No matter how much you plan ahead, life will throw you curveballs that force you to rethink everything. For long-time nanny and child care specialist Angela Johnson, her setback came in the form of spinal injuries that prevented her from working as a nanny until she recovered.
In our most recent episode of The Great Unicorn Search podcast, Angela shares crucial advice for other passionate child care providers who find themselves needing to pivot their careers for whatever reason. She didn’t let her injuries stop her from pursuing her dreams, which led her to launch Ask the Nanny.
Turning Passion into Purpose
Angela knew she wanted to work with kids from an early age. She babysat her cousins at just 11 years old, she ran a daycare in her parent’s home, and she worked in her church’s nursery. In 1998, she moved to D.C. and became a director of a playgroup, where she discovered nannying and was instantly hooked.
She never turned back, and since then, has worked with hundreds of families and cared for over 38 sets of twins! In the episode, it’s clear that child care is Angela’s passion. On top of that, she’s completely dedicated to turning that passion into her career path. Her passion became her purpose.
Shifting Gears
When she was injured in 2017 and forced to stop nannying, she was devastated. At this point, she had degrees in Special Education and Early Childhood Education. Her passion for child care was as fiery as ever, so she knew she couldn’t simply walk away. She was determined to find a new way to work in the child care industry.
That’s when she began heavily networking with other nannies. She built friendships from those experiences and her new connections encouraged her to share her child care expertise on social media. That’s how she ended up launching Ask the Nanny. It started on Facebook live, and soon spread to other social media platforms like Instagram and Tik Tok.
She was able to grow her online presence due to the support of close people in her life, as well as her tenacity to never give up. You’ll have to check out the full podcast episode for more details.
Authentic and Fun
Angela’s Ask the Nanny socials are unique because she injects each piece of content with her bubbly personality, her infectious sense of humor, and her authentic, useful tips for parents. She puts a fun spin on child care to lift up and empower parents.
She firmly believes that when parents thrive, they’re in a better place to care for their children. That’s why she’s focused on reaching out to struggling parents to offer support, advice, and reassurance. She recently launched a group called Empowered Mamas where she meets with fifteen parents to answer their questions in a personalized setting.
In Angela’s full episode of the Great Unicorn Search podcast, she shares her advice for pursuing your passions, growing an online audience, and more. You can listen to the episode on the podcast website, Apple, Spotify, or Google.
