Today we’d like to introduce you to Loretta Turner.
Hi Loretta, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My journey to becoming a Mindful Community Leadership Coach started as early as my childhood. I grew up in the church and was often “voluntold” what to do in my community (e.g., spend my Sundays helping at soup kitchens or shoveling snow for the elderly). That naturally piqued my interest in the nonprofit sector, and, inevitability, I landed in the sector when I pursued my first college internship. Around the same time, on a whim, I decided to pursue my 200-HR yoga teacher certification. My dance background drew me to the flexible yoga postures, but it was the concepts of mindfulness and self-realization that really hooked me. Within five years, I was teaching yoga and meditation all over Northern New Jersey and helping a small nonprofit that brings yoga to detention centers, hospitals, and rehabs scale to a national level. And then I decided to pull the rug out from underneath myself by moving 2,700 miles away to San Diego. I dropped everything. I stopped teaching yoga. I gave up my position within the nonprofit organization and just decided that it was time to begin again and reinvent myself. In my last three years as a San Diegan, I earned my Master’s in Nonprofit Management & Leadership degree from the University of San Diego, pursued a Leadership & Executive Coaching certificate, and worked and consulted with several worthwhile nonprofits across San Diego County. I recently returned to the mat as a yoga teacher at Spirit Yoga Studios in Pacific Beach. Earlier this year, I took the opportunity to reflect on the culmination of my professional experiences. What I uncovered is how much I value mindfulness, community, and leadership. That is where I found the inspiration to blend my various skillsets into one business: Loretta Turner – Mindful Community Leadership.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My life is truly a testament to my business tagline: IT ONLY WORKS IF YOU DO. Put simply: if you want it, you have to work for it. The work isn’t easy, and it never was meant to be. My road has been incredibly rocky and uneven at times–and that is where I have learned my hardest and best lessons. Some of the lessons learned include knowing when to say no, understanding the toxicity of people-pleasing, and most importantly, making my emotional and physical wellbeing a priority. IT ONLY WORKS IF YOU DO also translates to just that—you can only do the work if you are functioning well. If you don’t take care of yourself, then you’re just going to make things harder for yourself.
As you know, we’re big fans of Loretta Turner – Mindful Community Leadership. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
I strive to help people of all ages and backgrounds become more mindful community leaders. I do that through a three-tiered business: yoga & meditation, mindfulness and leadership coaching, and nonprofit consulting. My ideal clients are those who change-makers who care about their communities and their own well-being. I specialize in helping people integrate mindfulness into everything they do and help people understand their leadership capabilities. I specialize in challenging people’s perspectives about themselves and their future and I support small-to-medium-sized nonprofits in building stronger infrastructure. My specialized services include 1. yoga and meditation sessions 2. mindfulness and leadership coaching 3. nonprofit consulting (small-to-medium-sized nonprofits). What am I most proud of? I am most proud of the community I have created across this country! The silver lining of a global pandemic is normalizing connections through virtual platforms. What sets me apart from others is that the work I do in Mindful Community Leadership is rooted in my own experiences. No other person on this earth has lived my life—with all its triumphs and heartache—and that’s what makes me and my services unique. Everything I offer is meant to challenge and change you, but I promise it’s all worth celebrating in the end!
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
1. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or ask for help. You’d be surprised at how many people are willing to provide you information and guidance! 2. Don’t be afraid to do things alone. There’s much to be learned when you’re exploring things on your own and when you don’t have the influence of others’ opinions. 3. IT ONLY WORKS IF YOU DO. You know your life better than anyone else. You know what you want better than anyone else. Believe it or not, you have the answers to what’s next. And you have to be willing to put the work in to uncover those answers. You have to be willing to get uncomfortable. You have to want it more than you fear it.
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@lorettaturner.com
- Website: www.lorettaturner.com
- Instagram: @loretta.leads
- Facebook: facebook.com/loretta.leads
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/loretta-turner-mindful-community-leadership-san-diego-2
Image Credits
My Sun and Stars Co.
