Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Leah Forney. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Leah , really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
My journey to discovering my purpose came in the midst of adversity. 2018 to 2019 was the worst year of my life. During that time, I buried 5 loved ones including my fiancé’. I was 31 years old and just experienced what I like to call a defining moment. A defining moment is a moment in your life where you have to make a decision. It is like standing at a fork in a road and you have to decide which direction you want to go in. When my fiancé died in 2018, I went on an intentional journey to heal from my trauma and to discover my own purpose. It was during that time, I started praying more, journaling more, and seeing my therapist, Grief & Loss has an interesting way of putting you on a path of self discovery. While on my path of self discovery, I learned that life is not about finding your purpose because you are born with a purpose and on purpose. It is about discovering who you are meant to be and who you are meant to serve. My purpose is to serve women like myself who are ready to come out of the ashes of their past and tap into their innate God-given abilities and gifts so they can share it with the world. My purpose is to push hope to those who feel hopeless. To remind everyone that I meet that I serve a God that hasn’t forgotten about them. To help them to change the narrative of their lives by helping them write a new story and chapter.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
My name is Leah M. Forney, Your Visibility Activator & Podcast Cultivator. I am a native of Queens, NYC. I am the oldest daughter of my 6 siblings. Both my parents were addicts throughout my entire life until they passed away. My CEO journey started 10 years ago when I was working in the mental health field. I always had passion for helping other people heal. So, I went to school to become a Marriage & Family Therapist. My passion for helping people heal came from growing up in dysfunction. As a young girl, I always knew that I didn’t want to be like my parents. I knew that I wanted to make a difference in this world. I stayed in the mental heal field for 10 years. During that time, I wrote & published 8 books. My first book, Unapologetically Me: Living, Owning, & Walking in my Truth released April 1, 2017. Back then, I didn’t know anything about business or entrepreneurship. I just knew that I had a book and a message of hope and resilience that I wanted to share with the world. My business didn’t really start taking off until 2022. It was during that time I realized that I wasn’t being my authentic self. I had chosen a career that I no longer loved and I was searching for more.
During my prayer time, God had revealed to me about creating a multimedia agency that included coaching & courses. So, I launched the Profitable Podcaster Brand in 2022 under my coaching & consulting firm, Purposely Faithfull. My agency covers books, podcasting, film, & a variety of other media. One thing that I am excellent at is teaching women like myself how to Get Seen, Get Heard, & Get Paid. My agency teaches this framework through a variety of coaching programs and courses. I also executive produce documentaries & short films with my business partner Theresa Mitchell & her production company Jhene Productions.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I would have to say Consistency, Discipline, & Investing. Consistency is absolutely vital for your business. No one buys from the world’s best kept secret. People buy from People. They purchase from individuals who are are showing up, offering value, nurturing relationships with their audience, and are seen as experts in their industry.
Discipline is another important area for your business. It takes discipline to build a 4-figure or even 6-figure business. It will require you to stretch your faith. it will require you to be constantly developing. Personal Development helps to build discipline. It is important to learn as much as possible about your industry. The more you learn than the more you can make in your business.
Lastly, Investing in yourself is just as important as consistency. One lesson that I learned is that Free things don’t stretch your faith. Many of us have a bad habit of wanting everything for free. It isn’t until you start to invest in yourself do you discover that you are planting a seed for it to reproduce after it’s own kind. In other words, you can’t expect your potential clients to invest in your programs & courses but you are not investing in someone else’s program or course.
The advice that I would give to those who are early in their journey would be to spend the time laying your business foundation down the right way. Spend the money and invest in yourself. Find someone that is on the level that you are desiring to be on and invest so that you can learn from that person while avoiding the pitfalls & mistakes that this person has already been through.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
There are two books that played an important role in my development. The first book is the Bible. This book helped me to continue to develop my spiritual walk as well as my relationship with God. This book helps me to hold onto his promises for my life on a daily basis. This is the book I turn to during all phases of my life & business. Some the most impactful nuggets of wisdom that I have received from the bible are (1) God gave you the power to create wealth. (2) His plans for your life are plans to prosper you. (3) God will not withhold any good thing from me. (4)Wealth & Freedom are my birthrights & (5) God is Love therefore I can love others.
The second book is We Should All Be Millionaires by Rachel Rodgers. This book was a game changer for me. This book shares the importance of closing the wealth gap between men & women. Rachel has a passion of helping women earn more money doing what she loves to do. The biggest nugget was learning the difference between broke ass decisions and wealthy decisions.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.leahmforney.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leah_m_forney/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorleahmforney
- Email: info@leahmforney.com
-
Facebook Community: Pitch Like A BAWSE: Get Seen, Be Heard, and Get Paid
Image Credits
photographer: Shenna Hair of Shair Photography
