Eva Leersnyder shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Eva, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
I am most proud of building myself into a more positive and self-loving person.
It is hard to be proud of yourself and to care about yourself in today’s world. It can feel like there are always people to please and things to do and not enough time to do the things that you want to do. Negativity can also get in the way a lot of times, especially if you let it.
I have challenged myself over the years to find some time each day to do something for me. Additionally, I try to catch myself before I think or say something negative. Instead, I try to find the positive, whether in my thoughts, words, or actions. Believe me, it’s hard; however, this is something you can be proud of building too if you put in the work.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I run a dog training business in the Nashville area that specializes in aggression, fear and anxiety, puppy, basic and advanced. I offer private, in-home training with excursions available. In fact, I have even taken clients to the airport to practice for service dog training.
Something that is unique about me is that I had the opportunity to train my own dog as a Diabetic Alert dog for myself and I trained her in agility as well.
My brand is called Mixed Empire dog training because even though we are all different, dogs and owners alike, we all have the opportunity to come together and become a team.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
My relationship with my counselor has significantly shaped how I see myself, because without doing the personal work that I needed to do, I would still be struggling to see how much of a good person I actually am. Don’t get me wrong, I still struggle; however, I am much better equipped now to deal with these struggles because of going to counseling.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Be kind to yourself, show grace, and it is ok to rest. Being kind and showing grace is important because it allows me to know I am doing the best I can and it allows me to show compassion for myself which is something I struggle in doing. Another thing I struggle with is allowing myself to rest. I have always felt that if I am resting and relaxing, then I am not important enough. In fact, I have even told myself that I don’t deserve to rest, which is totally untrue. Rest is important and productive in and of itself.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
Building my dog training business more and more is definitely an important project that I am committed too. I don’t think I will ever be completely finished building my brand because there will always be things to do, things to add, and things to work on.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
My clients would miss the check ins that I do each week with them, as well as the written reviews I email to my clients after each lesson. In doing reviews and check ins I can be sure that my clients know what to practice before the next lesson and I have the ability to address any concerns or triumphs with owners in between lessons as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.evajanicel.wixsite.com/mixedempiredogtraining
- Instagram: uziandpebbles and evajanicel
