After a challenging start to motherhood, Charlotte Gregory discovered firsthand how transformative conscious parenting could be. In the years that followed, the former secondary school teacher turned her personal journey into a mission to help other parents through her business, Peace By Peace Parenting. Trained and certified by Dr Shefali at the Conscious Parenting Coaching Institute, Charlotte now supports mums and dads, helping them move from emotional reactivity to calm, from conflict to connection. Through 1:1 coaching, group workshops and her writing, she helps parents understand the patterns shaped by their own childhoods, release what no longer serves them, and build deeper, more peaceful connections with their children. Passionate about making these life-changing ideas accessible, Charlotte blends compassion, insight and practical tools to guide parents in creating calmer homes – and, in the process, rediscover themselves.
The Passion: what inspired you to set up your business?
In the simplest terms, it began with my own personal journey into conscious parenting, and the realisation of how little support parents receive when it comes to examining the triggers and old wounds that parenting inevitably brings to the surface. I’ve seen firsthand the profound impact conscious parenting can have on a parent’s inner peace, and on the emotional well-being of the children they raise.
I had grand visions of being a laid-back, relaxed, natural parent, but the reality was very different. I found myself constantly triggered, reacting from a place of anxiety or frustration in ways that felt out of alignment with the parent I wanted to be. Deep down, I had this feeling that it didn’t have to be this way.
Then I discovered Dr Shefali’s work on conscious parenting – the practice of becoming aware of how our own childhoods and life experiences shape the beliefs and patterns we bring into parenting. These beliefs act like lenses through which we interpret our children’s behaviour, and they can cause us to react in ways that block the connection we truly want.
Learning to see and shift those patterns has been the most transformative experience of my life, not only in parenting, but also in other relationships and my own sense of self. So, when my youngest was starting school and I was preparing to return to my career as a secondary school English teacher, I felt called to take a different path. I trained and certified with Dr Shefali at her Conscious Parenting Coaching Institute so I could help other parents experience the same deep shifts I had.
The Launch: how did you start out in the beginning?
SLOWLY! I started by building my own website – partly because I knew it would help others understand who I am and what I do, but also because I wanted to clarify those things for myself. Doing this entirely on my own was a big step for me; I am not at all “tech minded”! It took a couple of weeks, plus the encouragement and advice of some beautiful friends. But putting my work into words was a pivotal moment. It really helped me define my purpose, focus and intentions.
From there, I tackled the next daunting step: putting myself out there. I began by offering parent workshops at my own children’s schools, which brought me my first clients. Those early successes gave me the confidence to expand, creating new courses and workshops, which I run in yoga studios, community halls and other local spaces. Over time, I have increased my group offerings and built up my client base, meeting people through these events and growing steadily through word of mouth.
The Innovation: what was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
It’s hard to pinpoint a single breakthrough moment, because I’ve deliberately built up gradually. But I can identify a sort of turning point; At first, I was pouring so much time and energy into putting myself out there – running workshops, introducing myself to new communities, saying yes to every opportunity. Then something shifted: people began coming to me.
Sometimes this happened after they attended one of my events; sometimes I had been recommended by a friend who was an existing client with me. And people were approaching me for both 1:1 sessions and to design talks or sessions specifically for them. This was such an exciting time for me, when I could spend more time ‘doing the work’ with parents rather than always ‘chasing the work’.
Yin and Yang: how do you balance work and family?
Because conscious parenting is both my work and my personal practice, there isn’t a very clear divide between the two. Raising my own children, being in a marriage, and navigating my own ‘first family’ dynamics and patterns are all part of the same journey. I can’t show up regulated and conscious with my clients unless I’m showing up regulated and consciously in my own life – examining my triggers, continuing my own healing and committing to my practices of yoga, meditation and journalling to support my nervous system.
I’ve chosen to be very intentional about building my business alongside the needs of my family, and I’m very lucky that is possible and that it is the type of work in which I have a lot of autonomy regarding my schedule. As my kids have grown and their school days, after-school activities and time with friends have increased, I’ve gradually expanded my workload.
On a more practical level, my husband’s flexible work schedule enables him to do the school drop-offs, and his hands-on approach to sharing the mental load makes a big difference. I’m a morning person so I also enjoy getting up an hour before the kids so I can fit in some writing before the day begins and then I get straight back to it when they all leave. I schedule most of my sessions during school hours, and I aim to keep one day a week free from client work or workshops so I can stay on top of family life, household admin and my relationships. To be able to support as many parents as possible flexibly, I do work some evenings and weekends, but I try to keep this to times that don’t encroach too much on family life.
In many ways, balancing work and family is part of my conscious parenting practice – modelling for my children that I have my own needs and purpose and ensuring I’m not looking to them for my personal validation, while still being present for them. I know that meeting my own needs, through work amongst other things, allows me to show up more fully as a parent. It’s an ongoing balance and one I still don’t get right all of the time, but I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to shape my business around my family life, and I don’t take that for granted.
