Today we’d like to introduce you to Leilah Lewinson
Hi Leilah, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My journey started off as making natural hair videos on Instagram and YouTube during the pandemic. Throughout my endeavors, I gained a lot of support from friends and others. I found this journey to be a backbone of the uplifting community I built, but this was just the start. My natural hair videos were getting recognized by hair companies and I started collaborating with major natural hair companies. This allowed me to use my platform to encourage people that look like me to embrace their natural hair. My videos weren’t just product reviews, they were self empowerment and self love videos to show that it’s a process to love yourself and the texture of hair you have. Being proud to show off the versatility of natural hair is why I continue to make content to encourage others to love on their natural hair no matter the type, texture, or length!
My next journey started as I entered my first year of college. Coming into college a freshman in fall 2021, things were not easy nor normal. I was recruited to play Division III tennis at a local college (Agnes Scott College) to my hometown. Student athletes stories at this level aren’t prioritized as much as they should be. The talks about Mental Health regarding athletes isn’t as common at this level despite we dedicate ourselves to both sides of being a student and an athlete dispute the ongoing stigmas about student athletes. The mental health of student athletes is just as important as anyone else and the most impactful thing we can do is normalize conversations about mental health, provide resources, and encourage the use and benefits within them. As a Division III student athlete I’ve had multiple NIL deals, I’ve traveled to NCAA Division III Conventions, I’m the Student Athlete Advisory Committee President at Agnes Scott College (working to enhance the student athlete experience here and increase mental health resources and awareness), and finally I am an athletic communications intern for our athletic conference CCS (Collegiate Conference of the South) with hope to bring these initiatives I’m working on at my school to a larger platform to find more ways to support Division III student athletes in every way possible.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road, there’s always the self awareness and comparative aspects that come in to play when you see other creators content doing more numbers than you or gaining more followers than yours but most importantly I always remember that I’m not doing this for the views I doing this for a purpose. My purpose is to reach those who can use my platform as encouragement whether that’s in self love, taking care of themselves mentally, or just encouraging a fellow student athlete that we are strong, capable, asking for help is okay and normal. We can’t always fight everything alone it’s alright to rely on those around you to pick you up when you’re down.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Throughout my college career, I found my love and passion for art at a higher level. I’m a Studio Art major with a specialization in Graphic Design. I’m proud of my conceptual art that’s made based on being “Healthy Art”. I use this creative concept to visualize the importance of health (both mentally and physically), tennis, and further creations based on text and typography. I create some silly and trendy digital art but I also create imperfect pieces. I’m proud that I’ve come to a place in my artistic journey where I’ve stopped comparing myself to other artistic and accept and embraced imperfection in my work. What sets me apart from others most is my authenticity and creativity to use my art as comfort and encouragement to others and myself.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Risk taking is a courageous act that many don’t partake in due to a fear of outcome. I myself can confirm I’ve been in situations where I wanted to maybe speak up or say what was on my mind but I was fearful of judgement or maybe even rejection. We should take risks that can positively impact us in the long run. Sometimes it’s going the extra mile to talk with a person you met at a conference and that can become a connection to a job offer. I took that risk and it landed me an internship for my athletic conference (CCS). Weigh your outcomes before you take the risk and think about what positivity there can be for you in the future.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leilah.i/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@leilahelle
