Tell us about your brand / company. What inspired you to start this brand? What makes your products unique?
Rebelology Media is a platform that hosts my podcast and blog. Rebelology is the cultural rebellion of wellness. This concept encompasses the healthy balance of the mind, body and spirit. I founded this space to host important conversations with like-minded women and rebels. Rebelology blog & podcast explores topics ranging from spirituality, entrepreneurship, wellness, and what it means to live as a rebel. It is my intention to break down barriers between us while nurturing a vibration of unity. I was inspired to create Rebelology after a reading session with an intuitive guide. What she said to me moved me from within in a way that I had never felt before. It was an internal whisper... an internal calling. The guide said to me, "You carry the voices of many female ancestors on your back. And that's heavy." At that moment I understood so much about myself and why I have always been an outspoken woman... because my ancestors are trying to speak THROUGH ME! Think about it. For centuries women did not have the privilege to speak their minds, live independent lives, or explore their wildest desires. They were silenced by fear of being burned at the stake or simply have not been paid equally to be able to afford an independent life. I have that privilege. I have these means, these skills, and live in an era where everyone can publish their voice to the world! I am my ancestors wildest dreams.
Are there any struggles / adversity that you’ve faced in starting or running your business? If so, we’d love to hear your story.
When I first decided to launch my podcast I was terrified of putting myself and my personal opinions out into the world. I feared being rejected, being made to feel uneducated on a topic, on being "wrong." Generally speaking, outspoken women with strong opinions are triggering to people and thus get heavy backlash.
What helped you “rise above” during this struggle? Any inspiration or anyone who helped you?
I remembered that my role is to create and birth ideas into the world. It's none of my business if others like it or resonate with it. There will always be an opposing force in the world which I believe is a good thing. I had to rise above my own personal fears and press that "publish" button. The journey within and through myself has always been my greatest adventure.
Tell us about a time in your life where you had to “rise above” out of a situation.
I have always been an advocate for women rising above patriarchal programming in the way we have been set up to compete with each other over men, jobs, beauty titles, etc. I believe that the media we consume plays a large part in this issue. When we see shows where women are having petty arguments at brunch, comment wars on social media, and entire movie plots where two women are competing for the love of a man, we as a society internalize this and replicate it. I believe that when women are the ones behind the lens and with the pen in their hands we can create healthier media that sheds a more positive light on women and how we should both be treated and be conducting ourselves in the world. With that being said, I certainly have been presented by challenging situations with other women that have tested my ideals on this to my core. And I welcome that. Without putting ourselves to the test and real life "training," all of this is just words. I recently experienced a situation where a former dear friend of mine became very competitive and hateful towards me over the assumption that I had some sort of romantic relationship with a man that she had started to date. These were allegations and pure speculation. I was confronted with hate, threats, and harassment. As if our years of friendship had suddenly vanished. All of the times I had been there for her in the past during surgeries, birthdays, celebrations... none of those moments held any equity with her. I was shocked, hurt, and most of all... tested. Of course my natural reaction was to defend myself, retaliate, and sink to her level of negativity. But I did not. I rose above. Here's the thing... to keep it short and sweet... I will quote Queen Lizzo. "Spending all your time trying to break a woman down, realer shit is going down, baby take a look around." The very planet we exist on is being destroyed and crying for our help. Mother Earth is calling for women to RISE. We have to stop fighting each other down over men. We have to stop fighting each other down in the board room. We have to stop fighting each other down on social media. Rise above, and it will inspire others to rise as well. And here's an important note I want to share as well... when we do experience this type of energy from another woman let's normalize taking a step back from the situation and reminding ourselves that it's not easy to be a woman. We all have experienced years of patriarchal programming, oppression, harassment, and abuse growing up in this society. As women we have to have GRACE with each other. We have to be forgiving, have patience, and show LOVE and overstanding. This applies to friends, family, and even colleagues. There are no corners in which The Patriarchy has not exerted it's influence and we are still in the early stages of dismantling it.
What advice would you give another woman who is currently experiencing this situation?
After some soul searching and meditation I was given this brilliant message, "don't get your hands dirty, Karma will handle it." Meaning, it's not my place to retaliate or try to fix any situation of the sort. The universe will handle it for me so don't lower your vibration. And that's just what I did. I encourage you to practice this as well.
Follow Leigha's journey on Instagram: @rebelologymedia
Check out Rebelology: www.rebelologymedia.com
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