Today we’d like to introduce you to Treasa Leigh Brown.
Treasa Leigh, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
You could say I was a “social butterfly” growing up. I somehow always found myself becoming the head of social committees, naturally planning birthdays, corporate holiday parties and annual events — you could say I had a passion for bringing people together to celebrate and be entertained. When I was growing up, I wanted to be a Solid Gold dancer and then a corporate lawyer (a duality that makes a lot of sense now!).
After becoming a teen mom, leaving abusive relationships and feeling like I had no support in the world, I put myself through University and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Comm). I was on my path to pursuing a corporate career as an accountant. It silenced my creative side but served me through a period of time when I needed support — a theme that would become a cornerstone of my own becoming.
Then, life happened again.
After battling cancer, my life path quickly changed, and I set out to launch a global event planning company Leigh Events. Little did I know that this passion of mine would quickly manifest into an award-winning Toronto-based special events planning, design, and management company, in both the wedding and corporate sector.
Due to my corporate background, it only made sense to later expand my clientele to work with some amazing brands, organizations, and people who I feel grateful to get to fly all over the world to work for. (Atlanta is a favorite destination.)
You could say things really took off and manifested quickly, and I’m forever grateful that I remained resilient in the pursuit of my passions.
Today, I’m on a mission to make sure that women are able to do the same. That’s led me to launch a community-based event — the ‘We Rise’ Brunch for female entrepreneurs and women of color who lack the support, resources, and mentors they need to help them succeed. And I also finally started sharing more of my personal moments on my lifestyle blog, Written by Leigh.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Life has a funny way of putting you on your path.
Looking back, I’m glad that I pursued business in the way that I did because it gave me the fundamental resources and experience that I needed to successfully build a company of my own.
The lesson here is that as a young woman, I didn’t have the support that I needed to rise, but if you’re resourceful and work with what you have — you can try and start to create some type of magic.
After all, life is too short not to try. Trust me.
When I found myself in a hospital bed battling cancer well into my corporate career, my life was never the same afterwards. I decided I wasn’t going to go back to the typical 9-5. I knew that I needed to “live fully” and take a leap of faith towards my passions — and that’s what I did.
The moments I’m sharing with you about my life are rooted in the idea that difficult moments can actually be the humble beginnings that will fuel your rise.
So, to answer the question, I don’t believe that anyone’s road to success is a smooth one. Because that’s not what it’s meant to be. It’s meant to be a meaningful one.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Leigh Events & Leigh Event Group – what should we know?
I’m known for my attention to detail and curated sense of aesthetic. I love to try and tell a client’s story through imagery and simplistic elements — that are ripe with richness and meaning. With the help of my talented team, we focus on representing our clients and reaching deep to evoke emotion from each experience that we create.
My travels have inspired a lot of my design work, and I love anything to do with music, art, fashion, and culture.
You could say that I love the development of intimate stories told through aesthetics, from the little details to the large, with love, punch, and depth of the story.
At the end of the day, our approach to each event we create for our clients is one of collaboration, sprinkled with a little bit of awe and wonder.
I’m most proud of the projects that evoke memorability from my clients, and I’m grateful I get to travel around the world to the places that they call home.
With the help of my amazing team, we work to carefully craft meaningful moments that are full of intricate details for an everlasting memory in time.
Finding a mentor and building a network are often cited in studies as a major factor impacting one’s success. Do you have any advice or lessons to share regarding finding a mentor or networking in general?
All women inspire me. We’re powerful and limitless through our unique skills and traits.
As I mentioned, I come from humble beginnings, and that drives me.
As the saying goes, I didn’t get to choose the cards life gave me, but I did decide to play the hell out of the hand I was dealt.
As I mentioned, there was a time in my life that I didn’t feel I had female mentors to support me. What got me through that was the pursuit of becoming the highest version of myself. Not just because I had to show up for me, but because I had to show up for other people.
From the teen mom struggling to figure out how she’s going to feed her newborn baby, to my dearest friends in the industry who hustle alongside me each and every day. To the powerful women I know sitting on the board of directors, and the young women making changes in their communities and schools — you are limitless.
As my loving husband always says, you inspire me. And I just want to see you win. Without each other, none of this would really matter anyways.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.leighevents.com , www.leigheventgroup.com, www.writtenbyleigh.com, www.werisebrunch.com
- Phone: 647-473-8368
- Email: info@leighevents.com, info@leigheventgroup.com, info@writtenbyleigh.com, info@werisebrunch.com
- Instagram: @leigheventsco , @leigheventgroup , @writtenbyleigh , @werisebrunch
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leighevents/ and https://www.facebook.com/leigheventgroup/ and https://www.facebook.com/writtenbyleigh/
- Twitter: @leigheventsco and @leigheventgroup and @writtenbyleigh
Image Credit:
Photography for all images are: Samantha Clarke Photography
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