Meet Lea Mason

We were lucky to catch up with Lea Mason recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Lea, 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?

For me, the growth of my confidence and self-esteem started in church. I had a lot of opportunities to perform public speaking as a child, when I started reading scriptures during church services at Columbia Drive United Methodist Church. In high school, I was given the opportunity to pray during service at Ray of Hope Christian Church. In college, I was one of the tribe leaders during a youth conference that took place at Gwinnett Place Arena. This conference hosted 12,000+ students, and I had to be on stage during multiple days of the conference. I believe that the more you are exposed to something, the more your comfort level increases in that area. Being able to speak in front of large groups is something that aids in building your confidence and comfort with public speaking.
During my time in college, I was afforded the opportunity to hold various leadership positions. Leadership opportunities allow you to see what you are made of, and they give you a chance to make a difference in someone else’s life. I enjoyed being a resident assistant and serving as the Student Activities Board Director and SGA Senior Class President my last year in college. These roles allowed me to start cultivating my leadership style as I led committees and teams. I attribute a lot of my success in corporate America/healthcare operations to lessons I’ve been learning in leadership and public speaking from the time I was a child to now.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I like to think that I wear two different hats. By day, I am a senior project manager for a healthcare company. But at night, I enjoy designing and creating art and writing books/blogs. I started my art business during the pandemic to bring inspiration to others. Now, I am expanding my art line by also launching inspirational t-shirts and writing inspirational books. I believe that you become what you constantly see – and I want my clients to surround themselves with art pieces and t-shirts that promote love, encouragement, confidence, faith, and hope.

When I was growing up, I would write inspirational scriptures on my notebooks, so I had an encouraging phrase to take with me to my classes. Now I make inspirational art pieces for clients, so they have a beautiful reminder of words they hold dear in the location of their choosing (i.e. kitchen, home office, business space, or home). I enjoy getting to know my clients and making pieces that allow them to stay encouraged. My inspirational t-shirts serve two purposes: encouragement to those who read it, and a conversation starter with those who see the shirts/hoodies when you have it on. I’ve met so many people just by them approaching me when I have on one of my shirts/hoodies. It typically creates natural conversation where someone says, “they needed to hear that,” or “I love this phrase. I believe that.” To date, the most popular shirt/hoodie has been “Life happens, God helps.”

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?

Imagination, strategy, and flexibility have impacted me most on my journey. As a woman of faith, I let my imagination dream. Many times, we stifle our own creativity. I don’t like to tell myself “No,” when it comes to dreams. I like to think outside the box and take the approach, “Well what if it does succeed,” instead of “This will never work. Let’s kill this thought while it’s in seed form.” Strategy is my best friend. This is a skill I use in all areas of my life, including the business world. I like to begin with the end in mind, think things through, and be as detailed as possible to achieve my “Big Picture” dream. But I have also learned that you must exercise flexibility and grace, during your pursuit of anything great. Life happens, and you must be willing to ride the waves to get to your destination. Originally, I wanted to be a pediatrician, but I felt a nudge spiritually to move into a different direction and opted into healthcare operations instead. I am still able to lead alongside doctors, I just don’t have to be a doctor to fulfill my dreams now.

For those who are early in their journey, the best advice I can give is to remain humble and seek mentorship. Mentors are one of the greatest gifts given to us, because the right mentor helps you learn from their mistakes – so you don’t have to learn a lesson they already know. Mentorship helps you accelerate faster, because you can learn from someone who’s in the place (i.e. spiritually, physically, financially, etc.) that you desire to be one day. They can also help guide you, so you can go farther than they did when they first started. I love the quote that says, “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” When you’re ready to learn and grow, I believe that God puts the right people on your path, so you can go farther faster. Making it is one thing, and maintaining it is another. Proper mentorship helps you win at both.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

When I feel like I’m starting to get overwhelmed, I go to my journal. I enjoy writing down my thoughts, reading my Bible, and being still. If I have an art show, I like to plan ahead and submit a PTO day for the day after each art show. This allows me to be present for everyone: my corporate job, my personal business, and myself. I think that more people should schedule self-care days. I am someone who puts in my PTO in January for the rest of the year. Every three months I pick a random Monday or Friday, so I can have a scheduled 3-day weekend to rest and reset. The same way our body needs rest daily, you must also set aside time for your body to rest from work. I believe you do better work when you also put yourself on your own priority list and pour back into you. This varies for different people. This could be a spa day, cabin trip, or a long weekend by the ocean…it’s whatever brings you joy and allows you to rest, breathe, and reset: spiritually, physically, and mentally.

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