The Nesting Space was founded by Christine Robinson who brought a number of her passions together in one place:

Parenting: Christine has a 3 ½ year old son, and just welcomed a second baby boy in July. She co-parents with loving husband, David. Her personal experience and research into the needs of the modern parent inform her classes and her coaching.

Wellness: She strives, no matter how busy life gets, to remember to eat well, drink water, find time to go for a walk, relax and connect with friends. She is always seeking out and trying practices that help keep her healthy and grounded. Yoga and shiatsu massage are the two current favourites.

Education: Christine has built upon her background in Psychology and Human Resources by completing a Masters in Adult Education focused on leadership and parenting. Having spent several years in Management Consulting, she has made the study of Parenting and the support of mindful parenting her life's work.

Community: Always active in her community, Christine volunteers regularly with a variety of community organizations such as K-W Counselling and The Early Years Centres. She has sat on the Board for Klemmer Farmhouse Cooperative Nursery in the capacity of Human Resources Officer and founded a Mompreneur’s group in Waterloo. She has coached early years Figure Skating, has been a buddy for children with developmental disabilities and was a counselor with Planned Parenthood International.

The birth of an idea…

As a new Mom, I was floored by so much of the experience. From the shift in identity, to how tricky breastfeeding could be, never mind how lonely it was in mid November (my son was born in late October) when the weather wasn’t so stroller friendly. I knew I had lots to learn but what I wasn’t prepared for, was how much more difficult it would seem to get out and have an active life than it used to be. Part of it was just getting organized with all the paraphernalia…but what I also discovered is how so few of the places I used to frequent were child friendly. While there were places to go like Early Years Centres, they seemed to serve one main purpose, which was so child-focused I wasn't excited about going. I missed my adult moments like popping into a coffee shop, sitting and relaxing and not being greeted by a grumpy teenager who was put out by my request for a cup of boiling water to warm a bottle, or a question about a change table. I couldn’t help but wonder why there wasn’t somewhere that offered a child-friendly environment that primarily catered to parents in the early years. Surely we weren’t the only family who had found themselves driving around mid afternoon on a Saturday searching for somewhere to go that would be entertaining for our son but also allow Mom and Dad to put their feet up a little. Our basement just wasn’t cutting it any more. And so the idea was born. What if there was such a place? What would it include and what would it offer?

The birth of a dream…

As my maternity leave came to an end, I began to talk to other parents to see if what I was experiencing was shared. I asked them what they felt was missing and got responses that ranged from time to: “sit still” “get a massage”, “get some advice” to simple things like a place where there was a change table and stroller parking. They also said they wanted a place that offered clean and educational children’s play opportunities in parallel with activities for them. That’s when I realized that the dream was really to offer a one-stop-shop and to make sure that it catered to the modern parent and their children.

I began to describe the emerging dream around opening a parenting centre with high quality education that brought parents together, that addressed their community and wellness needs within a café environment. And what I heard was overwhelming. Almost every parent I spoke to wanted to know when we were opening and those who had older children said things like “Boy, I wish I’d had something like that when my children were young!”

My dream of serving parents and offering a specialized experience was getting support and I became even more passionate about moving ahead.

Over the course of about 6 months, I also took part in an entrepreneurship competition hosted by Wilfrid Laurier and The Schlegel Centre to get a sense of whether this businness model would be considered viable. Taking part in LaunchPad was the best decision I could have made. Not only did it force me to apply intense rigour to the business planning process, but it offered mentorship that was priceless.

The icing on the cake? The Nesting Space took home the grand prize which offers some seed capital, some great profile and a supportive boost. Check out the LaunchPad link to view a snippet of our celebration.

The Dream is becoming a reality and I am thrilled to say that while our physical location is still some months away, we are already serving parents in the community in a meaningful way through a variety of programs and partner locations.