Dr Nicola Cann, Sleep Psychologist has learnt that sustainable business growth comes from building genuine relationships, developing skills and knowledge, and being part of communities that support. She shares her story of growing her business with She Owns It.

What’s your biz?

I use psychology to help tired people sleep better!

I support adults and families with sleep struggles by offering consultation, psychotherapy and workshops. I also work with teams and organisations, offering consultation and training.

Who do you work with? What sets you apart?

My ideal clients are people who are tired of being tired.

They might be busy adults, parents, or teenagers, who are struggling with sleep and are looking for practical, evidence-based support.

Typically I work with people who are looking for a more psychological-grounded and personalised approach to sleep health. People who need more than the generic advice typically available, and who are looking for long term solutions.

Sleep difficulties can be frustrating, confusing and emotionally draining. What I'm especially good at is helping people make sense of their sleep in ways that feel manageable and hopeful. We work together to develop practical strategies that make sense for their situation and priorities. It really is a team approach.

What sets me apart is my unique combination of expertise in both psychology and sleep. Sleep isn’t just a biological process—our thoughts, emotions, habits, and life circumstances all play a role. I help people understand the bigger picture and focus on realistic strategies that create lasting change.

What sparked the idea behind your business?

There wasn't really a specific moment that sparked my idea for specialising in sleep psychology. It was a much more gradual process. I struggled with sleep myself as a teenager and young adult and no one offered me good advice.

When I trained as a psychologist sleep barely got a mention, and yet when I started working as a psychologist it came up all the time. It became clear to me that there was a huge gap - other challenges and struggles are so much harder when you're not sleeping well, and yet there's so little good support and advice focused on improving sleep. That's where I come in!

What does a typical day look like for you as a business owner?

What I love about my job is that it's so varied so there's no such thing as a typical day. I regularly have online consultations with clients but I also spend a lot of my time creating sleep resources, and developing new workshops.

I do quite a bit of media work too these days, so I'll often be busy responding to a journalist request, or being interviewed for a podcast. I was always pretty good at work/life boundaries until I started my own business! Now that I really love what I do I find it harder to switch off. I'm always coming up with new ideas, or tweaking things, or looking for new opportunities.

I maintain balance by keeping busy in my personal life too. I actually travel full time, so although Wellington is 'home' I'm often exploring new places around New Zealand and overseas.

What are some of the key milestones in your business journey so far?

One of my biggest milestones was when my company was first incorporated. Maybe that seems like a boring example, but there was so much planning and preparation behind that moment that I'm still really proud of it. It was only the beginning but I'd already come so far and overcome so many doubts and fears.

Another big moment for me was when I was interviewed for an article in The Guardian a few years ago. I hadn't done much media work at the time so this was a massive win. I had friends from the UK messaging to say "did I just see you in The Guardian?!". It felt like my business was finally becoming less of an expensive hobby and more of a real business.

What have been some of the biggest challenges you've faced so far?

The fear. Fear of failing. Fear of getting it wrong. Fear of not having what it takes.

I've always been confident in the idea behind my business - I'd spent years seeing people struggling with sleep and not getting the help they needed. But setting up a business as a psychologist is complicated. There are a lot of rules! Navigating those and making sure everything I did was compliant was pretty scary.

And doing this alone when I'd always been part of supportive teams made it even tougher.

I overcame these hurdles by connecting with other psychologists in business, other solo business owners, other women in business. Having the support of others facing similar challenges is what got me through those challenges.

What are you most excited about in your business right now?

I have so many ideas! In the past six months I've been doing more corporate work. Having always previously worked in the public sector this was totally new to me, but I'm excited at the freedom and creativity this work can offer.

I'm currently having discussions with large corporate training organisations about contributing to corporate wellbeing programmes and I'm excited about where that might go.

My heart is still in public health though, and making healthy sleep more accessible for everyone will always be a priority for me.

In the longer term I'd love to work with policy makers to support more systemic change in terms of sleep health equity.

What’s worked best for you to build brand awareness and get customers?

Running workshops has been one of the most impactful ways for me to build brand awareness. It allows me to reach wider groups of people, and my workshops often lead to more work and more connections. I think that one of the reasons for this is that I love what I do, and this is obvious when I'm talking about sleep with a group of people. I get a lot of positive feedback about my passion and enthusiasm.

What is one of the important lessons you've learnt as a business owner? What advice would you share to someone starting out?

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that building a business takes far longer than most people expect.

When I started out I kept thinking every potential opportunity was going to be the thing that 'made me', but sustainable growth comes from lots of small, consistent steps, developing the skills, knowledge and relationships over time.

My advice to anyone starting out is to focus on doing good work and building genuine relationships. Those foundations take time, but they pay off in ways you can’t always predict through referrals, opportunities, collaborations, and a strong support network.

How does being a part of She Owns It help you in your business journey?

Being a solo business owner has sometimes felt lonely, especially as I've previously been lucky enough to work in some amazing teams. Being part of a community like She Owns It gives me opportunities to connect with other women who understand the realities of building a business. Whether that's working out boring logistical things, celebrating the wins together, or sharing an exciting new idea.

⚡️ FAST 5:

1. One thing you’d tell your younger self starting out?
You got this! Stay brave.

2. Your favourite biz or personal development books or podcasts?
Your Undivided Attention - Podcast by the Centre for Humane Technology. This is not really a business podcast but there are some excellent episodes on creating businesses that humane rather than harmful.

3. How many tabs do you have open right now?
I'm embarrassed... um, around 16 (not counting the ones on my phone). That's a real indicator of how my brain works.

4. What's your go-to power song?
I don't have a go-to power song but I do have a playlist called 'Battle Songs', which is shared with my favourite strong women. I listen to it when I need to remember that I'm strong too. Some key figures on there like Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Sia...

4. A quote you love and why?
My business strategy is confetti-ing". Said by my best friend when we were both starting out with our businesses. I can relate so much to this.