We recently connected with Liz Leonard and have shared our conversation below.
Liz, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.
Though “Holistic Wellness & Energy Practitioner” was not the career of my childhood dreams, chronic illness ultimately steered me away from my original path in film & performing arts. From puberty onwards, I grappled with a myriad of health issues. However, it was a debilitating swallowing problem that served as the pivotal moment that propelled me on a new career trajectory.
Imagine this: You’re eating with friends in a crowded restaurant, immersed in a lively conversation, relishing in the delicious flavors passing your lips. Suddenly, out of nowhere, your chest tightens, previous bites turn to stone in your esophagus, and not only does it become impossible to swallow water, but your own saliva starts to back up like a toilet flooding in your mouth. That stone in your chest only grows harder, when along come the hiccups—your body trying to dislodge the obstruction, like pushing a boulder out of a gardening hose. Pain sears in your chest, throat, and head, breathing becomes more shallow, and you run to the bathroom to hide over a musty toilet, mouth open, saliva draining, as you wait, patiently in agony, to either vomit or luxuriate in the relief of the blockage finally passing, like someone popping the cork off an upside down champagne bottle into your stomach. This could take anywhere from minutes (that feel like hours) or upwards of an actual hour, and every time you wind up back in this situation, whether in public or private, you wonder: will this be the time I actually die? And truth be told, after years of this, along with a slew of other symptoms, death starts to blur with hope.
Over the course of years, I sought medical attention for my dysphagia—blood tests, endoscopies, barium swallows, MRIs. Despite my persistent efforts, I was repeatedly dismissed, leading me to cope with this problem on my own. Growing up in a busy household, where my parents juggled work/running a business while raising four children, I learned to shoulder responsibilities from a young age. I was also constantly on the move myself, juggling my own plethora of activities and responsibilities. Consequently, I complied with doctorsʻ prescriptions, hoping for a quick fix to my perplexing ailments, while never taking a break from fervently pursuing my dreams. It wasn’t until my senior year of college, when my symptoms escalated dramatically, that I surrendered to the gravity of my condition. With the help of a family friend who was a doctor, I sought help from a renowned gastroenterologist in Boston, and after years of misdiagnoses and dismissals, finally received a diagnosis: Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE).
Typically, a diagnosis brings a sense of relief, as it provides clarity on treatment options, but in January 2011, there was no established treatment for EoE. Faced with the choice to either maintain what I was already doing or undergo a risky procedure to stretch my esophagus, I sought alternative care from a naturopathic practitioner recommended to me by my chiropractor. Just 2 months before graduating college, I embarked on a strict elimination diet and supplement regimen. I remember her telling me, “We are going to reverse your symptoms with herbs instead of drugs.” And I admit, at the time, I thought she was talking parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme! Actually, thyme was in one of the supplements.
Though it wasnʻt a quick fix, I observed gradual improvements over the course of 2-3 months before starting to feel better than I had ever before. On top of aggressively treating my immune disease, and other conditions, I was also detoxing from years of junk food and stress. It was a brutal journey, and not for the faint of heart. I remained on that regimen exclusively for over 6 months. I also had a lot of support around my decision, and that made all the difference. After graduation, I left the family business for a less stressful lifestyle, began working at a health food store alongside an incredibly knowledgeable and encouraging staff, and moved back home with my mom, who was also on a health journey at the time and especially supportive.
Graduating college marked a significant transition, compounded by personal challenges even outside of my health, including the loss of a grandmother, my parents separating, conflicts with my sister over leaving the family business, and a breakup with my boyfriend later that summer. Despite the emotional turmoil, I found the inner strength to persevere through these trials, buoyed by my new job and the extraordinary improvements I was experiencing health-wise.
Though I continued taking steps to pursue my artistic dreams, I became increasingly more drawn to the wellness field. The more I witnessed the flaws in our health and food systems, the more stories I heard from people daily, laced with frustration and confusion, the more I was convinced of my role. I recognized there was a purpose to my suffering. My personal experience with illness led me to the holistic health field for a reason, and cultivated within me a unique empathy and desire to help others. Customers at the store regularly sought my advice, especially after learning my story, which only affirmed my path even more. When I encountered a customer who was enrolled in Health Coaching school, that sparked the clarity I needed. So, in 2013, I enrolled in the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, initiating my journey to becoming the Holistic Wellness & Energy Practitioner I am today.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I mentioned how I became a Health Coach, but what eventually led me to energy work was burnout and depression. After losing my job at the health food store, courtesy of Whole Foods moving into town and crushing the local competition, I spent a couple challenging years navigating the very limited market for health coaches. Jobs didnʻt pay well or last very long, gaining a private clientele was tricky, I took on a graduate program, hoping a Masters Degree would help, and combined with stress from my personal life, I simply hit a wall. I wasnʻt enjoying the process, stopped taking care of myself, and wound up reaching what I can only describe as a dark night of the soul. Thatʻs when someone recommended Reiki to me, and it was the most magical experience I’d ever had. I traveled somewhere ancient during that session, and I was absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt, fully conscious. The magic I used to believe in as a kid felt fully possible again, and my interest peaked.
After that, I quit my grueling job and took a trip to Los Angeles. I was following a hunch that didnʻt pan out, and my stomach was a full-time job the whole experience. I still believe my hunch to go to California was correct, just not L.A. However, upon returning, I put myself back on a strict dietary regimen and enrolled in a 12-week Shamanic Mentorship, recommended to me by my Reiki practitioner. It was a profound experience that taught me a lot about myself, the unseen world, and modalities of healing beyond nutrition & lifestyle medicine. It awoke something in me, and when I completed the course, I entered into a year-long Reiki Mentorship.
Over the next few years, I immersed myself in spiritual exploration, engaging in study, research, daily meditation, shadow work, and observing more deeply my relationship to energy. The more Reiki clients I saw, the more I realized my knack for understanding people and their needs. While finding more success gaining clients for Reiki over health coaching, I began blending the modalities for a more comprehensive toolkit.
Then, in February 2019, a dream inspired my discovery of Ceremonial Cacao. I had been toying with the idea of starting a product line combining my love of chocolate with Reiki. The goal was to source cacao from wholesalers that supported fair-trade initiatives and the movement to free children from chocolate farm slavery. However, I had been procrastinating on starting the process, while also having no clue how to make chocolate! Then I dreamt I was rescuing a group of children from a burning village and brought them to an underground sanctuary where I offered them hot chocolate that would “heal their hearts.” As soon as I woke up, I was inspired to start that research Iʻd been putting off, which instantly led me to Ceremonial Cacao.
Incorporating Cacao into my daily routine had an immediate and profound impact on my life, from regulating my bowels, to elevating my mood, to expanding my inner vision. My meditations and shamanic journeys deepened significantly, infusing me with a newfound sense of purpose. Giving my first Cacao Ceremony from my living room was an extraordinary experience. I felt completely aligned with the spirit of Cacao, like she was speaking through me, and even those who were there told me afterwards how my voice sounded different. It was a transformative experience that led me to keep offering Cacao in community, while also prompting me to further explore my psychic and mediumistic abilities.
Cacao also helped me surrender to things I was avoiding. I had massive amounts of debt accruing interest—a consequence of medical bills, health and education expenses, bad luck with jobs, and living outside my means for too long while trying to build a business. The life I was leading wasnʻt serving me, and so, in July 2019, I moved back in with my mom and took a retail job selling CBD. Once again, I was helping people on a daily basis with their health concerns, and that felt good for the meantime. It was steady, and I was paying down debt. However, as soon as the holidays passed, the job was starting to feel like a prison, and just as I was hoping for change, the biggest change of all happened: a world-wide pandemic.
Itʻs been 4 years since the beginning of the pandemic, and I wish I could claim exponential shifts in my journey. The truth is lockdown turned me into a comfortable hermit, and when the world reopened, old struggles resurfaced, leading to significant health setbacks, culminating in surgery and a subsequent battle with Covid. Despite enduring lingering illness, financial hardships, and the profound impact of a family death, I’ve continued to pursue growth. Over the last 2 years, Iʻve completed an 18-month Shamanic Apprenticeship, Yoga Teacher Training, an intensive Cacao Training Course, and nearing certification in Ayurveda by the end of this summer.
Though I may lack some of the endurance of my former self, the essence of Liz, who found purpose in adversity, remains steadfast. As a Holistic Wellness & Energy Practitioner, I offer empathy, extensive knowledge, and a unique perspective on the healing journey, recognizing health and happiness as ongoing processes rather than destinations. In my personalized 1:1 coaching sessions, I tailor my approach to each individual, drawing on my intuition and expertise in nutrition, lifestyle medicine, and energy work to customize each session and guide clients overtime through personalized strategies in reaching their wellness goals. As a Shamanic Reiki Practitioner, I blend ancient shamanic techniques and gentle Reiki energy healing to powerfully address physical, emotional, and spiritual imbalances, fostering peace and harmony within the body, mind, and soul. While I took a break from Cacao Ceremonies this past year to focus on individual Cacao healing sessions, I eagerly anticipate reintroducing Ceremony to the community and remain open to invitations to host them in wellness spaces around the Greater Boston area.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
Human Design has been a game-changer for me, both personally and professionally. Youʻve likely heard of Astrology, Meyers-Briggs, Enneagram—all of which are systems designed to teach us about our personality and what that means in the grand scheme of things. Human Design, however, synthesizes several different ancient and modern systems, including Astrology, so it is determined by time of birth, and also encapsulates the complexities of modern sciences, such as Quantum Physics & Genetics. It ultimately aims to reveal who we are vs. who we came here to be—our true essence—offering a comprehensive framework of our unique energy dynamics, life purpose, and decision-making strategies.
I highly encourage fellow entrepreneurs to explore their Human Design! It teaches us what sets us apart from others by bringing to light our natural gifts and magnetism, which is especially helpful in marketing, while clarifying how to best make decisions based on our unique way of interacting with the energies around us. This has been monumental for me, redirecting me from counterproductive patterns and fostering a more authentic approach to life, people, and business.
As a 6/2 Splenic Projector, my innate gifts encompass guidance, delegation, leadership, and instinct. I thrive in collaborative environments and roles where I can flow and leverage my intuition. My unique ability to deeply understand others, coupled with my intrapersonal and observational skills, contributes to my proficiency as a health & wellness practitioner. However, as a “non-energy Type,” I must prioritize rest & self-care due to limited stamina, a crucial aspect for my overall well-being and success. This has been a pivotal realization, especially in reflecting on my struggles with illness. Additionally, my focused aura, while beneficial in many contexts, can be overwhelming for individuals who are unprepared for my guidance; therefore, my “strategy” for decision-making is to “wait for the invitation,” which has been a significant lesson in both life and business.
Some helpful books include:
Understanding Human Design by Karen Curry Parker
Human Design for Your Business by Jamie L. Palmer
Understanding Your Clients Through Human Design by Robin Winn MFT
My favorite websites for free charts:
https://www.jovianarchive.com/get_your_chart
https://www.myhumandesign.com/get-your-chart/
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
Unlearning deeply ingrained beliefs that contradict my Human Design principles has been a significant personal challenge. Concepts like relentless hard work, money as a reward, prioritizing sweat equity over rest & self-care, and the pursuit of a conventional type of success at any cost have been ingrained in me since youth, fostering a negative self-image and a self-depreciative inner narrative. Particularly challenging is navigating familial relationships that reinforce these beliefs, exacerbating feelings of unworthiness and perpetuating comparison syndrome.
Before discovering I was a Projector, I struggled to match the pace of “Energy Types” (Generators, Manifesting Generators, and Manifestors), who constitute the majority of our population. Entrepreneurship only exacerbated those childhood beliefs, as much of the available information predominantly caters to these Types, thereby mimicking the tone of those beliefs. I was striving to follow these examples, growing more exhausted and bitter over time. This only perpetuated feelings of inadequacy and led to me constantly seeking recognition instead of waiting for the invitation—a challenging thing to do in our fast-paced world.
A compelling analogy that helped me, shared by Projector leader, Charlie Maginness, depicts all the Human Design Types on a running track. While Energy Types maintain consistent speed and take only short breaks, Projectors exert themselves twice as hard to keep up, growing tired and bitter over time, risking burnout and injury. However, when a Projector notices a building across the street, they wander over and discover a Yoga Studio. They join a class, excel at the work, and are eventually invited to become a teacher. This recognition lights them up, others from across the street visit their class, and when more people witness the gifts of the Projector, invitations start to roll in.
De-conditioning is an ongoing process demanding repetitive effort. At 36, with my current circumstances not aligning with societal norms, I’m often judged by the people closest to me, and feel pressured to put on an act for my community. However, I’m working on combating comparison and embracing my unique journey, while reframing old beliefs around work, money, and success. Recognizing the work Iʻve done and the insights Iʻve gained, I pacify the need to prove myself. The more I transform old programming, the more I prioritize my needs as a Projector, the more I express myself authentically and make connections devoid of judgment, the better I am at embodying my actual values and beliefs; therefore, contributing to a ripple effect of positive change in my community and beyond.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thegutwitch.com/
- Instagram: @the.gut.witch
- Other: [email protected]