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Leslie is a pioneer in the role of guided imagery in psychotherapy and integrative medicine, and is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with Master's Degrees in both dance and psychology. Leslie is also an ordained minister in an interfaith Sufi tradition. Her unique background and creative work has been influential in a health-care revolution that recognizes the role of meaning and the spiritual dimensions of life as an integral part of health and healing.

Her expertise on body-mind health appears in national publications including Family Circle, Natural Health, and Body + Soul. An engaging speaker, she lectures in a broad range of setting that has included KRON Television, the National Wellness Conference, Uncovering the Heart of Higher Education Conference hosted by the California Institute of Integral Studies and the Fetzer Institute, to name just a few. For more information, visit LeslieDavenport.com.

Thank you for Leslie taking the time to answer some questions for us!  To start, please tell us about the latest project you've worked on.
 
Thank you for the opportunity to join this wonderful community of authors and artists.

My first book, Healing and Transformation Through Self Guided Imagery, was released in February of this year by Celestial Arts/Random House.  It shows readers how to access their own inner wisdom through guided imagery in order to transform moments of pain and emotional turmoil into opportunities for growth and self-realization. It also reminds us that every human heart is connected to a source of wisdom that surprises the most thoughtful mind.  So whether someone is seeking guidance for a current crisis, reflecting on a significant life transition, or deepening gratitude in simple day-to-day moments, it’s a guide for getting out of our heads, and into our soulful lives.

I’m now writing a small book meant to be carried in a pocket or purse. It is full of simple but deep tools for tapping into the wonder and mystery of our human experience anytime, anywhere.

Do you also do speaking engagements, or seminars?
 
Yes – I’m all about inviting people into the experience of their own wise heart, and talks and workshops really support that kind of direct exploration. It’s an easy way to facilitate an imagery experience, and being able to answer audience questions lets me work with a wide range of interests and levels.
 
What type of work is the most rewarding or satisfying for you?
 
I once heard that a group of people who survived a near-death experience were asked to talk about how that experience changed them, and how they now understood the purpose of life. All the comments could be boiled down to variations on this statement: The purpose of life is to grow in wisdom, and learn to love more.
 
Joining people from all walks of life around the themes of love and wisdom is the most rewarding work to me, and guided imagery is a remarkable way of exploring those themes.
 
Who inspires you on a personal or business level?
 
I know this may sound corny, but it’s true:
 
(Not in any particular order)
My partner inspires me through his fierce commitment to love.
My kids inspire me as I watch them find the paths that rise up to meet their feet.
My clients inspire me through their vulnerability and making sense of life’s beautiful messes.
My colleagues inspire me through their wit, compassion and commitment.
My cats inspire me though their humor and instincts.
 
All of these things and more are vital supports to me, and so to my work.
 
How did you get started as a writer?
 
Fate picked me up by the nape of the neck. I didn’t consider myself a writer, nor did I expect to write a book. I do, however, love guided imagery’s depth and power in people’s lives, and I think my passion was an ink magnet.
 
I was giving a talk about my work with guided imagery at a conference called Innovations in HealthCare in San Francisco, and someone in the audience approached me after the talk. She identified herself as connected to a publishing house and told me the publisher would be very interested in my work. Though I took this compliment with a grain of salt, by the following week, I was having lunch with the publisher.
 
While I was excited by the opportunity of a writing a book, I had a learning curve when it came to the art and craft of being a writer. My former career for many years was as a professional modern dancer, and words were not the most natural form of expression for me.
 
My first sessions of writing felt like trying to squeeze the last bit of toothpaste from an old tube: …..guided……..imagery………...is…..…..about…...the…    
 
I have to confess I was a little suspicious of words. A quote by St. John of the Cross helped me get past my word bias: They can be like a sun, words. They can do for the heart what light can for a field.  After a while, the writing began to flow, and my fingers eventually linked to my inspiration and vocabulary.
 
What can you recommend for writers who are just getting started and are trying to make a name for themselves?
 
Stay true to your own heart, and be active in responding to opportunities to speak about the things in life that light you up. Find out what is vital to others. Find a way in whatever you are doing that nourishes your being.  Don’t make assumptions about who would be interested in you or your work – be curious and open to surprises.
 
Have you ever had a mentor, or someone who sparked your passion for writing? Who is your favorite writer/author?
 
Writers that make me stop and look through fresh eyes are my heroes. I love poets in particular: Mary Oliver, Rumi, Pablo Neruda, Wendell Barry, T.S. Eliot, Leonard Cohen are currently at the top of my list.
 
Finally, a most important question: what was the last song you sang out loud when you were by yourself?  :)
 
What a difference a day makes…

Thank you Leslie! We wish ongoing success with your book Healing and Transformation Through Self Guided Imagery!