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

Hi Stephanie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

I was blessed to be birthed from a woman who was a constant seeker. My mother was always open to ways that would bring her closer to the spirit world. I was toted along to so many gatherings, services, lectures, and rituals that it was never questioned to question my existence. As a very young woman, my mom would beg me to listen to these cassette tapes that played the teachings of Abraham Hicks. I was forever rolling my eyes at her but something deep inside told me that there were precious answers to be revealed. So I listened. In the mid-80’s she would bribe me into going with her to this little tiny chapel in Santa Monica to listen to an obscure minister by the name of Marianne Williamson. It was those lifelong experiences that brought me to understand why I was here and what I was meant to gift the world. It was second nature to self-reflect and pursue paths of personal growth. I am forever grateful to my mom, the seeker. My father taught me how to partner with nature from a very early age. I was sowing and harvesting vegetables from our backyard garden in Silver Lake while still in grade school. I was very familiar with the taste of a sun-ripened strawberry and the crisp snap of a freshly cut cucumber because of him. Gardening was literally my daily chore and it allowed me the opportunity to experience slow living at such an early age. I spent many hours alone in the garden and my relationship to plants has been a life force I cannot imagine living without, thanks to my father.

Stephanie, 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?

I am an ecosattva: one who expresses a Buddhist response to climate change. It is my belief that no matter how catastrophic climate change can be, there is an appropriate response, one that calls for wisdom, compassion, and responsibility from individuals, communities, and corporations.
I have a solid academic foundation and extensive experience in developing and implementing eco-valuable services and solutions that create environmental impact reductions while connecting people with the natural environment and their higher selves. I received my two master of art degrees in both Urban Sustainability and Spiritual Psychology. Through trial and error, I have learned that integrating my expertise in sustainability with my love for people creates an experience that produces transformational results, which is a valuable and necessary response to climate change. As a mother, my passion is rooted in a deep commitment to be a better steward of the earth. This informs my unique process, which offers clients tools and experiences that identify barriers, and misunderstandings that keep them from being responsible planetary citizens.

I have worked in the sustainability field for over 10 years, helping countless Santa Monica and L.A. businesses green their bottom line. During my time at Santa Monica College as an adjunct professor teaching the Culture of Zero Waste, I saw the thirst students had to find meaning in the planetary crisis. After understanding that there is a deep spiritual connection to the suffering of the planet, I decided to work with clients on a deeper level. I trained with the world-renowned healer David Elliott in a practice called Pranayama Breathwork meditation as well as trained in Shamanic Healing practices at the Foundation for Shamanic Studies and completed my third-year master’s program in Spiritual Psychology with an emphasis on Consciousness, Health, and Healing at the University of Santa Monica. When not working with clients, I spend most of my time in her small but hard-working urban garden in Playa Vista, as well as her off-the-grid home in Baja California.
The most valuable lesson I have learned thus far is that climate change isn’t happening to us, it is happening for us. I leave it to the reader to make sense of this perspective.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

Success is very personal and abstract. I have learned so much about myself as an entrepreneur. It is important to take those learnings and use them to connect more with myself and the people I want to attract to my business. Success to me is to be able to work with clients that honor what I do and what I offer and that can only happen if I honor those aspects as well. Like the old cliche, it’s not about the quantity but the quality and I apply that to the quality of trust, vulnerability, and awareness I have as a practitioner. Success is when my clients trust that I have their highest good in mind and that when they evolve, humanity evolves ever so slightly, over and over again.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

My strategy is to be fully present and intentional with a client. This can mean designing and installing a beautiful garden for them, or doing a listening session. When clients receive what I have to offer, they tell their loved ones and friends. My business is all word of mouth.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.stephanieleah.love
• Instagram: @therootpause
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanielspeights/

Image Credits
https://www.greyandelle.com/ (Grey and Elle Photography)