Last updated on November 26, 2023
Podcast Episode 0087, Season 5, Episode 18; 10 May 2022
Sleep, Autism Parenting, and More with George Bailey
George Bailey is a father of five children, two of whom are autistic. He and his wife are also Neurodiverse; George has ADHD and his wife is a self-diagnosed autistic.
He earned a Juris Doctor from Washington University in St. Louis, a master of arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), and a bachelor’s degree in Chinese from Brigham Young University. George is fluent in Mandarin Chinese, German, and Danish.
I was curious about his title “President Sleep Talker” of zPods. In that role, he promotes the importance of sleep and discusses the potential benefits of zPods, sensory-friendly beds for high-energy children, including those with autism.
George mentions several books during the conversation. Here are some of the titles he considers valuable resources:
- Why We Sleep, by Matthew Walker [https://amzn.to/3x91sWf]
- The Sleep Solution, by W. Chris Winter [https://amzn.to/38Mf1TD]
- Sleep Smarter, by Shawn Stevenson [https://amzn.to/3MgkVKp]
George and I avoided making this episode all about zPods, which was important to me. We enjoyed chatting about parenting, Neurodiversity, and our shared interest in entrepreneurship.
About zPods
From the zPods website:
https://www.zpodsforsleep.com/learn-about-zpodszPods Holdings, LLC was founded in March 2019 by Gary Kellmann and Jeff Wade. Co-founder George Bailey, father of two autistic children (five total), joined the next month and helped give the company its strategic focus of giving the most challenging sleepers the ideal sleep environment in which to relax.
Since its founding zPods has worked with over 60 families with children belonging to the autism, schizophrenia, OCD, ADHD, and other communities. We care about each of these children and believe that when they sleep better, the whole family benefits. We believe good sleep requires a soothing environment and unlocks a multitude of benefits to the body, mind, and heart.
This June, zPods will be releasing a Made in USA capsule bed with upgraded features based on feedback from the many wonderful families and children we’ve had the privilege to have worked with.
Transcript (lightly edited)
Scott: Hello and welcome to The Autistic Me Podcast. I am Christopher Scott Wyatt, speaking as The Autistic Me.
Joining us for this episode is George Bailey, the “President Sleep Talker” of zPods, a St. Louis, Missouri, start-up that has developed a line of sensory-friendly “sleep pods” for children.
Listeners and readers know my daughters and I struggle to fall asleep and stay asleep. We have tried blackout curtains, projection lights, classical music, and nature sounds. We’ve also tried sleep tents, extra pillows, and various room configurations.
George is a father of five, two of whom are autistic. He understands these challenges with sleep routines.
George, welcome to The Autistic Me Podcast.
George Bailey: Thank you so much, Christopher. It’s a pleasure to be here.
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