Walking in Grace: Local Author Inspiring Others on Their Journey of Growth and Healing By Jillian Chandler | Photo by Troxell Media
Lindy Lewis was born and raised right here in Sandpoint, Idaho. She graduated from Sandpoint High School in 1986 and went on to attend Gonzaga University, where she earned a BA in marketing and communications. After working in Berlin, Germany, for two years, where she worked in marketing and learned the language, she moved to Spokane, Washington, to marry and start a family. She would return home to Sandpoint in 2001 to be close to family while raising her three young children.
In 2015, she founded her company, Let Your Color Out. Today, in addition to being a published author, she offers workshops and yoga retreats at her beautiful Sandpoint property. Read on to find out more about Lindy and her life’s work.
Q. What was the inspiration behind Let Your Color Out? And what does it encompass?
A. Let Your Color Out started with one book, “The Recovering Alpha Female – Inspiring Grace in the Mind and Body,” and then became a series of three books with workshops, workbooks and peace products. After my marriage, corporate career and health challenges, along with other humbling blocks—as I call them—took me out of that perfect on-paper life, I had no choice but to slow down, soften the edges and drop the comparative narrative in order to be well with Multiple Sclerosis and raise my three kids from that place of heart not head.
Q. You strive to ‘inspire Grace’ and encourage others to ‘seek Grace.’ How do you define Grace? And why is it a central part of your work?
A. For me, Grace is a lifestyle choice. It is a way of walking in authenticity and non-judgement, while holding space for other people’s quirks and colors! It is a practice that starts with unconditional self-acceptance, which in turn ripples out into your community and homelife.
Q. You talk a lot about the “alpha” female. How would you describe an alpha female? Are/were you an alpha female? And why do you address this specific personality trait?
A. I invented the term Alpha-holic, as once an Alpha always an Alpha. This is what book two is all about! It takes practice to unwind the mind and to find peace in quiet. What I love is that I have developed somewhat of a language that helps navigate the very active brain that offers permission to slow down, unconditionally love ourselves and practice non-judgment. I believe that when we can be good to ourselves, we can be good to others.
The amped-and-ramped, racked-and-stacked, over-scheduled culture has created an Alpha epidemic. More and more people are attaining their value from external praise and grades, paychecks and productivity, “likes’” and social media popularity. Don’t misunderstand, I love the Alpha or Type A personality, but this driven, perfectionistic life can leave one feeling depleted, exhausted, and is not sustainable for longevity.
Q. As a published author, who would benefit from reading one of your works? And what do you hope your readers take away from reading one of your books?
A. My books are designed not just for females; they are good for anybody who has a short attention span and feels they are on a path to crash. When I was living each one of these, I would just take one a-ha like “progress not perfection” or “be the black sheep” and work with this concept until I really could embody that new perspective.
Counterintuitively, it is equally important—if not more important—to nurture that softer, sweeter, gentler, more tender side of the Alpha. This is Grace. As we cultivate this state, allowing for imperfections, celebrating our mini successes, embracing our quirks, we can naturally offer this same appreciation to our peers, our teenagers, friends and parents. It anchors that place of Grace where one can lead from the heart, not the head. This is where love lives. This is a practice—it takes time, and it is not the easy path. I always say the high road is the hard road!
Q. On your website you mention learning how to redefine experiences as inspiration, and that your own experiences include divorce, disease and a learning disability. Can you tell us more about these experiences and how they were used to inspire you on your current journey?
A. EVERY-body has something that causes strife and challenge in life. Mine just happened to come in the form of diagnosis, disease and complex divorce. When we are taken out of our “planned” life, it really comes down to picking a mindset that will help turn the wounds into wisdom. I am eternally grateful that I started this journey at 35—not 55! I have transformed my thinking and have such a deep appreciation for each of our “you-niqueness,” nuances in nature and the body’s ability to heal.
Q. What do you believe is your purpose in life? And how are you fulfilling that purpose?
A. This is such a big question loaded with pressure in our society. After spending years pondering just that question, I wonder if it is enough just to be a good person, to be kind each day, offer a smile to someone who needs it, to forgive and move forward with more understanding and kindness to those around us. And if I had to name a purpose, it is to empower people to be mentally healthy, as the body follows the mind.
Q. Are you involved in the community in any capacity?
A. I have been helping the HOSA (Health Occupation Students of America) students raise money to travel to southern Idaho this spring, and I still am very active with Underground Kindness (a nonprofit organization focused on empowering students, supporting teachers and connecting communities). I also teach stress management and yoga medicine. Additionally, I am called to be a good steward of the earth.
Q. What are you most grateful for when it comes to living in Sandpoint and being a part of this community?
A. I am so very grateful to live in this stunning part of the world. I have said my entire life that we’re so lucky to live here, and 55 years later I still believe this. We are surrounded by beauty in nature and wonderful, generous people in this socioeconomically diverse community.
Q. Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers and/or that you want them to know about Lindy Lewis and your books?
My health and creative life is a testament to living predominantly parasympathetic, as I am blessed to live a healthy, active life with a serious illness in the body.
The books inspire Grace in the mind and body. I love being an Alpha, she’s the one who wrote the books and gets things done. But this is the reactive—not reflective—approach; we don’t breathe deeply here and hold space for other people’s opinions. I encourage this walk of Grace because we can access love and compassion and express our nurturing nature. Our bodies heal in this place, our rest/digest function of the body is engaged—and optimum health comes from that space.
Lindy's full book series is available for purchase at Sandpoint Super Drug and online at LindyLewis.com.
