Lenea Sims

Artist, anti-racism educator and creative energy coach Lenea Sims is one of my guiding lights online, her thoughtful writing as well as her shining sense of humor always inspire. Lenea is the founder of Inner Play, Outer Work—an online community space dedicated to communal, compassionate education and change, on both personal (Inner Play) and collective (Outer Work) levels. (NOTE: This interview was conducted in April, 2020 before Outer Work was founded.) I particularly appreciate her words on fear, ““Stress around sharing is related to deeper issues of being seen which relate to low self-worth which is really just fear! When we can identify that and make a commitment to not letting fear stop us, it gets easier and easier.”

How would you describe what you do?

Picking a title is incredibly hard for me since I feel like I'm always always always evolving in how I relate to what I do, but to make it simple I'll call myself a creative energy coach! Basically, I help people unblock their energy using creativity, play, and a dash of neuroscience and psychology so they can align with whatever they're trying to manifest in their lives!

How do you deal with the continual ebb and flow of “success” as a creative person?

I think it's important to define what success means for yourself in terms that have nothing to do with external validation. If I think of success as having a certain amount of money, for example, that doesn't account for the things that are out of my control like the economy or unforeseen circumstances. But, if I think of my success as dependent on whether I was able to create something today, then I can control that 99% of the time and it's easier for me to be at ease when and if I don't meet that goal. 

When is a time you felt really successful? Or a time you felt like you failed?

In 2018, I was invited to speak at SXSW about energetic health which was such an honor and felt like a real success moment for me. In keeping with my above answer, it wasn't that I had the approval of these gatekeepers that made me feel successful, but that I was able to share my message with more people on a (literally) larger stage. Sharing my gifts is another one of my markers of success so that was a huge win!

What is your biggest struggle as a person in creative industry?

Getting over-inspired! I'm very energetically porous so I have to be careful not to over-consume media of any kind or else I get scattered and unfocused on my own goals.

What is your daily routine? Your weekend routine?

I'm generally pretty anti-routine because, at a certain point, it becomes another way for us to check out of what our energy needs. That said, the few things I do every day include: meditating for 5-10 minutes as soon as I get up, my morning energy exercises, making a to-do list for the day. From there, I let my day flow in and out of what needs to be done and what I want to do, checking in with my energy at various points along the way.

How do you motivate yourself to actually get things done and/or maintain some level of productivity? 

As you can probs tell by now, for me, everything is energy! So, whenever I'm feeling hesitant about producing work, I check in with my energy using techniques I've developed. These help me to understand and release the deeper issues at hand and, after that, I'm good to go!

How do you manage the stress/anxiety that’s inevitable with putting yourself out there?

Same as above! Stress around sharing is related to deeper issues of being seen which relate to low self-worth which is really just fear! When we can identify that and make a commitment to not letting fear stop us, it gets easier and easier.

How do you know when it’s time to rest?

My energy tells all!

How do you manage the internet/social media?

When we are constantly looking at devices, our physical tolerance may build, but our energetic tolerance doesn't change. The key, then, is to take regular breaks so that you can train your physical body to remember what it's like to not have media constantly. Then, when you go back, you'll find yourself more aware of when it's starting to take a toll on your energy.

Do you collaborate, and if so, what’s your collaborative process like? 

Yeah, I love collaborating with other unassuming energy workers! What I mean by that is people who are not necessarily "energy healers" by trade but who are very much in tune with their energy – artists, writers, and also alternative healing practitioners. Right now, I'm mostly collaborating with people who want to offer virtual events through my platform or who want to sell their work in our "Camp Store."

What’s your big dream? Do you have one? How do you set goals/set yourself up to achieve?

My big dream is to be the Martha Stewart of energy and for Inner Play to be like the Glossier of energy hygiene. I'm tired of seeing energy work being relegated to the woo-woo spiritual realm, when really it's benefits are quite practical and beneficial to everyone. I think it needs to hit the mainstream and I want to be the one to make that happen by creating fun and accessible products that support our energetic health!

How do you deal with people not liking you, liking your ideas or being jealous of you? 

I honestly don't feel like I deal with this a ton! I'm blessed in that respect, I suppose :)

Follow Lenea on Instagram or find her at Inner Play, Outer Work