Leslie M. Bosserman: Being a Blessing to Others

Did you think of yourself as a creative kid? What does creativity look like for you these days? 

Growing up in Northern California in a churchgoing, two-parent family, I had a lot of support, privilege, and opportunity. My father worked in a stable government job while my mother chose to pause her sales career when I was born. Staying home during my early years, she poured her energy into raising my younger sister and I as creative, whimsical little girls.

We spent hours outside, building fairy houses from leaves and sticks and making mud pies. I learned to sew with a needle and thread before kindergarten, hand stitching a quilt for my teddy bear’s shoebox bed. I designed my own clothes and built a dollhouse from scratch, complete with a clay family and tiny furniture. To my younger self, life was never limited. There was always enough creativity and attention to go around.

Now as an entrepreneur and mom of three young children (ages 3, 6, and 8), I continue to express my creativity in various ways to enhance my family, businesses, and community. I specifically love to notice specific needs others have a create sustainable solutions to help them along their journeys.

As a Leadership Coach and Organizational Trainer in my practice, Lead With Intention®, I design original curriculum to create pathways and shift perspectives. I use my creativity daily as I support individual desiring more for their lives, asking curious questions and collaborating to design sustainable lifestyle solutions together.

I also enjoy being sparked by the wonder and creativity of my own children as they experience something for the first time. They have become my teachers as we learn alongside each other daily.

How did motherhood change your creative practice?

Adjusting to motherhood was a major shift for me as someone who likes to be in control of my schedule and time. I had to learn how to adjust and realign my expectations as I cared for a newborn and the changing needs of my own body. When I realized I didn’t plan to be a stay-at-home mom as I desperately craved community and connection (and had a baby that refused to nap!!), I started noticing the persistent needs of other work-from-home parents who also designed support.

Instead of waiting for someone else to offer the solution I so desperately desired, while I was in the third trimester of my second pregnancy, my husband and I had the idea for The Makers Place™  – Sacramento’s first coworking space with onsite childcare offering flexible solutions for local families.

To date, we have served over 500 parents with young children, added on a preschool program, and have created a thriving community where parents have space and time to create, while being fueled by unlimited coffee and childcare.

Tell us about a day in your life, how do you fit in creative moments?

As a multi-passionate creative, I’ve had to intentionally carve out precious pockets of time in my schedule to create. This has looked different in various seasons of my motherhood, from waking up before the sun while the house is still quiet to write, pray, and create, to scheduling mini retreats for 24 to 48 hours to get away from the hustle and reconnect with myself as a creative.

I always encourage other creatives to not wait until the conditions of your life call you to creativity. Harness what’s available and use what you have in the current season you’re in to reconnect with what is possible now.

My local friend and fellow writer, Ashlee Gadd, coined this as the “margins of motherhood” in her recently published book, Create Anyway that so perfectly captures the creative journey of busy moms!

When do you feel most creative?

As an extrovert, I love being around other creative individuals who are passionate and committed to their own creative process.

As a task-oriented activator, I need uninterrupted time to create to feel like I’m doing my work well with integrity.

I have to find times for both of these extremes and the balance to integrate these needs into my life on a regular basis.

What helps you make time and space for being creative? How do you avoid burn out?

I purposefully schedule time to allow my brain to marinate in ideas rather than just check the boxes on my “to do” list. Presently, this looks like waking up, making coffee, and taking myself for a short walk at sunrise where I can simply be with my thoughts, set resonant intentions for my day, and release what isn’t serving me. This practice grounds my day and guards my time and energy.

When I’m approaching burnout, I stop and consider what I’m doing that isn’t necessary or fruitful, and I do less of this thing. Because I’m married to a Behavioral Psychologist, I also have learned how to adopt “replacement behaviors” that are positive and help me rest, refocus, and reset. Some of my favorites are reading for fun, baking banana bread with our children, and writing other people cards about the difference they’ve made in my life.

What do you hope your kids will learn about creativity from you?

I hope our children look at what we’ve created as a family and choose to live out our family motto of “Be a Blessing” to others. We are very intentionally to model and instill positive views of hard work and effort as a process for creating something worthwhile and reinforcing how “mistakes” are often our best teachers. As an Applied Positive Psychologist, I have taught our children about cultivating a Growth Mindset where setbacks become your nest set up for creativity! My greatest hope is that our children feel confident and supported to go out and create their next best thing as they give others permission to do the same.

What would you bring to a favorites party?

I’d probably be the one throwing the party!! And of course invite all my favorite people (including those like yourself that I haven’t met yet!). There would be loads of teal and rose gold decorations, grazing boards with delicious charcuterie, overflowing glasses of Prosecco, inviting music and dancing, free childcare, and stretchy flattering dresses that you feel gorgeous in at any angle! Who’s coming??

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Fueled by local coffee and big dreams, Lauren M. Basserman is a dynamic mom of three is on a mission to help you get unstuck! After working in higher education, she launched Lead With Intention® and has researched, coached, and trained teams around the world on the science of Emotional Endurance to enhance their fulfillment. Leslie has served on the leadership team for TEDxSacramento and volunteered in Jordan teaching leadership in local schools. After becoming a parent, she created The Makers Place™, Sacramento’s first coworking space with onsite childcare offering flexible solutions for local families. Leslie graduated from UCLA with her Bachelor’s in Mass Communications and a Master's of Education and is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach. She is a novice pickleball player and an expert bargain shopper! Leslie lives in Sacramento, California with her husband, Joel, and their three young children, Caleb (8), Luke (6), and Eden (3). She travels internationally for coaching, organizational trainings, and retreat facilitation. Get her Six Rules for Leading With Intention and read her Substack:

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Hi! I’m Heidi. Writer. Editor. Mother. I’m interviewing 100 creative mothers, because I believe the more we see other mothers making beauty and meaning in small moments, the more we will be inspired to make our own kind of art, whatever that may look like during this intense season of life. Support the project by sharing with a friend.