Glow Girl! Leah LaVanway

What is YOUR story? Who are YOU? What is YOUR life journey all about?

My story really begins in my teen years with my Cystic Acne. After years of embarrassment and frustration over my skin, I was finding no answers in over the counter skin care products or oral medications, so I decided to find my own answers. After graduating aesthetics school I started my own business called Essence of L. Back then all I was doing was pedicures, waxing and body wraps. Due to the high cost of product orders and a minimum order of $5000 I could not afford to work with the large retail companies. I kept my limited clientele happy by buying products from the spa shows and then when I ran out I would have to drive to a store and buy the product at retail price and then sell it to the client for the same price. I was making no money and not loving it either.

Then the tragedy struck, my boyfriend was in a serious car accident and broke his back in three places. He was a horse trainer and in order to keep his business running I had to take it over. My dreams were put on hold for four years while I kept his training operations going. Finally he was able to recover and I turned my focus back to business. My turning point was renting space in a hair salon. After building up a decent clientele I was finally able to afford my first opening order. As I got more and more clients, I started to notice that a lot of them were “age smart” and the idea of anti-aging treatments came to be.

My loyal clients followed me to my private boutique style spa that I built in my home that grew into the business I call Essence of L Medi Spa. My journey has been one of many challenges and continued self growth. As time passed I grew to love my job even more and the clients that came with it. I learned to treat each person as a whole and found great joy in helping people.

Today in my business I am increasing consciousness in the power of touch and how profoundly it can affect individuals in so many ways. I am constantly seeking newer and more effective treatments and now I am lucky enough to be building a team of health care professionals around me to provide my clients with treatments that compliment my skin care. My goal is to create a full body healing experience for everyone.

What has been YOUR biggest challenge or life obstacle that YOU feel has dimmed YOUR GLOW?

Definitely growing up with Cystic Acne! Cystic acne — the most severe form of acne — occurs when oil and dead skin cells build up deep within the hair follicle. The resulting rupture within the skin may form boil-like infections that are swollen, red and painful. I suffered through this condition for 10 years and it affectedly me deeply in many ways.

I was a competitive gymnast for many years and the art of perfection was ingrained into me. After a a three month trip to Australia and eating back packing food, I gained a lot of weight and my skin was worse then ever, bringing my self confidence to a whole new low. I was desperate to lose to the weight and turned to every kind of weight loss strategy I could find; finally pills were my last resort. Soon I was relying on the pills and my body image was suffering even more. My skin had still not improved and the depression that hit me was overwhelming.

In my mind I was constantly not pretty enough or fit enough and the pills had me running on a constant high that did not allow me to sleep properly. On top of that I was constantly dizzy and never felt completely well. It was the unconditional love and support of my boyfriend and now husband that helped me through that dark time in my life and with determination I continued on my skin care journey. With my education came new insights on how to treat my condition and eventually I was able to help my skin create its own natural healthy glow that it has today, boosting my confidence more then I ever thought imaginable.

How have YOU grown as a woman in the last year? What lessons, insights or ah-ha moments have you had?

One of my biggest accomplishments this year was starting up a women’s networking group. I have met many incredible women over the last year and a half and I have found myself in the roll of a connector. I have realized that one of my greater goals is to be able to connect like minded people to reach a higher level of success. I have grown through the starting points and it is exciting to be able to guide people that are at that point in their business. When I was first starting out I wish that I had had a mentor but now I get to be that for other women in business and this is one of my greatest achievements.

Some insights that I would like to share are: 1) Always dress to impress and; 2) It takes money to make money. These in themselves are simple sayings but they really have gone a long way for me. The way you present yourself on the outside should reflect the confident and talented person you are on the inside. This means one less barrier the client has to go through to get to know you and your skills. Spending money in the beginning on good quality business cards, logo design, advertisements may seem expensive and unnecessary but in reality these are your bread and butter tools. I never leave the house without my business cards or my day planner because you just never know who you will meet or what life will throw your way.

What else do YOU want to share with the YOU GLOW GIRL!® Community?

Firstly to all the people out there who are starting their own business, there are going to be days where you want to give up, where you are so broke you are not sure if you can continue, where you are out of ideas, where you feel like you are alone. I am here to tell you that you are not alone. Go out and seek the guidance you need. Do not be passive – be passionate about your business! if you love your job as much as I love mine then you will be successful, sometimes it just takes a little determination. Secondly to all the people who have ever disliked their personal appearance, do not give up hope. There is a healthy solution for everyone. Do not let skin problems ever dim your glow!

A note from Diane – Leah has personally helped me and my teenage daughter with our skin. We have seen great improvement in our battle with acne and absolutely love our experience at Essence of L Medi Spa working with the beautiful, knowledgeable and talented Leah!!  Learn more about Leah and her business by connecting with her here:

www.twitter.com/EOLMedispa

www.facebook.com/EOLMedispa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CZ_KjnSrng#t=11

http://www.beautyandwellnesstv.com/blog/vendor/essence-l-medi-spa-esthetics-studio/

YOU too can be a part of this inspirational community of women! No membership required. Join us today at https://www.facebook.com/groups/YOUGLOWGIRL/