Hi, I’m Leanne!

The short version: Texas native, Tucson, AZ resident, married to a New Yorker, Mindfulness Life Coach & occasional circus performer.

Who I am: I am a seeker constantly on the lookout for the hidden meaning in EVERYTHING. I tend to process in my head A LOT. Mindfulness meditation and movement arts are my go to for staying connected to my body.

I believe understanding emotions intellectually as well as physiologically is key to creating a strong relationship with yourself and others, and ultimately living a life you love.

I see life as a journey and am a life-learner.  My mother always told me to follow my heart and the money would follow.  So, I’ve let my heart lead me everywhere from San Antonio to College Station, from College Station to Playa del Carmen, and from Playa to Tucson; from yoga in India to Thai Massage in Thailand to Circus Arts in Tucson; from my first job out of college as a “Fun Leader” (yep, that was my title and it was AWESOME!) to Concierge to Destination Wedding Planner to Mindfulness Life Coach.

I love spontaneity and surprises.

My partnership is my source of stability, my challenger, my encourager, and my most precious daily experience.

I’m a paradox of going with the flow and wanting it my way; loving talking about emotions and being scared to express them sometimes; desiring change and needing stability; a super homebody who loves to go out and have fun!

And in all that I am a lover of life who strives to live each day with awareness, compassion, and whole-heartedness.

As a coach…

My coaching technique is influenced mostly by my Vipassana meditation training.  It taught me how to influence my own subconscious and shift my actions to be in alignment with who I wanted to be in the world.  I started making choices, despite my insecurities, and taught my brain new habit patterns.  I became connected with my true self there, and found infinite strength and peace.  Through Vipassana I found a new way of being, where my emotions and fears were only part of the story, and I could bring space and conscious choice into all that I was doing. I am also a certified life and relationship coach.

I’ve been described as enthusiastic, positive, an intuitive listener, compassionate, and giving.  I know I bring all of this to the table each and every time I meet with a client.

Trainings & Certifications

• 200 hr Yoga certification in Nasik, India
• 2 Vipassana 10-day meditation courses, 2 7-day courses at Insight Meditation Society
• Instructor training for Prep 7.0, a course on creating strong relationships
• Became a Certified Life Coach from Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching
• Training with Gay & Katie Hendricks on Conscious Living & Body Intelligence

Three books have greatly influenced who I am in today.  These books came to me at that pivotal time in my life when I was making great strides in getting to know who I was.

• Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert
• A New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle
• Non-violent Communication, by Dr. Marshall Rosenburg

My spiritual journey took off in 2008.  I met a guy, began to express the EXACT same negative patterns as always, and got fed-up with those habits.  I realized I wanted to EXPERIENCE & EMBODY my journey. I wanted to release the analyzer in my brain and embrace the body; I wanted that connected and alive FEELING in my body at all times.  I spent so much time trying to avoid uncomfortable emotions, which, ultimately is futile.

I started intensely practicing yoga and booked a trip to India that same year. I began to become clear on who I was and what my true values were, started to grow self-confidence, and found inner peace.

In 2010, (the year the economy had tanked and swine flu swept through Mexico) I was dedicating more time to my personal growth than to my wedding planning business.  All things combined to leave me without much projected income for the coming year, so it seemed like a good opportunity to move on and try something new.  Plus, I realized I wanted to not only help people have an amazing wedding day, I wanted to help them have an AMAZING LIFE!

After spending six years living in the Riviera Maya (a.k.a. Paradise), I found myself moving back to the states.  I had made an interesting connection with a handsome, young engineer during one of my visits to Tucson, AZ and went to see him, with the pre-text that I was going to live on a farm nearby. As it turns out, Charly & I got to his house and never actually left. We got married in 2013. I was a little lost at first on what my next career would be.  I explored many options from airplane mechanic to strongly considering becoming a Marriage & Family Therapist. I began prepping for grad school.

After careful consideration and tons of research, I knew Life Coaching was more “me.”   I was drawn to the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching, iPEC, because it resonated so much with a buddhist philosophy on life; I became a certified life coach in 2013, and embarked upon this new journey of sharing my gifts with world. You can read more about My Journey to Me, my self-discovery blog post here.