We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jessica Hanaghan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jessica below.
Jessica, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you share a story about the kindest thing someone has done for you and why it mattered so much or was so meaningful to you?
The kindest thing anyone has ever done for me was when we adopted our second daughter. It was the beginning of the pandemic and we received a call that we had been matched with a baby to adopt. We have one daughter whom we adopted from birth almost 7 years ago and then had two quite tramatic failed adoptions and we had pretty much given up and packed away everything in the nursery. March 15th we got the call and I left on March 21st to fly from Montana to Florida at the beginning of the pandemic. Everything was basically on lockdown. There were only 12 people on my entire flight. The hospital wasn’t even open for walk in patients and no visitors were allowed. Especially because our birthmom waited too long to go to the hospital so the ambulance took her to the closest hospital which was not the hospital our adoption plan was at. After thorough medical exam they let me in. The nicest thing happened. The doctors let me sleep in their oncall room so I could do as much skin to skin as possible and do all of her feedings!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Jessica Leslie is an entrepreneur, intuitive healer, retreat leader, certified travel coach, death doula, spiritual intuitive minister, and multi-bestselling author.
She has dedicated her life to helping others discover their true potential and find fulfillment in their personal and professional lives. With a deep understanding of the power of sound healing, spiritual intuition, and transformative travel, she brings a unique perspective and approach to all she does.
She creates wellness retreats focusing on trauma and bereavement around adoption, infertility, and infant loss. The goal of her trips is to create community with others who are going through the same experiences, making death a more approachable topic.
Jess also has a focus on purposeful travel, believing it is much more than going on a vacation.
The possibility that travel might alter one’s worldview is a notion that has greatly influenced her. We learn more about ourselves and the world around us when we venture out of our familiar environments and into those of others. Jess’s approach to death and dying is novel, and it is her goal that it will encourage dialogue and lead people to useful resources.
Lastly, Jess has an extensive background in areas such as tourism, community development, event planning, and writing. With everything she does, she wants to ensure that her clients have a positive and memorable experience. Join Jess on this adventure of self-discovery and community building.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I knew I always wanted to be a mom. Unfortunately i had severe endometriosis which resulted in a hysterectomy at a young age. I froze embryos before my ovaries were removed. When I was healthier, we transferred them into a gestational carrier. She went into preterm labor at 6 months gestation and my twin boys passed away after two hours of life. That devastated me. I ended up loving travel even more than I did previously so I did a traditional ash scattering for my twin boys in Hawaii. it was a beautiful service. I also decided to get trained on how to officiate ceremonies like this to help others. I am a death doula and chaplain which helps me understand the grief process more than before. Knowing I was infertile, I had to be creative in how adding to my family would happen. Traveling had a way to put things into perspective for me, so I decided to create retreats for others going through similar loss. We adopted our first daughter which was a pretty easy process compared to most and then we had two terrible failed adoptions. We had packed up the empty nursery and decided we were only going to have one kiddo. In march of 2020, we got a call that changed our life. We were matched to adopt a baby. Problem was, it was the beginning of the pandemic and the world was on lockdown. We live in Montana and the birthmom who selected us lived in Florida. 5 days later, I walked through an eerily empty airport with an empty car seat hoping the birthmom would end up placing the baby for adoption. She did and now we have two beautiful children. I was able to see the rainbows through the rain and the lotus through the mud. I didn’t give up even though I knew there was a chance it didn’t work out.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
“The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz – This book offers a set of four principles for living a happy and fulfilling life: be impeccable with your word, don’t take anything personally, don’t make assumptions, and always do your best.
“The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck” by Mark Manson – This book challenges readers to rethink their priorities and focus on what really matters in life. It encourages readers to let go of their need for external validation and embrace their own values and beliefs.
“The Art of Possibility” by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander – This book offers insights and strategies for transforming challenging situations into opportunities for growth and creativity. It encourages readers to shift their perspectives and approach obstacles with an open mind and a sense of possibility.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jessicalesie.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/jessicaleslie1976
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessicahanaghan
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-hanaghan-80a8842/
- Other: www.tiktok.com/jessicalesliebigsky
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