Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Leslie Brooks CLC. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Leslie, appreciate you joining us today. Is there a heartwarming story from your career that you look back on?

One of the most heartwarming stories I can remember in recent years with life coaching, was when I was working with a woman who was trying to break a pattern of people pleasing and self abandonment in her life. We had worked to the point where we both felt the pressure of the work. So we decided mutually, to shift gears into recapturing her lightness in life. We worked on stories from the past that she felt what lightness and levity, how that felt in her body, moments in her childhood that she was fully immersed in her light side.

One of the perks of my program us 1:1 coaching clients have access to me by text message when they need assistance and a text message from her flashed up on my phone. She texted me “I found my lightness and I am SO HAPPY! AND LIGHT!” The joy in that moments was palpable through the screen! For someone who found it difficult not to be in a chronic people pleasing and chronic self abandonment role, her nervous system found safety and joy in the lightness in her life. This often means allowing others to have their own experience, without changing our own good moment.

I look back fondly at this interaction because its the essence of what I feel I am trying to do here on this earth. Giving someone access to their joy where they once felt they needed to earn it from everyone else. She claimed her joy that is available to her always and she felt it wholeheartedly.

Leslie, 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 have always been interested in helping people and asking questions to learn about people. I find how people think about things to be fascinating information about their reality. I got into a helping industry, with massage therapy when I was 18, going to massage school right out of high school. In my years of working with massage clients, I was always particularly perplexed by clients, mainly women, who came in maybe once a year and were in so much pain they were miserable. I’d often spend my time, trying to work on them and figure out why they couldn’t find their own way to unapologetically take care of themselves.

Then, I had my own issues with self care that looked different. After a horribly abusive relationship, this became a turning point for my journey, as I had to address my own codependent and compulsive people pleasing ways. I was in Developmental and Relational Trauma therapy and learned where this compulsion to self abandon and control others so they only saw us in a good light. I’ve been almost 10 years into that journey and I want to share with women, that the amount you love your family, spouse, or career is not equal to the amount you sacrifice, pain you experience, or amount you choose others over yourself. My journey to becoming a life coach, started with my own passion to change my circumstances for my daughters.

My passion is working with women who’s lives are unmanageable due to chronic caretaking of their families or significant others. We are not what we do for people and our worth is not up for debate. When we compulsively seek approval, we burn out or run ourselves down, because we think we are who people see us to be. Seeing your needs, gives rise to lightness and joy and highlights what takes us away from this. In our minds, how we feel guides us to what serves us better than our current unmanageable lifestyles.

Often, as result of working with me results in more self awareness about what brings you joy. What behaviors or situations we are willing to deal with and what we will not. More comfort speaking your mind and setting appropriate boundaries in loving ways that honor that fact that your needs matter just as much, if not more than others. Often I see, children of mothers grow and mature because women don’t over do for their children and stunt their growth. I see women able to separate from the mood of their loved ones and not feel responsible to make everyone happy in the moment. This is freedom, my friends.

I think what sets me apart from others is I feel strongly that the sensations in your body, lead us to more clarity on how to overcome the trigger or compulsion to self abandon. Often, there’s a message of “mind over matter”. I really seek to question and bring along your body on this journey. We absolutely do not want to create disparity between mind and body. This can lead to shame or “what is wrong with me” feelings.

My brand is empowerment to the voice of women. So frequently and compulsively, women have societal expectations to burn the candle at both ends, to prioritize the happiness of others. You matter equally if not more, than those you love. If you have a belief, that your needs matter, you give out of abundance and not emptiness. This eradicates bitterness and resentment and allows you to claim your joy and vibrancy in your life.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Being in DARRT therapy (developmental and relational trauma therapy) has equipped me with knowledge that is instrumental to understanding the complexity and pain for people pleasers. I have studied and worked through the work of Pia Mellody, the originator and first researcher into the nature of CoDependent Behavior. Between the works of Pia Mellody, including “Facing Love Addiction”, “Facing CoDependence’, and the “Intimacy Factor” I was able to understand the inception of people pleasing behavior. With the work of Drs. John and Julie Gottman, I learned what it looked like in marriage to ask for my needs to be met, leave blame behind, and collaborate or co-create in relationships.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think what helps me currently in building my reputation is that I am on this journey with you. I’m reading the books, attending the workshops, watching the videos, walking in the shoes of those who want to break this dynamic of self abandonment. I have empathy for how hard, complex, and unique each human’s journey to health is. There are a million different ways to heal and thrive, and you deserve the time to explore your own wisdom in the time you uncover it. I believe you were designed with all the wisdom you need in this life. It’s my job to ask you the question to contemplate how to get there.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lesliebrooksclc.com

Image Credits
Amanda Cummings (AC Photo Ltd)