Meet Candice James | Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Candice James and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Candice, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
During a time when I needed an immense amount of postpartum support, I did not know that companies like my own could exist. I thought, how amazing would it be to have someone come into my home and help me with breastfeeding. I dreamed of having a support person that was available for ongoing questions and support. I felt so lost. My breastfeeding journey with my first child was traumatic. I ended up in the hospital due to complications. Once healed, I couldn’t stop visualizing how I could create a business to help others from my experience. I feel that the most successful businesses are those started by an owner fueled with passion and a strong mission. I also believe that each and every person on this planet should be able to do something that they love every day. I started my business fueled by the passion to be a support for postpartum families and I feel so incredibly blessed that I get to do something that I love every single day and make a positive difference.

What should our readers know about your business?
I am an Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) providing in home consultations in the Los Angeles area and virtually everywhere else. What is most important to me is that parents feel supported. I have the opportunity to join parents on their journey during one of the most special times of their lives and I feel so blessed to do that! I take my expertise and answer every question that parents have about infant feeding and help them create an individualized plan that they feel confident, aligned and supported in. One thing that I always tell my clients is that, you can always change your mind, and you can ALWAYS reach out to seek further advise. My approach is very relationship based. It is not just about one consultation. I want my clients to feel supported throughout their entire journey ongoing, so there is truly an atmosphere of continuity of care.

What excites me most about this field, is that there is always something new to learn, it is very fast paced. More and more there is a collective energy to support postpartum parents and make a change in providing a quality of support for families that has historically not been as prevalent. I am honored to be here in this sort of revolution.

If it is one thing that I have learned most along the way, it is that it is so important to always stand in your authenticity. It is in this space that we as humans can make the biggest difference for ourselves in life and also in our businesses. For my clients, I help them tap into their intuition, remove the background noises and find their vision of what they want their feeding journey to look like and we work together to get towards that goal.

Postpartum can be one of the first major times in a persons life where they are faced with major decisions that often come with judgments maybe from society, maybe from their own family, and it is challenging to step into their own power to first find what feels most present to them and then activate that. I feel so blessed to help parents take their infant feeding journey and in a way help them expand their confidence beyond feeding.

I know personally as a mother, my parenting journey has activated so much confidence in me and I try so much to always act in a way that my children would be inspired by.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Most definitely I would first take them on my favorite hiking trails in the Hollywood Hills, Reseda, Porter Ranch and Calabasas followed up by a green juice or protein shake. We would take music filled drives around local neighborhoods, walk through realtor open houses, and talk about home decor and design ideas. Visit the farmers markets, walk 3rd street promenade Santa Monica, The Grove in Los Angeles, drive down Mulholland at night to see the city lights of the valley, I am not the biggest beach person, but would take them to Malibu for good measure. We would absolutely also go eat at my current fave spot, Saddle Ranch on Sunset.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would love to dedicate this shoutout to my children! As a mother of three, all born years apart at different stages of my professional journey, they have all inspired my business and growth in their own special way. I often share about the challenging breastfeeding journey that I had with my first born. At the time, it was a battle, but I want her to know how THANKFUL I am for her and the battle that we fought together. Even though it didn’t work out the way it was imagined, it was our experience together that ignited a fire within me to be the support for other parents and babies that we didn’t receive. My sons have taught me how to put my strategies in action. Their journeys have shown me new inspirations and our individual postpartum experiences have taught me so much. It is funny how as parents we assume the role of teachers to our children, but one of the greatest lessons that my children have taught me is that they are actually the wise ones.

Website: candicejamesibclc.com

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