More Than One Calling | A Conversation With Leanna Mae
Jellyfish Fact
“Jellyfish are some of the oldest living creatures on Earth, with a history dating back over 500 million years! They existed before dinosaurs and have survived multiple mass extinctions, showcasing their incredible adaptability and resilience.”-Divessi.com
For the first feature in The Jellyfish Times, it felt only right to spotlight Leanna Mae who is a writer, educator, doula and advocate whose life’s work is rooted in purpose.
At the heart of everything she does are three things: faith, writing, and helping others. Whether she is creating books, teaching classes, supporting families through birth or sharing encouragement online, each part of her work connects back to those foundations.
The Jellyfish Times
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The Jellyfish Times 〰️
For readers meeting you for the first time, how would you describe who Leanna Mae is?
Great question! The first thing I hope people see about me is my faith. I was formerly an atheist. I became a Christian in 2005. Sharing my faith is more important than anything else to do. Writing is the reason I breathe. My favorite word is scripturient. I love teaching! My degree is in health sciences. I’m passionate about quality healthcare, ethics, and patient rights. My favorite area of healthcare is women’s health (runner up is mental health, ED, critical care, and cardiology is neat too). I work as a birth doula and teach classes on birth prep. I really enjoy seeing the growth in people throughout the journey. I’m an introverted night owl who loves country drives, rainy days, flowers, autumn, mason jars, and string lights.
You wear a lot of hats… author, blogger, doula, educator, and breastfeeding specialist. Which part of your work feels most central to who you are right now?
Writing is always going to be my number one. Writing is my native language. Teaching is really just speaking my writing. (I write all my own curriculums.) Doula work is teaching/doing those things in action. I love all of the things that I do, but writing will always be most central to who I am.
You’ve said writing is your purpose. When did writing first become something deeper than just an interest?
I was actually in elementary school when I started saying I wanted to be an author. I began writing stories almost immediately after I learned how to write. I won a young authors award in 5th grade. By that point, I already knew I wanted to be a writer when I grew up. I started writing books as a teenager. I published my first book in 2012 on my 24th birthday. It was always my purpose. There was never a moment it transitioned from interest to goal. It was always who I was created to be. I fully believe writing is the reason I am on this earth.
What pulled you toward nonfiction specifically?
It was a natural pull as someone who loves to teach. My writing has always been about helping others learn and grow. I’ve dabbled in fiction here and there, but never finish it because it lacks the purpose and power of nonfiction. I love nonfiction because it’s growth for the reader. It helps them with a topic. Nonfiction writing offers transformation for the reader who applies the information to their life/practice. It’s empowerment. It’s inspiration. Much of it is timeless – we can reach people with a message anywhere in the world and for years beyond our time here.
What inspired you to create Happily Frugal?
I started Happily Frugal around 2010 when a lot of the factory work around here was closing down. That had a financial impact on my own family. So being the compulsive list-maker that I am, I started making lists of different ways we could save money. As all of these lists grew, I wanted to put them in a binder and share them with family. I realized it would be cheaper to actually publish a book. I hadn’t intended to ever write a book on saving money, but I’m glad I did. It’s been a workbook I genuinely live by.
A lot of people hear “frugal” and think “deprived.” What does frugal living actually mean to you?
To me, frugal living is all about wise money management. It doesn’t have to mean cheap or going without. It’s all about organizing your finances. Budget well. If you have room in your budget to go out to eat or go shopping, go for it. Businesses need customers/clients. It’s not a bad thing to spend money if you have room in your budget. Personally, I think saving money on things like utilities gives more room in the budget to stop and get a coffee. I love iced coffee!
Your faith is clearly a major part of your life and your writing. How does it shape the way you approach your work?
My faith is the foundation for how I live. A lot of my writing is related to sharing my faith or doing bible studies. My website reaches almost 50,000 people a year. Last year I hit a milestone of visitors from 60 different countries. I’ve had the great privilege of talking to people all around the world about my faith. One of my favorite things is when people from other countries email me with questions. I’ve had a couple of ministers reach out as well. That really motivates me to keep putting content out there. You never know who you will reach. My classes and doula services are faith-based. For example, my coping with contractions class lays a foundation of faith and we talk about things like scripture, faith-based affirmations, building up our faith throughout the journey, and how we can incorporate faith into the birth experience (prayer, worship, etc).
You’ve been a birth doula and educator for years… what first led you into that work?
Funny story – I was a teenager when I started having blood sugar issues. In researching that, an internet search led to something about gestational diabetes (I didn’t know what that was) and that led to a website from a midwife. I had no idea what kind of wife that was. Curiosity got me asking questions and when I found out what a midwife was, I was immediately interested. I had always been interested in healthcare. When I was little, I used to dress up in my mom’s scrubs and pretend to be a nurse. I’ve always liked to take care of people and always had an interest in women’s health. So, when I was 20 years old I was working at a daycare in the infant room and one of the moms mentioned a support group for midwives. This was 2008. I did not have social media yet. We didn’t Google everything back then. This was the year I got an email address and my first cell phone – a tracfone from Kmart. I printed out instructions from MapQuest and ventured into the city to go to said meeting… Turns out it was a pregnancy/birth support group that was run by midwives. However, that is how I first met any midwives and from there learned what a doula was. Back then, it was common to require doula training before becoming a midwife. So, I took off to Richmond, Virginia in November of 2008 to do a doula training with intention to become a midwife at some point in my twenties. I realized that the things I love most – teaching and supporting others – was also in the doula role and settled there for a long while. I am still interested in becoming a midwife in the future, but it doesn’t feel like the right time yet.
What do you love most about supporting families during such an important season of life?
I think my favorite thing is seeing their growth and the development of their abilities. I love to teach them about coping with contractions and see them do well with it because of what they learned. It’s fulfilling to see them become confident from what they’ve learned (instead of fearful or anxious) and to realize how capable they are (instead of doubting themselves). I find it so important to teach about patient rights and navigating the healthcare system – not just for their maternity care but all of their healthcare across the lifespan. This is such a special area of healthcare. It’s not just part of healthcare. It is one of the biggest days of their life, and they will remember how they were treated in their birth experience for the rest of their days. To improve standards of maternity care for women today is to improve standards for their daughters and granddaughters as well. We’ve come such a long way when you look at how women have been treated in hospitals in the last century. Patient rights and family-centered care are essential to high quality healthcare. Birth can go a lot of ways and it doesn’t always go the way we hope it will, but treating patients well makes a significant impact in how they experience birth.
You have such a wide range of work, but it all seems connected by teaching and helping others. Do you see a thread that ties everything together?
Helping others is the thread. Everything I write is to help others learn about a topic. Everything I teach is to help others learn, grow, and develop their abilities. Doula work is all about helping women through the birth journey with the education and support they need. I also work PRN as a simulated patient at Wright State University’s Boonshoft School of Medicine. My goal with that is to help future doctors deliver high quality healthcare and communicate well with patients.
How do you balance being a writer, educator, and doula without losing yourself in the process?
That is who I am. I’m not me without those things. I don’t take days off. I don’t know how to relax and do nothing. I’m very much a project person. I’m always working on something whether that be a writing project or something for my website or a class or for a doula client. I literally don’t take days off. Even on Christmas and Thanksgiving, I will be working on something. I always end up working on my website on holidays.
What are some things people might be surprised to learn about you outside of your work?
I take a lot of naps for being a highly productive person. Sleep is fuel. There’s a lot of business “experts” out there who say you have to wake up at 4am and get started earlier than the rest of the world if you want to be successful. That’s not true at all. I’m a nocturnal person who does almost all of my writing at night. I often stay up all night or close to it so I can accomplish my goals. This might be surprising, but I cannot write in the morning. Ever. It doesn’t flow. I come alive at 7pm, feel the most alert and alive at 11pm, and usually keep going until 2 or 3am. Sometimes I write until the sun comes up. I actually get tired when the sun comes up; I get my best sleep during the day. My most productive time is from 9pm to 1am. You do not have to be a morning person to be successful.
What are you currently working on that you’re most excited about?
I always have more than one project going on. I really want to get at least one class online this year. I’m not tech savvy at all and that’s always been my obstacle in this goal, but this is something I have wanted to do for almost 20 years. It’s always been my dream to teach classes online and reach people all around the world. I’m so close to having one of my classes ready. I just have to record the audio, edit that, and get it put together with the slides. My other current project is writing a book on spiritual battle. I typically bounce between 2 main projects.
If readers could walk away remembering one thing about you and your work, what would you want it to be?
My faith is my foundation, writing is my purpose, and I’m here to help you have a better birth experience because you matter.
Where can readers best follow your work and support what you do?
My website is my pride and joy. That’s the best place to see what I offer. I’m terrible at social media and tend to neglect my business pages (or bounce around to focus on one at a time). You can follow my personal profile for updates. I’m on Facebook a lot and Instagram a little.
What would you say to someone who feels drawn toward writing or one of the paths you’ve pursued, but isn’t sure where to begin?
What’s holding you back? The time is going to pass anyway. You might as well spend that time bringing your dreams into fruition. If you want to be an author, have the ambition to learn how and the perseverance to accomplish your goals. I’ve talked to so many aspiring authors over the years. Many people want to write a book, but most don’t start the first page. Few who start will finish. A lot of people who finish their book let it sit there. Most who publish stop promoting fairly soon. Very few accomplish their goals. It’s not that they can’t. It’s that they don’t seek to learn how. No one is going to hand it to you. If you want this, pursue information on how to take the next step and then do it. Be willing to put in the time to create something you love. Be ambitious.
THANK YOU
Thank you so much to Leanna for taking the time to answer our questions, and thank you to everyone checking out our very first blog post for The Jellyfish Times. We appreciate you being here and supporting not only us, but also the creators we’re excited to feature.
Connect With Leanna
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Connect With Leanna 〰️
Be sure to check back next Tuesday for the next edition of The Jellyfish Times.