I was raised in Overland Park, Kansas in the middle of 6 kids by a mother who spent most of her life locked in her bedroom and a father who was a wonderful man, hard worker (and hard spanker) who once told me, “You have more balls than anyone I have ever met.” I always thought that was sweet.

Speaking of balls, I created a tough & daring persona growing up which helped me do a few things that I am rather proud of:

While I enjoyed Kansas, I craved the sun, sand and other goodies that California has to offer. I moved to Manhattan Beach in 1991. I met the love of my life, David Koechner, on an airplane and it wasn’t long before we were married and expecting.

I nearly died giving birth to our first son, Charles Patrick. After transfusing seven pints of blood and lying on the operating table for three hours, the doctors were forced to remove my uterus in an emergency procedure, leaving me without my “baby house”. However, they did leave my ovaries and my dreams of having a big family intact.

When we were ready to have another baby, doctors extracted my eggs, combined them with Dave’s “man juice” and created embryos. Three successful transfers and two different surrogates later, we are also proud parents to Margot Grace, twins Audrey Violet & William Sargent and our miracle baby, Eve Juliet. I am currently working on my surrogacy memoir “baby house. having babies the new fashioned way”.

My Mission
I am raw, honest, and funny as hell, aware, open, present, grateful and FUN! Life hasn’t always been easy, but I have done quite a bit of work on myself, faced my weaknesses and decided on a joyful, happy and authentic existence. I want to help you have it too!
 

Living in Joy & Happiness Mundane moments don’t exist in my world. Every interaction is a chance to learn, grow, and connect. Don’t just wait and see how things go, create how it will go and have your own experience. When you would rather be doing something else with your time, you are missing your own life. Sprinkle what brings you joy into your every day. Today is the reason to pop the champagne, light the expensive candle, and wear the out-of-this-world shoes. Forget Fear I take risks, put myself out there and regularly asks, “Why not?” You are the only one who can hold you back. We all have a veil of fear; whether it’s insecurity, self-doubt or shyness. You have to pull back that veil to have a clear view of ALL that life has to offer. gyg: GIVE YOUR GIFT. We are all unique. Nobody else on this planet has the same nose or fingerprint as you. And, nobody else is here for the exact same reason as you. When you hone in on what makes your heart smile, what you love doing…what your GIFT is…then you can share it. First you must  fyg (find your gift), then you can gyg (give your gift). Happiness can be that simple. My gift is connecting with people…what’s yours?

fyg & gyg today!

Come with me...Leigh to say, "Yes!" to life.
 

: live life with no conditions or restrictions

And may God bless the United States of America
(I was a president once).