Adventure, travel, and exploration influence how Leanne Pacheco views the world. “I never want to feel stagnant. I’m always excited to see who the next version of myself is going to be,” she said. Her faith, her love of nature and the relationships she’s cultivated with people around the world have shaped who she is today.
“Throughout my life, I’ve served and become entwined in countless micro-communities: those within my home state, Colorado; my alma mater; workplaces; and various special interest groups," said Leanne. "I’ve bonded closely with people across America, Iceland, Paraguay, Germany, Cameroon, Estonia, South Africa, France, and Japan. I’ve followed my heart and passions and insisted to faithfully believe God will always light my path. My journey is filled with unfathomable magical doors to walk through, which is what led me to Kirkwood."
Dear Younger Me:
1. Be steadfast in dreaming big, and never doubt your ability to make your dreams a reality, but you must also pursue them fiercely, because although our perception of time is fickle, it never fails to move forward. So, walk, run, jump, climb, leap, sprint, pivot, crawl, rest, and slow down with intention, but never let yourself be stagnant.
2. Your feelings are always valid. Take time to sit with them and truly understand what your body, mind, and heart are trying to process for you.
3. At the end of the day, whatever your North Star is, whatever is driving you forward, believe and trust that it is enough. Your responsibility is to be authentically you. Show up for yourself, show empathy and love to others, and have unwavering faith that God will take care of the rest.
4. Know that your best is always fluctuating, and your passions might fluctuate too. Your worth, however, is tied to neither.
5. Life is hard. Marriage is hard. Obtaining financial independent is hard. Experiencing loss and grief is gut-wrenching. Maintaining faith throughout life’s hardships and despite them is the hardest thing of all, but it’s also the only thing that will get you through them.
6. You are going to have HUGE adventures. You’ll get married in Iceland, and you’ll climb to the summit of Devils Tower, and maybe someday you’ll get to the moon. But always appreciate and never underestimate the beauty and power of small moments, like playing or snuggling with cats. All. The. Cats.
7. That burning desire to help people never fades. When you think about a person who has changed the world, you’ll think about the big, influential, historical people. And of course, that is not going to seem attainable. But you never know what someone is gathering from you and what you have to offer. You are changing the world by just being yourself.
