From Stuck to Unstoppable
How I Turned Lifetime Loss into Leading with Light
I am LightSome Lena.
But just two years ago, I was a lonely, depressed person in constant physical and emotional pain, with no sense of purpose. I had not smiled in years and did not even remember how.
Do you want to know how I changed my situation so dramatically? Follow my journey…
From 2012–2021, my physical and mental health were in bad shape. I was in the midst of 15 years of survival mode (starting in 2008) due to constant custody hearings in family court and other hardships.
Chronic illness, pain, and disability were my daily norm. I was no longer able to work or do many activities I had previously enjoyed. And when I ran out of money for attorneys, I lost all contact with my daughter, which was a monumental grief I would not wish on anyone.
To top it all off… 2021 ended with a serious accident. The resulting surgery and recovery left me re-learning how to dress myself, walk any distance more than a few feet, and even breathe properly.
By the start of 2022, I had given up on modern medicine… because it had basically given up on me. Doctors told me to just expect to be stuck on an oxygen machine 24/7, limited mobility, high doses of medication for stress and anxiety, and low quality of existence. And years of talk therapy were failing to make any changes to my poor state of mind.
But some spark inside me continued to burn, spurring me to look elsewhere for healing. I started studying alternative techniques such as qigong, yoga, and somatic therapy.
Then one day at an online health summit, I experienced something that changed my entire life in under 10 minutes.
Mike Mandel and Chris Thompson, founders of Mike Mandel Hypnosis Academy (MMHA), were demonstrating hypnotherapy.
Back then, I didn’t know anything about hypnosis. I was absolutely amazed to witness someone’s state of being shift immediately. If that much change could occur that quickly, what else could be possible… For them? For… me?? For…anyone?
I had to learn more! Thus began my journey with MMHA.
I signed up for a two week trial, never dreaming that I was setting a course that would last for many years and change my whole life for the better.
By the end of 2022, after intense and dedicated studying and practice, I was fully certified in both Hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP).
More importantly, I had learned to smile again! My life had a new purpose and meaning, because now I had skills to help myself and others achieve emotional healing and empowerment.
Then in March 2023, MMHA sponsored a contest: “My Life In Two Years”.
The idea was to fully visualize where you wanted to be in two years — with your family relationships, romantic relationships, work goals, life goals, and hobbies. We were instructed to not let ourselves be held back by imagined limitations.
Chris Thompson urged, “Dream big.”
At this point, I had done enough values assessments to know exactly what I wanted. I dutifully documented my ideal future life… even though logically I was not sure if what I wrote was actually possible for me.
Time passed, and I did not think much about the contest. Then in March 2025, we were asked to provide an update.
I re-read my original 2023 post, and my jaw dropped. I stared and stared… and then I cried. It was the kind of audible sobs where you realize your world has just been rocked in some way.
I could not believe that I had actually achieved many of the goals I set! Those same dreams that I did not even think were possible two years prior were things I was now doing on a regular basis — as if they were easy.
My achievements included:
2023: No work at all in years, and no idea how to be an entrepreneur
2025: Creating my own Life Coaching and NLP Coaching business, LightSome Hearts LLC, complete with 1:1 coaching, group workshops, courses, community, recordings, and more
2023: No writing (outside of my own court documents) in over 15 years
2025: Regularly writing, publishing, and getting recognized for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry; writing for publications on Medium and recently starting my own Substack page
2023: Fear of being seen, staying “hidden” from social media and the outside world for over a decade
2025: Regularly appearing in videos; hosting workshops; running a YouTube channel, Instagram, and Facebook page; and being very publicly “visible”
2023: No dating or romantic relationships in 10 years
2025: Re-entering the dating world and even having a long term relationship that included every parameter I set in the contest entry
2023: Not on terms I wanted with some family members
2025: Better relationships with family than I have had since childhood
2023: Poor physical and mental health
2025: Physical health: no longer needing oxygen 24/7, regularly going on long walks, less symptoms and better pain management
Mental health: anxiety considerably shifted from very high to very low despite reducing or eliminating medications; overcame trauma symptoms; now live in a baseline state of calm confidence
And most importantly:
2023: No contact at all with my daughter for several years
2025: Back in regular, positive contact with my daughter (after 6 years apart)- reunited with the person I love most in the world!
Recognizing everything I achieved was absolutely astounding!
So how did I do it all?
Simply put — I decided to.
One of the most important things I learned from MMHA is the importance of perception — which dictates how we see, hear, feel, and experience everything that we encounter in our lives.
Learning hypnosis and NLP changed my perception, which in turn changed my life.
It also helped me set a course for success and happiness.
The subconscious mind is like a computer that can be programmed to help you achieve your goals.
If you are stuck ruminating about the past or worrying about the future, then you are always thinking about the things you fear or dread. Repeatedly “programming” your subconscious with the things you don’t want actually leads you on a course toward more of those negative things!
Instead, you should assess your values and instruct your subconscious mind with the outcomes that you do want. This way, it will always be running that positive program in the background, guiding you closer and closer to your dreams.
I created a powerful subconscious program when I identified my goals in the contest. And I did the work of self improvement, day by day, year by year, to keep myself moving toward them — both on a conscious and unconscious level.
There’s one more twist to the story…
Shortly after giving my update, I received the following message in my inbox:
So, what did I win?
My prize turned out to be another important stepping stone on my journey. I was given a year’s subscription to continue advanced training from MMHA in therapeutic coaching techniques.
This ongoing education will allow me to keep upgrading my skills, so I can provide other people with even more powerful positive transformations.
Identifying my goals for the 2023 contest motivated me to start my own Life Coaching and NLP Coaching business. I was fulfilling my dream of shining a light for those who are struggling through the darkness, like I once was. I made the change from years on social security disability with no work, to learning everything it takes to start and run a single member LLC.
It gives me great joy that I have helped many people positively improve their lives, and received many glowing testimonials. On April 3, 2025, my company, LightSome Hearts LLC, turned two years old!
I have gone from being the hopeless person who nobody could help, to the lightsome person who finds passion and purpose in helping others.
And in two more years, who knows what I will have accomplished?
What will you achieve, when you set your mind to it? And how do you plan to reach these goals?
How much could a simple change in perception and a positive subconscious navigation program change your life right now?
Love the journey