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Carrie (Schroeder) Froese has never shied away from the demand of a race.
A runner through high school and college, the Tabor College graduate (g’10) has even taken part in the 26.2 miles that make up a marathon.
What the Quincy, Ill., resident has seen over time is that it served as an example of the journey that God had carved for her career. A heart for service led her to a social welfare major at Tabor, but a span of eight years commenced before she found her calling in pediatric sleep consulting.
Moving to Hillsboro
Froese and her family moved to Hillsboro in 2005. The move from Bellingham, Wash., was facilitated by her father’s, Steve Schroeder, appointment as lead pastor at Parkview Mennonite Brethren Church.
Coincidentally, she had planned to attend Tabor College before her family’s move to the Midwest. After finishing her junior and senior year in Hillsboro, God kept her door open to 400 S. Jefferson.
Froese raved about the relationships that were formed and nurtured while at Tabor. She specifically pointed out her understanding of the Bible and how it was transformed through travel, study, and missions.
“I went to India with (Dr.) Del Gray and that was a life-changing trip for me,” she said. “It was really incredible. The Bible training and teaching I received is probably my biggest takeaway from Tabor. I made my faith my own and I became more of who I am today.”
She met her husband Luke at Tabor and shortly after their marriage, they moved to Denver, Colo. Seeking experience to dive deeper into social work, she began her career in administrative work for Youth for Christ.
Finding restoration
After the birth of their second child, Froese admittedly entered a difficult stretch of parenting. She stopped working and sleepless nights contributed to anxiety, triggering helplessness that can plague young parents.
Sleep Sense, a program designed to aid parents in Froese’s position, became the lifeline that she needed. As soon as she implemented the teaching in her own home, Froese felt a yearning to educate and inspire parents who were walking a similar path.
The experience served as the launch of her own business, Restored Sleep Consulting. It aids young parents who need answers and solutions with children who struggle to sleep.
Providing a tangible, relatable, and step-by-step journey for young mothers has become a focal point of Froese’s calling into pediatric sleep consulting.
“I love the idea of serving and helping others,” Froese said. “God made me with that desire… It was the perfect niche. I love helping other families get to the point where their kids sleep well. Your whole family thrives when your kids are sleeping well.”
Providing a place of comfort amidst a trying period has also inspired Froese as a business owner.
“There is so much information out there and you can get influenced by social media,” she said. “There are so many things and moms are in a desperate place and they need support. I love getting to provide answers and support them in that stage of their life. I can give them the knowledge that I have to help their kids sleep well.”
Froese said she understands that sleep training isn’t for every family. She walks with each family, knowing they’ll have to make the decision of taking that step forward.
At the same time, it’s a part of setting the pace of each family’s “marathon” and understanding what’s next.
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“I talk to a lot of parents and I only help a percentage of them for lots of different reasons,” she said. “… To go from, ‘my kid isn’t sleeping well’ to taking the actual steps of saying, ‘I need help and we want you to walk through this with us,’ there’s a leap there. I know that personally. You think you can figure it out and when you’re the mom, you feel like you should be able to help your baby. To actually humble yourself and ask for help, not everyone does that. It’s so freeing though.”
Froese laughs at the thought of what the 16-year-old version of herself would think about her career. She ultimately believes it’s a part of the path God placed before her and her husband. Luke (g’08) graduated from Tabor as a youth ministry major but is now a pilot.
“Life experiences really direct you to where you end up and it’s kind of how it is meant to be,” she said. “There can be peace in not knowing what you want to do.”
Entering year No. 3 in pediatric sleep consulting, Froese reflected on the words given by Dr. Wendell Loewen and how they have inspired her career path.
“’ You get as close to God as possible and you do whatever you want,’” she said of Loewen’s words. “Focus on your relationship with God and develop that. He’ll guide you. Once you know God so well, follow the desire of your heart because it’ll align with him.”
Do you know of a Tabor College graduate who should be featured? Please send an email to adam.suderman@tabor.edu or call/text 620-877-0095.
Previous Alumni Spotlights
Nick Mitchell-Bennett (g’91)
Mitchell-Bennett answering the call to serve
Rachael (Morris) Pankratz (g’17)
Love for music drives Pankratz