Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Anna Leathery. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Anna, appreciate you joining us today. One of our favorite things to brainstorm about with friends who’ve built something entrepreneurial is what they would do differently if they were to start over today. Surely, there are things you’ve learned that would allow you to do it over faster, more efficiently. We’d love to hear how you would go about setting things up if you were starting over today, knowing everything that you already know.
If I could do everything over again, I would do it without fear and without judgement. I would wake up each day with a plan, and be fearless. I look back at numerous days where I just didn’t know where to start or how to walk my path the best I could. The thing is, all we really have to do is just begin. Do the next thing we know is right and do it with all of our heart! In todays society, everything being so online can be really overwhelming. Especially if you’re someone like me who struggles with feeling so much energy from everyone, and being perceived is scary. Putting yourself out there is really really scary sometimes. But you know what scares me more? Sitting at home thinking about all my dreams and not doing anything about them. Something I wish I learned early on, is that really successful people are pretty out there and not afraid to be delusional. They will just email the head of a company or many companies and ask for what they want. They will try and try and ask and ask and not fear the rejection or the days where all you heard was no. They will believe in themselves, unwaveringly. So do that! Trying and showing up for yourself is Iconic. At the end of the day…you are the only person who can make your dreams come true. I have learned that there is truly space for everything and everyone in this day and age. You are special and your gift is meant to be witnessed.
Anna, 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?
For my entire life I have felt a bit different. I am loud, colorful, weird and wild. I like to dance to the beat of my own drum. I’ve always felt like I was able to feel things that other people didn’t. I remember when I was really young I would find a lot of comfort alone in my day dreams, people watching and spending time in nature. Things would always speak to me. I struggled a lot in school and never could really figure out how to be or feel successful in my early years. I struggled a lot with depression, anxiety and feelings of self worth that unfortunately led me to abuse alcohol at a very young age. I ended up leaving college to start my journey in healing. I spent almost 6 months in the backcountry camping, hiking, canoeing and crying. I did my time in treatment centers and sober living houses, I worked hard on myself in therapy and I never gave up on myself. Today I am able to have 7 1/2 years sober. I think durring my years of sobriety however, is when my real healing and pain began. I have been through a lot of pain, but I really believe it’s all for a reason and a purpose. I think the experiences have helped me be able to relate to other peoples pain in a way which I can deeply feel it, and that makes it almost all worth it! I feel I am able to see suffering as such beauty now, because I know both sides. Everyday I live both sides. Anyway, when I first decided to start the path of working for myself, I was really confused about what to do with all of these ideas. I ended up attending online school in Nutritional Therapy thinking that was my end all be all. It was not. It is still very helpful and relevant for my final goal in my business, so I do not regret it! I tried to start a small online practice helping woman heal their gut however this never got off the ground and never felt quite right. I have always had so many ideas and it’s been hard for me to narrow them down into a business. However I’ve always known I was different, and that I was meant to help people heal. When I thought of Soulfrog I was on a plane home from visiting a friend in California. On that trip I had given some friends readings and just felt so aligned in my purpose. The feed back I was getting was also very uplifting. Starting another LLC felt very intimidating to me, but I knew it was meant to be. I started spreading the word to friends and co workers about doing Tarot readings. Slowly but surly people started to want them from me! It was very exciting for me to actually be getting interest in something I was offering (if you have started a business you get this excitment)!! I definitely had some imposture syndrome at times, and still do! Especially when things starting to just be happening for me. Thats when it creeps in. Thoughts of “do I deserve this?” “Are my talents real?” “what is going on?” happen and its up to you to fight them off! You are the creator of your reality. Something I started doing was really getting serious and focusing on what the feeling of success would be like to me felt like. What would it look like? What would I look like in it? What would it feel like? I would try to visualize everything. A day in the life if you will. Me getting up in the morning, me bushing my teeth to a goldfish song and dancing- me being confident and successful. Me FEELING confident and successful. I truly started to see and feel this in my head. I believed that it would happen whole heartedly. I believed in myself and I think that is what makes someone soar. An affirmation that I repeated a lot that I really think helped me a lot is “I am open to miracles” and honey miracles came along!! Things just started falling into place. As I would put myself out there and reach out my hand.. people would reach out and grab it! It turns out people are kind and they want to listen and help. There is still so much I do not know. But I do know eventually, I want to be not just giving readings but working long term with woman to help them heal their bodies and their minds. I know I want to write and I want to continue making fun art on my iPad. I know that I want to keep doing pop ups and creating my own pop ups in parks, coffee shops, the middle of the highway…wherever my heart takes me! Because that is where miracles happen! When you just get out there and do it. There have been days where I have sat at a market and not made a single dollar but went to bed so happy that I showed up for myself and my business. Show up. Show up just show up even when your heart is aching show up! I want Soulfrog to just be known as a safe place of healing. Even if you come to me for a 15 minute virtual reading and we never speak again, I want that to be a safe space of magical healing that you carry in your heart forever.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
I know this is cliché. But the most effective strategy I have found for growing my clientele is being myself, praying, showing up, and speaking with confidence about my business. The way we speak about ourselves and what we are doing is so so important. If you were getting a haircut and the hairdresser said “I don’t know about this…I just don’t really know what I’m doing and I just hope it works out. I don’t know what do you think?” You probably would feel a little bummed and not recommend them to your friends. Even if you feel this way, don’t exist in this mindset. Speak as your highest self, running your best business, speak confidently! Be honest, but speak with confidence as if you are your absolute number one fan in the entire world. I have learned the most from situations I was not sure if I could handle, or knew how to handle! But I found myself handling them, and that worked out in my favor. It always does! I believe the Universe wants to provide for us so we can be active in our purpose. When we work with the universe it works with us! Show up with love, genuine love and everything will fall into place.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Getting to connect with humans on such a deep and meaningful level. And getting to turn my pain and theirs, into beautiful healing magic. I find such passion and reward in cracking myself raw open to my followers and clients and not be afraid to sit on the floor, eye to eye with them in pain and joy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.soulfroghealing.com
- Instagram: soulfroghealing
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/public-profile/settings?trk=d_flagship3_profile_self_view_public_profile
- Youtube: healingwithsoulfrog
Image Credits
Anna Leathery- Soulfrog LLC