Work From The Inside Out 171: Make Your Mess Your Message with Shari Leid
Shari Leid’s life started out “a little messy” as she refers to it. Born in Seoul, South Korea, she was abandoned as a baby and has never known her actual birth date, birthplace, or birth name. After being moved to approximately four different locations, Shari was adopted by a Japanese American couple from Seattle. They were older parents, both had been interned in camps during World War Two. Shari reflects on her identity struggles resulting from her own adoption by parents who had their own unresolved issues. Yet, she sees her glass as half full. Shari is grateful for the opportunities she has had, assuming that if her life had not started as it did, she would have grown up under very different circumstances. She studied psychology in college, expecting that she would go on to pursue a graduate degree. Finding that she was moved by her sense of justice, Shari decided to go to law school. She became a litigator because she wanted to have a voice for those who could not speak for themselves. Shari practiced law for 14 years as a criminal prosecutor and as a defense attorney on civil cases for an insurance company. She reached a point where she did not feel as if she was living her purpose. At the same time, Shari was starting her own family by adopting a baby from China who was soon after identified as having developmental delays. Two weeks after bringing the baby home, Shari discovered she was pregnant. She decided to take a break from the law and dedicate herself to being at home with her children. Shari said this was the hardest work she has ever done.
During this time Shari got into fitness and became a trainer. Once her kids were in school she opened a fitness studio but decided to close it when she had to have double hip replacement surgeries in her 30s. In her 40s, she went through a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. She asked herself, “What am I doing here?” This led her to start a coaching practice and writing.
Today, Shari operates An Imperfectly Perfect Life, LLC, a professional mindset coaching business serving clients who are in those tricky middle-age years, helping them create the life of their dreams.
In this week’s Work From The Inside Out podcast, learn more about Shari’s journey:
- Shari is the author of the Friendship Flow transformational book series, which includes The 50/50 Friendship Flow: Life Lessons From and For My Girlfriends and Make Your Mess Your Message - More Life Lessons From and For My Girlfriends.
- She is a certified Life Coach, a Core Dynamic Specialist, and a graduate of the Happiness Studies Academy
Learn more and connect with Shari here:
Stay Connected:
- Connect with Tammy on LinkedIn
- @TammyGoolerLoeb on Instagram
- Work From The Inside Out Website
- Subscribe to newsletter