A Podcast Interview with Leandra Taylor on overcoming fear

Welcome back to another episode of  Woods & Wilds: The Podcast. We are now on Episode 4 of Season 3! In this episode we’re joined by artist, environmental scientist, mountaineer, and educator, Leandra Taylor. Leandra shares the story of when she was a member of one of the first all-Black American teams to hike Mount Kilimanjaro. She tells us how she overcame fear on her journey. Leandra Taylor is the Community Outreach Coordinator at Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards.

Leandra Taylor is an artist, environmental scientist, mountaineer, and educator based in Asheville, North Carolina. She’s currently working as the Partnership and Community Outreach Coordinator for the Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards (SAWS). Leandra focuses her efforts on building meaningful community relationships and creating partnerships to support equitable access to nature. She is passionate about communicating and interpreting science for the public. She’s dedicated to helping Black and Brown people reconnect with nature. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, bird watching, and nature journaling.

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Read the full transcript of our interview with Leandra Taylor!

Full Transcript featuring Leandra Taylor:

Elizabeth:
Hi, everyone. I’m Elizabeth Lashay with SlayTheMic. I am so excited to be here and I am joined by my amazing co-host…

Kimala:
I’m Kimala Luna with Dogwood Alliance. And today we’re joined with Leandra Taylor. Leandra is an artist, environmental scientist, mountaineer and educator based in Asheville, North Carolina currently working as the partnership and community outreach coordinator for the Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards, otherwise known as SAWS. Leandra focuses her efforts on building meaningful community relationships and creating partnerships to support equitable access to nature. She has a passion for communicating and interpreting science to the public and helping Black and Brown people reconnect with nature. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, bird watching and nature journaling. Welcome Leandra!

Leandra:
Wow. Thank you so much. That was a great introduction. Sometimes when I hear my bio, I’m like, I don’t know. How do you boil down your identity to a couple sentences? But very happy to be here. Thank you.

Elizabeth:
Well, I’m excited to not boil it down, but simmer it up a little bit and just ask you when did you fall in love with nature?

Leandra:
One of my favorite questions. I feel like my answer’s always evolving, but most recently I realized that nature has always been around me. It’s always been one of my favorite things. And growing up, I grew up in a house in Colorado Springs and I’m an army brat. So I feel like nature was the thing that kept me grounded. And so my backyard growing up had all these beautiful things. There were rose bushes that were pinks and reds and whites. There was a huge sandbox that I could go out for hours and just take spoons from the house to have all kinds of kitchen wear for digging tunnels. There was this huge tree and just tons of grass. And so I feel like that was really my first time fostering, what I didn’t realize was a deep connection with nature

And it was a place to foster my imagination and my love for adventure and climbing and all these different things. And so I feel like that was my first taste. And I feel like in my adult life, it really evolved more into hiking and more of the things that you think of when you think of outside, which I feel like we should dive into what does it mean to be outside? I feel like at a young age, I realized that nature is my thing, very much into watching the ants crawl around and animals and all those things. So I feel like Steve Irwin and other influences really created opportunities for me to just see the world. And I don’t know that I really imagined myself in the world or what that meant to me, but I knew that I was enamored with nature.

Kimala:
I love that. And I love that we’re kicking off the podcast, this episode, with love because I think it was Einstein who said that there is this incredible force in the universe that even scientists have a hard time understanding and it is love. And it perpetuates us in all of these really wild ways. So talk about how your love for nature ended you up into this place you are now where you support equitable access to nature.

Leandra:
Yeah, for sure. So one of the things I realized in my adult life was A, that I was very privileged for the access that I did have as a kid. So I had this huge backyard, well, huge as a kid, but this backyard to myself and my brothers, but also I’m staring at the Rocky mountains. I’m looking at this beautiful range of mountains that I’ve never actually been into. I still haven’t in my adult life. And so when I think about that, I think about what were the spaces and access that weren’t available to me? And I think that carried on into college. I went in undecided, but I was really intrigued by an environmental science class and just the impact that humans have on the environment. And so I realized there’s always going to be people advocating for animals, but I don’t know that I always see us advocate for each other, especially those that are Black and Brown and marginalized identities.

And so I think as I started getting into this field, I realized it’s really hard. I had a degree in environmental science, but I didn’t know what job I could have and the opportunities that I saw available were more internships. And so there really wasn’t space to be paid full time and pay for your passion type of thing. And so I feel like I was really living off of feeling good about what I was doing. As I was getting into my career, I realized this is my niche. My niche is I love science and I love communicating that to people that don’t have a science background. And I was working with all these different PhDs that they were talking at a PhD level. I’m like, listen, I don’t know if everyone knows what you’re talking about.

As my career grew, I discovered a community of Black people through a nonprofit called Outdoor Afro. If you’re not familiar, you should look them up. For me, this was the point at which my Blackness and my love for nature and my scientists identities were no longer separate. This is when all my worlds were mending together in this really beautiful, poetic way and I started to explore Blackness in nature. And what does that mean to reconnect with nature, right? And to discover the parts of yourself that you didn’t know you had to do the things that you didn’t know you could dream of. And so I realized that A, although I had grown up in most of these spaces being the only Black person, there was so much community already existing, and there were so many people already dedicated to building upon that community.

And so when I brought that back into my career, I realized there is a space to reach my hand back and provide that space an introduction, a reconnection with the next person that’s Black or Brown that hasn’t had that opportunity to find what it is that they love about nature. And so I’ve been on all these different hikes that have transformed me and made me feel like I just want other people to feel this right here. Just stand outside, breathe some fresh air, feel like a small person in a huge world, or find those little things that just inspire you. And so I realize that’s what I wanted to do. I want to share that. And I want to find a way to share that. Whatever that looks like.

Elizabeth:
Man, that’s absolutely beautiful. And I think intersects really well into my next question and representation matters. And when you’re talking about Steve Irwin, he didn’t look like me. He was not my shade, and I didn’t see many people hiking that looks like me. And so when you are looking into the future, just really quickly of the intentional community building, what is that dream that you have for your community, for the community to get involved with environmental sustainability, justice, and knowledge? Just pure knowledge.

Leandra:
Yeah, for sure. I totally agree. And I used Steven Irwin, A because he really did inspire me, but B also because of that disconnect, right? As much as I watched him growing up, I never dreamt of being a wild Black biologist. I didn’t quite connect those dots for me that that was something I could do. And I’ve realized it throughout my career that representation is important. It’s important to have people that relate to your experience growing up that understand the barriers that you face, like the environmental impacts of the things like, do you have clean air? Do you have clean water? Do you have people that represent those different mindsets and understand that. There is an assumption that Black people have no interest in nature or they have no interest in the impact or climate change and that’s not true.

And not only is it not true, but they’re disproportionately impacted by those different things. And so I feel like it’s important to be represented because it really speaks to what’s already happening. And I think when you’re not represented, you assume that it doesn’t exist and it’s stolen the opportunity for you to connect with what’s already existing. There is already a community of Black people and Black and Brown and marginalized whatever identity that do identify with the environmental movement and realize whether through lived experience, not having clean resources or through advocacy and advocating for green spaces or for the opportunity to go outside. And so when I think about the future, I love affinity spaces and I love affinity groups, but in my ideal future, those spaces don’t exist out of necessity. They’re no longer trying to create visibility. They are just a community that you can become a part of and exist in the outdoors.

You no longer are fearing for your safety in the way of… Some people aren’t worried about the wildlife, they’re worried about who they’re going to encounter on the trail. So I feel like addressing that and realizing that everyone has a different experience outside, everyone goes outside to enjoy it in different ways and it doesn’t have to be the same thing. It doesn’t have to be running up a mountain as fast as you can get up, but it could be just taking a stroll and enjoying nature in that way. And so I think when you have opportunities to enjoy nature and connect in a genuine way and create your own connection, then you’re more likely to be invested in stewardship and in climate change issues and things like that because you realize it does impact you, but also you have a voice and you matter in those issues. So I think representation allows you to hear your voice, whether or not you’re already talking. I feel like there are already people talking and saying these things and doing it and not allowing that space representation, it steals that voice, I think.

Kimala:
Hmm. I feel like that speaks directly to changing your belief in what’s possible. So I was wondering if you have an example for you personally, or a time you observed somebody encountering nature and having that impact their belief in what is possible.

Leandra:
Yeah. So one of the things I love talking about is when I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in 2018, and this was for me… It turned my life around in so many different ways. It opened my eyes up to levels of possibilities that I was like… I heard this recently on another podcast that the human mind is so limited in the possibilities that it believes in. And when we limit ourselves to that, it’s just that the possibilities are finite, right? They end at what you can think of. And so Mount Kilimanjaro for me, so I joined alongside 11 other volunteer Outdoor Afro leaders at the time. And we were on an expedition to become one of the first all-Black American teams to summit Mount Kilimanjaro. So I went to my first training that year as a new Outdoor Afro leader and just very new to the idea.

I didn’t have any camping experience. This was my space that I was going to be learning my skills in the outdoors. And Phil Henderson, actually one of the members of the full circle Everest expedition that just summited Mount Everest, was on this screen and he had this invitation for us to go to Mount Kilimanjaro and for us to experience the climbing culture of Tanzania, Africa. And so before this, I hadn’t even thought of this. I never thought I was going to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, but as soon as I heard him describing this adventure, I knew I’m doing this. I don’t know what I’m going to have to do, but I’m going to do this. And so we trained for a year and we ended up, 13 of us, going to Mount Kilimanjaro alongside our porters and guides.

So our team was like 40 people, and it took us six days to get to the absolute peak of the mountain. But what I realized along the way, and one of my favorite things to repeat is that the summit isn’t always the top. Our end goal was the top of the mountain, but each of us at different points, whether it was the highest point or on the journey had reached our summit point. For me, that was the third day and so this day we were hiking to like 16,000 feet and we were going to camp at 13. So we started at 13, 16, 13. It was a pretty intense day. We were out there in the volcanic rocks at this point in our climb so we were exposed to the sun and we ended up stopping for different breaks. And so at the halfway point, I wasn’t feeling great.

I was like, I hadn’t eaten enough lunch. I don’t think I had enough fluids. And honestly, I had spent most of the lunch period taking my first poo on the mountain, which I’m like, let’s normalize talking about using the bathroom outside. So that was a magnificent experience, but also ate up most of my lunchtime. And so halfway through the day, as we’re descending down this valley to camp, I’m facing my fear of Heights now. This is one of the things that I knew going in, but was just like, I guess I’ll figure it out when I get there. So we start going down this valley and my body is almost panicking. I’m like, this is so steep. I have to trust my legs, and so at this point, in my head, I’m repeating, my body is strong. My legs are strong. My mind is strong.

I’m just repeating that over and over again because I’m stopping myself from what is quickly becoming a panic attack. And my teammates we’re all singing. They’re kind of distracting me with questions and things, but my body is quickly getting tired and fatigued. We’ve been out all day and we’re looking at camp. I can see the tents in the distance, but it just felt like we’re on this treadmill. We’re not moving. One of the guides, Abdi, took his hand into mine and said, “Just lean your weight on me.” There was so much trust in that moment to be able to actually lean my physical weight on him, and we eventually got back to camp and I’m just like dog tired.

I lay down in my tent and they end up giving me this… I think it was powdered milk with water and something else. And I immediately was like, oh no, I’m not going to be able to hold this down. And so I’m in the tent by myself trying to quickly unlock it and I didn’t make it. So I ended up throwing up inside my tent and I was really embarrassed because I’m like, ugh, I don’t even know what’s happening. So I call out, one of my teammates comes out and she’s like, no, this is nothing. She helps me clean it up and she invites me to dinner. And so they take my vitals, they’re like, you’re good to climb. And the guide said to me, you just need to rest. You need to drink water, you need to eat and you need to stop thinking and go to sleep.

And I’ve never had somebody tell me in four bullet points all of the ways that rest is the most important thing. And that’s the only thing that’s going to help me recover. So I get as much dinner as I can down. I go lay down in my tent and I remember thinking I’m not done climbing yet. As tired as I am, I’m to my mental and physical limits, but I’m not done. And so I fall asleep in my cozy little sleeping bag. And I describe this moment as my caterpillar in its cocoon. I definitely feel like that night was a metamorphosis for me. I woke up that next day feeling so recharged and so proud of myself that I had done the hardest day for myself. And so I knew the next day we would be climbing the Bronco wall, which is one of the steepest parts of the mountain.

It’s kind of like a free scramble. So again, you’re on this steep face and I wasn’t afraid of my fear of heights this day. It’s hard to describe being able to wake up that day and say I’m ready for this because I just did the day before. I blew myself away in one moment. I think even now when I reflect on it, it feels almost like an outer body experience. I’m not sure how I was that strong and could just recover from a night’s rest. And so that moment for me really taught me my limits were self-imposed. I was telling myself I couldn’t do it until I proved to myself that I could. And throughout that climb, there were different things that just really showed me how important support is, who showed up for me and how much they invested in my success.

And so I did end up making it to the peak of Kilimanjaro 19,341 feet. And there was just this beautiful silence at the top. And I remember thinking, this moment wouldn’t be possible had I not reached my limit two days ago. So that climb for me, it taught me so many different things and I reference it every day and look at it for a guide, but it taught me a lot of different things and not only about how important the journey is and all those cliche things, but really my limits were self-imposed and I learned the most important things on my journey to the top of that mountain.

Elizabeth:
Well, we can just cancel the rest of the podcast. That is absolutely amazing. I wrote that down. My limits are self-imposed and what a beautiful journeys. Thank you so much for sharing. When you’re working with youth, how have you been that person to affirm and provide those four bullet points? What are you doing with youth development? How are you encouraging them based upon your own experience of your mental toughness?

Leandra:
Yeah, for sure. Well, one of the things that I definitely encourage them is leaning into the qualities that truly shine. I think oftentimes kids are leaders and aren’t even realizing it. I definitely love to point out to kids the qualities that they don’t see in themselves. And so one of my favorite things is pointing out the leaders. I had a conversation with the youth last year and he was clearly leading his classmates in the direction of fun. Right? And as distracting as that is, I recognize I’ve had those moments when I was a kid, and what you’re doing is a great thing, right? You’ve captivated your classmates and they’re doing what you’re doing. And so I told him, “I want you to know that you’re a leader and the things that you decide to do influences the people around you. And you can use that for whatever you decide.”

And he was like, “Well, I love reading and I love sports at the same time.” I’m like, “You can do both. I was an athlete and I love to read and it helped me get to college and all these different things.” And so he was like, “Wow, you used to play basketball?” And in that moment, we’re connecting over something completely different, but he’s realizing this might translate into something else. And I don’t know if that’s a conversation that he’ll remember forever, but I hope that for him, it planted that seed of individuality is okay. It’s okay to want things that are the same and different from your classmates. Right?

And for me, nature is a place that lets you explore that, right? It lets you find what that looks like for yourself. And so I really encourage kids to run, to find things, to use their imagination, to tap into their senses. What are you seeing? What are you touching? How does that make you feel? But also think about when you sit and rest, can you hear different things in nature and how does your body feel? Do you feel rested right now? Do you feel anxious? What do you think is out here with us? And then providing those pieces of information that make them feel more safe and trusting of their environment. So let’s talk about wildlife. What would we see out here and how do you behave in that situation? How much water should you bring?

Is one 16-ounce bottle going to be enough to fuel your body? Did you bring food? What does that look like? So I think it looks different when you’re having those conversations with the kids versus when you’re preparing the necessities of being outside. So food, water, transportation, but really encouraging kids to think about what are you putting into your body? So eating fruit and having those different snacks that aren’t overly sugary, right? You do need sugar as fuel, but not necessarily that chaotic pixie stick amount of sugar. So I think just encouraging thinking about creative ways to see themselves in the outdoors, whether that’s as the adventurer or just a reader under a tree. But yeah, I think nature is a necessary space for kids in a lot of different ways.

Kimala:
I want to go back to this thing you said about how the personal summit was reached before you got to the actual summit. I was thinking about how oftentimes when you were about to experience an intense amount of growth, you do experience a real big growing pain or this sort of dark moment that is actually ultimately good and necessary. Have you experienced… I mean, I almost know the answer to the question because I know the state of the world and I know what’s happening to our natural environment and the inhabitants of this planet, but in your career, have you experienced this personal summit that wasn’t necessarily the peak and what did it look like?

Leandra:
Ooh, yeah. I would say actually around the same time that I was climbing, I was preparing to climb Mount Kilimanjaro along that same line, I was really falling in love with the metaphor of climbing a mountain because in a literal way when I get on the other side that’s not, my life is going to look really different. My dad’s going to have retired from the army. My mom started a new job and I was trying to figure out what I was going to do for my job at the time. And so my contract had ended and for me at that point, I would say that a lot of my self-worth was tied into my career identity. So if I didn’t feel like I was succeeding in that way, that took it such a huge toll on me. And I was like, I’m a failure.

I’m not accomplishing what I came to do when I moved to Albuquerque. It took me a while. I moved back home to Texas afterwards and really was distraught to leave Albuquerque. I felt like I didn’t accomplish what I came here for and it wasn’t until I stepped away and was basically on the other side of that peak when I descended from what was the peak of I moved there in 2014 with no experience, and now I’ve made my way almost five years into this. And when I took a step back to realize the journey I had been on how far I had actually come and the things that I had accomplished, I was so proud of that. And I realized that I had spent so much of my time trying to justify why I was in this field, why I was in the rooms and conversations I was in, instead of leaning into the parts that bring me joy and the parts that pour into me, which is connecting with my community and creating spaces for them and the outdoors.

And so I contemplated leaving this field and I worked different jobs that weren’t related to the environmental field and was really thinking about well, what am I going to do next? Because I don’t want to continue to think that my self-worth is less because I’m not seeing the opportunities or I’m not being paid what I think my skillset is worth. And, almost serendipitously, someone that I had met a few years earlier during a conference reached out about a job opportunity. And that’s how I got into the job that I’m in now. And so it turned into a full circle moment when I realized that what I thought was a really crappy situation was really the fertilizer for the next thing. So I had prepared myself with this skillset and now a seed that I had planted years ago is actually blooming into this brand new opportunity where I have the opportunity to do all the things I dreamed of, to operate in a space of partnership in community, but also creating access for the people that, not only through jobs, that I can relate to that struggle to find a job in this field that they feel validated in, but also to the people that just want to be outside, finding your moment in nature.

And so that was my peak, right? That was my moment when I realized that I didn’t actually reach my summit when I thought I was achieving that job. It wasn’t until I came back and realized self worth that I reached that summit for myself and that I realized it’s me, it’s not the job. It’s not whatever I’m doing and even when I write my bio, I don’t start with my job anymore because that’s not what defines me and brings me worth. So that was my lesson out of that, out of that peak moment, out of that summit isn’t the top that I would use as an example in my career where that metaphor was something that I took comfort in knowing that I had reached this peak, literally, on Mount Kilimanjaro, I can do anything, but also I have all these skill sets that I know I bring to the table so that I don’t have anything to worry about.

Elizabeth:
Whenever I am sitting here thinking about just what you have shared thus far, and then what you are doing in the community, it seems like you’ve been doing this since you came out of the womb. And sometimes that can be… When someone’s wanting to lean into their activism, their leadership, it can be intimidating because it’s well, do I have the qualifications? Or where do I start? So what is some advice that you would give to someone who is just finding their way into wanting to create change?

Leandra:
Yeah, absolutely. So I feel like I’ve been faced with this a couple times in my career, probably more than a couple, but where that inner imposter creeps in, almost another person is sitting in the room telling you in your ear, “Why are you doing this? Who said you could do this?” And you realize, that’s your inner imposter, your self-doubt person. And as relevant as that voice is, I need to hear that for myself, but I don’t need to let that person drive the boat. So what I found most comforting when I felt like I had a supervisor when I was first starting out that made a comment about schools giving out degrees that aren’t really degrees. And that tore me down so much. I had just graduated and I felt like, man, I just did all this work. How could I not have what I need right now? And so I found strength in leaning into the skill sets that I knew I did have.

So I know I enjoy public speaking. I know that I can interpret science. I know that I can build relationships in community. And so that’s what I’m going to worry about. I’m not going to sit and worry about the skill sets that I don’t have because I think I’ll stay in a space of a lack mindset. My piece of advice would be to lean into the things that you know you bring to the table instead of focusing on the things that you don’t think you have. When we do that, we find what we really bring, what our niche is, what our secret language is, the thing that’s unique to you and how you can bring that together. So, yeah. I found a lot of comfort in that instead of focusing on the things that the world was telling me. You need to do this, you need to have another degree to even talk about this. And really, I didn’t. I had relationships that I was forming and things that I was doing for myself that have become really fruitful. So had I listened to that self doubt voice or listened to those people that told me you don’t have those skill sets, then I wouldn’t be doing the things I’m doing today.

Kimala:
What are some of your restorative practices that you do when you feel like your cup is becoming empty?

Leandra:
Oof. So I’ve been talking about this with my therapist a lot recently and figuring out what does it look to pour back into my own cup? And so one of the things I’ve been doing, trying to focus on my workday and outside of work. So during my workday, I try to make sure I insert a sunshine break or a stretch break or some moment to just get away from the computer and make sure I’m giving my brain space to not stare at a screen, but also thinking about what’s my social meter? Am I feeling really social right now? I am a partnership coordinator, but that doesn’t mean I have to force myself into spaces that I’m not feeling up to. Outside of work, does that look like taking care of myself? Definitely looks like hydration.

I think for what that’s one of those things that I definitely sometimes slip up on hydration. I’m like, girl, you need to be drinking water. So hydration and rest are things that I’ve been really focusing on and food as a love language. So I think sometimes I struggle with my relationship to food and I’ve been trying to think more as a love language to myself and to people around me. To nourish our bodies together and to really enjoy meals and think about the things that we’re nourishing ourselves with. And then the things that bring me joy. So that’s clearly time in nature, frolicking in nature, nature journaling, watching birds, but also time to unwind, read a book, wash my hair, re-twist my hair, get cute, things that make me feel good, too. So finding that balance of rest, restoration, but still joy. I think you have to always insert the joy, especially where we are now. I think everything is trying to snatch the joy that is so necessary for us. So yeah, finding moments like that, whether it’s just petting my dog. So that’s what I think that’s what that looks like for me.

Elizabeth:
So when we look at environmental justice and climate change has been something that’s been in the news for years upon years, but how do we turn environmental justice into more than just a trend or a cool hashtag? How do we really embody that as a society, in your opinion?

Leandra:
Yeah. Yeah. Definitely in my opinion. See, the environmental justice movement is one of those things where I feel like it’s always happening. It has been happening. And when we were talking about representation and having that voice is that voice being heard? If you’re yelling into a room of people that are just telling you to be quiet, are they even listening to what you’re saying? And so that’s one of those movements that I feel like ally-ship accomplice-ship, making space for those voices is really necessary part of that movement because I feel like there are people there that have those opinions, they’re doing the advocacy, they’re doing the work, but their voices aren’t being heard. And so I feel like that looks different for different communities, making sure that you’re creating that space for others to share their perspective.

And I feel, I hesitate to even say it because it feels enormous to say it, but not losing hope, choosing love instead of choosing things that don’t feel good. And so that feels like a lot to say right now, but I feel like choosing that is necessary. So really figuring out what does that look like to you? How do I contribute to this movement in a way that feels good to me? And that feels authentic to me. And so is that also making space for someone else?

Kimala:
Yeah. I love that. I think it’s just a beautiful act of resilience to feel that or move towards joy and good feelings, even when it’s the most challenging thing. If there’s one thing that you wish the general population just innately understood, what would it be?

Leandra:
Ooh, about anything? The thing that’s coming to me first to mind right now is just the value of each other as humans and our planet intrinsically. So the value that we have in and of ourselves, I think sometimes there’s this need to create hierarchies and systems of power, and it strips away our humanity and our ability to see each other as individuals, as people, as people with feelings and lives and emotions, but also people with needs and the same way we extract from each other, we’re also extracting from the planet at extremely ridiculous rates. And so consumption, I think, is also contributing to our inability to connect with each other and to have conversations and do the things that would really feed into a better society, into a better planet. So I think I wish people knew how easy it was to choose kindness.

And that sounds kind of cliche, but I think that the space that we’re in, it just feels really farfetched to say that. And I don’t think it’s that hard to not go out of your way to make somebody else’s day worse. So yeah, just the value of human lives and of our planet. And we’re really in sync. We are one, one planet, and one body. So it’s hard to think about that in the picture that we have right now, but in a perfect world, there would be more of an understanding of humanity as a whole and not as power structures and those things.

Elizabeth:
I know SlayTheMic as a hip and R&B radio show. So we love to talk about music. For me, music is also a form of healing, just like the outdoors. Is there a favorite song or artist that you like to listen to?

Leandra:
Yeah, so right now I’m really into Tems. Anything that she is coming up with, I am vibing to right now. And in nature, it just feels like it’s adding this new layer. I love to drive around with my windows down and just have the right song on. So really anything from Tems, but the past couple days, I have Avoid Things on repeat and I can just resonate with some of the lyrics in that song. And I just think her voice is so beautiful. I love her vibe. I am a Tems stan right now, so I that’s who I’m going with.

Kimala:
Well, we are beginning to wind down. First, I just want to thank you like so much for the beautiful story about the mountain you climbed. That’s amazing. That was an incredible story and all the rich wisdom you’ve shared and just open the space up. If there’s something that we didn’t get to that you feel like belongs here.

Leandra:
Yeah. No, this has been such a great conversation. I thank you. All of you for inviting me and having this great conversation. I feel really full right now, just like thinking of some of these memories, but also contemplating on some of the questions we’ve been talking about. I don’t know if there’s anything that I would add. I guess I didn’t share much about myself as an artist and that’s been a journey that has been… I’ve been kind of pouring back into that identity after spending some time saying like, oh, this is just a hobby. So now I’m standing in, I am an artist. So I did want to say that and just share that. And I’ve been trying to practice sharing more about myself and not even feeling it has to be like a humble brag, but just saying who I am. So, yeah. I appreciate this space today and this conversation and I thank you both.

Kimala:
Well, real quick. So for those that are listening and can’t see what I’m about to describe, Leandra is sitting right before three paintings that look very bright and colorful and wavy. Did you do those?

Leandra:
I did. I did. So these, I’ve been doing a lot of acrylic painting over the past year on my back porch, and it’s surrounded by trees. And so I go out with my easel and just listen to the birds and let the paint just kind of flow onto the canvas. And so these are some of the results of just kind of a free flow painting style and just decompressing the day. It’s one of my self-care, one of my main go-to’s is to be able to just paint on the porch and soak up some sun.

Kimala:
They are so beautiful.

Leandra:
Thank you.

Elizabeth:
I love that. Yes. And you should claim all the things that you are all the time. And thank you for talking about that intersectionality and weaving your identity into just one because it is really important that our listeners, our audience and just youth are hearing that you can do it all. You can do it all. I know that I want to follow your journey or if you have social media or other places where we could find you or your artwork, please, would you share if you have any of them?

Leandra:
Yeah, yeah, of course. So I do have a website, seasonallee.com is where I share more about my love for art and science and nature. There’s art that you can buy there. And I also have two Instagrams, so seasonal.lee is going to be more of my art and just our in love for nature. And then at underscore L-E-A-N-D-R-A-A-A, so it should have been four A’s, I think that might have been three, but four A’s. And then another underscore is my personal page and also has some art and just more of the projects that I’ve been working on recently. So those are the ways you can find me and follow me and I’d love to have you follow along.

Kimala:
Awesome. Well, thank you so much, Leandra.

Leandra:
Yeah. Thank you guys for a great conversation.