Meet Leticia DeSuze – From Struggling Single Mom to Successful Mindset and Business Coach
Leticia DeSuze is a holistic mindset coach and business strategist who works with C-level executives and established entrepreneurs who desire to break the 7-figure barrier. Having coached more than 1200 senior leaders and entrepreneurs across multiple industries, Leticia believes that every problem is a mindset problem and that mindset matters most. Leticia has developed a 'laser-like' ability to pierce the facades and identify the deeply engrained thought patterns that have limited her clients' potential, and identify opportunities for accelerated growth. She helps them clearly define what they want and designs the roadmap to get there - while holding them accountable. The result is a life and business they've intentionally created vs. one they've settled for.
Who is Leticia?
I am a single mom of a beautiful 25-year-old daughter named Asia. I am originally from Chicago and now live in the Atlanta area. I love being near water, mountains, and all things nature. I am an introvert who relishes solitude as the highest form of self-care, and I also love people deeply. I love learning. I’m an avid reader, but I mostly learn from life. I am really life smart. I am a people watcher and an observer. It’s probably what drew me to the world of coaching because I am innately curious. I am plant-based and LOVE good food - but it’s really the experience of food. I also love to laugh and tend to play all day even though I’m very serious about my work.
What is it that you do for your clients?
I am a mindset coach and business strategist. Entrepreneurs come to me with both life and business problems. They’re in a place of growth, transition, or crisis and need help to get to what’s next. In a nutshell, I help them see what’s in the way of them reaching their goals and also work through those things with them. Some of my clients are rebranding. Some of them have personal issues that are bleeding into their businesses. Some of them have challenges with leadership. Some of them are looking to get to the next level of growth. It runs the gamut. I am the sounding board. I am the confidante. I am the navigator. I am the sage.
How did you get started coaching?
In 2008 I was selling real estate. I had gotten my broker’s license and started my own brokerage. One day, I talked to a friend, and I said, “I don’t love this. I want to be a coach.” I had no idea what coaching really entailed. Shortly thereafter, the market crashed, and so did my business. I found myself fumbling for consulting opportunities until the market bounced back. I ended up temporarily consulting with an organization where I traveled the nation coaching senior executives in Fortune 500 corporations. What was supposed to be 2 to 6 months turned into 9 years. I was certified as a business coach and left that organization to become an outsourced CEO to small law firms. After that, I started my own coaching practice and have built it to six figures through organic referrals.
What has been your best business strategy?
Nurturing relationships. I have built my business on organic referrals - so much so that I am now starting a referral program. I don’t go looking for people. They come to me. It’s not luck, however. It’s being very intentional about investing and nurturing relationships and building what I call ‘relational equity.’ When your clients know that you’re wholeheartedly invested in their success, they naturally and organically want to share that experience with others.
What has been your biggest mindset challenge?
I felt like I needed permission. I unknowingly apologized or felt the need to apologize for thinking big and dreaming big, and wanting more than so many people around me. I dealt with a lot of guilt and started to play small without realizing it. Before I knew it, I was settling for a life that I didn’t want instead of boldly going after the one I did.
How did you overcome it?
I hired a mindset coach. I made some commitments to myself. I resolved that I might lose some people along the journey and that it was ok. I started taking small steps that led to bigger steps, and I haven’t looked back. Mindset challenges are at every level, though, so it’s not a one-time thing. It’s like building a muscle. It gets simpler as you go to different levels, but it’s never easy because the challenges are greater and the stakes are higher.
What are three tips you would give anyone to help improve their mindset?
First, surround yourself with people who don’t think like you. Whether it’s immersing yourself in books and podcasts, mastermind groups, or personal coaching, you need someone to disrupt your thought patterns and help you to see your blind spots and opportunities for growth.
Second, take immediate action on thoughts that resonate with you. If you take action consistently, you form new beliefs. You will never think your way into a new way of acting, but you can act your way into a new way of thinking. If you don’t take action, you’re just getting more knowledge that won’t serve you if it only lives in your mind.
Third, repair self-trust. When you don’t keep commitments to yourself, you lose self-trust. If you don’t trust yourself, you will sabotage opportunities. Repairing self-trust is all about making decisions quickly and learning to keep commitments. Then you will build the inner confidence that will allow you to handle larger commitments.
What drives you?
Impact. Every day I impact someone’s life and business through mine. That inspires me to consistently get better in every area of my life, so I am deeply committed to my own growth. When I think about that, I realize it’s a huge privilege and responsibility, but I’m grateful to have been entrusted with it.
Another thing that drives me is legacy. I come from a rich legacy - having a great grandfather who was a prominent attorney who fought for West Indian and Panamian workers’ rights. Through a union he formed, they amassed 2500 acres of land, a cinema, and a lunch counter, just to name a few things. And it was shut down by the government. Even though I never met him, it’s a legacy I want to honor by shaping history and restoring wealth to my family.
Do you have a favorite quote?
I have several, but one of them is “Well behaved women seldom make history” by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. Even though in her original iteration, she meant well-behaved women should make history, I believe that being ‘well behaved’ implies going along with systemic and societal norms, expectations, and limits. I don’t believe that you will accomplish anything of substance or impact if you’re not willing to defy them.
Who should hire/work with you?
I have a particular interest in working with C-level execs, established entrepreneurs, and minority women in law who desire to break the 7-figure barrier. I work best with those who have already worked with a coach or those who understand the investment necessary in themselves and their businesses to be successful. For those people, coaching is a ‘no brainer’ -- like having insurance. Also, the very need for coaching is to overcome inner resistance. There’s a level of willingness to do the work that makes coaching relationships the most successful.
What is your big goal? Where do you see yourself in 10 years from now?
In 10 years from now, I will have an eight-figure business. I will be speaking on international stages. I will be a best-selling author. I will be leading coaching retreats and high-level masterminds on my multi-acre property near water. I will also be heavily involved with my nonprofit Beyond Potential, Inc., where I will establish mentoring mansions where single moms can live for up to 2 years and receive holistic life coaching and entrepreneurship training.
How can people connect with you?
