“A boundary not enforced becomes a gateway.” – Dr. Lesley Reece
As she summoned the courage to break free from an abusive marriage, an inner voice finally cried out, ‘Enough is enough — I deserve more.’ With that timely revelation, Lesley Reece, a medical doctor, felt an overwhelming readiness for change – to discover her truest self – to rewrite her inner narrative – to claim her power. In that instant, she vowed to completely transform her life, using every bit of that newfound strength to empower others.
With time came healing, and a fiercely strong woman emerged. It was a Lesley who exuded bold confidence, a radiant smile, an infectious personality, and firm boundaries, inspiring confidence and self-love in her growing followers on Instagram. Her audience’s receptivity and engagement inspired another ‘ah-ha’ moment: she could turn her pain into purpose. Realizing her capacity to impact lives globally, the Barbadian native decided to become a life coach and obtained her certification in 2022.
Having already transitioned from general practice to palliative care in 2016, Lesley had now expanded her professional portfolio to include Life By Lesley Media Corp., a women’s empowerment coaching service. Although her business path felt natural and compelling, Lesley admits that it was a bold decision, one that even faced criticism from peers in the medical field:
“My decision to transition from medicine to coaching women was not one taken lightly. While I love medicine, after exiting a marriage [in 2013] that was wrought with domestic violence, I’ve had a deep desire to help other women. Specifically women who struggled with feelings of low self worth, just as I had. Out of that desire, Life By Lesley was started, but as an Instagram account used to share inspirational posts.”
She continued, “I don’t blame myself for having been in an abusive marriage, or the emotionally abusive relationships prior to that, but I firmly believe that had I had greater self worth, been more self-assured, and more assertive, I may have chosen my partners better, and chosen myself first and foremost. So between 2013 and now, there was a lot of self discovery, self-work, making sense of what Lesley wanted from life, and figuring out where I wanted to take Life By Lesley.”
Ironically, even before Lesley realized her calling as a life coach, she had already been intuitively guiding and mentoring women, and even girls. In fact, among her proudest achievements is a mentorship program that she had launched at her alma mater, Hindsbury Primary (an all-girls school), in 2017. The program, designed to help girls aged 10 to 11 as they prepared to transition to secondary school, focused on areas such as individuality, self-worth, bullying, and communication skills, to name a few. Motivated by her past struggles, Lesley was determined to instill high self-esteem in these young ladies:
“My impetus for creating that program was not only as a means of giving back to my alma mater, but also because I was reminded of how unsure, timid, and unaware of myself I was at that age. The program was a huge success, and I saw dramatic changes in how those young ladies viewed and carried themselves over the weeks that passed.”
Lesley knows all too well how important having a positive female role model is, as her first entrepreneurial inspiration is her very own mother. Growing up, she watched her mother, a chemical engineer by profession, effortlessly juggle a demanding career with ‘side hustles,’ “long before it became a catchphrase.”
Lesley revered her mom, noting that she has “always been talented with her hands,” from sewing to doll-making, hat-making, and even cooking. She explained that her mother took classes to refine each of these talents, thus enhancing her skills and marketability. Evidently, her mom’s ingenuity and industriousness had left a lasting impression on young Lesley: “Most little girls want to be just like their moms, and seeing that drive in my own mother, from my childhood to even now (the lady is retired and now works as a private chef!), no doubt, propelled me toward the direction of entrepreneurship.”
Today, Lesley is reputed as a beloved, relatable coach, who is really more like a BFF. Through her services and products, including one-on-one empowerment coaching and her self-penned book, “The Self-Care Manual You Didn’t Know You Needed,” she sets clients up for massive breakthroughs and lasting success. On her website, for instance, clients praise Lesley’s programs for their proven results. “This was like personal training for my soul! I’m now more comfortable with setting and enforcing boundaries in all areas of my life,” said a client initialed as A.M. Another anonymous commenter, signed R.S., shared, “Lesley really helped me to recognize my value, and adopt strategies I needed to overcome impostor syndrome!” Heartfelt testimonials like these reignite Lesley’s passion for assertiveness coaching, and confirm that her decision to pursue her entrepreneurial calling was truly worth the risk.
Because she followed the impulse to undergo inner work, Lesley had actually become her first ‘client’ and very own success story. Now, she finds the most rewarding aspect of her coaching business in the positive feedback she receives from women whose lives she has touched. She emphasizes the joy of engaging with women who credit her posts, articles, speaking events, and products with positive outcomes in their lives:
“Nothing compares to that feeling of satisfaction, especially on the days when I doubt myself (yes, it still happens from time to time!). It’s as though God sends that person to remind me that I’m actually doing better than I may be giving myself credit for in that moment.”
Lesley’s journey from self-doubt to self-assertion allows her to continually unlock her boundless potential. Armed with confidence, she has achieved feats that were once unimaginable — becoming a certified life coach, a published author, motivational speaker, and an engaging content creator — all while raising her now teenage son. As such, Lesley embodies the personal and professional growth that she advocates for. After she learned to love herself and enforce her boundaries, her once trembling voice soared, impassioned and clear, a resounding call for women’s empowerment.
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Now that we understand why assertiveness coaching is especially meaningful to Dr. Lesley Reece, we will delve further into her business mindset, strategies, and successes in part two of this feature.
To learn more about the services offered by Life By Lesley, you can visit www.lesleyreece.com or follow them on Instagram: @lifebylesleyreece.
To purchase digital products, you can visit Stan Store: http://stan.store/lifebylesleyreece.
To order your copy of “A Self Love Journal,” visit Amazon at: https://bit.ly/selflovebylesley.
