Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lena Franklin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Lena, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
The most transformational risk I’ve taken what it comes to my life’s work was to create a healing organization that had never been created before. After working with thousands of clients and students over the course my career thus far, I saw firsthand (and within my own journey of liberation) that merging psychedelic plant medicine work, psychology and modern neuroscience was a complete game changer in healing (and, many times, even completely curing) mental health imbalances. And after those imbalances were healed, I began to witness the essence of my clients’ power emerge to the forefront. Overtime, a very specific multi-disciplinary methodology came together, and it was time to share it with the world. Here’s the origin moment….one night, my husband and I were sitting on the back porch of our home, listening to the wind rustling through the bamboo, after facilitating a ceremony, and we turned to each other with a spark in our eyes ~ “should we do this?” ~ was the telepathic question we were asking one another. We both had received this strong message to create an organization that utilizes plant medicine and other modalities to create healing and transformation in the world. It was a resonant YES….we’re doing this!
The direct ceremonial experience that our organization offered came directly from my medicine lineages from South and Central America, North America as well as Asia. Living in the Southeastern United States, offering this plant medicine work and witnessing people truly heal their anxiety, depression, trauma, auto-immune diseases and other imbalances is one of the greatest honors of my life. At the core of my being, I felt that there was potential for a massive, global paradigm shift possible through this work. We began to see, over and over that “The Work” works if the client is committed to their process of excavating and alchemizing subconscious beliefs that were keeping them sick.
Doing this work in the South came with systemic skepticism and judgment as the psychedelic space began to grow on a global scale, it pushed and challenged more conventional ways of approaching therapeutics and medicine. This work naturally triggers fear both individually and collectively because that’s what the medicine does, it brings the subconscious shadow into conscious awareness to be alchemized and integrated. Our specific methodology that includes the plant medicine and other approaches such as energy medicine, transpersonal psychology and meditation, is unique and this work truly bridges ancient shamanic medicine and the modern world. As our organization grew, I began traveling and speaking all over the country, sharing the multi-dimensional power and potential of this work. Medical doctors who were interested in “root cause” healing were being drawn to my work, seeking to learn more in the realm of energetics and frequency. To this day, I continue to be guided to work with those in the medical community who are waking up to the truth of our broken healthcare system and who are activated to be catalysts for effective systemic change.
Being a Founder and the President of a rapidly growing organization….one that the world may have not been ready for in that exact way….was a tremendous risk that came with monumental rewards. I learned about human nature, leadership, and organizational dynamics at a depth than I had ever experienced yet in this life. Through the experience of being the vision, creating the culture, hiring, firing and managing people, I learned about all the sides of human nature, and ultimately, how to look beyond the surface to see the capacity that someone objectively has to steward this form of light work into the world.
Pro Founders Tip: Hire people for their capacity and expertise that they carry in that moment for the role you’re seeking to fill. Seeing potential is a beautiful thing but if you’re investing energy in growing a significant number of your employees into “their potential” to succeed at their role when it may not be their initial area of mastery, that’s a recipe for founder burn out and underperformance even in organizations with the most incredible vision and strong foundation. Invest in people mindfully, consciously and with discernment.
These can be challenging but necessary lessons when scaling your business. When there’s growth, notoriety AND altered states of consciousness involved, egos can flare, and impure intentions can arise. This is simply human nature. From a Founder’s perspective, the Art of Discernment is key when it comes to what energies you allow into the inner circle of a growing organization….and only seeing the best in people (one of my evolving qualities) isn’t always the wisest lens when hiring key employees. We must have a discerning eye to see all sides, capacities, limitations and patterns.
By creating this revolutionary organization, I was put through a masterclass with the primary themes of darkness and light, human discernment, impermanence and letting go in service of evolution. It became clear that we had to let go of the previous identity of our organization to create space. It also became clear that that in order to scale and expand this work globally, many things needed to change including expanding the healing modalities, shifting the business model and attracting a stronger, more seasoned core team that has significant business experience. Now, all that work is being channeled into another (even more expansive) project that truly has the capacity to create global impact in healing and actual healthcare. It’s truly amazing to look back at this choice to risk it all for what we truly believed in. We put every ounce of our time, money and energy into this vision. We experienced tremendous losses and monumental gains. One of the main lessons I learn is that: If you wholeheartedly believe in a vision that is of service to the world ~ go for it! The journey to get there will be unexpected, challenging and even painful at times…but undoubtedly, The Universe will always lift you up to fulfill this vision if the core of your intention is to be of service. The Universe is truly here to conspire for the greatest evolution of all. We are but instruments for this transformative time on earth.
Lena, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My journey into the healing and personal transformation space really started when I was a child. In my heart, I always knew I was meant to help people, but I simply didn’t know what that looked like. I grew up in a Buddhist / Christian home with a Vietnamese mother and Psychologist father. It was an interesting intersection of East and West that would become one of the foundational aspects of my life’s work. I ended up studying psychology in school and earning my Master of Social Work while building a successful private practice working with adolescents, families and adults. Through my work as a psychotherapist, I began teaching my clients embodied practices such as meditation, mindfulness and other energetically based tools. I began seeing that they were getting better at a much faster rate because they were shifting their thoughts and energy on a daily basis. Then, I began guiding spiritual transformation retreats all over the world. I’ve had the honor of teaching in sacred lands like Bali, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka, Belize, Peru and more. Through studying and teaching on a global scale, I saw how the ancient practices, ceremonies and rituals from indigenous lineages could profoundly change someone’s life in a short amount of time.
Then, on my own journey of awakening, I found the path of psychedelic plant medicines which became an indescribable accelerant to my transformation ~ helping me heal all the traumas, fears and self-limiting beliefs I carried from this lifetime and others. I became very interested in shamanic medicine lineages and eventually became initiated into various shamanic lineages across the world. Now, I weave my lineages of Mahayana Buddhism, Mopan Maya Ancient Medicine, Q’ero Peruvian Shamanism and Shipibo Medicine Wisdom into my global work as a speaker, transpersonal psychotherapist and medicine woman. I helped to found a global company that is about to launch in 2025 that merges ancient healing practices with modern technology for integrative, preventative and restorative medicine. This is a massive project that has the capacity to truly shift the trajectory of healthcare and healing for humanity.
One of my specialties is teaching meditation and guiding groups into learning how to embody the intersection of meditation and energy medicine. Through this approach people can begin to heal and transform themselves through reprogramming their thoughts and shifting their energy ~ all through practices they can begin doing on their own. I call my approach Meditation Medicine because, through meditation, we have access to all of the energies we need to thrive with pristine health. People simply need to be taught how to tap into this innate capacity they hold.
I am also here as an activator for revolutionary leaders. I work with Founders, CEOs, executives and other visionaries who are here to lead with purpose, passion and with a vision to help transform the world. I see a very limited number of individual mentorship clients and most of my time is spent teaching workshops and courses as well as writing and speaking at health, wellness and transformational events. Each year, I guide international immersions to sacred lands around the world for various forms of learning, transformation and energy activation. In the queue for 2025, I’ll be guiding trips to Egypt, Belize and Peru.
The foundation of my work is to be a bridge between worlds…the energetic world and physical world…between countries and continents…to be an agent of change, harmony, healing, alchemy and peace. Whether I’m working with an individual client or on national or international scale, this intention is at the forefront of what I embody. My work is a co-weaving of ancient modalities and modern science and technology. You definitely can’t put my work in a box which is a big reason why people are drawn to it.
Have you ever had to pivot?
I was just having this conversation with my VP of Operations. We can hold a strong vision for what our work in the world will look like but it’s important to truly let go of being attached to “how” we get there or what the journey will look like. At this moment, I’m in the middle of a massive pivot where my vision is being supported by a stellar team that has business experience far beyond what I’ve experienced before. These individuals were simply magnetized into my life as my organization was in a significant life, death and rebirth cycle.
Pro Founder Tip: When there’s misalignment energetically, listen.
I look back and see how there was lack of alignment and expertise from those who I had put in various positions. There was a level of forcing on my part because I believed in the vision to the core of my soul…and I have a soft spot humans…desiring them to rise into their potential. Now, I see how all the lessons I’ve learned are catapulting me into another level of leadership, impact and success. I’m deeply grateful for each person that has ever crossed my path as each relationship has provided lessons and experience that has created bi-directional impact. If we are doing our work well, people will come in and out of your life swiftly because they’ve learned what they needed to from you…and you from them. One of the most powerful truths in life is that everything is impermanent and that evolution is our true nature. We must work with being unattached to people, circumstances, businesses, timelines, etc. That doesn’t mean we don’t put 100% of ourselves into the moment with love and intention, it just means that we know, at any moment, things can change…and that they’re supposed to. This can give us the urgency to show up to the moment with our full presence. Pivoting with presence is key to breaking through any upper limits you may be experiencing as a founder.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Staying true to myself and being authentic. You can truly feel when someone is showing up in their authentic power, sharing their gifts from their soul. There’s an embodied resonance there. This has always been a guiding principle for my work. Of course, as you evolve, you’ll become more and more yourself which is such a beautiful unfolding!
Throughout the trajectory of your career, your reputation will ebb and flow, especially if you’re at the forefront of various industries. If you’re a revolutionary change-maker, you’ll get judgment and haters but allow those people to be medicine for your resilience. I say to my mentees often, if you’re not getting resistance from others, are you sure your vision is expansive enough? Are you actually being true to yourself? I work with those who are done playing small and ready to expand at the greatest levels. That work lights me up!
Being unafraid to be judged is key and, funnily enough, this lack of fear creates a strong reputation in your market because you’re seen as a leader rather than a follower. It’s easy to act, play parts and parrot information…for example, I witness this a lot in the psychedelic space because people want to jump on the industry bandwagon hoping it takes off. Being a revolutionary leader is a long game that flows from your soul…and, energy doesn’t lie…people can feel your authentic power and only those who embody their soul’s purpose unapologetically, dedicatedly and without fear have staying power.
Being willing to evolve and reinvent yourself as many times as you’re guided is also key. Many people will fall away and those who are evolving at the rate you are will evolve right alongside you. It’s almost like a litmus test. And the exciting part is that the journey continues and you’ll magnetized aligned partnerships, friends, employees, etc. into your life at each up level. Embrace creating and building your business as a magnificent adventure that will bring you to both the peaks and valleys of this heroic journey we call life. Feel it all. Bless it all. And, remember, you came to earth for this.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lenafranklin.com
- Instagram: @iamlenafranklin
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamlenafranklin
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lena-franklin-922aa199/
- Twitter: @iamlenafranklin
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lenafranklin
