The best investment Lenéa Sims has ever made

I sat down with Founding Member Lenéa Sims to discuss her experience since joining The Study. Here's what she said...

Pretty Decent: Let's start from the beginning. Where were you at when you first found Pretty Decent?

Lenéa Sims: We met at the very beginning of my business. I was at the point where I was finally ready to make a leap of faith, but I had no fucking idea what I was doing in terms of the business side. I just knew that I wanted to create my own space. And that I wanted to make something I hadn't seen before.

I didn't know, like, how to write my sales page, I didn't know how to actually find my audience. I didn't know how to do anything in any sort of strategic, structured way.

I remember feeling really lost all the time, like I was in the middle of the ocean with not a clue what direction to go in.

PD: Direction! Everyone says we help with finding direction. So what would you say was the first transformation that you noticed?

LS: So the first thing was definitely that I felt like I had all of this amazing messaging. Joining The Study helped me get clear on what I was doing, like "Oh, this is what I do and this is what I'm interested in."

I think when you start your own business, it's easy to get lost in the weeds. You lose perspective of the bigger picture. It's hard to hold the big picture perspective and the detailed perspective at the same time.

If I had to sum it up, I'd say being a member and working with you has helped me feel guided in the process of building the big picture perspective of my business. It helps me take a step back to recalibrate and figure out what the next step is. It helps me find direction.

I feel so much more confident in the language around what I do. As a creative person, I'm an educator first — I don't think of myself as a business person.

I have all the knowledge in me, but no one's ever guided me through organizing it before joining The Study.

PD: So let's back it up a bit. Who are you and what do you do?

LS: So now I can tell you: I am an intuitive guide, and I help people show up joyfully for themselves and for others at Inner Play and Outer Work respectively.

At Inner Play, my work is about coaching people and leading them to new mindsets centered around joy. At Outer Work, it's about coaching people to show up as better community members—specifically for BIPOC—and encouraging them to take real world actions to support and uplift the vision of BIPOC.

PD: Beautiful. Great, great language. What would you say the workload is like?

LS: Super manageable. With Night School, I love that you were like, "This is the one time a week you can show up and work on your business." I think about that a lot, like "Okay, well this is my one time a week where I'm going to do that."

Because the truth of the matter is, yeah—I don't take that time by myself to actually sit and reflect and, again, keep myself on the path. Night School is my time to recalibrate and be like, "Okay, let me make sure I'm headed in the right direction."

So yeah, it's super manageable and I love that it's just something I show up to every week. At the bare minimum I know I have two hours a week to show up and do the thing. And I always feel better for it.

PD: How has your relationship to fulfillment changed since you joined The Study?

LS: I think I've mostly just realized that a lot of what I do is already fulfilling. So instead of feeling like I have to do a million more things to feel fulfilled, it's about having new intentions around what I already do. In the same way that your lessons have helped me find language around the things that are already inside me, I think your fulfillment framework has helped me provide structure to something I'm already doing.

PD: What's the community like?

LS: So chill. I thank my lucky stars every day that you came around and built this because it has introduced me to a lot of people like me who are trying to figure it out. Pretty Decent is a really sweet community of authentic, purposeful people who actually want to help others and aren't just trying to make money. Just so much good, warm energy.

PD: OK, last question. How has your relationship to creativity changed or developed since joining The Study?

LS: I think the biggest transformation for me in terms of the way I think about creativity is that I really now believe, wholeheartedly, that the creative process is creating me—rather than I'm creating something. I never would've thought a year ago I would feel comfortable calling myself a guide. That's something I really resisted. But because I continuously put myself out there in that way, intentionally or not, I now feel really comfortable calling myself that. I feel firm in the fact that that is part of my identity.

Honestly, I just feel way more confident in my work. I actually value the things I have to say now, and I don't feel like I'm hiding anymore.

PD: Cool. Well, I won't take credit for all of that, but it's really good to hear.

LS: You know, who knows. I think the Pretty Decent community has helped me stay committed, honestly. I'm a flighty ass bird, dude. Who knows where I'd be if I didn't have you guys to check in with and chat with all the time—to run questions and ideas by. Having that outlet is so valuable for helping me keep moving forward. It's so easy to get stuck when you're on your own.

PD: Yeah, it is. Welp, what else could a girl ask for in a testimonial? I think that's as good as it gets.

Ready to turn your ideas into an intentional, fulfilling business, one that empowers you to work for yourself from anywhere in the world?

Click here to join The Study.