If we could sum up Dr. Lesley Reece in one word, it would be ‘powerhouse!’ With 17 years of experience as a medical doctor, she has recently expanded her skillset, forging a truly unique and dynamic career path. After transitioning from general practice to palliative care in 2016, Lesley has also become a certified life coach, author, motivational speaker, and content creator. We interviewed Lesley to learn more about her diverse professional background and the business tips and triumphs she could share since launching her empowerment coaching service, Life By Lesley, in 2022. As we expected, her journey and insights were deeply inspiring!
Lesley’s innate talent for writing and producing content perfectly complements her business, Life By Lesley Media Corp., which helps millennial women to achieve a “life well lived.” Her clients have access to empowering resources such as one-on-one coaching, personal development courses, and her books, “The Self-Care Manual You Didn’t Know You Needed!” and “A Self Love Journal.” Both books have received praise and positive reviews for their unique and engaging tone. For instance, “A Self Love Journal” includes prompts like “Just My Two Cents” and “What Had Happened Was…,” which make readers feel as though they’re chatting with their best friend while completing the exercises.
Known for its authenticity and empathy, Life By Lesley was borne out of its founder’s past adversities, including domestic violence and feelings of low self-worth. As such, the programs are designed to guide women who have faced similar struggles through self-discovery, self-awareness, and self-assertion. Lesley’s medical experience, coupled with her traumatic personal experiences, allows her to offer deep, meaningful support to her clients — and their testimonials reflect the passion she pours into her services and digital platforms. Lesley has not only turned her pain into purpose but also helped clients turn their emotional anguish into realized aspirations.
Let’s explore Lesley’s business mindset and advice through the following Q&A.
Q&A Section
Q: How do you define success for yourself and your business, and how do you measure it?
A: I love this question because I always say that success has to be defined by you, and not what social media, your social circle, or publications like Forbes define it to be. Success for me personally looks like me being able to do the things I love most, with the people that I love most, because I have both the means and the time to do them.
Professionally, it is me being positioned as an expert in supporting and empowering women to reclaim their power and to live in that power, unapologetically. I also look forward to at least 65% of the income from my business being earned passively, to allow me to fulfill my dream of living as a digital nomad while enjoying as much of what life has to offer as possible.
Q: What do you want your brand to be known for and how do you differentiate your business in the market?
A: Life By Lesley has to be known for empowering women. And empowering women to empower other women. Any woman. Every woman. Any background. Any situation. Point blank. Periodtttt.
I think the edge I have on others in the same space is my background. Divorced. Survivor of domestic violence. Struggled for more than half of my life with many of the things I teach about: low self worth, hardly any self love, major impostor syndrome, from as early as secondary school even though I did exceptionally well, limiting beliefs, lack of self awareness, looking for love in all the wrong places… the list goes on.
Then my background is in medicine, and palliative medicine at that. I’ve seen firsthand the regrets that come with not living well and not making the most of each day, each hour, each moment.
I bring a certain degree of authenticity, empathy, and emotional intelligence that is hard to match.
Q: What is the best business advice that you have ever received or acquired through experience?
A: The best business advice I can give, and this is from my own experience, is to surround yourself with a support system that is made up of people who are rooting for you 100%, but in that rooting for you, they are honest enough to share constructive criticism, and are not afraid to share their different perspectives with you in thoughtful and loving ways.
You don’t need “yes”-people in your support system, you need honest people. You also don’t need people who are jealous of your success and who communicate that jealousy with constant negativity.
I’ve been very blessed to have a small circle of very supportive women, who are all also entrepreneurs, and who are more than happy to helpfully share their perspectives.
Q: How do you stay motivated and focused on your entrepreneurial journey?
A: I pull motivation from other women who are killing it in their respective fields. I love to see another woman winning, especially when she has overcome significant odds to achieve what she has. There are still fleeting moments when I experience self-doubt or impostor syndrome, and in those moments, a whole lot of prayer and looking back at motivational posts I’ve saved helps a lot.
Focus for me is not difficult, I guess because that is just an aspect of my personality. Once I have set my sights on something, the focus is there to stay.
Q: Do you have a creative process? If so, what does it entail?
A: My creative process lives in the Notes app on my phone, and the notebook I keep in my handbag at all times. Life is my muse, my own life and the lived experiences of others. Something happens during the day and I’m able to see how that can be used to illustrate a lesson or reminder. So I write the thought down, and then expand on it later when I’m in my “zone.”
Q: Can you offer any productivity and time management tips that have worked wonders for you?
A: Write. Everything. Down! Seriously, we’re aging daily, give your poor brain a break. I use a weekly planner and at the start of each week, I write down what my goals, top priorities and to-dos are for the week, as well as any appointments I have scheduled. Then, I slot them into each day of the week, based on what else I have going on that week. I am very careful not to be unrealistic and not to pack my schedule too tightly.
There are three reasons for this:
1. A schedule that has some leeway allows for when things inevitably don’t go quite according to plan,
2. I feel great about myself if I complete the two tasks I knew I could realistically get through,
3. I avoid feeling badly about myself when I don’t complete the five things I know that I had no business planning for one day because it was an unrealistic goal.
Setting things down in this manner also helps with mental clarity, as I’m able to see clearly rather than have everything as a mishmash in my poor brain, and run the risk of forgetting important tasks, or of doing less important tasks first.
Q: What advice would you offer to aspiring women entrepreneurs?
A: Before you can know what you truly want, where you want to be, or WHO you want to be, it’s imperative that you know who you are now. One of the best things that I ever did for myself was to take the time to learn who Lesley is, what drives Lesley, why does it drive Lesley, and where does Lesley want to go. With that knowledge you can remain focused, even when things around you are shifting quickly or unexpectedly.
Q: What are your ultimate goals and aspirations for the future of your business?
A: For Life By Lesley to become synonymous with the empowerment of women across the world, and for those women to see how they can empower other women. Just like when you hear the name Joyce Meyer, you think to yourself that she is a strong woman known for sharing gospel in a relatable way, when you hear Lesley Reece, you will think to yourself that she is a strong woman who stands for women from all walks of life, across the world.
I also look forward to my business becoming a mainly passive income generator. Greater than financial wealth is wealth of time and health. I look forward to my business feeding my soul by allowing me the time and resources to live fully, eat well, and travel often with those I love.
This feature is part of the “Tagged: Business Tips and Triumphs” series presented by Glamizine, which showcases creative women entrepreneurs and their secrets to success.
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.
To view full episode of Tagged: A Business Tips & Triumphs featuring Dr. Lesley Reece, click here.
