Mar De Carlo is the founder of the International Parenting & Health Institute (IPHI), founder of the Association of Professional Sleep Consultants (APSC), author, educator, entrepreneur, and pioneer in holistic sleep and baby planner certification education. Since 2009, she has developed professional certification programs in sleep, pregnancy, parenting, nutrition, wellness, and family support that have trained nearly 4,000 professionals in more than 72 countries worldwide.
Over the past two decades, Mar has helped shape the fields of baby planning, holistic sleep education, parenting support, and professional coach training through the development of innovative certification programs, educational frameworks, books, and professional organizations. Her work has contributed to the growth of multiple professions and has influenced practitioners serving children, adults, and families around the world.
Why Mar Founded IPHI in 2009
Prior to founding IPHI, Mar spent many years working in health, wellness, coaching, fitness, nutrition, parenting, and personal development. Throughout her career, she observed that many professionals supporting families were receiving highly specialized training in individual disciplines, yet few educational programs taught practitioners how to view children, parents, and families through a truly holistic lens.
She envisioned an educational organization that would bridge disciplines, encourage critical thinking, and provide professionals with a broader understanding of the many factors that influence health, wellness, parenting, development, and family well-being.
With this vision in mind, she founded the International Parenting & Health Institute in 2009. The organization was established to provide comprehensive, multidisciplinary education that integrates science, coaching, communication, wellness, and whole-person support.
Why Mar Helped Pioneer the Baby Planner Profession
In 2009, Mar recognized an emerging need for trained professionals who could help families navigate the overwhelming number of products, services, and decisions associated with pregnancy and early parenting.
At the time, no formal educational pathway existed for individuals wishing to pursue baby planning as a profession.
To address this gap, Mar developed what is widely recognized as the world’s first Baby Planner Certification Program and authored The Baby Planner Profession, a foundational book that helped define the role, establish professional standards, and create educational pathways for aspiring baby planners.
Her work helped transform baby planning from an informal service into a recognized professional specialty that continues to support expectant and new families around the world.
Why IPHI Launched the Holistic Pregnancy & Child Sleep Consultant Certification in 2011
As Mar continued her education and work with families, she identified a significant gap within traditional sleep education.
Based on her research, training, and practical experience, she observed that sleep challenges often involved far more than sleep behaviors, schedules, and routines alone. Developmental factors, parent well-being, nutrition, prenatal influences, birth experiences, family dynamics, environmental factors, and overall health frequently played important roles in a child’s sleep patterns and overall well-being.
Mar also recognized that scientific evidence demonstrated that sleep development begins long before birth. Research has shown that fetal sleep-wake cycles begin developing during pregnancy and continue to evolve throughout infancy and childhood. Yet very few professional training programs examined sleep from a pregnancy-forward perspective.
To address these gaps, IPHI launched the Holistic Pregnancy & Child Sleep Consultant Certification in 2011.
The program introduced a broader multidisciplinary approach to sleep education and family support, encouraging professionals to explore the many interconnected factors that may influence sleep rather than focusing exclusively on sleep behaviors.
The curriculum incorporated topics such as child development, prenatal influences, birth experiences, parent well-being, nutrition, family dynamics, environmental factors, emotional health, and whole-family wellness—areas that were not commonly emphasized within sleep consultant education at the time.
Why Mar Founded the Association of Professional Sleep Consultants (APSC)
As the sleep consulting profession continued to grow, Mar recognized the need for a professional organization dedicated to supporting practitioners beyond their initial certification training.
In 2011, she founded the Association of Professional Sleep Consultants (APSC) to provide continuing education, professional development, ethical guidance, networking opportunities, and community support for sleep consultants around the world.
The organization was created with a commitment to advancing professional standards and supporting the long-term growth of the sleep consulting profession.
Why IPHI Evolved Beyond Sleep Training
In the early years of sleep consultant education, many programs, including IPHI, taught a variety of approaches that were commonly discussed within the profession at the time.
However, as Mar continued working with families and mentoring professionals, she increasingly observed that many sleep challenges could not be adequately understood through sleep behaviors alone.
Over time, the curriculum expanded to place greater emphasis on developmental factors, emotional well-being, nutrition, parent wellness, family dynamics, environmental influences, prenatal experiences, birth experiences, and overall health.
As these broader considerations became central to the educational model, Mar concluded that the modifications required to individualize traditional sleep-training approaches often fundamentally changed the intervention itself.
This evolution ultimately led IPHI to transition away from teaching sleep training as a core component of its programs and toward a fully holistic framework focused on understanding the many interconnected factors that may influence sleep.
Why Mar Created the Holistic Science of Sleep Method™
The Holistic Science of Sleep Method™ emerged from years of research, education, professional training, and practical experience supporting families and mentoring practitioners.
Rather than focusing exclusively on sleep behaviors, the methodology encourages professionals to explore the many factors that may contribute to sleep challenges, including:
- Developmental factors
- Parent well-being
- Nutrition
- Prenatal influences
- Birth experiences
- Family dynamics
- Environmental factors
- Emotional health
- Lifestyle habits
- Nervous system regulation
The method reflects Mar’s belief that sleep is best understood as part of a larger interconnected system rather than as an isolated behavior.
Why Mar Introduced the Integrative Adult Sleep Coach Certification in 2015
As the field of sleep education continued to evolve, Mar observed another important gap within professional training.
While many professions, including health and wellness coaching, nutrition, fitness, stress management, personal development, and lifestyle coaching—frequently worked with adults experiencing sleep challenges, comprehensive adult sleep education remained relatively underrepresented within many professional training programs.
Based on her research and experience, Mar recognized that sleep plays a foundational role in nearly every aspect of physical health, emotional well-being, performance, recovery, resilience, stress management, and quality of life.
In 2015, IPHI launched the Integrative Adult Sleep Coach Certification to provide professionals with a comprehensive framework for supporting adults experiencing sleep challenges.
Like IPHI’s child sleep programs, the adult sleep curriculum extended beyond sleep hygiene alone and explored the many factors that may influence adult sleep, including stress, nutrition, lifestyle habits, emotional health, relationships, environmental factors, health considerations, circadian rhythms, nervous system regulation, and overall well-being.
The program was developed to help professionals better understand the complex and interconnected nature of adult sleep and to provide a more holistic framework for supporting lasting change.
Books Authored by Mar De Carlo
In addition to her educational programs and professional organizations, Mar has contributed to the field through her writing.
Her books include:
- The Baby Planner Profession
- Awakening Through Sleep: A Transformational and Spiritual Guide
- The Sleep Coach’s Language Manual
- The Coach’s Language Manual
- When Parenting Hurts (forthcoming)
These works reflect her commitment to advancing professional education, personal growth, conscious parenting, sleep education, and holistic well-being.
Training Professionals in More Than 72 Countries
Over the past 17+ years, IPHI’s programs have attracted a diverse range of professionals seeking to expand their knowledge of sleep, health, wellness, parenting, and family support.
Students and graduates have included nurses, pediatricians, physicians, dentists, neurologists, sleep medicine professionals, orofacial myofunctional therapists, lactation consultants, doulas, childbirth educators, teachers, health and wellness coaches, nutrition professionals, personal trainers, parenting professionals, entrepreneurs, and individuals pursuing meaningful career transitions.
Today, IPHI graduates can be found in more than 72 countries worldwide and represent a broad spectrum of healthcare, coaching, education, wellness, and family-support professions. Many have gone on to establish private practices, launch businesses, educate families, develop professional training programs, and serve communities around the world.
Looking Ahead
Today, Mar continues to lead the International Parenting & Health Institute while developing new educational programs, mentoring professionals worldwide, and advancing the fields of sleep, parenting, wellness, coaching, and family support through innovative, holistic, and multidisciplinary approaches.
Through her leadership, writing, teaching, and mentorship, she remains committed to helping professionals build meaningful careers, serve others with integrity, and create positive change for children, adults, families, and communities around the world.
