Meet Vanessa LeMaistre | Speaker & Shaman

We had the good fortune of connecting with Vanessa LeMaistre and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Vanessa, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The most important factor behind my success/ the success of my brand is that we are impacting others in a positive and inspirational way. I feel as if I am here on mission. I truly believe we all are. And now that I know my mission, it is my upmost duty to fulfill my work efficiently and with as much impact as possible for others. Sure I believe we come here to help ourselves grow and evolve, but I truly believe we are here to be in service to others. I have always had a big vision and what makes it big is I want to positively impact as many people as possible. I know how challenging life can be and I also know if I can get through some of the biggest challenges and obstacles, others can as well. Our brand is all about motivating, bringing light and assisting in the great awakening of consciousness. We stand for self-love because we know how hard it can be to be a human being. Especially during these times. We advocate for radical things such as working with the healing plant medicine- Ayahuasca and ancestral healing as a form of healing from all of our ancestral traumas. Our goal is to bring these positive messages to the world, and if we can inspire others to go on their own personal journeys to help create a better and more diverse collective, that to us is success.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art and brand is myself as a creative. Sure I have blog posts, YouTube videos, and podcasts I’ve appeared as a guest on and speeches I have conducted. However, there is so much more to VanessaSoulXo. We sell self-love intention infused candles that are 100% vegan with hand-picked crystals, herbs, and sparkles. I offer insightful tarot/ mediumship readings for people who are looking for guidance over the next 3-6 months. I am an activist on anti-racism and all marginalized people. I facilitate diversity drum healing circles where I encourage courageous conversations to be held; talking circle style. While I am often described as being a spiritual leader or teacher, I believe we can all learn something from everyone, including children. We are also huge on philanthropy. No matter how successful we become, we will always believe in giving back. In honor of Vanessa’s son Kamden who passed away, I created Kamden’s Room. Kamden’s Room is a not-for-profit project where we parter up with Better World Books to donate hundreds of children’s books to kids in need. We also teach them how to meditate. So far we have done this in Baltimore, India, and Haiti. I am most excited about the publishing of my book I have been working on for 8 years now called Believe In Your Soul. It is in the final editing stages, next will be publishing. I am looking forward to giving tons of copies out to homeless people one day. My path has not been easy because being a modern day shaman would not be easy for anyone as ironic as that would be. A true shaman’s path comes with many challenges, let alone the aspect of actually walking the path that is already chosen for the shaman. When I first heard from mystics that I was a shaman I had a hard time accepting that. Just the responsibility that comes with it. For a long time I resisted the calling. But when you resist a calling from Spirit, it can come with consequences so you can hear the calling loud enough. From losing the best gift ever given to me, my son Kamden to having issues with spiritual initiations, to feeling lost for a long time was arduous to say the least. Things got a little bit easier for me once I accepted that the way I am responding to my call of shamanism which is to do what I have always wanted to do- be an inspirational speaker. I can still do the other things such as healings, readings, extractions, and drum circles. But I can also do what my most authentic calling is which is to speak. Walking to the beat of my own drum has never been easy but it has always rang true to my soul. Other ways I got through these challenges is I never, ever gave up. I knew that if I could get through serious traumas in my short lifespan and never give up, I knew that giving up was never an option for me. I’ve always been resilient and giving up is something I simply don’t believe in because I believe we are here for something greater than even ourselves. Completing my M.A. in Resilient Leadership was extremely cutting-edge and life changing which definitely helped me as a lifelong resource. Another thing that helped me overcome my challenges was going back to my spiritual roots. Connecting with spiritual lineages tied to my roots, such as the African Traditional Religions and truly especially God. These spiritual tools helped connect me back to myself, and to my Higher Self which I believe always leads us in the right direction of our calling. Something else that sets me apart is I am not concerned with copying others or following “what works.” I am walking my path and my path is my own journey. I’m here to do things differently which most people can appreciate.

Some lessons I have learned along the way are: don’t take yourself too seriously, your lifetime is temporary, you know all the answers deep inside, don’t try to force things with urgency- flow instead, live life gracefully, forgive others starting with yourself, go to the deep wounds within yourself and face them then show up in the complete opposite way, understand that life is alive as well, if you attune to the present moment you will find that there is magic there, appreciate the lessons we learn for it is an opportunity to grow, if we don’t do something to change things then things won’t change, with great vulnerability comes true transformation, Ayahuasca won’t heal you but it will show you what you need to look at in order to heal, we are all like different shades of colors yet we are all still just like crayons, have no fear God is here, don’t regret anything for there is always something to learn and an opportunity for more self-love.

I think what sets me apart from others is we are organic and authentic, you won’t find a carbon copy of our brand anywhere. We are the brand and we am creating it as our evolving story continues.

I want the world to know that what we stand for is reclaiming ones power, believing in your soul, Self- Love, connecting to higher spiritual learnings for a heightened sense of consciousness, and that we are all about equal rights.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my bestie were visiting I would take them to a whole bunch of places! For brunch; I would definitely take them to Blu Jam Cafe, Toast, Catch L.A., Tiago Coffee Bar + Kitchen, and République. For a midday snack, I would definitely take them to Boba Time for the world’s best boba! Who doesn’t like boba?! For lunch spots, we would go to Petit Trois, The V Tree Vegan Soul Food in Hollywood, Dog Haus for the best impossible burger, Country Style Jamaican Restaurant for the best Ackee and saltfish in L.A., we would visit Porridge + Puffs, and Urth Cafe for the ambiance. For drinks definitely EP+LP, the Mondrion Skybar, the Roosevelt pool bar, Upstairs at the Ace Hotel, and Perch. For a dive bar vibe I would take them to Good Times at Davey Wayne’s and The Study Hollywood for some good ol’ reggae vibes. For dinners I would take them to nice places along the Pacific Coast Highway such as Mastro’s Ocean Club Malibu or Nobu Malibu. On a low-key night I would take them to Bestia, Bottega Louie, Fig Olive or Angelini Osteria. For hikes, definitely Wattles Garden Park, Bronson Canyon and Franklin Canyon. We would definitely check out the nudist bath house Wi Spa and also Beverly Hot Springs for some peaceful relaxation. I would take them sight seeing up on the Hollywood Hills and some chill time hitting Venice Beach.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would dedicate my shoutout to a psychic named Dino. He is a seer/ prophet who has helped me along my path. He does not have a website or anything but he is the local psychic right on Hollywood Blvd right over the stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He is phenomenal, genuine, and gifted.

Website: www.vanessasoulxo.com

Instagram: @vanessasoulxo

Twitter: @vanessasoulxo

Facebook: @vanessasoulxo

Youtube: vanessasoulxo

Image Credits
Aaron Lacey