Leeanne Auld is an enterpising young Jamaican woman whose vision for self is clear, 
and whose commitment to the well-being of others is solid. As we embark upon the summer solstice, and the summer season, BE took time to visit with this remarkable person, who has dedicated herself to studying and teaching about the mind-body connection. And as Jamaica embarks upon its 50th anniversary, I take the opportunity, once again, to shed light on yet another story from this beautiful and complicated island nation.
Hometown: Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies
Occupation: Yoga Instructor
Age: 35
Favorite album: Michael Jackson’s Greatest Hits. (Music can shift your consciousness.)
Favorite Movie: Pretty Woman
Last Book Read: The New Revelations: A Conversation with God, by Neale Donald Walsch
Favorite Pick-Me-Up Activity: Singing in the car
Favorite Activity: Meditation
When I am not working I am sleeping.
If I were to write my autobiography, I would entitle it: Going Home, as in going back to God. That is the whole reason for my existence. I have lived so many lives. This is my last one, my last round here.
Baldhead Empress: Why did you leave behind a corporate sales career in favor of your current occupation?
Leeanne Auld: Helping individuals realize that there is more to life than work and surviving brings me so much joy.
BE: Women so often carry the load in our families and communities. Can you recommend some quick ways we can take care of ourselves?
LA: Just take five minutes every day to be quiet, to listen to that still, small voice. Everyone looks outside to be happy, but the answers are within; we are born with them.
BE: What do you want women across the globe to know about Jamaican women?
LA: No matter how many times we are battered, bruised or put down, we have the ability to rise up and start over again. We are not easily deterred.
You can write Leeanne at: [email protected]
Postscript: I met Leeanne in 2010 when my cousins decided that my voice was as bouncy as a lead balloon and that I needed to come home to Jamaica for some SR (Soul Restoration). Leeanne is my cousin Helen’s yoga instructor. Getting up one morning before the crack of dawn for a yoga class, bleary eyed, I was immediately struck by this confident woman, small in stature but large in presence, who had given up a career in food and wine sales to follow her bliss—helping women achieve their best selves. While her title is yoga instructor, Leeanne doubles as a personal coach. Because of her uncanny ability to see through her client’s struggles and to make simple, doable prescriptions for their success, I have dubbed her the “Tiny Guru.” Even her e-mail address is thoughtful. When I ask her about how she came up with it, she says, “I wanted to be the most successful woman ever. A lot of businesses in Jamaica are run like patty shops [a reference to haphazardly run small bake shops]. Often business people make things too complicated. I can always identify what should be done to make things simple. Guru comes from having the wisdom to impart to others, and 95, as in 95 years, signifies that I am going to be here [on earth] for a long time.”
I hope that you enjoyed meeting Leeanne. Happy summer solstice and happy summer to the entire affirming community. — BE
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