Exploring Life & Business with Lysa Allman-Baldwin of Authenticity & Purpose LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lysa Allman-Baldwin.

Hi Lysa, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My early life years were in New York, where I was born, then in Seattle. When I was nine, our family moved to the Los Angeles area, where I spent all my formative years—middle school, high school, and college. After graduating from college in 1987 and working in Corporate America for over a decade, I knew that I was tired of someone else deciding what I did and how much money I made. And although a steady “W-2 job” had benefits, I wanted to be self-employedbut didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do. The two things I did know, however, were that I had to make a good living, and it had to be something I enjoyed. I had worked at jobs that provided one or the other, but I wanted both. That was non-negotiable. When I sat down and thought about what I loved doing, I realized it was writing. And although I had been doing it in professional settings, I thought other types of creative writing might be an avenue to explore.

In 1991, after living in the Los Angeles Area for 20 years, I moved to the Bay Area.  A few years in, I was living in San Francisco and working for an asset management company in the Financial District. In the neighborhood where I lived there was an African American newspaper called The San Francisco Bay View that I read all the time. One day, I called and arranged a time to meet with the editor, asking if they allowed people to write for the paper by chance. Not only did she respond with a resounding “Yes!” but they paid a little for each article as well (which I was not expecting, especially since I didn’t have any formal news-writing experience).

So, I started by writing reviews for the scores of books sent to their office by publicists from around the country, which later led to assignments covering events happening in and around the Bay Area. This was before the internet got going, and I used to hand-deliver my articles on floppy disks! After a while, I approached and started writing for another local newspaper and then another. After I got a good flavor for this possible new freelance career, I soon stretched my wings to write for magazines, travel guides, other publications, and private clients. Setting a goal to keep at it for two years, I decided that when the end of the test period drew near, if it seemed like I could make a living as a freelance writer, I would jump from the “corporate ship.”

Well, almost two years after I set that goal, I jumped! And other than hopping back on and off a few times over the years (due to marriage, raising kids, and other life circumstances), I eventually made the final leap and have never looked back. Not too long into my new career I chose to marry my love of writing with my passion for travel, which my mother instilled in me as a young girl. As a travel writer, I could not only enjoy many incredible experiences worldwide but also share with others how they could broaden their understanding of and appreciation for other people, cultures, languages, traditions, foods, music, and so on. I couldn’t possibly have imagined then how my writing career would blossom! It has been almost 30 years now that I’ve fed my wanderlust for “everything the world has to offer” by passionately writing feature articles and reviews on various topicsincluding travel and tourism, cuisine/restaurants, business and personality profiles, real estate, neighborhoods, community organizations, consumer issues, news reporting, events, and festivals, to name a few, for numerous print and online publications In that time I have also contracted with individuals, organizations, and businesses to write and edit copy for blogs, web pages, book ghostwriting, and more. In 2000, after getting married and having our first child,  my husband and I  moved to Kansas City, had a second child, and along with freelance and travel writing, I worked for a few different organizations, including The Stowers Institute and Unity World Headquarters.

You wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been smooth?
I always say that “life is not a straight line” because there are always twists and turns along the road. I divorced in 2005 but fortunately  was able to co-parent my kids with my ex-husband and maintain a strong group of friends, family members, and a spiritual community. In 2015, I crossed paths with a personal, inner journey which resulted in my book, “I Cried.And People Loved Me Anyway.” It’s the story of how, due to a series of events that happened within a very short period, my life completely fell apart, and I was, literally, ready to check out. However, through faith, self-forgiveness, and a lot of unconditional love,I was able to move from the depths of despair to living a truly authentic life.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Writing my book and traveling the country on a book tour led to a new career path as a sought-after professional speaker,  leadership strategistand workshop facilitator, using my natural gift for speaking and teaching to encourage others to reach higher levels of personal and professional growth.

I’m fortunate and grateful to be recognized for my unique ability to engage and connect with in-person and virtual audiences through personal experiences delivered with unapologetic honesty and truth – empowering those around me to do the same. My messages can be geared to any specific audience, using relevant examples and stories that motivate, educate, and entertain, while my workshops are designed to provide compelling leadership and self-empowerment tools.

My overall mission, through the spoken and written word, is to inspire others to live full of passion, authenticity, and purpose. I use my experiences to demonstrate how to recognize, examine, and rewrite the often limiting victim stories of the human experience and move from the quicksand of adversity into a new paradigm of thinking and being. It’s a journey I am grateful for every day and one that I am proud to share all over the globe. My second book is also currently in the works.

We love surprises, fun facts, and incredible stories. Can you share something that might surprise us?
I speak fluent Spanish (in fact, when traveling in Latin American countries, most people think I am Latina and not from the states!) and I’m also conversational in Swedish.

Contact Info:

• Website: AuthenticityAndPurpose.com
• Instagram: @AuthenticityAndPurpose4Life
• Facebook: @AuthenticityAndPurpose
• Twitter: @AuthenticPurpos
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqmIlK20g_WzQTlf3gtMmVg
• Book a strategy call: https://calendly.com/authenticityandpurpose

Image Credits
Primary Image and Addt’l Images 3,4,9: Stacy Miller, ShineOn KC Photography Addt’l Images 5,6: Photos by Elena and Jim