We recently connected with Laniece Listens and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Laniece, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
It was a hot summer day in July as I prepared for the meeting that would change everything. I rehearsed the lines over and over in my head and even out loud in the mirror. A week or so prior to this day, I called a meeting with my flight chief. During this meeting, I was going to request support as I prepared for my husband to be deployed for 6 months. I had been working in this government position for almost a year. We were stationed in England at the end of 2019 and gave birth to our fifth child in March of 2020. There was not a lot of time to make connections as the pandemic kept us pretty isolated. Building a community is essential as a military spouse, especially when moving to a new base, but that was not an option due to the climate. Without much support or community around me I knew it would be imperative that I took care of my mental health. While I am a mother of 5 children, only 3 of our children are living. On August 2, 2014, we gave birth to our twins on our 5th wedding anniversary, and while they lived for a couple of hours, we said our goodbyes shortly after. This was the toughest loss of my life, and as a result, I was diagnosed with PTSD and anxiety. Losing the twins sent me down a path of self-discovery. It was a painful and beautiful experience that led me to coach. Learning how to love and forgive me and building up confidence like never before pushed me to share what I had learned with other women seeking to gain better relationships with themselves. While working in this position, I was building my coaching business on the side.
I loved my position, the team I worked with and I also knew what I was going to need in order to be a productive team player. In this meeting asked my flight chief, if she would reinstate the physical fitness time we were allotted as employees. I told her why it was important for my mental health and would even settle for half of the time. I explained that I would not have time to do it in my off time because my husband would be gone. She already knew my story. And her response simply was no. I was heart broken because I knew that this was the end. Before going in this meeting I made a scary decision with the full support of my husband Darnell. We both agreed that if I could not get what I needed here I would go all in on my coaching. He has always been my biggest supporter. So at the end of the meeting, I thanked her for the opportunity and handed in my notice. The rest is history!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am a passionate and dynamic certified Transformational Life Coach, international motivational speaker, wife, mother, veteran, and self-love advocate who has dedicated my life to empowering women to live their best lives. I received my Masters in Social work, focusing on Adult Mental Health. My deep understanding of the transformative power of self-love comes from my own personal journey of self-discovery and expression after losing our twins. I am committed to helping other women tap into their inner strength and light so that they are able to live and express themselves more confidently.
With years of experience coaching women around the world, I have worked with some of the top coaches in the industry to develop a unique 4-part method that helps women break through unconscious and conscious self-sabotaging behaviors, debilitating social anxiety, and overwhelming feelings of being stuck. My approach goes beyond surface-level solutions, diving deep into the root of the problem to help women own their power and shine with confidence. I currently offer 1:1 coaching, Group Coaching, Keynote Speaking, and Signature Workshops. What sets me apart is my realness and ability to relate and make my clients and audience comfortable expressing themselves freely. I can create such a safe space that allows my clients to experience joy during the deepest parts of their healing journeys. My lived experiences and infectious spirit create instantaneous connections with all who come into my space.
I am strongly committed to sisterhood and building a community of like-minded women. It is a place where women can express themselves freely and no longer feel alone in their lives or struggles. I believe that it is the very things that we try to hide from the world are what makes us connected.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I am a black woman who grew up in the inner city of Utica, NY. I was always taught directly and indirectly to count on myself. I became this hyper-independent woman who did not know how to ask for help. I associated asking for help in any capacity with being weak. I truly believed that I had to do it on my own. This is the biggest lie that held me back for a long time and came with a lot of suffering. At some of the most pivotal and darkest moments of my life, I did not know how to ask for support. I have come to learn that knowing how to ask for and receive support is a superpower. It can and will transform your life. Not only that, it is such a beautiful reminder of all the goodness that is in the world, if we open ourselves to it.
If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?
I believe that every decision I made up until this point led me into this profession. It’s funny because I know that losing the twins was an extremely difficult part of my life. And I am also grateful. In their short existence, they breathed new life into me. If it weren’t for them, I would probably be MSgt Laniece Herron of the USAF or somewhere far away from what has always been written on my soul. I know that I am exactly where I was meant to be, serving women all around the world. Helping them to come back home to themselves and their God-given power!
Contact Info:
- Website: LanieceListens.com
- Instagram: LanieceListens
- Facebook: LanieceListens
Image Credits
Silas Watson Jessica Bennet