Kelly Arnold is the founder of Blissful Babies, where she supports mothers and their babies through the transformative early years of parenthood. With over two decades of experience in yoga, Pilates and massage, she offers a range of services including prenatal and postnatal yoga, baby yoga and baby massage. Through both in-person classes and accessible online programs, she helps mothers build strength, find calm and deepen their connection with their babies. Grounded in her belief in attachment parenting and the power of touch, Kelly’s work empowers families to navigate the postnatal journey with confidence, care and connection. Here, she talks to The Natural Parent Magazine about the inspiration behind Blissful Babies, how she balances work and family life, her biggest breakthrough, and her hopes and dreams for the future.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
I’d been eager to train in postnatal yoga, baby yoga and baby massage for years, and when I became pregnant, the timing was right. I was running my own yoga studio at the time, and I saw an opportunity to share these practices with other mums. I started Blissful Babies, teaching in-person classes and courses, and it was incredibly rewarding. However, when my second baby came along, I found it challenging to balance motherhood and teaching.
I realised that not all mums could attend in-person classes, so I decided to launch our courses online, making baby massage and yoga accessible to all mothers. With over 20 years of experience in yoga, pilates and massage, my journey into Blissful Babies felt like a natural progression.
I’m passionate about helping other mothers find their peace, calm and strength in pregnancy, and supporting them in recovering physically, mentally and emotionally with postnatal yoga. These practices had a profound impact on my own life and deepened the bond with my children, and I want to share that with other mothers. I’m a strong believer in attachment parenting, which goes hand-in-hand with baby massage and baby yoga, and I want to empower mothers and caregivers to nurture their babies with loving touch and co-regulation, respond to their needs and regulate their own emotions to show up for their little ones.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
I began teaching postnatal yoga, prenatal yoga and baby massage while I was pregnant. When my baby arrived, I continued with my popular term-based postnatal yoga, baby yoga and baby massage courses. It was a pretty soft launch, but it felt like a natural progression. Moving online felt natural too – I know how hard it is to find time for yourself as a new mum, so bringing yoga to them was a great way to support more families.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
Merging my postnatal yoga course with baby yoga and massage to create a combined program for mums and babies was a turning point. It really took off, allowing us to nurture both mum and baby together. It feels like the perfect way to support new mothers.
And now, most recently, we’re offering our courses online for mothers who feel challenged to get out and about or live in areas with no courses nearby. Parts of the online course modules, like the history of baby massage and what oils to use, are available as part of our online and in-person offerings taught on the Gold Coast.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
Haha, honestly, it’s a work in progress! Both boys nap at the same time now, so I use those couple of hours to work online – I’ve recorded yoga and Pilates classes, and I’m currently working on a 28-day core challenge program. When they were little, I studied courses online, prepared my class content and did other business admin tasks; I’d contact nap them on a rocking chair or in a carrier while I bounced on a yoga ball – multitasking at its best! For in-person classes, they’d come along with me, and now we’ve got a sitter to help out. I’m taking it one day at a time and evolving as the boys grow.
