Share More Imperfectly More Often

I had an experience a few days ago that jolted me into introspection. A new friend of mine was interested in some herbal remedies for a particular ailment and had reached out to me knowing about my herbal background. I wanted to help her and so I dived into research and re-remembering mode. Ultimately though she ended up going with the advice of an employee at one of our local health food stores. Her retelling of the conversation is what sparked the introspection that had been creeping around the background of my mind for a while.

I realized that I have not been sharing all that I know. I have not been telling people about herbal nutrition. I have not been telling them about plants as food as medicine. I have not been the teacher of these things in a while.

Also, since I’ve focused on empowerment and depression and anxiety coaching, I have not taught about skincare and all of the amazing natural ingredients you can find in your kitchen or your garden for beauty and wellness. I haven’t shared what I know about chakras and crystals. I don’t talk about aromatherapy and essential oils.

I know all of these things. All of these things are in my head and a part of my life. All of these things are the things that jazz me up with so much light. So why am I not sharing them?

The simple answer is of course, because Leah you can’t do all the things. But that’s not actually true. I love designing graphics for instance. The universe graciously created a platform whose sole purpose is displaying them (Instagram). So I can teach about these things that I love through pictures for one. And not from the perspective of “will anybody care about this?”. But instead from the perspective of “I’m sharing because I care about this”. It’s for me more than for anyone else. It reaching anyone else is a beautiful bonus - but a bonus still.  

I realized that the tug of angst and FOMO that I feel when I see others sharing all that they know (even the things that they’ve just learned) is really the gentle nudge for me to share more. It’s the nudge for me to break my perfectionism in half and share more imperfectly more often.

Authenticity is valuable. Lighting yourself up with the joy of the journey/creating/moment is necessary. Doing it for YOU is always the best starting place.

What have you been stalling on doing for YOU lately?

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If you are in Little Rock on March 24th (it was postponed from this weekend because of our rain showers), please join me and a couple of other FABULOUSLY inspiring women as we tackle the hard question of what it takes to have the WILL to CHANGE. 

WINFit is a the brainchild of one of my dear friends, Holly Fish. She has not ever shied away from encouraging others to dive deep in order to inspire real change and this is going to be one of those events! Check out the details on FB and at www.winwoman.org. I hope to see you there!

Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/553583668347378/

What I learned from Maxwell

Maxwell is hands down one of my favorite artists. Easily. I’ve been listening to this man for over 20 years and this past Thursday, I made that realization as I sat at his concert here in Little Rock. Just watching this amazingly charismatic man so comfortable in his own skin rock it out on stage was magickal.

It  made me think about all the reasons that I appreciate Maxwell so much - especially since I’ve been fortunate to see him in concert now twice :-D. My favorite crooner has some awesome life lessons for you if you pay attention ;-).

In reflecting, I believe the number one lesson he offers by example is this: Be comfortable in your own skin at all costs.

Happy Me at the concert!

Each time I’ve seen Maxwell, he has been his quirky, slightly goofy, dancing crazily but with abandonment self on stage. It’s like he is having the time of his life engaging with us and we just happen to be watching. Pay attention to that statement. He is FULLY engaged with the crowd - totally into them - but not at all concerned whether they are digging him or thinking he is a nutter butter. It’s like he is in his own little world that we are in too. It’s really an amazing thing to behold and be a part of.

I wonder if he learned this early on in his career after his first round of black college tours opening for the Fugees - or if he always had it. Taking you back a bit in my own history, I remember when he came through town during Howard’s Homecoming. People booed him right off the stage. I mean vehemently booed him. I think someone might have even thrown something. It was horrible (and embarrassing to me as a Howardite that we’d act that way!).

I wonder if experiencing something like that multiple times (sadly ours was not the only campus that booed him) created within him a resolve to enjoy who *he* was no matter what and at all costs.

I ask this because Maxwell has not changed. The same bubbly, quirky dude that was on stage back when I was 20 something is the same one that was on stage this past week - just happy to be himself, happy to be doing something he loved, happy to be in that moment with us. Yes, his look has changed (as mine has from the hippy, witchy granola, engineering/viola-playing, hip-hop flowerchild that I was in my early 20s) as he’s grown up and evolved, but his essential essence is very much the same. And that my friends, I can only imagine is no small feat in his industry.

So that, in addition to the pure awesomeness of Maxwell in concert, is what I took away from my experience last Thursday.

The gist is this: You are going to have haters and naysayers. You might have some people that try to push you right out the door with shame and ridicule for what you are trying to do and who you even are at your very core.

The bottom line is that you can’t let it stop you dear. Yes, you can rest. You can recoup. You can even lament (I remember that there was a time when everything was angsty with Maxwell). But past that, you must keep it moving. Your world depends on it and what’s even more magickal is that *THE* world depends on it.

Just like Maxwell inviting us into his world but not being too concerned about whether we liked it or not created this wonderful over 20-year career of his, welcoming others into your world by being unapologetically yourself BUT not really giving too many cares about what someone thinks about it - that’s the difference maker between 20 years of continued, growing awesomeness...and 20 years of misery- pointe blanke. And 20 years of you living in your awesomeness instead of your misery - imagine what kind of ripple effect that would have on the world?

Which one are you going to choose?

Maxwell Concert, Little Rock, Ar

My Tarot Card of the Year

The end of the year is mostly about processing and evaluating for me. This is the time when I gather up the pieces of myself that may have been scattered by the year and decidely put myself back to gether the way I want to be. One practice I always engage in is self-reflection. I've been really drawn to my Tarot cards since the middle of this year and as you know, I've started to read a lot more and even opened back up to reading for the public(->my Etsy Shop!) and making it an integral part of my coaching sessions. 

So when I happened upon Lisa Frideborg's Tarot Card of the Year analysis, I immediately jumped on figuring out what my tarot card year will be for 2017. I'm a big fan of numerology and use it in almost everything I do. It’s become second nature to think about the numerology of things as I make choices and plans. So of course, combining tarot and numerology are right up my alley.

But I can’t say that I was ecstatic when I figured out what my year was lol. This coming year, 2017 is a Death year for me, as in correlating with the Death Tarot Card #13. Yes, lol on first appearances this did not cause me to leap with joy. I honestly feel like I just went through a Death Year where so many things ended and had to be let go of. The Death card in the Tarot is rarely about actual Death but is more about things ending and transforming in order for new growth to happen. It’s the ultimate stop/no more/don’t pass go/get off this train card. And there was a lot of that this year. Tarot wise, this year was a Hanged Man year though and when I thought about that, it did make sense.

The Hanged Man card in the Tarot is about making the ultimate sacrifice. It’s about doing things that don’t feel good at all for the good of all and for the ultimate best good for yourself. In the process though, it feels like you are being stretched absolutely thin and pushed to your most extreme limits. Being the Hanged Man is tough to say the least.

And that also applies to this past year. In fact, it probably does apply more than Death does because honestly, I wasn’t ready to make those changes. If I could have had my way, I would have held on tightly and continued on with every single thing I had to let go of this year. I would have continued to try to make them work somehow. But being the Hanged Man requires that you let go and let yourself, your desires, and your wants become less important. And this year was definitely about that.  

So when I think about the coming year, it leaves me thinking about what else needs shedding, stopping, or transforming. What I do know is that life will show me. The universe will most definitely bring it up for me to look at and act accordingly. What I’m thinking this being a Death Year means though is that it won’t nearly be as hard. I’ll be ready to let things go if they aren’t serving me anymore. It will be easy to choose the routes that lead to enlightenment and fulfillment instead of holding on to patterns that are only spiraling down or nowhere at best.

Can we say amen to that?! So I can actually say that I’m not afraid of this year bringing on more endings and transformations. I’m ready for it. It truly is time for some patterns of which I’ve just grown accustomed to end. I’m ready for a transformation in key areas of my life and I’m willing to go through the uncomfortable patches to get to the other side of it. And what’s the most comforting is that on the other side of Death is the Star – jubilation, renewal, celebration, and living in purpose. I’m all for a 2018 full of that ;-).

To find out your Tarot card of the Year, you can check out Lisa’s post here. I’ve designed a Tarot spread similar to hers to help me make the best start into the new year and fully explore my word/theme for 2017 ‘BE BIG’. I’m offering a $20 reading special for a mini-coaching session and Tarot exploration of your word for the year that you can take advantage of by grabbing a spot on my calendar ->(www.calendly.com/leahpatterson).

Here’s to fully stepping into the new year, eyes wide open saying yes please to all of the abundance we can receive! 

End of the Year Slow Down...

So I’ve been wondering what to write to you about. There’s been a lot going on but most of it’s been internal – me in planning and allowing mode. I’ve purposely taken a step back from everything at the end of this year. Part of it has been practical. I took on a temp job to help me through transitioning out of dance work into more coaching and mentoring work. But the practical has made an easy excuse for the real reason – the need to get out of doing energy and get more into feeling energy. Another way to say it is setting the masculine energy on the shelf for a bit and getting cozy with my feminine energy.
 
I came upon this necessity after a few different talks with various mentors and guides. It became clear that I was too focused on productivity and listening to my urges to get things done . I wasn’t however listening to my intuition that was telling me to rest and relax. And so with the start of this temp job, I began the process of slowing down and just “being”.
 
It’s remarkable how something so simple can result in such profound shifts. First off, I feel so much more in tune. My worry nerve is almost none existent. I have a sense of peace and knowing and calm coupled with giddy expectancy when thinking of the future. The things that would normally bother me are rolling off of me without much effort. I’m enjoying myself. I’m feeling rested. I’m smiling more and more. I’m finding myself with *more* time even though technically I have *less* time.
 
The blessings abound and with that the *right* and most exciting ideas and certainties are surfacing.
 
I have some dear to me goals for the new year for instance. I’m going to begin work on my tarot/oracle deck for depression and anxiety overcomers. I will start a new web-show project with my dear friend Shamelle Reveter of Destiny’s Talent (We refer to it as our own Super Soul Sunday :-D). And I will be taking on my first one on one clients into my signature program created with the goal of teaching you how to access your divine feminine confidence from within yourself and live out of it every day. I actually have some exciting news coming up about a way to experience a taste of this that I’ll be sharing in the Facebook Group Inner Goddess, Outer Glow. Join us over there so that you don’t miss out on hearing about it!
 
I’ve been doing a lot of sharing there – just recently I chatted about the Full Moon and how to use that energy to our advantage. It’s still relevant so, especially if you have been feeling out of sorts and overstressed, be sure to check it out.
 
So dear, I am delighted that we are almost done with 2016 and headed into 2017. 2017 is going to be amazing. Let’s claim it together <3!
 
Be on the lookout at the beginning of the year – we are going to start off the same way we did last year – choosing our word for the year and setting our intentions for what we want to bring into existence. Until next time, have beautiful days and a Merry Christmas (if you celebrate)!

Much love and bright blessings!

Teaching Salsa as Sacred Dance!

Hey goddess! So I'm a-buzzing😊. I just finished teaching another Salsa as Sacred Dance online class! I had to pop over and share with you all how transformative teaching it has been. This is the second time I've taught it and I'm realizing more and more how teaching my experience of salsa in this way is unique and yet relatable.

It's not at all that it's a concept or feeling that people aren't aware of, but it is definitely something that people have not put emphasis on. And I think there is such transformation that can come from actively acknowledging this aspect of it!

I'm staying open and receiving to divine guidance about how exactly to offer this class. Stay tuned 💖! (Silly pictures while getting ready below :-P).

Returning to Blogging

It's been a long time since I've written huh? It's not that I haven't been writing - it's just that I've been writing elsewhere. I started writing for the Huffington Post and next month I will start writing for Thrive Global, Ariana Huffington's latest project. I've also been writing for Best Kept Self and mostly I've been writing for myself to myself in my lovely little journals in an attempt to figure as much of everything out as possible. 

I suppose this is my coming to Jesus moment so to speak :-). I'll admit, I've been so busy and concerned about running a business the 'right' way, that I've actually not been working in my business but instead working on my business. That's fun and all but you can quickly and easily approach burnout. You feel like you are the only one doing everything (you mostly are) and there's never enough time for anything. 

It's stressful and it's not soul soothing. 

It takes you out of alignment and you forget why you are doing what you do in the first place. 

And then you start to doubt. And then that's when my particular downward spiral starts. 

So today, I'm returning back to my basics - back to the reasons I started this blog and even the reasons that I began teaching all those years ago anyway. I wanted people to feel empowered. I wanted people to know exactly how they could heal themselves. On all levels. I wanted people to know that it's possible to live life happy and on purpose. 

That is what is in alignment with my soul and my spirit. I'm not sure how that's going to turn into the type of income that frees me from worrying about ends meeting each month and through the month. I just know that right now, I need more than ever to be the truest to myself. 

And the interesting thing is that it is truly a nuanced thing. Because I am always endeavoring to operate out of my truth. But I am also wired to think about what would be the most pleasing to someone else. What I'm realizing though in the forefront of my mind (instead of in my afterthoughts and subconscious) is that it has to be pleasing to me first. When I do pleasing to me, I attract those that it's also pleasing to. 

Someone reminded me today that we are in a new paradigm. The old way of doing things, of bulldozing through, of making it happen on intent and will alone, on pushing harder, faster, and stronger - that this way is old, outdated, and doesn't even work anymore.

The new way is to be led by intuition, to continuously be tapping in and listening for and to divine inspiration. This is a way that comes naturally to me. I've always been led by my intuition, even to what seemed like at the time, a fault. It's affirming to know that the paradigm is shifting in my favor :). 

So what to expect? I'm not super sure. I'm going to let myself feel it out. I know that I'm going to dive into teaching more. I love to teach. I feel called to teach. I feel called to empower you through my hands on, tangible, teaching work. I feel called to motivate you to love yourself enough to show it in the physical realm and not just the mental. 

And I'm going to create more and just put it out there. And I'm not going to worry about the end result. I'm going to focus on the inspired action and let that be my guide. The right people will find me and what you need from me, you'll receive :). 

I'm believing it babe :). 

Stay tuned as I show you the truth of it :). 

Mindset Magic!

Recovery is going really well :). I've been doing the requisite resting and relaxing. I've been catching up on my book and movie lists. I've been thinking and feeling and allowing. It's been so nice :).

So about the surgery, there ended up being 19 fibroids to remove. We (me and my doctor) opted for the same surgery, a c-section cut down my stomach between my belly button and nether regions. Thankfully they just reopened the previous cut so that my tummy wouldn't have an anchor etched into it :). 

This time around it was more painful that I remember and for the first time, I really wondered if I could handle another surgery like this - because there will hopefully be at least one more surgery like this in my life when I have my beautiful baby via c-section. (See how I'm putting my hopes into a visualized future :)). It was *that* painful. 

Thankfully, it has subsided substantially and I'm finding myself able to stretch out the time between pain pill doses :). Baby steps. Next week I think I'll even venture a walk through the neighborhood :). 

Thinking about my fibroids and how quickly they are growing gets me thinking about what causes them. On a physical level there are a few theories, but no one really knows the true answer. On an emotional level though, I think the conclusions that some people have come to hold a lot of merit. The most common reason I see stated for fibroids is that they hold stress, pent up emotions, unexpressed creativity, and unbirthed ideas. These non-cancerous tumors form to contain all of these things until you are ready to release or express them. 

When I think about what that could mean for me, it makes so much sense that it's almost comical. Let me explain. Going back to 4 years ago when my fibroids were first diagnosed, I lived in a sea of stress and had been like that for years. I'd been working so hard and so diligently on my goals that I'd become stagnant. The stress of succeeding and of making my current ideas at the time work was sometimes overwhelming - but I carried it. I soldiered on and I continued to 'fight the fight' to get where I wanted to be. And I definitely wouldn't let myself move forward on new ideas - I had to make the old ideas work. 

So it makes sense that my body would ball all of the tension and unexpressed energy in some way to try to protect the rest of me from it. What I mean is that a fibroid can be removed. Cancer for instance is a lot more difficult to remove. 

Fast forward to now and I can see again how I'm upleveling to an even lighter space of being. And it fits my current life goals and the stirrings I've been feeling in my soul. I know that I want a baby in my immediate future. I know that I want to live even more freely and creatively. I know that I want my new ideas and urgings to be expressed and nurtured and nourished.

It makes sense then that these last bits of stagnation, frustration, and old ways have positioned themselves to be removed. Interestingly, most of my fibroids were small. In there smallness though, they were still enough to keep an egg from implanting and cause excruciating pain every month. They were enough to get my attention and make me reach out to my doctor and press to find out what was going on. These little blocks were enough to need to be removed. 

And now they have been. And I don't plan to squander this beautiful gift.

I'm planning to give myself the time of day I need. I'm planning to be inspired and in wonderment everyday. I plan to make time to make myself smile and feel peaceful, at one, and in sync in whatever form and however many ways that takes.

I plan to move intentionally and to always remind myself that this moment is the most important thing. :). 

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I'm planning some great content for you that I'll be sending to my email tribe very soon. I'd love for you to receive it. If you are in need of some balance and some inspiration, join us :). 

June Brings Many Things!

Hello love!

Can you believe June is here! For once I am excited about where we are in the year. I'm feeling pretty joyful and even expectant of awesome things. That's a wonderful space to be in - very freeing and light. 

Now that doesn't mean that things are all peachy - quite the contrary. I've got some big things and big decisions and possibly major changes coming up in my near future. But instead of being afraid and stagnant, I am curious and open. I remember reading about approaching problems in this blissful way. I wondered if I'd be able to do it - if I'd be able to let the problems flow and to flow with them to their resolutions without pulling or pushing or dragging my feet; with no resistance and no attachment to the outcome but with a preference still in it all.

I can say yes now :). 

So probably the most important thing coming up is my surgery. On June 10th I go in for another myomectomy to remove more fibroids. This time I have 15 and my doctor feels that the best way to remove them is with an abdominal surgery as opposed to a laser surgery. So that means another c-section incision, this time probably across instead of down like my previous one, and 5 to 6 weeks of recovery. Yeah, that's going to be interesting :). 

The good thing is that this will be built in slow down time. Sure, getting it through recovery from surgery is not ideal but I am wise enough to not question the Universe (God). So I will be doing lots of reading for fun, crafting because it makes me happy to crochet pretty things, watching movies and Netflix series (Grace and Frankie anyone??), journaling and generally relaxing and healing. I will not lie and say I'm not looking forward to it. 

And in this time I'll be shifting too, shifting to do more of the work that lights me up and less of the work that drains me.  

In that spirit, I have decided to do one Facial Treats class on June 28th while I'm recovering and to do a handful of Holistic Skincare Consultations and Empowerment Readings in my last few weeks.

Yola had this to say about her Holistic Skincare consultation: 

You are amazing at what you do and what you do goes beyond wellness and beauty consultation; it allows people to be seen, heard, and know that they matter and all of this while educating them that beauty and wellness is rooted in nature and simple is powerful!!! 

And Tameka had this to say about her Empowerment Reading: 

"Leah's Empowerment Readings are Spot-On!" If you are interested in an empowerment reading, but not quite sure about it, count my testimonial as that last little nudge you need to go for it!
At worst, I thought I'd get a vague overview that could be applied to anyone's life. At best, I though Leah may touch on a few things that were relevant to me. My expectations were much more than exceeded. Not only was Leah 'spot-on' with things in my reading I'd never expressed to another soul, her detail and video delivery were also a pleasant surprise. She not only made sure I understood her process, but through her gift, I immediately understood how her reading applied to my life.
Leah will welcome you with her warmth, guide you with her wisdom, and empower you to be the highest form of your true self!

If you are curious about any of these and want to chat about it, reply back and we will before the 10th :). I do have a 4 spaces available for this next week also - if you want one of those, jump on my schedule and we'll go from there!

Thank you for being a light in my life!