Today we’d like to introduce you to Faye Livesey.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Faye. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’m the founder of Little Lessons of Light family wellness studio. I am a mommy, children’s mindfulness author, meditation teacher and former British Army Captain. I live in Venice, California with my husband and 2.5 years old son Blaise where I teach classes for kids and adults.
I got my career start in the British Army where I trained in leadership, command and management at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. I served eight years full time in the military, deployed in command of soldiers to Afghanistan and was fascinated by the dynamic of leader and led. My experience in the military demonstrated to me that the best leaders earned not just the respect and trust but the love of their troops in order to command with depth, grace and certainty. It was never lost on me that in the chaos and danger of an operational environment, it is necessary to play the role of both boss and mother to those whom you command.
I transitioned out of the military and into the London corporate arena in early 2012. To an outsider, I had everything you could ever imagine I might want; a penthouse in the city, fancy car, far flung destination vacations and good health; but something was terribly a-miss. Having married my childhood sweetheart young and subsequently undergone an equally young (and traumatic) divorce, I was struggling to find a sense of self and drowning in emotions I simply wasn’t sure how to navigate alone. I hit a low point and decided the only way out was forward. I picked myself up, energetically shook myself off and backpacked the world with my sister. Upon returning to England, I knew I couldn’t stay, my old life was dead and my calling was pulling me across the pond to the beach in LA.
I moved to Venice 6 years ago and never looked back. Piece by piece I built the life I really wanted. The one I had no idea was even possible when I was still trapped under the weight of socially conditioned norms and the expectations of others. I found my soul mate, launched a successful emotional intelligence coaching business and became mummy to an incredible little boy.
During this time, I was also swept away by the power of mindset work through meditation. I certified as a teacher in a number of modalities and then quickly became a meditation teacher training facilitator. To me, this kind of deep inner work, accessed through meditation and mindfulness echoed clearly so many of the tenants of command and leadership I had learned years before. Sound leadership requires empathy, introspection, an ability to take decisive action and problem solve quickly and effectively from a place of inner power. It also demands discipline, motivation and a willingness to admit when you are wrong in order to course correct. All of these things are also at the heart of a solid meditation practice.
I started writing about leadership, life skills, emotional intelligence and meditation when I found out I was pregnant. With a little one on the way I naturally leaned towards creating a children’s book which would encompass all of these things through fun storytelling. I wanted to be able to convey these incredibly important life lessons in a fun and engaging way. Not long after my son was born, so too was my first book, Fezzy The Magical Fox© and so began my love affair with creating mindful children’s learning resources with accompanying in person classes. My new mission in life had become clear; to facilitate the development of important emotional intelligence life skills like empathy, problem-solving, expressive communication, confident decision making and self-awareness for kids. All along, I was also teaching adult meditation and deep relaxation sound alchemy classes at a number of popular studios around LA.
Four children’s mindfulness books in; and many many hours of successful kids and adult classes later and we found ourselves here in 2020 unable to deliver anything in person for the time being. The silver lining – COVID-19 kicked my former Army Officer fighting spirit into action once more. I worked tirelessly to bring not only my own wellness classes for kids and adults online but also classes by other teachers and wellness professionals that I admire the most. Little Lessons of Light was born this summer as a virtual wellness village of support for families. Our mission from the outset in the midst of a pandemic was clear; “Here at Little Lessons of Light, we want you and your whole family to shine bright”. We provide a one-stop radiance shop at a crazy affordable price point. That makes our classes for kids and adults truly accessible to anyone. Bringing LLOL classes online has been a labour of love and one we are exceptionally proud to now share with the world.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Life in general is never a smooth road, there are always challenges and obstacles to overcome. Yet challenges lead to growth if you are equipped to deal with them well. I personally have had my fair share, and will inevitably have more to come. For me, matters of the heart affect me the most. The emotional fallout following the breakdown of my first marriage was exceptionally painful during a time when I was looked upon as a leader of men and women in the military. I had to take time and apply a healthy dose of self-kindness to move past it; but I did move past it, and it made me the person I am today. For that, I will be ever grateful.
Deploying to Afghanistan in command of troops was also tough. They say command is a lonely place because you are not there to be a friend, you are there to lead. I felt this with every inch of my being during those times.
Most recently, launching a company as a full-time Mummy has been exceptionally challenging, especially in light of the pandemic. Thankfully, however, the stress, trials and tribulations have been somewhat negated by the caliber of team I have around me. I am supported in everything I do by amazing people with nothing but love in their hearts. I am grateful and also proud that these days my leadership is not a lonely path.
What we do at Little Lessons of Light (LLOL) is a direct result of the challenges we all face in life. Our classes promote physical, mental and emotional wellness from the earliest of ages. When we feel balanced and well in our day to day lives, we can overcome life challenges far more easily. Developing emotional intelligence and placing tools like meditation, mindfulness and clear self-expression in the cognitive tool kit young (or at any stage in life for that matter) creates muscle memory and resources to call upon when times get tough. The ability to self generate happiness is a skill not taught in schools; but it should be. We aim to plug that gap and have many practical methods to do so. In a world where you can be anything; don’t forget to be happy!
Please tell us about Little Lessons of Light.
Here at Little Lessons of Light, we want you and your whole family to shine bright. That is why we brought together a team of exceptional teachers, coaches and experts offering a wide range of live stream classes every week along with a 100+ strong class library to watch anytime ‘on demand’ for our site members. Our class list is extensive! For adults, we have daily meditation, mindset, fitness, yoga and relaxation practices along with a monthly life coaching workshop, parenting support group, ’Ask the Skin Doctor’ live Q&A with our UK based dermatologist and kids allergy expert Dr Ben and our family emotional brilliance workshop. For kids, we have a whole array of educational fun in store; including but not limited to Story Yoga, Fairy Magic Mindfulness, Soothing Sleep-Time Stories, Magic Meditations and much more. For those kids ready for even more magical life skills, we have our Curriculum-based Super Hero Training.
We are proud to say our company is built on kindness. Made by parents, for parents, we understand what it takes to raise a healthy, happy family in these challenging times. From the outset, we have aimed to provide a ‘Village of Support’ for our community members, safe in the knowledge that together, we are stronger. Parenthood is hard enough and we were never meant to do it alone.
What sets us apart from others is our equal integration of kids and adult wellness classes. We were built to serve families, not just adults or just children. Our kid’s classes are not an after thought, they are at the heart of what we do. All of our classes are led by specialists in their field and are specifically designed to be as engaging online as they would be in person. Long after class ends, your mini Super Hero’s will still be practicing their Magic Skills and you can put them to bed safe in the knowledge that your own luxurious meditation, yoga or fitness class awaits you. It has never been easier to top up your entire family’s wellness needs on a daily basis from the comfort of your own home all as part of one whole family subscription.
As the pandemic restrictions lift, we will also be offering ‘My Tribe Play Group’ at the beach in Venice. This supportive community allows for socialization of kids and their grown-ups in the great outdoors. We come together to move our bodies, expand our minds, breathe in the ocean air and laugh with love in our hearts. We learn about nature, big emotions and the magic of kindness. We problem-solve, work as a team, use our voices and listen to one another, as we learn through play. Come to sing, dance, move and meditate as a family and leave with leadership skills engrained. Our goal is to nourish your body, mind and soul.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I tend to be an accidental workaholic because I am passionate about what I do. I have poured my heart and soul into Little Lessons of Light and the fallout from periods of overwork never looks pretty. It is hard to balance a career that flows from you and family life, especially when your wider family support system live thousands of miles away across the pond in England. My husband and I truly are a team and I have to remind myself often that it is okay to allow my focus to be outside the family home for short periods of time in order to birth the creative projects that ultimately bring me so much joy. Mothers are pulled in so many directions, and we can be so hard on ourselves for thinking we are not doing enough for our children. The truth, however, is that in order to be a good parent, we must allow ourselves to fill our own cup. For me, that translated as raising a company from the ground up while parenting my little man.
Would I do anything differently? No! The point of Little Lessons of Light is to create a village of support for families. I receive this support too. Every Tuesday night I co-present our live plant-based cooking class with professional chef Lucy Martire. Not only do I learn how to cook superfood versions of comfort food classics, but I also get to take the dish home. This means one night a week, I don’t cook and don’t do the dishes, and yet my family eats chef quality, nutrient dense food. To me, that is a huge win for a super busy mama! Then on Friday’s I am present for the live Q&A with Mel Soloway, our expert parent educator. With a 2.5 years old who is very much in the daily tantrum stage, I cannot get enough of her non-judgmental guidance and magical parenting tips and tools.
Yes, launching a company is hard; but doing it with the right people and for the right reasons make it all worthwhile. I am fortunate working in the wellness field that I always have meditation to come back to at the end of a busy day. It provides me with an inner checkin, time to declutter my mind and a way to release any stress or tension that may have built up.
Pricing:
- Virtual Membership for the Whole Family [Access to all Kids & Adult Classes] $33 per month plus 7 day FREE Trial
- ‘My Tribe Play Group’ in person Family Membership $77 per month {Try 1st class FREE}
- Meditation Teacher Training Certification Adult $444 | Kids $333 [Both run twice per year]
Contact Info:
- Website: www.littlelessonsoflight.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @littlelessonsoflight
- Facebook: @littlelessonsoflight
- Other: LinkedIn – Little Lessons of Light | Pinterest – Little Lessons of Light
Image Credit:
Annika Bielig-Bussmann
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