We’re looking forward to introducing you to Leslie Brooks. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Leslie, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: When was the last time you felt true joy?
The last time I truly felt joy was during one of my women’s social events — a night filled with raw honesty, laughter, and connection. The room was buzzing with energy; women were showing up for each other in real time, not with judgment or advice, but with genuine curiosity and support. We talked about motherhood, identity, and what it means to be both strong and exhausted at the same time.
What made it joyful wasn’t just the conversation, it was the sense of belonging. Every woman felt seen, understood, and valued in her struggle. Together, we brainstormed tangible ways to help each other, proving that healing doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens in community.
For me, that’s joy. Watching women remember that they don’t have to do life alone, and knowing that connection is the key to unlocking doors we can’t open by ourselves.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi, I’m Leslie Brooks certified somatic coach, a joy‑first boundary coach for daughters of narcissistic mothers. I turn therapy insight into embodied courage: we build capacity for joy now, train clean, direct language, and rehearse in community until your yes/no is unfuckwithable.
I’m a big‑energy, consent‑led straight shooter—velvet heart, steel spine. I cuss with precision, laugh loud, and keep it trauma‑aware. Clients find me when they’re done being used and ready to be lovingly confrontational.
I host IRL belonging circles (Asheville Women Who Wine + Peaceful Goddess Project) and create tools so women can practice it calm and use it hot. My work is part mama bear, part microphone—protective, bold, and wildly practical.
Right now I’m building a group coaching program for daughters of narcissistic mothers; hosting EMBODY: A Retreat for Joy & Boundaries (November 20–23); working 1:1 with private clients; and leading Asheville Women Who Wine—the IRL extension of my Full‑Body Fuck Yes ethos. I also co‑lead the Peaceful Goddess Project with my colleague Kathy Harlow, where we talk all things trauma, connection, and community.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I was the big, brash, bubbly kid who loved people out loud—and got labeled “too much” for it. I’ve always trusted clean, direct communication because that’s how I feel safest and most connected. Over the years I was told to quiet down, take up less space, be more palatable. I’m done with that. I’m coming home to the version of me that doesn’t apologize for a spotlight moment, because taking up space isn’t a liability—it’s leadership. My work now helps other women reclaim that same bigness with joy first, boundaries intact, and language that’s loving and precise. If you’ve ever been told you’re “too much,” welcome. Around here, we call that exactly enough.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
Belonging. Growing up with a narcissistic mother, I learned to assume that rooms full of women weren’t safe for me. That belief kept me small and on the edges. I’ve fought like hell to reclaim belonging, and now I build the spaces I needed: consent‑led, mama‑bear‑protected, joy‑first communities where women can come into their own. Every woman belongs in community—not after she’s “fixed,” but right now.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
The first step in healing isn’t mindset: it’s bodyset. Most of us don’t choose the thoughts that pop up; an ungrounded mind is a worst‑case‑scenario machine. When you reopen the channel of sensation, feet on the floor, weight in your legs, breath at your nostrils, you get present enough to touch the story without drowning in it. As a Somatic Experiencing student and somatic coach, I see this daily: sensation → regulation → clean language → real choice. Build the sensation channel back, and you can claim joy in real time. When in doubt, come back to your body. That’s home.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
The bridge to belonging. I’m the wing‑woman who notices you at the edge of the room, folds you into conversation, and keeps a quiet eye out so you feel safe. They’d miss my empathy without enmeshment—that “she really gets it” feeling…born from a life that lets me resonate without one‑upping. They’d miss the way I translate their experience back so they feel seen, and the co‑regulated spaces where you don’t have to audition for community. In short: the watchdog‑meets‑welcoming‑committee energy that turns strangers into friends, and keeps everyone brave.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lesliebrooksclc.com
- Instagram: @LeslieBrooksCLC
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BMrY7ernh/?mibextid=wwXIfr
