Meet the team
Read about the team members, their specialisms and how we can best support you in your parenting journey
Since 2002 The Family Zone has been helping families in Hong Kong navigate the journey of parenthood in both ante and postnatal capabilities. We now have a strong team covering a multitude of areas to ensure we can help you and your family through each exciting new stage.
Dr. Michelle Ng
Director, Lactation Counsellor, Postpartum Doula, First Aid & CPR Instructor, Accredited Tongue-Tie Assessor
MBBS BSc (Psychology) (Lond), LC (CBI), CPD (CBI)
Michelle is a British-qualified medical doctor, a certified Lactation Counsellor (LC), and certified Postpartum Doula (CPD) through Childbirth International (CBI). She is also a First Aid & CPR Instructor with Nuco Training Ltd, an Accredited Tongue-Tie Assessor with the Infant Feeding Academy UK, and an Accredited Practitioner with the Foundation of Infant Loss Training UK.
Michelle became a first-time mother in the summer of 2020, and it was through her own struggles with breastfeeding that she became passionate about supporting and empowering mothers in their breastfeeding journeys. She is especially interested in the relationship between breastfeeding and postpartum well-being.
For the last decade, Michelle has been a UK educational consultant and academic tutor specialising in boarding school and medical school entrance. She also brings her experience as a mentor and is a board member of the KELY Support Group, a Hong Kong charity that aims to equip young people with the skills to support themselves and achieve their full potential. In addition to this, she is a freelance lifestyle and medical journalism writer.
Hugo Busbridge
Director, workshop instructor, dad support services
BA Hons, PGCE
Hugo 'wears many hats' as a professional in Hong Kong. Whilst being a full-time secondary school teacher at international schools in Hong Kong, he took over the directorship of The Family Zone with his wife Michelle. His role primarily revolves around business operations, media management, promotions and client support. However he also deploys his extensive skills as a classroom teacher to the workshops that we run, helping to create memorable and lasting learning experiences for all the participants. He also heads up our dad-support services and hosts our monthly dad workshop: 'Hold My Beer Baby'. Hugo's ambition is to build a strong and broad-reaching support network for dads-to-be and dads-that-are which will help dads to navigate, in a no nonsense way, their progression into fatherhood.
Yvonne Heavyside
Founder, Lactation Consultant
BA (Hons), RN, HV Dip, DN Cert, IBCLC, Further Education Teachers Certificate, NSC Trainer
Yvonne is from the UK and founded The Family Zone to provide personal-touch and professional services to her clients. She is a Health Visitor (maternal & child health specialist), UK Registered General Nurse, Community Nurse, a Hong Kong registered nurse, Lactation Consultant, Further Education Teacher and First Aid & CPR Instructor. She has over 40 years experience working in many different districts in the UK with 26 years in Hong Kong including work with the Matilda International Hospital. During her time in Hong Kong, Yvonne has also been involved in Child & Maternal Health journalism.
Yvonne is now retired and spending time with family in Canada and the UK. She is available to do virtual consultations (Zoom / Facetime etc).
Claire Moore
Baby-Massage Therapist
Claire found her own experience of baby massage with her daughter to be an incredibly special bonding experience and something that she still does at home today. Her experiences peaked an interest in learning more and understanding the various influences baby massage has whilst also acknowledging that her experience lacked a sense of community and take-home routines.
Cue the creation of The Baby Gang! Claire is passionate about providing parents and caregivers a community. Somewhere they are considered and feel empowered as well as teaching them the power of baby massage in helping their child with digestion, colic, teething alongside the powerful bonding experiences inherent within it.
Gemma Fisk
Sleep Consultant
Infant Sleep Coach (Sleep Nanny Academy) Adult Sleep Coach (IPHI) CBT-insomnia (PESI)
Gemma is a Certified Infant and Adult Sleep Consultant based in Hong Kong. She believes in a holistic and science based approach to help adults and our children to sleep better.
As a mother of two and the wife of a cargo pilot, she is also witness to the complications of disturbed sleep of someone who has irregular working hours and sleeping patterns. This has been a huge drive to begin the journey of a sleep coach and specialist in chronic insomnia.
Lisel Varley
Certified Parent Educator
Lisel is an "accidental accountant" with over 12 years of experience in finance and communications across Australia and Hong Kong. She has always been passionate about health and wellness, embodying fitness and well-being in her community while being committed to lifelong learning in physical and mental health disciplines.
Before becoming a mother, Lisel prepared extensively by reading blogs, articles, and research papers on child development, attachment, and the importance of nurturing. The pandemic and homeschooling prompted her to undertake the Peaceful Parent Parent and Educator training, which solidified her belief that "connection is the magic wand" in parenting.
Through this training, along with her own experiences, Lisel has come to understand the significance of connection in fostering self-esteem, secure attachment, confidence, and resilience in children. She is dedicated to helping parents utilize this powerful tool in their interactions with their little ones.
Kierstin Pennington
Lactation Consultant, IBCLC
Kierstin is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and Certified Clinical Lactationist from the U.S. and a mother of two young kids. Overcoming obstacles in her own breastfeeding journey led her on a path of wanting to pursue the highest certification in lactation.
As an IBCLC, she has a wealth of knowledge and experience with latch difficulties, weight gain concerns, tongue tie, low milk supply, oversupply, mastitis, and more.
Kierstin is passionate about supporting families through education and empowering them to achieve their own breastfeeding goals.
Vicki Marks
Certified Midwife & Lactation Consultant, IBCLC
Vicki is a UK and Hong Kong Registered Midwife with over 20 years experience across the NHS and a mum of three. She believes in providing evidence based, high quality, friendly care throughout pregnancy and the postnatal period. Before moving to Hong Kong, Vicki was a community midwife in the UK looking after a caseload of women throughout their pregnancies, during labour and birth in both hospital and home setting in the Wirral and Greater Manchester area.
Vicki loves all aspects of midwifery but especially loves helping new mums' in the postnatal period. Since obtaining her registration in Hong Kong, Vicki has worked for Familyzone, Matilda International hospital community team, and is now running Mum's The Word HK that was founded by midwife Melanie Clough. Having had three young children under the age of 4, living in Melbourne with very little support, Vicki understands just how important support and reassurance in the postnatal period is.
Claudia Jones
Music & Movement Therapist
MMT (Melbourne), PGDip MT (Hong Kong), BMus (Wellington)
Claudia Jones is a British New Zealander with a background in vocal performing and flute. She is a music therapist and mother of two young children. Claudia has a passion for empowering women to feel confident during pregnancy, postpartum and breastfeeding.
During her journey as a new mum both in the UK and Hong Kong, Claudia realised the power of music for support, confidence and mood regulation. Her lived experience of pregnancy and parenthood has shaped the way she uses music in everyday life. Claudia now harnesses her energetic love for sound and music to empower others to process emotions and relationships. Claudia offers music therapy services both face-to-face and online. Private individual sessions, small groups and workshops are available.
Ishka Hildebrandt
Pre Postnatal fitness SpecialistAFPA Strength training - Pre&Postnatal Specialised - GGS HD, Sports Sciences - University of Pretoria
Understanding the importance of keeping physically fit and the positive impact it has on a person's mental wellbeing is a massive driving point for Ishka. Her background in various sports and exercise techniques has fuelled her passion for the way the human body moves, especially a woman’s!
She takes a holistic approach when coaching and not only aims to provide you with a great workout but also to leave you with a better understanding of how and why your body moves the way it does and what works best for your body and its needs.
Ishka wants to break down boundaries of the past, especially around pre & postnatal training, that are holding back women from reaching their true fitness potential.
Her experience with breath work allows her to educate her clients on how important breath is during training and how it can be used to optimise and get the most out of each session, whilst focusing on achieving the best mind body connection.
