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Adventure Nannies On Air
The team behind Adventure Nannies is joined by industry experts and dear friends to share anecdotes and resources for nannies, childcare providers, and families. Adventure Nannies is a nationwide agency that helps humans find the support and tools they need to build their dream lives. They have been featured in the New York Times, Forbes, Fortune, and Marie Claire and are well-known in the industry as being progressive innovators and advocates.
For more, visit adventurenannies.com or email marketing@adventurenannies.com to learn how to become a guest on the show.
Adventure Nannies On Air
From Setbacks to Success: Journey to Nanny of the Year with Angela Johnson Sutherland
What if you could turn a career setback into the defining moment that earns you the Nanny of the Year award? Meet Angela, the inspiring nanny whose journey of resilience and community support has captivated many. Join us as Angela shares her genuine reactions to the accolade, and how a pivotal trip to London fueled her passion for teaching and supporting parents worldwide. With heartfelt anecdotes of her childhood dream nanny and the unyielding support from her best friend Kimberly and the wider nanny community, Angela’s story is a powerful reminder of the strength found in unity and accountability.
In our conversation, we shine a light on the collective empowerment within the nanny community, especially among chronically ill nannies pushing past their limitations. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the vital role nannies play, and Angela's experiences are a testament to their invaluable contributions to childcare. Get to know her introspective side, her passion for spontaneous songwriting, and the ways she's supporting families through her parenting coaching. This episode offers a heartwarming look at how Angela's experiences and insights can inspire and uplift nannies everywhere.
Connect with Angela:
linkedin.com/in/angela-johnson-sutherland
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Speaker 2:In each episode, we'll dive into a topic from the wide world of nannying from what to pack for your next adventure, professional development opportunities, industry standards, legal pay and anything else we see crossing our desks at adventure nannies, the nationwide agency for families, nannies, private educators and newborn care specialists. I'm Danielle, I'm Shenandoah and this is Adventure Nannies On Air. The policies and views expressed in this episode are those of the individuals and do not necessarily represent the views of Adventure Nannies Also this episode has a little salty language in it and may not be appropriate for kids.
Speaker 2:Welcome. Welcome, angela. How are you today?
Speaker 3:I'm good and busy. How are you?
Speaker 2:I am good. It has been so exciting. I think Danielle and I have gotten to see you a few times in the last year at Nannypalooza and then again at INA and you are one of those amazing people where I feel like every time I see you, you are doing some new thing, that you are one of those amazing people where I feel like every time I see you, you are doing some new thing that you are just wildly successful at out of the gate, like I'm still. I bought so much jam from angela's palooza conference I'm down to my last jar. It's just all been in my freezer hiding. I have it almost every morning. It it's so delicious. And then, of course, at the INA conference, it was so excited to see you get. Crowned isn't the right word, but I'm going to use it anyways because that's what it felt like. Crowned nanny of the year.
Speaker 1:How's it feeling for you these first few months of nanny of the year? Oh?
Speaker 3:wow of nanny of the year, oh wow. I just I'm still overwhelmed. Sometimes I still can't believe it. I know that I have worked hard and my dad used to call me you're the super nanny. You're the super nanny and like oh yeah, but your dad, you're supposed to say that, but when your peers recognize you, it's totally different, it's a whole new level. So I am still on cloud nine, 10 and 11. Just trying to take it all in.
Speaker 2:How did you find out that you had been nominated by email?
Speaker 3:No way, mail from the INA and I almost deleted it. I was like, oh, they just want to know. I'm thinking, okay, so they have selected the nominees. Okay, well, I'll just wait until the picture comes up and I'll see who the nominees are. And someone told me read the email. So I read the email. I was like, oh my god, that's me it was. It was incredible.
Speaker 3:I was like that's what Kimberly was doing, because my best friend, kimberly uh Brown, she contacted me early that morning. It's like nine o'clock. She says so, how many kids do you have and when is your birthday? What are you up to? Oh, I'm just doing the thing for the training day, it'll be all right. I was like training day is not until July or next year. Okay, whatever, maybe she needs something early. And when I found out it was her and I was like I don't think we'll have to something and she just laughed. But I didn't find out that it was over 20 people until after they announced that I won. I was like, say what? I was just totally just like, oh my goodness. And I heard that it broke a record, that she got together like 20 some odd moms, nannies, even some of the husbands of the nannies nominated me because I've met several of them, so it was just oh wow, it was just incredible, and I'm still laughing about it today because she got me.
Speaker 1:She's a good guy. I, as you know, also just love your best friend, Kimberly Brown, and to me it's no surprise that she would do that and that she would organize a way for your incredible work to be highlighted looking out.
Speaker 3:Well, I guess I could say we're always looking out for each other because I, I do things behind the scenes and she's like why did you?
Speaker 2:do that. I was like mm-hmm.
Speaker 3:So we don't keep score. We just, you know, hold each other up and accountable to each other and make sure that we have what we need. And that's why I love this community so much, because we can rely on one another. And that's why I love this community so much, because we can rely on one another. And that's why I do what I do with the Nanny community.
Speaker 1:Let's act like people listening. Maybe have never heard of you, which is probably impossible, but pretend. Can you give us like a five years back, where were you and what happened and how things progressed?
Speaker 3:Five years back in 2017, I got hurt at work. The doctor told me that I needed to quit and I said boo-hoo, boo-hoo, boo-hoo. I was sad, I grieved like somebody just died. I was grieving, crying, and my dad watched me for about three weeks and said okay, it's time for you to get up. You're the super nanny. You got things to do. And from there I said okay, I got to find a way to stay in this community. I got to find a way to work with kids. That's my life. So I went online. I found the INA. They were advertising the International Nanny Training Day. I talked to my husband. I said well, I'm not working now, and he said you're going. You're going Period. You're going.
Speaker 3:Got there, met Chevelle. Chevelle introduced me to Stephanie. Stephanie said you need to go on Facebook Live. You got a story to tell. I was like no, not me, don't you hear me stuttering? I'm country. I got this Southern twang accent. No, people don't want to hear what I have to say. So, fast forward. I started the Fast forward. I started the. It wasn't even the Ask the Nanny show, it was just.
Speaker 3:I went online with Chevelle, talked about becoming a newborn care specialist and it was doing National Nanny Recognition Week. I had somebody every night that week and I was done. I was like, okay, I went, I told them, sorry, I'm done. And then everyone's like well, where did you go? And so I came back and there was one listener and I was so disappointed but I kept going and kept going and kept going to. There were thousands.
Speaker 3:And then it wasn't just Facebook live, then it was it was Instagram, and then YouTube, and then I got on TikTok in 2021, during the big snowstorm that happened here in Texas. It was a fluke. I posted a video about making formula and it got 10,000 views and I was like and then from there I just kept posting videos. So then I became this famous person on TikTok and from there, in the meantime, in between time, I'm still nannying, I'm still teaching families, I'm still being an NCS and for those of you who don't know what NCS is newborn care specialists my specialty is infants and toddlers. I've cared for over 39 sets of twins. It just went on and on and on and every Monday night you could count like clockwork. Angela was going to be somewhere on social media doing Ask the Nanny. I think you all were on Ask the Nanny too.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 3:Probably more than once, but I just wanted to everyone to come together in our community and learn from one another. That was my first objective was to learn from one another, because I haven't been in, I don't know everything, I haven't lived everywhere, and being a nanny in Texas is totally different than being a nanny in DC I know because I've done it and also being a nanny in Texas is different than being in Arkansas. So it just depends on where you live as to what type of nanny you are and what your responsibilities are, and I wanted everyone to find out and know. This is what nannies do. I got Kathy from Homework Solutions to tell us about our taxes and how we should be. Our employers should be taking taxes out, and a lot of nannies didn't know that they were being paid under the table and I don't think that's fair because first of all, we need to have social security. A lot of us don't have a retirement and social security is part of that, and if we're paid under the table, we don't get that. We don't get workers' compensation if we don't get taxes taken out. If something happens at work, we're either gonna be struggling and out of a job and you know, as a nanny. They will replace you just like that. You say, oh well, somebody else is in here and you're out of a job.
Speaker 3:Then, on top of all of that, it's just a struggle being alone in our community, and that's why I wanted to bring us together too, because for 17 years I was a nanny and I had nobody to talk to. I was just out there. You know. If I saw a nanny at the park, hey, how you doing. And then I'd never see them again because we never exchanged information, we just played at the park and that was it. If we happened to be at the park at the same time, yay. And then some nannies were so closed off that you know they didn't want to talk to you. So, as an individual being lonely for a while like I say a while, I mean for years I wanted people in our community to come together and not be in competition with one another, but to collaborate with one another.
Speaker 3:If I needed a fill-in, you know I can count on you to fill in for me. I can count on you to. You know, have my back. Whatever the case may be, call and check up on me if I'm not doing well. Especially during COVID.
Speaker 3:It was a horrible, horrible time for nannies because we couldn't decide. Okay, you're supposed to stay at home. No, you have to come to work. Yes, you have to wear a mask. No, you can't do this. It was so many different rules and regulations and it depends on who you were working for as to whether you went in or you didn't. If you work for a doctor or nurse, yes, you're going to work because guess what they have to be at the hospital, but then you're exposed to COVID because they're coming to the hospital.
Speaker 3:So it's so many different things and so many different feelings going around and I just wanted us to stop, take the time to share our feelings, to commiserate with one another and help each other feel better. Then also, I started a cooking show during COVID because, hey, I'm at home, I have nothing else to do. I love to cook, so I share my passion with everyone. I started cooking and every Thursday there was a cooking show, and then I did also one on one. Consultations with parents. Online Zoom became very popular All of these things I was doing. And now, right before COVID, I started Ask the Nanny Sunday Socials and then I put Ask the Nanny on the road and COVID cut all that out. So now Ask the Nanny is back and we're going on the road again.
Speaker 3:I love it, Look forward to us being in a city near you and join us on Wednesday nights in Epic Professional Development on Clubhouse Kimberly, and I do a segment, a piece. She does the nanny professional development. I do the child care development so that if you're a newer nanny and you want to find out some things about child development from infancy to three years old, come join us because we talk about it all. If you want to find out how to start the hard conversations, how to negotiate your contract, how to be your own HR department, because we have no HR department If we don't work for an agency and even with agencies sometimes we still have to a split second we have to make a decision Do we do this or don't we do this?
Speaker 3:So we have to essentially be our own HR department. So come and find out all these different things. We also you can also find us on Tuesday mornings on the Year of the Nanny, where we do Touchy Topic Tuesdays. It's not necessarily nanny related, it's just a topic that, hey, it might get on your nerves. We might poke you in the side or step on your toes when we talk about this topic, but it needs to be talked about. So, yeah, that's a lot.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and that's probably still not half the things that I do. I was going to say I actually know there's so much more that you also have been doing. There's jam, there's all of these other things that you've been doing and attending conferences, and the thing that I think is so amazing about the way that you've supported the folks in the industry is you've offered this ongoing sort of mentorship by being there and by showing up so consistently. You are nanny of the year now. You have, I'm sure, plans for how you're planning to invest your time. Will you share a little bit about what's ahead for you as nanny of the year?
Speaker 3:Well, as nanny of the year, my message is you can end a story.
Speaker 3:There have been a lot of things that could have disabled me, and people have known about those things and told me what I couldn't do and I couldn't do and I couldn't do. And I know that, being a nanny, especially during these times of COVID and all the things that are going on in the world, a lot of us get turned down, a lot of us get discouraged from doing things, and I just want to let you know don't let your naysayers be the ones who decide what you do and what you don't do, even if you have to do it differently. Step outside the box. Be that person that says okay, yeah, watch me, because I had to do that. I had to say look, I know that I had an eye injury and I had to wear these big goggles that were actually bigger than the glasses that I have on now, and the supervisors told me I couldn't do it. Well, we're going to give you a chance, but I don't know if any parents are going to respond. They were so negative and I was just like okay, okay.
Speaker 3:Watch me and I just took that opportunity to to just push myself forward and keep going and keep doing. I had to be extra and it started way back in 1991, 92, that I had to be extra. I had to go the extra mile to prove that just because I have an inability doesn't mean I'm disabled and I'm down for the count. Inability doesn't mean I'm disabled and I'm down for the count. Inabilities can be overcome, they can be conquered. I know a lot of nannies. I'm in a group of chronically ill nannies who have things that are worse than what I have, and they haven't let it stop them. And that's one of the reasons why I'm in that group, because we encourage one another. And I just want to encourage all the nannies you can do this. It may take you longer, but you can do this.
Speaker 3:I remember when I first wanted to go to Nannypalooza and I was like, well, I can't afford this. You know, I'm just a little nanny and that's the way I thought of myself. I'm just a little nanny. But you're not just a little nanny and that's the way I thought of myself. I'm just a little nanny. Well, you're not just a little nanny, you are important. Covid showed us that we are essential, we are needed. The world goes around and revolves because of childcare. People are not going to stop having babies, which means that you will always be in demand. Now, who you choose to work with and I said with and not for, because we work as a team. I don't work with a family that doesn't see me as a team member who disrespects me. That's not what I'm here for. I am here so we can work together so that you and your children can have the best life possible, and that's what I want all the nannies to know. You are important and you can do this, and I want to.
Speaker 3:I'm traveling throughout the United States. I've been to London already. Yes, the United States. I've been to London already, and that was when I found out, right before I'm on my way to London was when I found out that I was the International Nannies Association Nanny of the Year and my phone just blew up in the airport. I couldn't even eat. I was trying to eat and people were calling me. I had FaceTime. I was like I'm trying to eat before I get on the plane. Come on, people. That's amazing.
Speaker 3:But it was awesome. I cried, I laughed, it was just like a fill in the O. And I'm sitting here on this little bench in the airport. Everybody's looking at me like what is going on with this woman? I'm going through all the emotions, all the feels and they wonder what am I doing? And I was like this is your first trip as nanny of the year. What are you going to do?
Speaker 3:And when I got to London, it was like it hit me I want to teach. I have, I've always been a teacher. I always find unconventional teachable moments to work with my kids. I'm always teaching the parents. This is why your child is doing this. Let's try this. Just do this. Give them information, books to read, things to do with their children so that they can work out. Whatever the problem is, I love to teach.
Speaker 3:And when I got up to speak while I was in London, it was like this, overwhelming. It's like a download coming from heaven. It's like this is what you're supposed to do. You need to share your message. You need to share what's going on right now, what's relevant right now, and that is you can. Just because you saw one chapter in my book and it was like every book has this little plot and then you go through this down and you're up, and then you're down and you're up. Well, your book has the same vibe You're up and down and up and down. But just because you're on chapter three of my book does not mean you have read all the way to the end, because I haven't finished writing yet.
Speaker 3:So, I want every nanny to continue to write their book. I want them to know you can. There will be down parts in your life, in your nanny journey, but there'll be upwards too, and that's what I want you to focus on. You can still do it. You know how you got through the last one. You can get through this one too. If you need people, get some accountability partners. Here I am, hello. That's why I'm here, that's why I want our communities to come together and not just the nanny community. But my focus is on the birth workers, the nannies, the pediatric chiropractors, everyone who touches a parent's life, because I've learned as an NCS that you can have a postpartum doula, a birth doula, an NCS. You have the lactation educator, the pediatrician. Some people take their children to a pediatric chiropractor. All of these people touch parents' lives. All of us speak a different language. Nannies literally speak layman's terms. We just let you know what it is plain Doulas and postpartum doulas and pediatricians. They give you medical terms of what I like to call Google-able words.
Speaker 3:We just tell you straight. We tell you what Google's not going to tell you. We're going to give you the plain truth, but I was like it's a totally different language. Well, that's not what they told me. That's not what they told me.
Speaker 3:Well, I want us all to get together so that we can network, we can talk to one another, learn each other's language. So when all of us come together and bombard that family, we are bombarding with the same information. We're all talking the same language. The words may sound differently, but we're all talking the same language, and so parents can understand and not get overwhelmed. Well, who do I believe?
Speaker 3:The nanny said this, the doula said that, the pediatrician said that we're all saying the same thing. And I want us to be able to understand each other's language so I can say well, your doula probably told you this, which means this in layman's terms. And that way the parents are like oh okay, now I understand it better. Well, us, as nannies, we're the last people to come into the picture. As nannies, we're the last people to come into the picture because mom is on her way back to work after she's seeing the doula, the pediatrician, the chiropractor, all these other pediatric people, and we're the last one to come into play and we come in with our layman's terms. They're like she don't know what she's talking about. Why is she telling me this and we do?
Speaker 3:We're just saying it in plain English and I want us to get together and talk to one another and get to know each other's languages so when we all talk to the parent, we're all speaking the same language we can give them words yeah, and we're all working together so that that family has the best beginning.
Speaker 1:I just could talk to you truly forever and as you know, it's like a problem. I could really talk to you for hours, but unfortunately our podcast does not allow for that, so we have to sort of segue into a little bit of a fun moment.
Speaker 2:Yes, it's a fun moment where you know, like just at the end to wrap things up, we just like to rip back the curtains and dive into your inner soul. Okay, it's like an onion, like if you, angela, are an onion, we're just going to peel all of the layers off and just get to your, your glowing orb in the center of your spiritual being.
Speaker 2:Yes, I'm asking you two questions Are you, are you ready? Do you need to call anyone first or like say a little bit Good, okay. So the first question is when you were four years old, who would your ideal nanny have been?
Speaker 3:My favorite aunt. I loved spending time with her. I love the way she spoiled me. She was very stern when it came to discipline, but when we were having fun, we were having fun. We used to bake, we used to, which is one of my favorite things. She was the first person that let me into the kitchen and I got to stir the pot and I got to lick the spoon. So, yeah, it would be my favorite aunt. Oh, what's her name? Her name is Betty.
Speaker 1:Betty, oh my goodness. Okay, so we all love Betty, and now I know where your incredible love for cooking and baking comes from, and I think, just as somebody who really loves your jam, I think we're all a little bit indebted to Betty. So I'm just going to say thank you, betty, and also I think I want Betty to be my nanny, okay, so our second question is a real, a real hard one. So now I'm just teasing, but all the candidates adventure nannies list out 10 fun facts that we share with families. One of the things that's cool about this is it gives folks an opportunity to share some, something that maybe you wouldn't normally just throw into a resume because it might feel out of place. But sometimes there are details about us as humans that are quirky and fun and maybe just hilarious or unusual or interesting, that give people a little tiny peek into that onion like Shenandoah was talking about. So do you happen to have, or can you think of, three fun facts about you, angela?
Speaker 3:One fun fact is I'm always singing a song. If I'm transitioning with little kids and it's hard for them, I'm always singing a song. I'll make up a song about their pants are blue or the. You know the, the, the colored streaks in their hair. The sun is leaving colored streaks, because I have a little child who her hair streaks blonde in the summertime, so I made a song up about that and then they try to remember it and I can't remember what song I sang.
Speaker 1:You're like I'm making up songs all day, girl, I have no idea.
Speaker 3:I have no idea. I have no idea. Number two would be I am a very romantic at heart. My husband does things like each year he buys me a new ring on our anniversary. So I have all these new, these different rings, but my Emererald is my favorite one. It's the one I get the most compliments about. But every year I get a new ring because I remember telling him I was like I don't want a diamond, I want colored stones. Anybody can do a diamond. I'm a colorful person, I want colored stones.
Speaker 3:And so each year he buys me a colored stone and of course I bawl and I cry. Yes, it's special to me.
Speaker 2:Could you please introduce him to mine and Danielle's husbands? That would be great.
Speaker 1:I love that. He's so romantic as well. It sounds like.
Speaker 3:And the third thing about me I know you all find that I talk a lot and I'm always talking, talking, talking, talking talking. But put me in a room with people that I don't know Even if it's a nanny, a function and I don't know anyone and I'm standing. You'll find me standing over the wall in the corner. You know, just kind of observe. I'm very observant and I am an introvert. I'm a closet introvert, y'all. I'm not always hey, how you doing? Good morning, what's going on? That's not me, unless it's my function. If it's somebody else's function, then I'm just like okay, I'm a member of the audience and I get to sit back and chill out and watch people. I love watching people. That's fact number four I'm a people watcher.
Speaker 1:Yeah, fact number four I love to watch people.
Speaker 3:I love watching people and I guess it's because of my job. I observe the children so I can create patterns of things that they do when it happens. So when we go to the pediatrician, okay, every day, between 1230 and one, this happens. Or she's not sleeping well, let's try this, let's try that, let's try this, let's try that. So observations have been a part of my life for over 40 years, so I like people watching and I and I watched them and I see their patterns like Ooh, stay away from me.
Speaker 1:Yes, I love you.
Speaker 3:I see what they're doing, and I don't care what's coming out of your mouth, if I see you and I see what you're doing- yeah, you can spot a snake in the grass faster than anyone, and that's the thing about being observant.
Speaker 1:It's an amazing skill to have and, I think, balanced with your compassion and your heart for service, it's a pretty incredible combination, a chance to touch base with you and to be more involved in some of the incredible work that you're doing. So would you mind sharing first where our audience can find you online and where would be the best spot if a parent is listening and they're interested in learning more about parent coaching?
Speaker 3:You can find me online on Facebook at Ask the Nanny. You can find me on Instagram at askdnanny. You can find me on my website at atnannycom. That's A as in apple, t, as in Tom nanny. It stands for Ask the Nanny. But atnannycom is where you can find me. Parents can email me at 3parents at gmailcom that's T-H-R-E-E and parents with an S on the end at gmailcom if they need me. Or you can go to my Acuity page and set up an appointment with me at Acuity, ask the nanny. So those are ways that you can find me.
Speaker 1:Amazing. Well, we'll make sure that this is all included in both the blog posts that we write about this episode and also in the episode notes. So, folks, please take a look at the episode notes, check out the links and be sure to follow Angela as she continues traveling the country as our 2023 INA nanny of the year, and I just want to thank you so much again, angela. I know that your schedule is rip roaring right now and I really appreciate you taking the time to sit down and share your vision and your encouragement and your incredible perspective with our listeners.
Speaker 3:Thank you for having me. I really appreciate it.
Speaker 1:Thanks for listening. You can find all of our episodes on Apple Music, spotify and wherever podcasts are streamed.
Speaker 2:And you can find Adventure Nannies off air on our website adventuredanniescom, or you can follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on our latest opportunities.
Speaker 1:If you loved this episode, please give us a review if you're feeling so inclined.
Speaker 2:And if you hated this episode, well, sorry. Thanks for listening.
