S.H.I.N.E. Goal-Setting

Last year at this time, a very small seed, an “if”, a “maybe”, a thought of starting a private practice lactation business was planted. I am not sure how I even took that leap—but I did and never looked back. In the whole scheme of things, it was a pretty impulsive decision. Impulsive and emotional decisions are very much on trend with who I am. With this character trait comes a lot of ambition and A LOT of frustration when being completely honest. Maybe more so for those closest to me as there is much learning that takes place along the journey.

As I have reflected over the past few months (almost coming on a year now!) of Shine Lactation + Postpartum Support, the easy part has been helping moms and babies! I have done that for over half of my life. Owning a business? Building a business? That is where my challenges are. Looking back, there are quite a few things I could have done to make things easier, for all involved. And moving forward, I am excited to make the changes needed to be made to make sure I am accessible and able to support as many families as possible. My prayer and hope is to be a shining light during what can be a challenging path as families add a new baby to the mix!

I have some very specific goals as they relate to SHINE and I won’t bore you with too many details. Each goal fits nicely into this SHINE acronym I created for this new year, 2024.

Supportive—It says it right there in my name, so whatever I need to do to be the MOST supportive of the MOST families is what I am going to do. Ideas I have for this include digging deeper into healthcare grants for families, new ways to accept payment (HSA, FSA) and more.

Helpful—Well this goes without saying, right? Whatever I can do to meet the needs of the families I serve, I want to do. This will be ongoing and I want to hear from YOU what serves your needs as families of babies.

Impactful—Making an impact by using the gifts that God has given each of us is what we are called to do. Of course, this will be an ongoing goal for me personally and for SHINE moving forward.

Networking—I have met SO many amazing people. There are always new people to connect with in this space of supporting families and I am excited to meet others who have additional knowledge and expertise to collaborate with.

Education—If you know me at all, I love to learn about all things breastfeeding, caring for newborns and moms, and ways to contribute in a serviceable way for families. On the education front for the next few months, I am enrolled in an IBCLC Masterclass which delves deeply into the topic of oral ties in babies as it relates to breastfeeding. Once completed, I am excited about another class I was accepted into with a focus on bodywork for both mom and baby. You will be hearing much more about all of this in the months to come, I am quite sure—I am already excited about it!