Story & Lesson Highlights with Leanna DeBellevue of Gilbert

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Leanna DeBellevue. Check out our conversation below.

Hi Leanna, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
We were awarded the Business of the Year Award from the local Chamber of Commerce. This was an award I have always wanted to win, and while we had been nominated a few times the win had alluded us. This year we won and while it was an amazing feeling the best feeling was understanding that the reason we won was because of the team we had built. We have the right people in the right seats. So while I had been focused on the recognition in the past, it was in that moment I realized what I had really been chasing was a team that loved our clients as much as I do. It was in that moment that the last 15 years of ups and downs felt 1000% worth it!

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a business owner, wife, mom, lolli (grandma), friend and dog mom. I am sure there are a dozen other titles I could mention that would fit my everyday life. Most days I feel like I am a herder of cats lol! I have owned a digital marketing agency for over 15 years and have found in that my passion is helping others succeed. I love the challenges of finding marketing solutions that help others reach their goals. As we continue to grow my time spent in the office day to day is diminishing which gives me time to follow other passions such as traveling with my husband or spending time with our grandchildren.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
I have two teachers that come to mind. The first was my 5th grade teacher, Mr. Daniels. He saw that I was coasting and challenged me to step into leadership roles within my class and school. He was kind but firm in how he led, and told me what characteristics in me that he saw that made me want to step into that vision he had for me. The second teacher was in college. I was once again coasting and she called me on it. She told me that she saw something greater in me and encouraged me to pursue a different career path. She took me under her wing and helped me see how taking more control of my life could change everything. Both of those teachers believed in me when I didn’t necessarily believe in myself. Both of them pushed me in a way that helped me truly step into my natural abilities and both of them made me feel seen. It is because of their vision that I am the person I am today.

What’s something you changed your mind about after failing hard?
I changed my definition of success. I failed time after time when I was pursuing the wrong thing. I thought success meant a certain car, a house in a particular neighborhood, the list goes on… After a particularly big fail I had a friend who I highly respected told me that maybe I was failing because I was not in alignment with what I really wanted or needed. She helped me see that success (to me) looks like freedom. Freedom of time, intellectual freedom and economic freedom. Once I realized that freedom was the goal it became much easier to make decisions that led to a greater level. In order to obtain freedom of time I let go of doing tasks that were not in my wheelhouse. When I let people do things that they were passionate about not only did I get time back, it also increased our productivity and costs of services. Freedom of time naturally led to economic freedom. Those two freedoms gave me room for more intellectual freedom and starts the growth cycle again. Hardest lesson I learned mostly because it was humbling to realize I spent almost a decade chasing the wrong thing. But without that hard lesson I would not be where I am today!

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Whose ideas do you rely on most that aren’t your own?
For business things I trust my team more than anything. I am definitely not the smartest person in the room when we are all together so I let them run with ideas and trust that they are going to produce amazing things. I have yet to be disappointed. I am there to guide things but the ideas for the day to day are theirs most of the time. For personal things I trust my husband and my two best friends. These are the people who have shown up time and time again and whom I trust completely. They come up with fantastic ideas and it becomes collaborative when we create things. I feel beyond blessed that I have an amazing tribe both at home and at the office.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. If you laid down your name, role, and possessions—what would remain?
What would remain is the one thing that is most important to me – my relationships. I truly believe you become like the 5 people you surround yourself with and I have an amazing group of people who love me unconditionally, believe in me, and show up for me whenever I need them. I am also aware it is a two way street so I try and treat them the same way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.debellevueglobal.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/debellevueglobal
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/debellevueglobal
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/debellevueglobal

Image Credits
Christine Lowell Photography