The increased focus on whole-person health among consumers has given rise to a new appreciation for all things sleep. PTs who are prepared to invest a bit of time and effort in adding sleep recovery to their skillset could soon see a huge return on that investment.

Workplace wellbeing specialist Mandy Bisson recently completed Nordic Fitness Education’s (NFE) Sleep Recovery Specialist course. Mandy was looking to add to her knowledge in the wellness space, as her background already blended a career in corporate and business unit strategic planning with niche experience in workplace wellbeing.

Having worked with organisations of all sizes, she had helped build and implement effective wellbeing strategies that delivered results – for both businesses and the people within them. The strategies she has created have driven sustainable high performance – through happier, healthier, more productive and more engaged employees – and also linked to bottom-line results.

Mandy wanted to further expand her knowledge base. This led her to enrol on the sleep recovery course, which has added an important element to the wellness expertise she is able to draw from – corporate sleep webinars. We spoke to Mandy about her experiences regarding the course.

Interview with Mandy

What attracted you to enrol on the Sleep Recovery Specialist course?

I know how important sleep is to overall health, and see the pillars of sleep/nutrition/movement/stress as completely intertwined. Sleep is a real issue for people with stressful corporate jobs, so I knew there would be a demand for knowledge in that space.

What knowledge, in particular, were you looking to acquire by enrolling on the course?

Understanding the science behind sleep and finding a way to apply it in a practical way

Do you feel that the course was successful in equipping you with that?

Yes! The combination of content/assessments and analysis/questionnaires was good, I feel I can speak with credibility now. And when I add the qualification I received from the course to the large amount of reading I have done around the topic, I feel confident and comfortable leading sleep training and coaching sessions with people across organisations – including executive members.

What other useful learnings did you gain from the course?

One that springs to mind is how to assess – and then tailor – strategies to the individual.

How have you utilised the skills you’ve learnt during the course?

I now deliver 60-minute corporate sleep webinars to employees in organisations. The webinars can have anything from four to 400 people on them! When we can resume work in offices, I will probably run similar sessions, but face-to-face. I also deliver sleep coaching to individuals.

Was the course what you expected? Any surprises on the way?

It was as I expected, I think! The instant access to the course tutor, Ben, to ask questions was better than I expected (and his response times were very quick).

What was, for you, the most positive aspect of the course?

The flexible way of learning and the balance of science vs. practical application.

How did you find the online learning experience – and have you done online courses before?

I studied a diploma in nutrition for a year, so was used to online learning. It works well for me as a busy mum of two boys (plus two labradors), a house and work to juggle. The flexibility offered by being able to study when it suited me – and around family life – was key.

Would you recommend the course to others – and if so, why?

Yes, I would definitely recommend it to others, as it provides a great foundation to understand the principles of sleep and how to structure coaching sessions with clients. The example questionnaires and assessments to use with clients are really useful too.

What was your impression of Nordic Fitness Education as a training provider?

They were great in terms of ease of access, flexibility, support and value for money – I would recommend them to others!

Take your PT offering and career to the next by training as a Sleep Recovery Specialist, or follow the link below:

https://www.nordicfitnesseducation.com/sleep-recovery-specialist/