Meet Leanna Cleveland

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Leanna Cleveland. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Leanna below.

Hi Leanna, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?

My confidence was not something I woke up with one day. It was something I had to build slowly, almost quietly, in the middle of real life. For a long time I thought confidence meant looking perfect or having everything put together. Then I realized confidence is really about letting yourself exist as you are and deciding that is enough.

I grew a lot when I stopped waiting to feel ready. I posted content even when my house was messy and my life felt chaotic. I wore the outfits I used to avoid because I thought my belly had to look a certain way. I let myself be seen in all the imperfect places instead of hiding them. Every time I showed up as myself, I learned I could trust myself a little more.

A big shift happened when I became a caregiver. That work taught me patience, softness, and the importance of celebrating small wins. I saw how much people blossom when they are met with compassion instead of pressure. I started offering that same compassion to myself.

So my confidence did not come from a huge moment. It came from a lot of tiny choices. Choosing honesty. Choosing to start before I felt ready. Choosing to be gentle with myself. And choosing to believe that who I am today is worthy of being seen, heard, and celebrated.

If anything, my confidence comes from giving myself permission to grow out loud and letting others do the same.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I am a lifestyle, fashion, and mental health content creator who focuses on helping women feel at home in their bodies and their lives. Online I go by thebusyfawn, and my brand is built around what I call Healing Hot Mess energy. It is all about growing through the real stuff, not the curated highlight reel.

I create content that blends body confidence, everyday lifestyle moments, and gentle mindset support. My work highlights the beauty in showing up as you are, even when life feels messy. I love filming cozy micro resets, sharing honest stories, and styling outfits in a way that reminds people they deserve to feel good in their clothes today, not ten pounds from now or after some imaginary milestone.

What feels most special about my work is the community that has formed around it. My audience calls themselves the Healing Hot Messes and they show up with so much softness, humor, and real heart. Seeing people open up, feel seen, and build confidence right alongside me is the most rewarding part of what I do.

I am also building out a growing collection of digital products that support women who feel overwhelmed or stuck. This includes my eBooks, outfit guides, affirmations, and mindset tools that help people shift into a gentler way of living. I am currently working on expanding these into what I call the Healing Hot Mess Starter Kit, which will offer simple tools for anyone who wants to feel more confident and connected to themselves again.

At the core of everything I make is one belief. You do not need a perfect life or perfect habits to create something beautiful. You just need permission to begin, permission to grow slowly, and a community that reminds you that you are not alone.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

When I look back at my journey, the three qualities that shaped me the most were honesty, resilience, and creative intuition. These were not things I mastered overnight. They were things I learned through a lot of small steps, mistakes, restarts, and gentle self-reflection.

Honesty
The moment I stopped performing a polished life and started sharing my real one, everything shifted. People connect with truth. They connect with the days that feel chaotic, the moments where you show your belly instead of hiding it, the thoughts you used to keep quiet. Honesty became the foundation of my brand because it became the foundation of my confidence.

My advice for anyone starting out is simple. Stop waiting to be perfect and start being real. Your people will find you when they can see themselves in you.

Resilience
Healing, creating, and showing up online all require patience and the willingness to begin again after a setback. There were so many times I almost quit because life felt heavy or complicated. What kept me going was this reminder. Time will pass anyway, so I might as well use it to grow.

To build resilience, practice staying committed even when progress feels slow. Celebrate tiny wins. Give yourself grace when you need a break. Consistency does not mean pushing yourself to exhaustion. It means returning with intention.

Creative intuition
I used to think I had to chase trends or have expensive equipment to make good content. Over time I learned that creativity comes from trusting your eye, your voice, and the way you naturally see the world. My favorite videos are always the ones that feel like a peek into real life.

If you are new, start experimenting. Try different angles, different formats, different moods. Let yourself play. The more you create, the more your intuition grows.

At the heart of all of this is compassion. Your journey will feel a lot lighter if you treat yourself the way you treat someone you love. Give yourself permission to learn, grow, and show up as the human you are. That is where the magic begins.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

Yes, absolutely. I am always open to meaningful partnerships that align with my values and the community I serve. I love working with brands that support confidence, comfort, mental wellness, and real life. Anything that helps women feel more grounded, more themselves, and more empowered fits beautifully with my Healing Hot Mess mission.

I especially love collaborating with fashion, lifestyle, home, wellness, and beauty brands that value authenticity. My audience connects deeply with products that make everyday life feel easier, softer, or more expressive. I enjoy creating content that feels warm and lived in rather than polished and distant.

If you are a brand or creator who shares those values and wants to collaborate, I would love to connect. You can reach me through email or social media by searching for thebusyfawn. My media kit and contact options are available across my platforms, and I always enjoy exploring new opportunities that help my community feel seen, supported, and confident.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linkin.bio/thebusyfawn
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebusyfawn/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanna-cleveland-3075b1294/