I’m Leslie-Ann
I want to talk to you about stories. We all have stories. In fact, I believe that our lives are the sum collection of our experiences, hopes, and dreams (our personal stories). Our life’s story comprises mini-stories that shape and form who we are. Stories are powerful stuff. The stories we believe in and embrace can affect our lives positively or negatively. Writing reflectively about our lives can act as a catalyst to change the way we see ourselves in the light of our stories.
I show women how they can use writing to heal, transform, enrich, empower, and birth joy and creativity in their lives.
I see myself as a creative midwife to women on the journey of healing, well-being, and (re)discovery. Through workshops, e-courses, retreats, or one-on-one sessions, I encourage, support, hold space for, and bear witness to women wanting to transform their lives and stories through creative writing and therapeutic journaling.
On Writing for Wellbeing
When you put pen to paper and write from a place of honesty and openness your world slowly changes because you begin to change.
– bold print studio –
My Story
I’ve always believed in the cathartic power of writing about our emotions and experiences. However, it was only during my years in an abusive marriage and the subsequent demise of that relationship, that I really activated the power of words. The act of writing and reflecting on the emotions I carried would become the catalyst for my healing and life transformation.
I remember the first day I grabbed a journal and a pen and started writing. I felt something in me pushing me to write out all the things I carried on my chest and in my head. So I did it. And I wrote about all the things that kept me up at night: the shame from being battered and abandoned as a wife, the repressed anger from being sexually abused as a child. I also wrote about the despair of feeling I would never be whole again. I wrote for what felt like hours, stopping only when my hand ached. After many tear-soaked pages and what felt like a torrent of emotions exciting me and seeping onto the pages, I was finally put able to put my pen down. That night, I fell into the best sleep I had in ages. I woke up later the next evening, feeling a shift within. I didn’t re-write my history, but somehow the penning of my soul started a shift in my relationship with my past and pain.
From there, I started looking at how writing could aid in improving our well-being. I invested countless hours researching the cathartic benefits of writing, eventually becoming a Certified Journal Therapist. I started my therapeutic writing practice in 2015 and I’m still passionate and showing women how to write in a way that brings healing, and growth, and supports their well-being.
xoxo, Les
As a certified journal therapist, I have hosted and facilitated therapeutic writing workshops and journal retreats. My work helps women experience a new-found awareness, (re)discovery, self-acceptance, and radical self-love. This sort of shift inspires them to live in a way that is authentic, intentional, and wholehearted. I’d love to work with you if you are desiring this type of shift in your life. Here are my offerings and this is how we can connect.