We were lucky to catch up with Leo Carver recently and have shared our conversation below.

Leo , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

I became ill starting around 2006 and diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease around 2008. This sent me on a whole different trajectory in life as I started to seek out natural medicines and therapies to help with my condition. Prior to getting sick, I had discovered meditation, had a spiritual practice, some small notion of healthy eating but wasn’t really doing any of it nor did I have the same level of motivation to apply them to my life. I had just graduated with a degree in psychology and had big dreams of moving in a completely different direction. So when Crohn’s entered my life, these kind of practices became more relevant and offered me a way to regain some sense of control over what was happening in my body. My wife (Dr. Melissa Carver) and I attended a Chopra event while she was still growing on her path as a wellness professional, and it all seemed to come together for me there. While learning from Dr. Deepak Chopra and their guest speakers, I became aware of this ancient medicinal science called Ayurveda. I was so inspired that I went on to become certified as a teacher and counselor of Ayurveda through the Chopra Center and deepened my study through other programs and schools. I took to Ayurveda because it addressed all of my pressing healthcare concerns; stress management, diet, lifestyle choices, daily routine, natural herbal medicines, sustainability, etc. , while meshing with meditation and my deepening spiritual life. Through this journey I also discovered gardening, which blended to form my book “Growing Consciousness: The Gardener’s Guide to Seeding the Soul”, as well as articles that I’ve had published over the years on the subject. I’ve been able to help many people just by sharing what I’ve learned, and I know that it all ultimately grew from my response to a disease that could’ve been crippling to me at the time.

Leo , 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?

I am an author and teacher, mostly on subjects related to Ayurveda, natural medicine, and wellness. My book “Growing Consciousness: the Gardener’s Guide to Seeding the Soul” (Mandala/Simon & Schuster) was released last year and I’ve written articles for Chopra Global, YouAligned (formerly Yogi Approved), and other online leaders within the wellness space. I’ve also taught live course on Ayurveda and wellness practices for close to 10 yrs, see clients, and routinely host wellness retreat events alongside my wife.

Primarily, I see what I do as just helping people to align with their best selves. If we strip all titles and concepts from it, what I do in every facet of my work is help folks discover their own potential and capacity for health and wellbeing. Depending on the person, this may be approached through lifestyle & routine, diet change, or stress management, and by a variety of ways, Essentially, it all boils down to taking what I have discovered within these practices, and sharing it with others.

I’m most proud of the way my journey has been able to touch the lives of others in such a positive way! If you would’ve spoken to me as I lay in the hospital bed, I would’ve never dreamed that I would recover as I did, let alone make a career of healing others.

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

In regard to operating as a wellness business, I had to unlearn the belief that what I saw of the world captured a significant portion of society. When, in fact, its a very small snapshot. In the beginning, a lot of decisions were based on our locality and what we knew of people in the surrounding communities. This had positive and negative results, but ultimately it wasn’t accurate and greatly limited our potential. Because of the nature of our business, we needed to be accessible and cast a wide net, so this kind of thinking didn’t serve well. Over time, what I’ve learned is to lean on input from the consumer base and outside sources. We all can only see and know what we personally experience so becoming more aware of how relevant that is to how one approaches the market, has been key.

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

Absolutely! The only thing I would change is that I would’ve headed straight into it had I known who I’d be today, rather than spend years figuring things out and trying other paths.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leo.carver/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leocarver.vedic/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leo-carver-a-l-c-03754139
• Other: https://www.chopra.com/bio/leo-carver