Today we’d like to introduce you to Leila Judeh.
Hi Leila, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I fuse the gap between giving back and advocating for mental health with the fashion industry. I am someone who went through some pretty rough years early on which led me to be very anxious and suffer from terrible panic attacks. In 2022 I spent the year back home as my grandparents’ primary hospice caregiver, which led me to my Mental Health Awareness Non-Profit BlockTheNoise. My grandmother was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreas cancer that spread to her lungs causing her to have breathing attacks. I began to walk her through some exercises to help calm her down and ground her so she could regulate her breath. As time passed she began to ask me to do the C-A-L-M exercise before bed because it made her feel nice. For reference, my grandmother was a 76-year-old Palestinian woman very deep into her roots and beliefs. So when even she, someone who rarely spoke English, found a way to cope with her anxiety and panic with BlockTheNoise – I knew this was something that needed to be shared with the world.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Starting your own business amidst every other crazy thing that life throws at you is definitely no easy ride. I have worked really hard to always bring out the most creative side of myself through my fashion events to cultivate a very authentic experience. Learning to trust my potential and aim high has been one of my biggest lessons of 2024. I learned that it is better to aim for the moon and if you miss, you will land in the stars. Missing your goal of the moon does not mean you failed, it means you tried your best with the tools you had at the time. Reevaluate, learn from the experience and try again. My favorite quote I read closing 2024 was , 365 days – 365 ways. That is something to live by.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
At BlockTheNoise, our mission is to raise mental health awareness through creativity, community, and advocacy. As a nonprofit organization, we fundraise for various charities through impactful fashion events while spreading awareness about mental health. Our goal is to take the #BlockTheNoise movement global, teaching the world how to navigate anxiety and depression through grounding practices and mindfulness. We offer personalized mental health support through private one-on-one sessions and educational seminars, empowering individuals to connect with their higher selves, heal, and become the best version of themselves. We believe that anxiety is not a disease but an emotion—one that, with the right coping mechanisms, can be managed to restore calm and control in any situation.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
With Covid-19 came a lot of self-awareness and people having no choice but to sit with the thoughts they often run away from. If Covid-19 taught us anything, it is to make sure you are living a healthy lifestyle not only for your body but your mind. Often times people think that simply eating healthy and going to the gym will make you the healthiest version of yourself. However, to truly be at your healthiest is to work from the inside out. Healing those inner traumas and processing through the emotions that hold you back on a daily basis. To re-center and ground yourself through mindful practices and exercises is what will truly launch you into the happiest version of yourself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://blockthenoise.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/block.the.noise?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==
