Finding Fantastic Joy: How Building a Self-Advocacy Campaign Led Me Out of Darkness

by Leah Johnson

Do you struggle with striving to be perfect or obsess about achieving the next big goal? Yet you feel you constantly fall short? If you don’t know where these impulses and feelings come from or how to fix them, you are not alone. Author Leah Johnson, a former elected official, trauma warrior, and mom-guilt fighter shares her story of how an all-consuming addiction to achievement can be stopped. Using her experience of over 20 years in campaign politics, Johnson shows us how building a self-advocacy campaign can create purpose and joy in all areas of life.

Join her inside these pages to witness her evolution through trauma and addiction to find her true self and embody important life lessons including how
Redefine the meaning of true successIdentify your values and prioritize happinessUnderstand your trauma and how to thrive beyond itConfront and break the cycles of addiction caused by traumaCreate a self-advocacy campaign to live your life with joy

101 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 16, 2022

About the author

Leah Johnson is a baker and owner of a farmer's market stall called "Le Petit Croissant" in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA.

Reviews

[Nick Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be required reading for any candidate looking to get into local politics. Leah lays out why you have to start with yourself; if you aren’t squared away with yourself first, you’re building on sand.

Leah’s story of addiction and recovery will resonate with you regardless of your own personal demons, her wherewithal to navigate her way through forging a new normal is deeply inspiring.

Knowing how to root back to your own motivations, being your own personal campaign manager, is critical to your success (and to stay true to yourself) when there’s so much pressure on you while running or in office.

Casual readers may not know this, but Leah’s current work with L3 (Leveraging Local Leaders) is 100% on-point to her advice in the book. In other words: Leah is walking the talk. She touches on the idea of people over party briefly, but it’s absolutely the most vital idea in local politics and it needs to be our rally cry at every level if we want to see anything accomplished by our elected officials.

[Ellen Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leah, I loved your book and your writing. As someone in recovery, your authenticity touched me. Your friendships with spiritual women seeking serenity is one of the best gifts of recovery, in my opinion. I have experienced that same depth of friendship over the past years. Your love of travel and descriptions of the world inspired me. Now I want to take a cool trip somewhere!
I want to tell you I knew Lola and served on accountability, PTA, and multiple fundraising events with her at VB, BRMS, and LHS. I’m so very sorry (and kind of shocked) about your experiences as her daughter. She wore a different mask outside of your home. Grateful you have made peace and forgiven her. That’s how we heal. We have to let go, don’t we. We left Loveland in 2011, moved to Broomfield for a few years, and now live in the DTC. Thank you for sharing your story with such honesty. Ellen Howard