We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Leah Lovelight Michael a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Leah Lovelight, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
This is always an interesting question to answer. I believe that the purpose of LIFE is to LIVE. From the start of life, living was not an option, it was purely surviving. I grew up in what most would consider a harsh environment filled with abuse and poverty. Purpose wasn’t even something that I could have considered because I was trapped within FEAR, shut down to anything other than trying to survive and make it out of the hellish place that I grew up in. I moved out on my own at 16 years old and pursued the American Dream. In my mid-twenties, I had “made-it”. I was successful in corporate America, I got married, we had a beautiful home, and all of my security needs were met… and even with all of these “successes” I still didn’t feel alive. In fact, I was completely numb to LIFE. As most people who come from trauma, I made the decision to destroy, what was good. I divorced my husband, sold my home, quit my job and purchased a one-way ticket to Nairobi, Kenya. I went on a quest to find myself, and what I discovered was that no matter where I was, my sadness, my anger, my rage followed me. The answer that I was seeking could not be found outside of myself, I had to go within myself to find LIFE. So I made the decision to go on the quest within. I went into all my pain, suffering and shadows and I learned to love myself, to love others, and most importantly to be LOVE. It is my believe that when we love, we are alive and when we are alive, we experience LIFE. Which is my purpose; to experience LIFE, all of it, and to be a mentor and role model of being LIFE and LOVE.
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?
Lovelight Way is the most transformative Self-Love journey that an individual can embark on. The focus of this journey to learn to love our relationship with fear. Within my book, “Modern Fear – The Invisible Prison” we dive deep into the concept that humanity is at a point where we are actually afraid to feel our feelings. We are familiar with our reactive feelings, which do not feel good, and often times we try to avoid or look pass these discomforts. What this behavior creates is blockage to our all of our feelings. If we shut down one part of ourself, we shut down all parts of ourself.
Through Lovelight Way we are brave, we look at our truths, we honor who we are in our good, our bad and our ugly and we learn to actually LOVE ourselves not for what we think we can be but for exactly who we are. This is radical self-acceptance.
If interested, you can check out my book on Amazon & Audible or go to my website https://www.leahlovelight.com/ to stay connected with me.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
In my own journey some of the most important skills, qualities, or area of knowledge are:
1) As a youth, I was a juvenile delinquent. My probation officer gave me the best advice that I ever received. He told me, “Society doesn’t care about people like you. But I can tell you care.” He went on to point out all the ways I was trying to do good that were being over powered by bad decisions. I learned in that moment to create true change in one’s life we have to be willing to do the work and take on our responsibility.
2) Listening to your body is the most important skill you can master. There is so much wisdom within our being that is waiting to help us live the most abundant life possible. I was disassociated from my body most of my life because of the abuse I experienced. When I first began my healing journey I had a craniosacral session and that was the first time I had ever experienced the thought/body connection. Learning how to listen to your body’s needs is a skill to master for sure.
3) The most important quality to embody is love. Not just the sunshine and rainbow love, but the real love. The love that is brave and that will be honest with you. The love that is bold and plays 100% full out. The love that transcends the physical form and is always present if we are willing to be vulnerable to it.
If you are early on your journey, start small, use discernment on who you take advice from. If you are just starting to listen to your body start with food and how it makes you feel. Start a gratitude practice this builds the Love muscle.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
As I speak with people overwhelm is one of the most common struggles I hear about. I personally have a hyper-active mind, and most overwhelm comes from the stories that we are telling ourselves inside of our heads. Any time I begin to feel overwhelm, I ask myself one question, “What matters most to me right now?” I ask this question daily, weekly, monthly and on annual basis as well. This is one of the most important questions I have found to explore. I am a recovering people pleaser, so I promise a lot to others, and sometimes when I ask myself “what matters most” I have to tell people that I can honor what I promised. Learning to say NO is just as powerful as saying YES. This is a practice, and something to try out again again until it feels good.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.leahlovelight.com/
- Instagram: @leahlovelight
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leahlovelightmichael
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-lovelight-michael/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lovelightway
Image Credits
the photos on the stage Limelight San Antonio
the photos of table and drum – Jenna Nord Photography
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
