More About the Creator: Who is Le’Asia Imanne?
What’s up, y’all! A few of you have told me that you want to know more about me and my everyday life, so I decided to dedicate this post to sharing more about my background, the things I enjoy, and the purpose behind my blog! 🙂
Background
To kick things off, I’m a Georgia peach – born and raised in the city of Augusta, a town filled with southern charm and home of the Augusta National’s Masters Golf Tournament. I grew up here with my mom, stepdad, and younger sister, Christian. Augusta is essentially where my roots were formed and where my love for faith, family, and the south stem from. I also have a younger brother, Eythain, who lives in Greenville, South Carolina with my dad and stepmom. Anyone close to me knows that my mom is one of my best friends! The bond and relationship that we have is truly something special. I could write a whole post on her alone, but I’ll save that for another time!
After graduating from high school (The Academy of Richmond County), I moved to Charlotte, North Carolina to attend Queens University of Charlotte, where I studied Business Administration and Finance. College is definitely one of the most memorable experiences of my life! It expanded my knowledge and worldview, introduced me to international travel, blessed me with amazing friendships, and taught me many valuable life lessons. What I valued most about my experience at Queens was its small, intimate campus, the phenomenal and caring professors, faculty, and staff, and the culture of service and community. The university’s motto is “Non ministrari sed ministrare,” which means “Not to be served, but to serve.” This motto became a way of life for me, and I appreciate Queens for instilling this value in me as well as teaching me the importance of servant-leadership. Queens also showed me what positive community looks like and how this type of environment fosters a sense of belonging and contributes to the success of those who make up said community.
After, graduating from Queens, I moved to Michigan where I started my career in Finance at Ford Motor Company and obtained my MBA from the University of Michigan. I am truly grateful for the experiences I had and the amazing people I also met while living in Michigan; but if I can be honest, this was one of the most challenging seasons of my life. One where I experienced feelings of doubt, uncertainty, loneliness, and sadness. There were times when I also felt lost, broken, and even purposeless. Despite the lows of this particular season of my life, I value this time in my life because it created space for learning (and unlearning), refining, healing, and self-discovery. As a result, I experienced tremendous growth personally, professionally, and most of all spiritually.
After a few years in Michigan, I decided to move back down south in 2019 to the place that stole my heart a few years prior…Charlotte! (I shared a little bit about that experience and what prompted the move in my blog post “Life Update.”) In June, it will be two years since I moved back and it has been one of the most amazing, fulfilling journeys so far – everything from the city’s offerings and people to the professional experiences I’ve had to date. I’ll have to share another life update with you all soon!
Hobbies & Favorites!
So what do I enjoy?! I absolutely love traveling and have been blessed to travel to some pretty amazing places throughout my 20’s. I’ve traveled to South Africa, Guatemala, Canada, Panama, Kenya, Tanzania, Cuba and a number of states across the U.S. Of all of the places I’ve traveled to, Zanzibar, Maui, and Asheville have been some of my favorites travel destinations to date. In terms of my next trip, I’d love to visit an island in the Caribbean or a country in South America! So if you have any recommendations, please share them in the comment section below!
I’m also a BIG foodie! I love trying new dishes and restaurants, and you can often find me smiling and doing a happy dance when I’m eating a bomb meal, haha! When dining out, my preferred place to sit is outside; so anytime the weather permits, you’ll catch me eating patio side enjoying the sunshine. Some of my favorite restaurants in Charlotte are Flying Biscuit, Tupelo Honey, The Crunkleton, White Duck Taco Shop, Pinky’s Westside Grill, Futo Buta, Leah & Louise, Oak Steakhouse, and O-Ku. So if you live in Charlotte or plan to visit in the future be sure to check them out! A few other things I enjoy include: spending quality time with my family and friends, listening to music (my favorite genres are R&B, Jazz, and Contemporary Worship), kickboxing, and writing of course 😉
I’m also a sucker for Starbucks! I love their white chocolate mocha and the overall atmosphere. I find that I’m very productive in this space and similar coffee shops. Some of my favorite local coffee shops are The Hobbyist, Summit Coffee, and Not Just Coffee. I also love candles and fresh flowers! These are two things you will often find in my apartment. I don’t know how to fully explain what candles and fresh flowers do for me, but they make my apartment feel more cozy and inviting. They also incite feelings of peace, relaxation, and joy for me. My favorite candle scents are vanilla and lemongrass verbena, and my favorite flowers are sunflowers, country roses, and tulips!
More About “Imanne Speaks“
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while now, you have a pretty good sense of what to expect when you visit “Imanne Speaks,” but I’d love to use this opportunity to elaborate more on the purpose of my blog and what inspired my blogging journey. In essence, I believe that God has gifted and called me to write to be a light in this world and to point others to Him as well as to be a source of inspiration and encouragement to others. I also personally enjoy helping others and believe my blog is an avenue for me to do so.
When I reflect on the times I’ve felt most connected and inspired in my life, it was because of someone’s courage to share their story. Through these interactions, I’ve learned the power of transparency and vulnerability as well as their ability to connect and inspire others. Because of this, “Imanne Speaks” has evolved into a collection of personal stories, reflections, and insights which exists to inspire and encourage others, particularly millennial women, along their personal, professional, and spiritual journey.
My mom was also another huge source of inspiration for me when it came to starting my blog. I’ve always admired how she uses her gift of writing to glorify God and uplift others. (You can check out some of her blog posts at “Poetic Inspirations.”) Some of you may also be wondering what inspired the name, “Imanne Speaks.” Well, Imanne {pronounced: e-mah-nee} is my middle name. It also happens to mean faith, which is a very important part of my life and who I am today. Hence, many of my posts are also centered around faith. In addition to feeling inspired and encouraged after reading my posts, my prayer is that readers are strengthened in their faith as well.
If you’ve read one or several of my blog posts, I hope that you’ve been inspired, encouraged, or maybe even challenged in some way. I hope that my posts have also been a reminder to you that you are not alone in your experiences and that your personal story is beautiful and meaningful. With that said, I hope that you will begin to share or continue sharing your story with others in whatever way is most authentic to you.
I hope you enjoyed learning a little more about me and thank you for reading, “Imanne Speaks!” Your interest, support, and engagement mean more to me than you’ll ever know.
With love and gratitude,
Imanne 🙂
