Today we’d like to introduce you to Leta Stevens.
Hi Leta, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
In May of 2014, I dove headfirst into the world of fitness competitions. For three and a half years, I used competing and working out and all things fitness as a bandaid for the turmoil that lay beneath it all. It was a coping mechanism, I just hadn’t realized it at the time. Towards the end of my competition chapter, I started taking yoga classes as a recovery method in between scheduled workouts and cardio sessions.
When I was in a yoga class, it felt like time stood still. I could really breathe. When I was on a mat, it was really like it was just me in that room. That is when everything started to change. It was an unraveling. An unbecoming. It was an awakening. For the first time ever in my life, I could see myself as a human with a soul rather than simply a human with a body to be controlled and manipulated. Yoga was a catalyst for my transformation. I had myself imprisoned in my body. I felt chained to societal expectations and standards. Yoga helped me release all of that.
I finally felt what it was like to simply just be me. In my wholeness. In my authenticity. In my being. I decided to become a yoga instructor, to hopefully pass this wisdom on to others, specifically women, who felt caged by their bodies and the way that they thought their lives needed to look in order to be successful. The more time I spent learning about yoga, the more that I dove into other self-development realms. Mostly, I read self-help and psychology books from authors like Gabby Bernstein, Danielle LaPorte, and Dr. Joe Dispenza. Each page I turned came with some small slice of liberation. It was exhilarating. I believe I experienced an ego death. I was ready to release an old identity that no longer aligned with my mission in life. I was ready to be who I truly was. The greatest expression of my authentic self. When I started to learn about the subconscious mind, I couldn’t stop learning. Books, podcasts, YouTube videos, documentaries, you know it. I was entranced. It fascinated me.
In the spring of 2019, after six years in the industry, I turned in my two weeks notice to my corporate retail employer. I couldn’t stand to be living a life and doing a job that didn’t fulfill me. Three days after my last day at that job, I flew to LA (from Chicago, where I was residing at the time) to complete my life coaching certification. Since then, I have spent the last year and nine months fusing my knowledge of the subconscious mind, movement, neuroscience, and other modalities to create a coaching business that allows me to support women as they go through their own journey of unbecoming and moving into the unapologetic, authentic version of themselves so that they may create a life that sets their soul on fire.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I took the path less traveled. I knew when I started the journey that the road would not be paved and there would be bumps, bruises, and detours made along the way. But I wouldn’t change that for anything. Every proverbial pothole has been an incredible learning experience that has only heightened my self-awareness and my abilities as a coach and a human. A few months into my coaching business, I was launching my second group coaching program. It was one I was extremely excited about… and I didn’t have one person sign up for it. I was devastated. At the time, I wasn’t sure how I’d be able to pay my next month’s rent. I remember it so vividly. I was at a park across the street from my apartment with my journal. I was writing about how scared I was that I was failing. What if I didn’t have it in me? What if I wasn’t good enough? What if I just stopped trying? And then, I just sat there and cried. Right there in the middle of the park. I couldn’t imagine not trying. I realized my only hope was to believe in myself so deeply that nothing could deter me or stop me from moving forward. That was last July. It’s been a year and a half and I am still moving forward. I think when you decide to be an entrepreneur, it’s a rollercoaster. Soon, you just come to adjust to the fact that there are ups and downs. Some days I’ll be on cloud nine and inspiration will be flowing. Other days, I will wonder WTF I’m doing and if I should burn it all down to the ground and do something else.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a mindset coach and yoga instructor. I specialize in helping women understand the subconscious mind, how the brain and body play a part in our thoughts and behaviors, and how we can transform our lives through the process of releasing false narratives, limiting beliefs, and old behavior patterns that don’t serve us. I create containers for clients and mentees to come into my space and be wholly themselves. Once we are in a space of safety, we dive into healing and the coming home to ourselves. Our true selves… not the masks or disguises that we wear for the world. I think what sets see apart from others is my holistic approach to coaching.
From breathwork, ecstatic dance, looking at your Human Design and astrology, to identifying your coping mechanisms and behavior patterns and rewriting limiting beliefs to create a new reality. What I am able to provide for my clients is well-rounded and will truly touch mind, body, and soul. It is the honor and privilege of my life to hold that space for my clients to truly alchemize their pain and their stories into a beautiful life that they love living. I am most proud of my clients. Witnessing them individually stepping into their power and reclaiming their sovereignty. Seeing them open and expand. It is such a joy for me to bear witness to that. It will never get old.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
My view on risk-taking is that you have to do take risks. You won’t ever feel 100% ready. In fact, I think waiting for “ready” is simply a defense mechanism. It’s our ego trying to keep us safe by playing small. As they say, “with great risk comes great rewards.” I think the biggest risk I have taken was spending a few thousand dollars on a coaching certification program, quitting a financially stable job, and flying to LA to receive my certification… without any entrepreneurial experience and a very minimal savings account. I had no idea what I was doing in starting my own business. I didn’t know what to expect or what to do. I figured it all out as I went, which was a risk in and of itself. I’m still figuring it all out. I am absolutely a risk-taker. I did move to LA in the middle of a global pandemic. But I think you have to have skin in the game to really see what you’re made of.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://letastevens.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/letaalexandra/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Letastevenscoaching
- Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/life-in-alignment/id1532790937
Image Credits
Paige Babilla Photography
