About me

Hi, I’m Isabel, CEO and Founder of The Sleepy Armadillo.

I’m a Certified Integrative Adult Sleep Coach with a personal mission to help others tap into all the wonderful emotional, mental and physical benefits of sleeping well.

Before becoming a sleep coach I spent more than 20 years coaching CEOs and senior figures in the banking and tech industries. During my time in these industries I experienced severe insomnia – so I have been where you are and I know how to help you break the cycle of sleepless nights and lay healthy foundations for your waking life.

My coaching expertise and my passion for sleep informs the personalised, collaborative, and evidence-based approach I have developed for adults experiencing insomnia and a broad range of sleep challenges.

My sleep story

My challenges with sleep began in my early 30s. I was living the archetypal London life; fast paced job, daily gym workouts and an active social and family life. To cram more into my day, trimming off sleep seemed to make sense, and after a while it became normal. I used to boast that not sleeping was my “super power”! I had no idea how this was affecting me physically, mentally and emotionally.

It was only when I decided to address this imbalance that I realised insomnia was now in control of me. I had lost trust in my body's natural ability to sleep. I would get anxious as bedtime approached, and had an elaborate (and lengthy) wind-down routine, which only wound me up! The impacts on my physical, mental and emotional health were significant.

This all-time low gave me the drive to start the journey that has brought me to where I am today,  and to consistently restful and restorative sleep. Understanding sleep science has helped me understand the biological drivers of sleep and how we can leverage these for better sleep. If we also consider lifestyle, behaviours, mindset, exercise, nutrition and environment we get a truly evidence-based and integrated picture.