We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Amber Lea Mitchell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Amber Lea below.
Amber Lea, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?
I hope the legacy I leave behind is one of empowerment, community, and resilience. I want people to say that I created spaces where women could rise, where small towns could thrive, and where the next generation found the courage to dream bigger.
When I’m gone, I hope people remember that I didn’t just build businesses I built the belief in that just because you are from a small town doesn’t mean you can’t live a beautiful, fulfilling life. I hope they say that I saw value in places and people that others overlooked. That my business partner and I turned a movie theater into more than a place to watch films but, became the heartbeat of the town. That the teen camp I curated became a rite of passage for generations, where young people learned who they were and who they could become.
Above all, I want to be remembered not for titles or accolades, but for the lives I helped ignite, the communities I helped strengthen, and the deep-rooted legacy of leadership, love, and lasting impact I left behind.
Amber Lea, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I’m Amber Mitchell, and my work is rooted in a simple but powerful belief: small towns matter, and women are unstoppable when they’re supported. Based in the beautiful mountain town of Tehachapi, California, I’ve made it my mission to breathe life into rural communities by building businesses that create opportunity, connection, and pride in where we live.
My journey wasn’t born in a boardroom it started in a tiny desert town with 3,000 people in it. I saw first-hand how often women in small towns were bursting with potential but lack the resources, mentorship, or platforms to shine. I also saw how often young people grow up in these communities believing they have to leave to find success. I wanted to change that. So I rolled up my sleeves and started creating the kinds of spaces I wished had existed when I was younger and for the woman I am becoming.
Today, I run several ventures that are all connected by a common thread, empowerment through community.
I co-own and operate a locally cherished movie theater. I founded my own social media management business that services local small businesses. I built a community specifically for women, you can find us at Women of Tehachapi, which started as a retreat and grew into a place where entrepreneurs, creatives, and change-makers can support each other, grow, and thrive no matter their background or where they’re from. This year I’m creating a Summer teen camp that will become a cornerstone experience for local youth, one that gives them tools to lead, dream, and be kids this Summer.
I help people believe in themselves again. Whether it’s a woman starting her first business, a teenager discovering their voice, or a town reclaiming its identity.
I’m not an outsider trying to impose change I’m in it, every day, living and working in the communities I serve. Everything I build is done with people in mind first. I listen, I collaborate, and I show up because trust is the foundation of every lasting legacy.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
One of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made was closing my dream gym. It was one of my first businesses, Whole Fitness.
At the time, I was commuting two hours a day, nursing a newborn, and raising a toddler. I was pouring everything I had physically, emotionally and financially into making that space thrive. It wasn’t just a business to me; it was a calling. A place where women could feel strong, seen, and supported back in my hometown.
But the reality was, I was burning out. I was running on empty. And I realized that in trying to keep everything going, I was sacrificing the very things that mattered most my health, my presence with my babies, and my peace.
So I made the gut-wrenching decision to let it go.
It wasn’t failure it was a pivot. That chapter taught me how to let go of something good to make space for something better. It taught me that dreams can evolve, and that strength sometimes looks like surrender.
And in the space that followed, new opportunities grew. My purpose didn’t disappear it just found new soil.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Social media was the launchpad for everything. Four years ago, I decided to go out on my own and social media was how I built my first audience, my first client base, and ultimately, my first real sense of ownership over my work.
But I didn’t build it by going viral or following trends. I built it by being real. I shared the behind-the-scenes what it looked like to build something from scratch (without filters), to chase big dreams from a small town, to juggle business and babies and self-doubt all at once.
I focused on community over clicks. I showed up consistently, shared value, and spoke directly to the people I wanted to serve women, creators, dreamers, and doers who needed someone to say, “You can do this, too.”
Over time, that honesty built trust. And that trust built a brand.
What started as a way to promote my services became a platform for something much bigger: storytelling, connection, and empowerment. Social media wasn’t just marketing it was my microphone, my movement, and the first place I realized I could build something truly meaningful on my own terms.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.amberleamitchell.com/
- Instagram: @amberlea_mitchell
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amber.l.mitchell.52
- Other: Our Small Town Theater:
https://www.thptheater.com/
@tehachapi_hitchingposttheaterWomen of Tehachapi Community
@womenoftehachapiMy marketing agency
@hcpsocialagency
Image Credits
Mary Heeb Photography