What advice would you give tothem just starting out?
Speaker 3 (16:12):
Yeah, I actually.
It's funny I just posted aboutthis in a therapist group
because so many people askingthat question you know how do I
start?
How do I start?
And I said was that first youneed your clinical skills really
, really high in order to be inprivate practice.
So you should not be, in myopinion, jumping out of school
and going into a privatepractice.
I worked over 10 years in thefield with other people, so you
(16:32):
really need to understand that.
You need to know whatpopulation you really want to
work with.
You can't work with everybody.
You can't be good at everything.
Then you need to focus in onthat and realize that it takes
time to build up a successfulbusiness.
It's not going to happenovernight.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Right, right, yeah.
So you know, you need thestomach for that, as I say.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
When it comes to marketing, it's not an overnight
.
Everybody wants instantgratification and everything.
It's funny, I always say, likethe business owner has.
Like, you know the devil andthe angel.
Like, as a consumer, you knowthat the first time you see an
ad, you may not be in the marketfor what they're selling, maybe
it just goes right past you,you don't retain anything, right
(17:15):
, whatever.
But as a business owner, youwant, the first time somebody
sees your ad, to give you a call.
So you kind of forget who youare as a consumer and then
ignore all the science, but Isay the neuroscience, what they
(17:35):
call neuromarketing nowadays.
Nowadays is understanding howthe brain reacts to marketing
messages.
And if you don't have the uh,like I said, if you don't have
the stomach to understand thatit could take time, uh, but the
payoff is huge then it's goingto be a struggle and you see a
lot of people weep, frogging Itried this, I try this, I try
this.
That didn't work, I didn't work, instead of sticking with
something and you know so, um,and that's great advice.
So how would um, how wouldpeople contact you?
What's the best way to reachyou?
Speaker 3 (17:55):
Yeah, my website is sleep solutions byKeri.
com , and you know.
Go through there and read upall about me.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Okay, and the phone number is 2 0, 1, 2, 5, 6, 4, 1,
4, 1.
And your book, let's?
Let's talk a little bit aboutyour book for a second, because
you, you know, we kind ofglanced over that, but uh, I
don't often have authors on myshow and uh I go.
Mental health uncensored uh-huhby kerry cooper.
Speaker 3 (18:22):
Yeah, it's mental health uncensored 10 foundations
every parent needs to know.
And then the parents reallyasked me to do a book for the
kids.
So I did a workbook for kidstaking all of that into practice
, where they could see and tracktheir own progress, so that one
is Mental Health Uncensored 10Foundations Every Teen Needs to
Know and they're both on Amazon.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
I was on Amazon.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
That's great.
That's great.
Well, carrie, this was reallyreally interesting.
Well, carrie, this was reallyreally interesting.
As you could probably tell, Icould definitely pick your brain
or use your help, so I think alot of our listeners will feel
the same.
Thank you so much for being aguest on the show.
Speaker 3 (19:01):
Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
All right.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
Chuck's going to just say goodbye and you and I will
be right back.
Thank you for listening to theGood Neighbor Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to gnpbergen.
com.
That's gnpbergen.
com, or call 201-298-8325.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Doug Drohan.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Hey everybody, welcome to another episode of
the Good Neighbor Podcastbrought to you by the Bergen
Neighbors Media Group.
Today we are joined by KeriCooper, who has a company called
Sleep Solutions by Keri, whichis we were talking offline for
about 15, 20 minutes and there'sso many things that she does
that are so effective that youknow, when I think of a new
business, you always ask thequestion do they, you know, is
(00:35):
it something that people want orneed and do they solve a
problem?
And I think she checks off twoof those boxes.
I think it's something peopleneed and I think she solves the
problems.
Keri, welcome to the show.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
So you are a certified sleep coach, sleep
science coach let's not forgetthe word science that's in there
.
So tell us a little bit aboutyour background and how you
became.
You know to focus on sleep.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Sure.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
I've actually my first, you know, my real job.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
I guess I can call it is that I'm a therapist and
I've been a therapist for 25years and I really work with
high school and college kids andI take a very holistic approach
and I've always, you know,asked them how is your sleep,
how are you eating, are youexercising?
And what I've always noticed isthe moment their sleep starts
going downhill, so does theirmental health, and there's a
huge connection in the researchabout sleeping and mental health
(01:30):
.
So I've always known that weneed to focus on that and get
that under control if they wanttheir mental health to be better
.
But as I've been working withthese kids for a very long time,
I also work with their parents,and lots of times their parents
would come into my office andsay I want to be a better parent
, I want to use all the toolsyou're telling me, but I'm
(01:51):
exhausted, I'm tired, I have nopatience, I'm overwhelmed.
And then I'd start talking tothe parents about their sleep
and realize they were absolutelynot getting enough sleep at all
.
And then, you know, duringCOVID times, especially when
everyone's sleep was a disasterbecause of our routines and
schedules and screen time, Iwrote two books Mental Health
(02:12):
Uncensored 10 Foundations EveryParent Needs to Know.
And then I wrote a workbook forthe kids and in both of them I
wrote an entire chapter aboutsleep and I really dove into the
research about how sleep isconnected to our physical and
mental health and how it's trulythe number one foundation we
need to fix.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Well, after all of that, I decided let me get
certified as a sleep sciencecoach.
So I went back and did that andopened up a business for adults
where I'm a virtual sleep coachand normally within around four
sessions they're sleeping a lotbetter.
What the research really findsis that the best approach to
sleep therapy is a cognitivebehavioral approach, and that
(02:49):
was already within my wheelhouseas a therapist.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
So it's not about taking Ambien or something like
that.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
No, it's not.
And that's not to say if youare taking it, stop immediately,
but it's to say there arebetter ways out there.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Right, and you know it's interesting.
I used to travel overseas a lotand I used to blame getting
sick on the air quality of theairplane.
But you know, when you'retraveling in different time
zones and I didn't sleep well ifI was giving a presentation, so
that was also compounded.
But there is, there is a linkbetween you know, your general
(03:23):
health right, maybe a weakenedimmune system if you're not
sleeping well.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
So during sleep we go through these REM cycles and we
go through around four of themand every aspect of them helps
our body in some way and helpsour mind in some way.
So our immune system actuallykicks on.
Really during sleep, that'swhen you know all that good
stuff is activated in our body.
It's when we detox stuff fromour body.
So we need restful sleep andyou know they say, you know when
(03:52):
you're sick, oh, go sleep allday, go take a nap, like you
know your body needs that andthat's because it needs to
repair itself.
That's also when you know allyour muscle repairing is
happening as well.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Sleep is really crucial to like every aspect of
our well-being yeah, and youknow I mean, there's a lot of
things associated with sleepproblems, you know, aside from
the weak immune system and um,you know, one of them you you
have here is called weight gainand I found that, and I know,
talking about cognitive andbehavioral changes, if you're
exercising and especially, likeI used to, to work out a lot at
(04:25):
night.
I used to train, I used toteach classes.
I slept pretty well, you know,when I was working out at a more
regular and intense levelbecause my body needed to repair
, yes, and you know, as long asI didn't come home, and then,
you know, sometimes you got tocool down, you know, mentally
and emotionally after a class,but once I hit the pillows, man,
(04:48):
I was out and I think that youknow, as a parent, like you said
, you know it was the parentsthat then came to you and said I
need help.
You know, going back yearsbefore people like you existed,
you know my mother had five kids, four of them in four and a
half years.
You know, mothers, parents,they were overworked and the
less sleep you got, probably themore you know edgier, less
(05:12):
patience you had with your kidsand it was kind of like a cycle,
because the less patience youhave, the more anxiety there is,
the more tension there is, andthen the less you're going to
sleep and it just keeps goingand going.
So you know, you know with youand bringing these issues to
light, I think a lot of peopleare recognizing this now and
you're positioned in a greatspace because I think, anyway,
(05:35):
from things that I read and inthe media, that there is a more
of a heightened sense of howimportant sleep is.
Do you find that to be true?
Speaker 3 (05:44):
Absolutely.
I think people are reallyrealizing how crucial it is.
And you talk about exercisingand weight loss and all of that.
And I always kind of chucklearound January 1st when everyone
starts posting like, oh, I'mgoing to eat well and exercise,
and I always want to say, butwhat about sleep?
Because if you're not sleeping,you're not going to be able to
wake up in the morning andexercise easily.
(06:05):
You're not going to have themotivation to do it.
You're not going to be able torepair your body if you are
exercising.
And during sleep is when ourhormones are all made for like
to let us know oh, I'm full, oh,I'm hungry.
So sleep is really.
You know, everything we do inlife.
It comes back down to sleep.
So if we we're not sleepingwell, weight loss is going to be
an uphill struggle as well yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
So you know.
Another thing that's obviouslymore prevalent, that my mother
didn't deal with when she wasraising us, was having a cell
phone.
One of my habits is my son's,11 years old.
He wants me to like be in theroom with him when he falls
asleep.
So I sit in a chair.
I tend to fall asleep in thatchair, but before I do I'm
reading the news.
(06:47):
I'm checking out the Mets score, Cause maybe I went to bed
before they.
Luckily they've been winning alot of the.
They got shut out last night.
So I'm reading my phone.
I'll say reading my phone.
I'm looking at my and sometimesI get you know if I read a book
I fall asleep within fiveminutes, but I can't read a book
(07:08):
cause I don't have a light.
I got to turn the light offwhen my son's sleeping.
But I know that's not a greathabit.
It's a habit I need to break.
I think there was a song it's ahard habit to break by Chicago
or somebody like that.
But what do you like?
What's your advice to peoplethat you know?
I own a business on my phone.
It's part of my, it's anappendage, it's part of my.
It's my third arm, my thirdhand.
What do you say to people thatjust can't seem to turn off?
(07:31):
And I'm not just talking aboutadults.
What about teenagers?
Speaker 3 (07:34):
Yeah, it's a huge issue and I do say that like an
hour before bed you got to putthe phones away and you know you
were saying like, well, I wouldread a book, but I don't have a
light and you can get like a$10 book light off of Amazon.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
There's solutions to all of these issues, like a
miner's hat light that goes onmy head, put it onto a book.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
Also, all the phones have, you know, night mode, and
that at least helps a little bitwith the blue light.
But for your kids especially,get the phones out of their
bedrooms.
It is so important Nothing goodis happening at 3 in the
morning on your child's phone,and especially with the
population I work with, I knowhow disruptive those phones are
in the middle of the night andas adults put your phone on.
(08:15):
Do not disturb.
Get it out of the room if youcan.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
You don't always need to be available.
Yeah, that's true.
That's true, I think.
Um.
It leads me to my next uh topic, which is, aside from working
with teens and kids and parentsand adults, you also address
corporate um issues, which is,you know, the old mindset of I'm
multitasking, I'm working, I'mso busy, I don't have time to
(08:42):
sleep much, and that was like abadge of honor, man, yeah, I'm
so.
How you doing?
Oh, man, I'm so busy.
Like nobody ever says, ah, Igot nothing to do all day.
You know, work is great, man, Ilove the fact that I got this
work-life balance.
Nobody would ever say that totheir boss, to their colleagues.
But yet, you know, I mean, youcome to work and you're you're
(09:07):
dragging your butt and then attwo, three o'clock, you got to
get that caffeine lift afterlunch because you know you're
hitting the, you know your yourhead's kind of nodding off.
It could cost.
I guess there's a dollar figurethat you could attribute to
worker fatigue, is that correct?
Speaker 3 (09:18):
There is, we're losing a lot of productivity, a
lot of mistakes are happening atwork.
You know, especially when we'redealing with some industries
that are dealing with, you know,heavy machinery or anything
like that they know.
They do know that theiremployees need to be well rested
in order to function, and I dothink that, depending on the
(09:40):
industry, there's definitelysome that are still like oh,
it's a badge of honor, andothers who are focused more on
work-life balance.
But this whole concept ofmultitasking and staying up late
at night in order to do morework, you're not productive, you
just aren't.
And if you actually slept well,you can get so much more
accomplished during the daytimehours, and you can get it done
better too.
So what does that look like?
Speaker 2 (10:01):
So you come into a company, they hire you to come
in and give a workshop, or howdoes your corporate and you can
get it done better too.
So what does that look like?
So you come into a company,they hire you to come in and
give a workshop, or how doesyour?
Speaker 3 (10:07):
corporate.
Sometimes they'll bring me into do a workshop just to talk.
Lots of them have wellness days, and other times they'll have
me come in and actually workone-on-one with their workers.
That way we can talk about whatexactly is happening with them
and how can they get some bettersleep.
Nice, nice.
That way we can talk about whatexactly is happening with them
and how can they get some bettersleep, nice, nice.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
So if somebody were to you know they gave you a call
like how does the process work?
And you said it's virtual right, they don't have to come to
your office.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
Right, I do have an office in Ramsey, but I am
virtual as well.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Okay, so how does the process work?
They reach out to you.
They say hey, man, I'm Carrie,can you help me?
I'm really at my wit's end.
I'm not sleeping and I knowit's affecting my health, it's
affecting my relationship.
Can you help, like what's thenext step?
Speaker 3 (10:50):
So the next step is we will set up a time to talk
and I will send them a ton ofintake paperwork, because I have
a lot of questions, before weeven meet for the first time,
about what their daytime routinelooks like, what their
nighttime routine looks like,what their sleep looks like, how
they're feeling, how muchcaffeine they're using, alcohol,
(11:13):
all of that stuff.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
That way, day one, we jump right into making the
changes that we need to makeRight?
And you know, my father drinkscoffee at 10 o'clock at night
and falls asleep Like he has noproblem.
He can.
You know the the.
The funny thing with my dad islike if you come over, if you go
to the house and he says, doyou want a cup of coffee?
I always have to ask is itfresh?
Because he won't throw out.
He and my mother will not throwout any leftover coffee.
(11:34):
So if they made a pot in themorning and they only drank half
of it, that's just going to goin the microwave if you want a
cup of coffee.
So but it's throughout the day.
When they come to visit me,there's always coffee on up
until they go to bed, and maybethey're.
You know, they are a rare breed.
Obviously my dad has becomesomewhat desensitized to
(11:55):
caffeine, but um, it's.
It's funny because I I like mycoffee in the morning.
I get up at five.
I don't sleep that great, wecould talk about that another
time and I usually have anafternoon cappuccino or cortado
or something after lunch andthen I'm good.
I found that if I drank anormal cup of coffee after four
o'clock that would affect mysleep.
But are you saying that, evenif I have a cup of coffee at
(12:18):
three o'clock in the afternoon,that that could affect my sleep?
Speaker 3 (12:22):
Everyone's a little bit different based on their
metabolism.
But if you're having sleepissues, I would definitely say
no caffeine after you know.
12 o'clock in the morning I'mreally fine with it, but in the
afternoon, even if you, you knowlike your dad, could fall right
asleep.
But is he getting a restfulsleep?
Is he getting into?
Speaker 2 (12:45):
So if I look at your client base, you're going from.
You know you have teens.
How young do you start withhelping somebody with their
sleep?
Speaker 3 (12:54):
With their sleep, definitely within high school.
We start because a lot of highschoolers have some issues.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
It's funny.
I met someone yesterday who'slike a pediatric sleep
consultant.
Yeah, consultant, yeah.
So uh, she'll have kids upuntil like seven years old you
know eight years old, um and theparents and help them with you
know a cognitive approach to tosleep, um having better sleep
yeah, when you're that young,really more of the work is with
the parents yeah, yeah.
(13:24):
So yeah, I mean, if we gothrough all the different stages
of our life, of when we havestress, certainly as a teenager,
you're worried about all theexams you have to take, and
maybe you're in sports and thisand that.
And then there's the socialmedia part that you know, you
and I probably didn't have, Iknow I didn't have.
And then there's the new mom,and then there's the parent with
you know, now you're raisingyour kids and you're worried
about what they're doing, you'reworried about your job, you're
(13:52):
that.
So there's a lot to turn off.
You know, and I could, you know, it's no wonder we as a society
have problems sleeping.
So you're saying within four,say four sessions, if I
implement the things that you're, you know, these science based
habits, that I should start tosee some, some improvement.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
Absolutely, Because it's not just about structuring
your day better which we dotackle and structuring your
nighttime routine.
It's also about the concept ofsleep and how you approach it,
because too many people areapproaching it like it's a
battle and then it's driving uptheir anxiety and, oh my gosh, I
only got five hours last nightor up at 2am.
My day is going to be awfultomorrow and we need to address
(14:28):
really those cognitions so thatsleep is no longer a battle and
that it's more like your friendopposed to your enemy.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
Yeah, no, it's true.
Sometimes I've gone to bedthinking, oh my God, am I going
to sleep tonight?
And then you wake up at one andyou're like, oh my God, it's
one o'clock, I can't believe I'mup.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
Yeah, and that starts to snowball and it snowballs.
So it's really about changingthe thought process behind sleep
as well.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
So when did you start ?
So you're a licensed clinicalsocial worker.
Have you always been on yourown as a business owner?
Speaker 3 (14:59):
I think my private practice has been around 13, 14
years at this point.
So yeah.
I've been my own boss for quitesome time now.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Yeah, and what has that been like?
Did you go to school?
Did you study accountingmarketing?
Speaker 3 (15:15):
No, I was just a therapist and you know I've
worked in numerous therapeuticsettings and then eventually
went into like a group settingsfor private practice and decided
.
I don't really fit neatly intoany of these group practices
because I'm so holistic innature.
Speaker 1 (15:32):
And.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
I just went out on my own and figured a lot out and
joined a lot of great womenbusiness groups.
And they were so amazinglysupportive and helpful.
And yeah, 10 years later.
Now I'm giving advice to othersmall businesses.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Yeah, that's great.
Do you have a business coach orany kind of marketing
consultant?
Speaker 3 (15:52):
I've had a business coach for a little bit and I
have somebody who's helped mewith like the website designs,
but besides that it's reallyjust me.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
Yeah.
So what advice would you giveto somebody Say it's a, you know
somebody wants to start atherapy practice.
What advice would you give tothem just starting out?
Speaker 3 (16:12):
Yeah, I actually.
It's funny I just posted aboutthis in a therapist group
because so many people askingthat question you know how do I
start?
How do I start?
And I said was that first youneed your clinical skills really
, really high in order to be inprivate practice.
So you should not be, in myopinion, jumping out of school
and going into a privatepractice.
I worked over 10 years in thefield with other people, so you
(16:32):
really need to understand that.
You need to know whatpopulation you really want to
work with.
You can't work with everybody.
You can't be good at everything.
Then you need to focus in onthat and realize that it takes
time to build up a successfulbusiness.
It's not going to happenovernight.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Right, right, yeah.
So you know, you need thestomach for that, as I say.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
When it comes to marketing, it's not an overnight
.
Everybody wants instantgratification and everything.
It's funny, I always say, likethe business owner has.
Like, you know the devil andthe angel.
Like, as a consumer, you knowthat the first time you see an
ad, you may not be in the marketfor what they're selling, maybe
it just goes right past you,you don't retain anything, right
(17:15):
, whatever.
But as a business owner, youwant, the first time somebody
sees your ad, to give you a call.
So you kind of forget who youare as a consumer and then
ignore all the science, but Isay the neuroscience, what they
(17:35):
call neuromarketing nowadays.
Nowadays is understanding howthe brain reacts to marketing
messages.
And if you don't have the uh,like I said, if you don't have
the stomach to understand thatit could take time, uh, but the
payoff is huge then it's goingto be a struggle and you see a
lot of people weep, frogging Itried this, I try this, I try
this.
That didn't work, I didn't work, instead of sticking with
something and you know so, um,and that's great advice.
So how would um, how wouldpeople contact you?
What's the best way to reachyou?
Speaker 3 (17:55):
Yeah, my website is sleep solutions byKeri.
com , and you know.
Go through there and read upall about me.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Okay, and the phone number is 2 0, 1, 2, 5, 6, 4, 1,
4, 1.
And your book, let's?
Let's talk a little bit aboutyour book for a second, because
you, you know, we kind ofglanced over that, but uh, I
don't often have authors on myshow and uh I go.
Mental health uncensored uh-huhby kerry cooper.
Speaker 3 (18:22):
Yeah, it's mental health uncensored 10 foundations
every parent needs to know.
And then the parents reallyasked me to do a book for the
kids.
So I did a workbook for kidstaking all of that into practice
, where they could see and tracktheir own progress, so that one
is Mental Health Uncensored 10Foundations Every Teen Needs to
Know and they're both on Amazon.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
I was on Amazon.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
That's great.
That's great.
Well, carrie, this was reallyreally interesting.
Well, carrie, this was reallyreally interesting.
As you could probably tell, Icould definitely pick your brain
or use your help, so I think alot of our listeners will feel
the same.
Thank you so much for being aguest on the show.
Speaker 3 (19:01):
Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
All right.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
Chuck's going to just say goodbye and you and I will
be right back.
Thank you for listening to theGood Neighbor Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to gnpbergen.
com.
That's gnpbergen.
com, or call 201-298-8325.
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