Hidden Gems: Meet Laura Lee

Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Lee.

Hi Laura, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story to how I got to where I am today is really a story about returning home to myself, which allowed me to be who I was designed to be. How I show up in the world and how I serve is really an extension of that returning.

Imagine a sensitive, joyful spirit who came into the world dancing, singing and rocking her way into being. Who then became an adventurous creek dwelling, precocious girl, who most days was collecting crayfish or cradling the kittens who had just been born that season and always sharing these experiences with her friends. A girl who had conversations with God as she road her green bike and sang the lyrics to her favorite soundtrack over and over, Yentl, “where is it written what it is I’m meant to be?” I connected deeply to those words, although at the time I couldn’t articulate why.

As I grew, I began to learn, not so much who it was I was meant to be, but what was expected of me. I learned to hide myself, dim that precociousness spirit and quiet that voice that would belt out those words I loved so much.

I’m aware that this is not just my story but the story of so many women. Women who today, I have the gift of walking home. Home to who they are designed to be. To me, there is no greater soul assignment and I treasure my role as spiritual guide in many ways, to witness, support and usher them home.

One of the ways that I had become disconnected from my true essence was as so many women I know have. I became fully immersed in perfecting my outer self in order to be loved. A belief had taken root in me that to be loved, I had to earn this and to earn this, I had to look perfect, I had to be perfect. That was the way to love. To be pleasing. To be what culture valued most. I bought into the lie, and as a result spent years fighting against myself instead of fighting for myself.

When the day came that I had finally had enough, I said no more. I surrendered. I didn’t know how to do life differently, but I was finally willing to find out, to try something else, anything else. It was if a place deep inside of me believed I was worthy and capable of so much more. I trusted that tiny voice inside. It was wobbly, but it had life and I said Yes that day.

After that big yes to my soul, I got support. I found someone to first just talk to. To pour out all the worries, the fears, the thoughts, the pain of all the wounds that had never been witnessed. This began my healing journey.

I pretty soon began to move in the direction of that small voice inside. I began to have those talks with God again that I had as a small child. I began to reconnect to myself after a very long hiatus.

I had lived a lot of life, traveling from my childhood home in Arkansas to then going far away to Boston to go to college, then on to Los Angeles, where I grew up in many ways, became an adult, got married, and became a mother. All the while searching for who it was I was still becoming. Trying my hand at all kinds of things, tv production, interior design, but all the while, I was still just pushing through. I was doing all the things, but nothing was quite a full expression of me. It was if each thing I tried was one part of who I was, but not the whole me.

It wasn’t until that day I surrendered that I began to find out all of who I was meant to be. The first small step I took after I started to get support and slowly clear my life of all the things I used to not be present, to numb away the doubt and the confusion, was to be of service right where I stood.

The first thing I released was alcohol. I had used it for far too long to just not feel. I knew if I was going to grow and really be the person that small voice was leading me to, I needed to let it go. I got support around that too and it’s a decision I can now say nine years later that created a massive shift and opening in my life that has allowed me to hear that small voice and feel those big feelings and walk in courage, imperfectly, but fully alive and there is nothing better.

From there, I began to volunteer at my children’s school, implementing a school wide nutrition program and planting our first school garden to harvest together and eat what we had grown. That opportunity led me to become certified as a health coach and then to offer workshops for young girls to give them a chance to know their worthiness right from the start. To help them redefine beauty for themselves, see the power and the potential of nourishing their bodies from a place of enoughness and to provide a place for them to voice their fears.

As I kept listening to my inner wisdom, I would see and hear what my soul was being drawn to next and from here I realized, health coaching didn’t encompass all I was here to give these girls. I then became certified in Transformational Coaching and as a Social Emotional Arts Instructor. I began to coach women to come home to themselves. To unravel all the conditioning and ancestral wounds that had been passed down to them, so they could be free. To work with them at the level of belief and identity because anything else was just temporary. I became absolutely committed to healing from the deepest places in my soul and was equally as committed to help my clients do the same.

Three years ago, my family and I made a huge move from CA to the Nashville area. Again that small voice had become very loud. My husband and I both felt called here. Both creatives, both craving space to create in new ways and have more space for our family to do life in new ways.

My move here introduced once again to the next part of what I would need and that I would need to share with my clients to continue to support them in their journey to the deepest healing waters. I found rebirthing breathwork. My experience with breathwork was so transformative I knew right way, I needed to be able to offer this to my clients. It’s been an incredible journey. This year, I am adding another tool to my toolbox and I couldn’t be more excited! It truly is going back to my deepest roots as that dancing little girl who stopped dancing later in life. I’ll be bringing that most joyous expression back and facilitating movement, connecting women into their bodies through a practice called Soul Flow™ Andee Love has created a beautiful embodiment practice that I can’t wait to share with my clients.

I have a retreat coming up this October in Nashville and I cannot wait to share these tools with the women who say yes! We will be Unleashing JOY in a year that I think we are all so ready to experience more of!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The thing about roads is that there are always surprises, bumps, detours, twists and turns, they are never linear, at least for very long. Such has been my journey to get to where I am today. Part of the struggle can be when we think the road is “supposed” to be linear.

Some of the struggles have been the temptation to second guess myself when things didn’t necessarily produce financial growth right away. Or something didn’t move as fast as I thought it “should” The thing is, I can look back now and see the purpose of each step along the path. Each step had its own value and led me to the next stepping stone on the path. Judging the step doesn’t change it. It just takes you out of being able to appreciate the value of it in the moment.

What was a struggle was looking outside myself to measure my success or the pace of my success. It’s as if we are all told there is some timeline we are supposed to adhere to and if we don’t hit a mile marker by this time or that time, then we are somehow behind or late. This couldn’t be further from the truth and a major block to joy.

The only timeline is the one you are on and my journey and your journey will always happen at different paces. The reasons and value in this are endless. Each step is part of the lesson you are here to learn and therefore needed. I love supporting my clients in this area too. When they realize being on someone else’s timeline is not required or even helpful, they feel a massive sense of permission and freedom to be where they are. And being where you are fully allows you to then move towards where you are meant to go next and feel JOY in the process!

This also was a big lesson in motherhood and being a mother of three while slowly building a business. I wasn’t just building a business, I was also building a family. I needed to give both just as much energy and love for them to grow. This also informed the pace at which I was able to grow my coaching practice and not buy into the story it needed to look like someone else’s business.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
My purpose and the services I offer, at the core, support women to come home to themselves. To reclaim the light that may have dimmed or gotten covered up but is still inside of them. I specialize in meeting my client at that moment of surrender in their life, where they step off that moving sidewalk when spirit has tapped them on the heart and they stop to listen. When they realize something needs to change before they can answer that deep longing inside to express themselves, but don’t know where to begin or feel the possibility of this is far away and even out of reach for them. I meet them at that place. Together, either in 1-1 coaching or in my core group program, Soul Sanctuary or in person at a retreat, we go into the depths together. I support them to unearth the programs and wounds that need witnessing and healing in order for them to heal. We rewire their old limiting beliefs that are keeping them stuck. I support them to work with their fear, become aware of what is holding them back, break cycles of self-sabotage and take steps out toward their desires. They begin to create new soul contracts that are in alignment with their purpose and I lovingly hold them accountable as they take new steps and take new actions.

My clients tell me that what they feel most working with me is the deep, deep level of belief I have in them. That I hold a big powerful and sacred space for healing. A space for them to be completely honest and feel safe to do this inner work.

One client shared this recently with me:

“Laura has shined light onto areas of my life I felt were only destined for darkness and confusion. Before working with Laura, I didn’t know what it really felt like to have someone ‘hold up a mirror’ to my life and my experiences in such a validating and loving way. Her validation and compassion have helped me untangle shame I’ve harbored for years, and the significance of that can’t be overstated. She is so attuned to my feelings during our sessions and I never worry about feeling judged.

What is unique about the soul medicine Laura brings to our sessions is the balance she strikes between offering Brightness, Realness, and Boldness. Laura creates a space where I feel safe to share what’s on my heart and bring hard or confusing stuff out of the dark. Laura is also so gifted in grounding whatever it is I’m working through in the present moment. She makes me feel the impossible is possible. And then offers up amazing wisdom and advice to help me create and take new action steps. I feel so inspired by the bold intentions Laura helps me set. She is expansive and creative in the way she coaches me through decisions and intentions. It feels easier, less scary, and more tangible to dream big.”

I value my clients so much. It truly is an honor to walk them through this healing journey. I deeply value our partnership in this work and their courage. It takes so much courage to say yes to healing and yes to their own desires and I marvel at their transformations!

My next offering to do some of this work in person is coming up next in October 2021. After a year of being disconnected in many ways physically, I am over the moon excited to gather women together in a sacred space this October! The Unleashing Joy Retreat will be in the Nashville area. There is nothing more transformative to me than being together in a sacred space. Where together, we will be Unleashing Joy through sharing, creative expression, movement and breathwork. Embodying together all of the beautiful and hard things that are ready to be felt. To dream, to vision and to source JOY. If you want to find out more about how to be a part of this experience, you can go here to this link and then set up a call with me. www.unleashingjoyretreat.com

What are your plans for the future?
I’m excited to be in person again more. With the Unleashing Joy Retreat coming in October 2021. Registration is open now. www.unleashingjoyretreat.com. My group program, Soul Sanctuary with be open for enrollment this October and begin January 2022! You can go to my website for updates. www.lauraleelife.com.

I have two retreats for private groups I’ll be leading in September and continuing to serve my clients in 1-1 coaching containers and 1-1 VIP day experiences, where together we are in an immersive 1 or 2 day in person container for massive transformation and growth. I’m excited to do more of these VIP days with clients. I will continue to facilitate healing breathwork with my clients to support them to embody the healing they are experiencing and soon add the embodiment practice of Soul Flow™ and be in their bodies in this transformative practice!

One more exciting offering that is still in development is an offering I’m creating in partnership with my husband. He is a composer/music producer and we will be combining our gifts in a future project. Stay tuned! 🙂

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.lauraleelife.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifewithlauralee/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lifewithlauralee

Image Credits
In Her Image Photography and Kailee Rose Photography