Today we’d like to introduce you to LeAnne Piepiora.
LeAnne, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Since childhood, I’ve always felt there was a hidden magic in life. I used sticks as wands, I had a rock collection, I made magic “potions” out of spices in the cabinet. I knew there was more than what we could see, but I was told that it was all in my imagination. My childhood friends teased me. Adults told me it wasn’t real. And that’s what I believed.
I went through my childhood eating all of the typical foods a kid eats. Snacks and candy. Cheese burgers and microwave dinners. Don’t get me wrong, my parents provided everything they could and cared about my well being very much. But none of us really knew about nutrition.
I remember being a child and thinking of that phrase “you are what you eat” and thinking it was totally bogus. How could you be what you eat if what you eat just goes through your body like a tube?
As a result of this disconnection from my body, and my unintentional mistreatment of self, my immune system was under-functioning. I was often sick as a child with things like bronchitis, strep throat, and ear infections. My pediatrician simply prescribed antibiotics repeatedly and no one knew to ask any questions.
It wasn’t until I was about 22 that I finally began to understand.
I took a job at a local restaurant in Massachusetts called Life Alive. It is a cafe serving 100% organic vegetarian food, and the first time I ate there I felt like I could run for miles! WHAT! (I hated running…) I had no idea food could be like that!
That one meal changed my life for ever.
Working there introduced me to a whole circle of friendship in which everyone knew so much about nutrition, the beauty of fresh produce, the functions of the body, the importance of self awareness. They taught me about intention, the potency of thought. They taught me about herbal medicine and the subtle energies of crystals.
And finally, my childhood self knew that it was okay to come out and play. To rediscover the world that I had abandoned so long ago – the parts of my self I had abandoned.
I took off on the adventure of a life time, traveling on my own for several years, connecting with people all over the world. Something inside of me – or perhaps greater than me – was guiding me through life, crossing my paths with the people who would help me to rediscover all of the magic and the hope of my childhood.
As everything unfolded, I became aware of energy (a long and beautiful story for another time.) One particular experience enabled me to physically feel energy with my hands. I thought for sure that the sensations would dissipate and it would be nothing but a misunderstanding.
The ability stayed.
Again, I was changed forever.
My new life began.
I have now been studying holistic wellness and healing modalities since 2013, beginning first with nutrition and a focus on healing disease with food and herbs.
In 2015, I began work within the realm of subtle energy, practicing for many years on myself, then with my teachers, and with many people who have come seeking my guidance.
As my curiosity grew, I began branching out into different fields of study. I deepened my knowledge of the body with a self-led study of anatomy and physiology, and a dedicated vinyasa yoga practice. I continued my study of herbal medicine by learning the uses and contraindications of hundreds of plants. I broadened my experience with energy through the study of crystals, light, color, visualization techniques and sound healing.
In 2018, I became a Certified Ayurveda Yoga Therapist through a 108 hour training with Swan River Yoga in New Orleans. This opened my world to a deeper understanding of ancient traditions, the foundations of the yogic traditions, and the importance of balance in lifestyle, diet, and habits.
In 2019, I gave birth to my daughter, becoming a mother and blossoming into womanhood. This experience and all of the beautiful moments to follow, opened me to the worlds of creation, of duty, of service, and of responsibility.
For several years following the birth of my daughter, I stepped back from my formal studies and work in the holistic fields, taking up work in business, in the culinary arts and in the visual arts.
My return came in 2023, when I felt she could no longer deny my soul’s calling. There had been several years of darkness and disconnection from my true self, and there was a yearning for connection within my heart, waiting to be heard, honored, and embraced.
I began the new phase of my life’s path by allowing in teachers that would help me to relocate my smile, my creative side, and my playful soul. The world began to reopen, leading to a massive realignment of intention, vision, and action.
Within 6 months, I had hired 4 different teachers and took short-term mentorship under several others. This time, my studies were focused on the creation of my vision, my impact of service to the world, and genuine reconnection with my body, mind, and soul.
I am now Certified as a first level Somatic Experience Facilitator and as a Theta Healing Practitioner.
In 2024 I began development of my website and my online offerings. And I began mapping out Creating the Compass, my flagship mentorship which guides others through their own journey back home to themselves. This program is my life’s work, gathered to a pinpoint – bringing in all of my experience and all of the lessons, the studies, and the teachings.
I currently offer a monthly gathering in Fort Worth, Texas entitled The Deep End, a place to be guided into the depths of yourself, to exist inside of your experience, and to return with insight, growth, and inner peace.
This year, I have also begun accepting one-on-one clients for Quantum Energy Healing and Holistic Healing modalities. These services seek and address the root causes of everything from mental/emotional imbalance to physical injuries to diagnosed diseases or undiagnosed symptoms.
I am more passionate than ever and excited for the future I am building within this community and beyond.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Hahahah. No! Of course not. There have been so many ups and downs. As there always is with anything worth dedicating your life to.
There have been so many times of inspiration, of goose-bump infused wonder, of pride and tears of joy – for I am living a life in which I risk it all to do what I truly feel called to do in this life. It is exciting and it is deeply heart-driven.
But it has certainly not been easy. There have been many times of doubt. Years at a time of thinking all of my time has been wasted and I’m a fool for even trying. (I’m not crying, just cutting onions…) I have seen the wellness industry blossom and boom all around me in the 15 years I’ve been studying these modalities. And I have watched people with 6 months of experience take the lead and pull way ahead as I’m left looking at myself in the mirror.
There have been times I’ve felt unworthy, incapable, foolish – even beguiling. But none of these are the Truth of who I am and what I feel called to do with this precious life.
So despite the setbacks, despite giving up and putting it all on the back burner to switch career paths and industries once, twice, three times, four times… each time, I keep coming back to Free Soul Holistic.
It will not let me go. And now I have decided that I shall not surrender.
I am now 34 and I frequently find myself looking back at my life so far, and looking ahead to the future. Both the scope and brevity of life are ever present and I am reminded on the deepest levels that each moment passes with no return.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I believe that we are each entirely unique beings. That, beyond each person’s individual DNA, every single moment of one’s life experience contributes to the irreplaceable, irreplicable human that one is continuously becoming.
This approach is what sets holistic medicine apart from allopathic or “western” medicine. And it is with this reverence that I approach my work in holistic wellness.
I find that many holistic practitioners these days push supplements, limiting diets, extreme workouts, detoxes or other unrealistic expectations upon their clients. These therapies sometimes have their place, but without WHOLE support (meaning body, mind, emotional, and lifestyle awareness) these changes are short lived, ineffective, or downright demoralizing. And they do not take into consideration that each person is entirely unique or that health is never one-size-fits-all.
Where I believe I contribute to the holistic approach is in my breadth of experience and knowledge, and my ability to recognize patterns and connections throughout one’s lived experience, through one’s environment, through their mind, body, and emotions. And because of this, I am able to offer a unique combination of therapies and healing modalities that are actually effective and sustainable for you as an individual being.
It’s my childhood curiosity – solving local mysteries with my Mary-Kate and Ashley detective kit – matched with my insatiable desire to learn, to connect with others, and to understand. And this web of connection does not (and cannot) begin or end with me. I help others to find the connections between the signals of their bodies. I help to decipher what the intelligence of your body already knows. I help to guide you to resources or new outlooks. I help you to make the decision to recalibrate. But I am not the healer, you are.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Risk is inevitable if you’re going to create anything in this world. Some risks are worth it and some are not, but “fail” or “win” it is absolutely imperative to take notes. The benefit of risk is that, despite the outcome, you are creating an opportunity for yourself to learn through lived experience.
And whether that risk proves to be “successful” or not, you must keep in mind that the next wave is coming. When you are on your mission, the days do not stop because of success or failure.
I have taken a lot of risks to get where I am now. To be honest, one of the biggest perceived risks I have faced has been to get over my shyness and finally put myself out there. (So worth it! But I battled that one for a decade or so…).
But in terms of financial risk, I’ve jumped off the deep end on several occasions, maxing out multiple credit cards to hire a couple coaches I couldn’t “afford”, quitting my “day job” to go full time on my passions (multiple times haha), moving across the country to pursue growth (multiple times), spending my last $100 to get a flight to meet my online business network on a whim.
If we were strictly to look at the ledger, all of those would have been financial losses. But life and our development as humans and as entrepreneurs takes into account everything. And I have gained so much more through those risks than would even make sense for me to try to explain.
Look at the bigger picture and be wise, but don’t be afraid. It’s at that edge of fear and excitement where we risk action, and where real growth happens. And the rest you can figure out as it unfolds.
Pricing:
- See my website freesoulholistic.com and join the mailing list for updated offerings, events, and pricing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.freesoulholistic.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/freesoul_holistic
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/freesoulholistic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@freesoul_holistic
Image Credits
Alice Claire Cocanower
LeAnne Piepiora
