Today we’d like to introduce you to Leah Ella.
Hi Leah, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I got to California in February 2017; I was building a pop-up shop in San Jose. The following month, I took a train to LA, Boyle Heights to be exact, and ended up moving in with my cousin and his roommate, who were both actors. I had no intention of becoming an actor; in fact, the first thing I did was an internship at Albright Fashion Library because I was bent on becoming a red-carpet fashion stylist. I’ve been an agency represented actor since October 2019. I’ve been a commercial model for most of my life, apart from being a fashion stylist.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Housing has definitely been the most challenging part of living in this amazing, complicated city. I’ve experienced the illegal sublets, where beds were literally taken from underneath me, but with every door that closes, another would swing right open. In September 2019. I moved into a communal artist community, which has since shut down due to Covid, and there is where I made the most meaningful connections in my 7 years of living in LA. In 2020, I worked for the community as a Social Media Producer and House Facilitator (filling in for the House Manager). I have the unique ability to turn lemons into lemonade because no one was paying rent during Covid, and I’m a responsible person who doesn’t like to owe anyone anything, and that’s real.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
In 2024, I launched an online coaching business as a Holistic Confidence Coach, focusing on the mind, body, soul connection and beings that we are. In 2023, after experiencing major burnout, collectively, as SAG was on strike, I decided to return to Florida and do an emotional detox if you may… I emerged as a crisis counselor for the crisis text line/988 suicide hotline after experiencing my own suicidal ideation and existential crises. I also jumped headfirst into peer support because support is something that I crave, kind of like the air I breathe and the hardest thing to find. Success intimidates a lot of people who are close to me in my life, and those closest to me try to protect me from the lens of fear. I’ve always been fearless, I’m a Daddy’s girl, a natural born explorer and very individualistic. Identity means a lot to me and now that I have mine written in stone, I’m here to coach others into self-confidence and empowerment. My Mom used to quote Ghandi when I was a teenager, “Be the change you want to see,” and my father taught me how to think for myself. Before school every morning, he would ask, “If everyone jumped off of a hill, are you going to jump too?” Today, I’ve embodied that as, when the crowd goes left, I go right, but if you need help climbing back to the hill you’ve jumped off of, I’ll be there with an arm stretched out for you. Not both arms, but one, you have to grab on if you so choose to. Writing was actually my first gift that came to me at 14 years old after my parents’ 4-year separation ended in divorce. Family has always been the biggest source of my wounds, but today, I’m learning how to turn my wounds into wisdom. Oh, I also started a podcast in October 2023, it’s called, “Mirror Mirror On The Wall, Who Is The Most Authentic Of Them All?” I prize the capability of not losing yourself because I have lost myself in other people but rediscovered that every experience makes me the strongest version of myself. This birthed Mirror Talks (self-reflections) Confidence Coaching- “I see you; I hear you; I am you.” Hashtag #LetMeBeYourMirror. I’m a very spiritual person, and I read energy. I believe in numerology and the number 7 is the most spiritual life path number. This is my seventh year in LA, today is a 7 day of “revelation,” according to the world numerology app, and I feel like Voyage LA is a right of passage, so I’m blessed to be featured. Thank you for the opportunity and for seeing value in who I am and what I offer to the world.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was an extremely introverted, observant child. I loved science, nature, and discovery, and I was and still am the biggest daddy’s girl alive! My father was and still is an adrenaline junkie. I grew up on a very small island, Antigua, and vacationed at least twice a year on another tiny island with a 70,000 population (at any given time) where my paternal side of the family lives- Dominica, West Indies. I’m a first-generation American, and I have one brother. Five months ago, I wrote an article about my childhood, and it won top story, so I’ll share it here. https://vocal.media/chapters/i-wonder-fh2ww0z4o I was obsessed with butterflies and wanted so desperately to see the transformation from caterpillar to cocoon to finding my wings… I guess that I’ve always been obsessed with transformative experiences, whether that meant mentally, physically, spiritually, or, more recently, emotionally. My Mother was a model, much like Naomi Campbell of the Caribbean, so I grew up walking the runway with her as a baby or in her arms. I fell in love with fashion as a child, going on fittings with my mom, feeling fabrics, and touching everything. My retirement plan is to finally design a clothing line, so hopefully, that will happen in the next 5-10 years.
Pricing:
- Fashion Styling $333/hr
- Personal Shopping $222/hr
- Confidence Coach Consultation $75-$200 an hour
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mirrortalksconfidencecoach.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirrortalks222/?hl=en-gb
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-armour-396aaaab/
Image Credits
Shamayim
Escobar Entertainment
Tash Ann
Dr. Sonja
