We were lucky to catch up with Keisha “Keezy” D recently and have shared our conversation below.

Keisha “Keezy” , appreciate you joining us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

I am a first-time entrepreneur, continuing to educate myself every day personally and professionally. My journey has been filled with a few challenges since creating my brand, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I worked as a commercial truck driver for 8 years and during that experience, I endured a few discrimination incidents that I will remember forever. After competing in a male-dominated field for so long, I decided I needed more. Essentially, I was “tired of being tired,” so I started making personal changes in my life.

I started a fitness journey, started reading more about personal development, and started a self-care lifestyle. After a few months of internal work, the idea came to me that my community is severely miseducated. At that moment, I decided to educate the marginalized community, groups, and organizations on how to become the best versions of themselves, that they were always meant to be. Once I figured out my purpose, the rest was easy.

I reviewed other entrepreneurs in my field that succeeded before me. Then, I had to research my state laws to make sure my business was acceptable. Once I mastered the mindset of “Fail Forward” nothing could stop me. So, I had the ‘Drive’ and the ‘Desire’ all I needed now was to complete the technical stuff. I found a registered agent that was right for my business needs; scheduled a few lawyer consultations; created my LLC and registered with the USPTO office; and finally, my business was formed. I encourage everyone to at least try and push towards their dreams because you only get one life experience.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am an experienced Speaker born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. I am the miracle child of two disabled adults. I have my Bachelor’s in Criminology and my Master’s in Criminal Justice, along with other certifications. As an adolescent, I’ve always had a passion for juvenile criminal justice reform. Now, as an adult, I am taking it a step further by trying to connect with the youth and other individuals before they are potentially locked away in the system.

As a previous commercial driver, I found myself becoming unhealthy sitting behind the wheel all day long. I was tired of my career, the effects of the pandemic were catching up to me, and I was starting to slip into a depressive episode. Eventually, I decided to take control of my life and health. In 2020, I started a fitness journey and never looked back. I dropped 55 lbs of body fat, and started a new lifestyle! In February 2022, I quit my ‘9 – 5’ and The LHEAPR Brand was born! I created LHEAPR to encourage others to “LHEAP” for their dreams outside of the busy grind culture. The L.HE.AP.R (Love. Happily Exist. Actively Persist. Repeat) Brand focuses on redeveloping your mindset, body, soul, and wealth.

I currently speak to the youth and other individuals looking to take control of their life about lifestyle skills and the importance of financial literacy. The LHEAPR Brand offers empowerment over your life and supplies financial literacy tools to help you get ahead of the ‘grind culture.’ I am proud of impacting different lives every day and know I am helping individuals create a legacy for their families.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A major lesson I had to unlearn was I am no longer an employee. An employee mindset will have you believing that the workday only consists of an 8-hour day. An employee mindset will have you believe that you have someone to answer to or you can’t express creative freedom. An employee mindset will have you thinking that you can procrastinate on work until the next day or that you can show up late because you are the boss. What a lot of inexperienced entrepreneurs must realize is that you are the boss, yes, but that means all responsibility relies on you. If you don’t show up for meetings, procrastinate on deadlines, or always think the work can be done tomorrow, then your business will suffer severely. Instead, you can create a schedule, stick to deadlines, organize a separate office space, and remember to always push forward. The journey will not always be easy, and some days you may want to quit, but if you just stick it out the reward of watching your project grow will be so fulfilling.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Since starting my Spiritual Journey, I have become an advocate reader. There are many books I believe helped transform me into the woman I am today, but I will narrow down the list to five books. The first two books that have impacted my philosophy were written by Joseph Murphy, Ph.D., D.D.; They are “The Power of Your Subconscious Mind” and “You Can Change Your Whole Life.” Both books helped form my self-care practices by helping me better understand my intuition. The next book, “The Twelve Universal Laws of Success” was written by Dr. Herbert Harris. After reading Harris’ book, I can recognize the universal laws of the world, outside the strains of society. This read motivated me to start researching my history and start my philosophy quest. To find my purpose for my newfound energy of starting a business, I read “Know Thy Self” by Na’im Akbar and “The Mis-Education of the Negro” by Dr. Carter G. Woodson. Both books helped me understand my culture and lack of knowledge within it. Finally, I felt confident enough to launch my business idea to become a social change maker.

Contact Info:

• Website: linktr.ee/Keezyd_
• Instagram: KeezyD_
• Facebook: Keezy Daughtry
• Other: TikTok: Keezyd_