Welcome to my Substack - The history of Leeza Rants

Let’s start with a little history lesson shall we? The whole “Leeza Rants” brand started back in college for me. My professor thought I had an amazing writing voice (why thank you, professor Carey) and encouraged me to start a blog. Receiving a compliment like this meant, I knew I had to oblige. I’m someone who is very passionate about the most random topics. I like to go on tangents or rants to everyone I know just about anything under the sun. With that, Leeza Rants was born - and it felt so right.

Blogging was tough back in 2016. I loved writing, but was told how “hard” it is to do seriously, and that people rarely become successful. We will cover this in a future post.

There was also no algorithm, or discoverability. It seemed as though photos and videos were the only things people were interested in - UNTIL, I discovered podcasting. I fell in LOVE with it. I was like, “what a better way to bring my rants to life”. The Leeza Rants podcast started in 2017. I was extremely proud of it. It became my identity. I was known as the girl who had the podcast. It was 100% a one-woman show. The show was completely hosted, edited, and promoted by me. Though it was fulfilling..it was exhausting, and led to burnout quite quickly. I would take breaks but would always come back and try to be consistent as possible, until the pandemic happened.

2020 was the year when podcasts BLEW UP! Everyone and their mother were creating a podcast. It was almost annoying - this was MY thing! Podcasts that only started a few months prior were exploding with listeners. I felt like my years of hard work were in vain. So I went harder. I landed some pretty notable interviews with some of my favorite influencers like Serena Kerrigan. But it was hard to keep up with the Jones all by myself. I was comparing myself to podcasts with cohosts, and marketing and management teams. By early 2021, with an impressive 143 episodes, I decided to quit podcasting.

This decision did NOT come lightly. I’m a Virgo moon - I never quit anything! But every episode felt like a chore, and it reflected in the content. Unfortunately, what made me happiest at one point, no longer was. Being a “podcaster” which consumed so much of my identity would no longer be true. I had to make peace with the fact that it's okay to quit, it's okay to pivot.

So what does a girl do when she's down bad and doesn't know what direction to take next? Talk to her intuitive energy reader, of course! (We are real woo woo over here). She told me that the reason my podcast wasn't fulfilling is that I wasn't getting that live feedback. (true) She had a vision of me in a campfire with other women. Speaking to them, facilitating conversations, and getting that live feedback. I pondered on this for a while.

Still getting used to the new normal of the pandemic, I had just moved into my condo where I lived alone on my own for the first time, and was also working from home. It was a very isolating period of my life. I’ll talk about the infamous summer from hell that 2021 was one day.

As so many others, I also felt extremely lonely and knew that what we all needed was community. This was the inception of Rant & Release Circles. Another labor of love I have been doing since 2021 and still plan on continuing. It sparked joy for me again! I hosted circles of women virtually and in person once a month to provide a safe space conducive to connection, conversation, healing and learning.

I think you know what I’m going to say next. As a one woman show - the burnout was inevitable. Don't worry! I haven't quit yet, but now honest with myself of what my limits are and also and most importantly ASKING FOR HELP! Collaborating with others, without the need to host such flashy events.

So what now? Why am I here writing this, because this is my next chapter. SUBSTACK! With the possibility of a TikTok ban looming, I thought why not go back to my roots of blog style content. What I love about Substack is that I can incorporate all different media forms. I can add video and maybe start another podcast. All that content can live right here. I don't have to worry about changing my mind, or being consistent in just one medium. I can flow with what feels best.

I know the most important thing is that I have a yearning to be creative and share my voice. I want that now more than ever. So if you’ve made it to the very end - thank you for being here and hope you stay a while. This Substack will be the next phase of Leeza Rants - sharing about my life, pop culture, societal topics and trends, self-development and spirituality. Please subscribe if you feel called. I can't wait to build community and interact with you all!

Xoxo

Leeza Smith

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