Today we’d like to introduce you to Leah Oxendine Miller.
Hi Leah, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’m a multifaceted gal. Sometimes I feel like I have lived multiple lives in my 29 years on this earth. I’ve worn a variety of hats, and am still learning and growing as a human.
A little about me: I’m a Highland Games athlete, owner of a sourdough microbakery, and a music teacher, to start. I love being my own boss and being a “mompreneur”. I run my microbakery business, Pine Cottage Sourdough Co. out of my home in Baker County. I make organic sourdough breads and baked goods, as well as kombucha and fermented natural sodas. Normally I take pickup orders from local customers and also set up at markets in northeast Florida.
I also teach piano and guitar to students during the week. I live in the middle of nowhere on a little homestead with my family, and I’m living the life I dreamed of as a child. We have a variety of animals, as well as fruit trees, and vegetable gardens.
I’m a mom of three little boys, married to a wonderful man for nearly 8 years.
I’m also an author of four published books. Two poetry books on mental health and healing, one about Florida during the Civil War, and another which is a speculative psychological thriller. All of which are available on my website or Amazon. I’ve been writing since I was a young child, and enjoy creating emotive works of literature for people to relate to and experience.
I’m also an artist, and in my poetry book “When My Soul Bleeds Words”, you can see some of my artwork that compliments the poetry.
As a musician, I have been a concert pianist, have composed numerous pieces for piano and songs for guitar/vocals, and have been teaching music lessons for over a decade. I also play live folk music at festivals and events across north Florida. Fun fact, I can play nine instruments in total! (so far!)
For the majority of my adult life, I have been a certified personal trainer and used to work full time training clients and helping them achieve their fitness goals. Since becoming a mom, I have backed off on training clients, but it’s still a passion of mine and I plan to return to personal training in the future, As a Highland Games athlete, I stay active doing my own strength training and workouts and absolutely love the thrill of throwing at competitions across Florida. I’m definitely a gym junkie and I used to do powerlifting before I had a car accident in 2021. I still enjoy lifting heavy, but I also keep having kids, so that has affected my numbers recently for sure as I recover.
Besides all that, I do social media content creation on the side as well as data entry.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Nothing is easy. You just have to pick your “hard” in life. Being the owner of a microbakery, running a music lesson business and keeping up with a homestead is not for the faint of heart. When I used to be a full time personal trainer, it required all that I had, to stay afloat in such a competitive field. But I have never been afraid of competition. In fact, it fuels me, prods me forward to do my best in all I attempt. Being a mom is not easy, on top of it all. Just being home with my kids is challenging enough! The biggest hurdle as an entrepreneur is being able to get customers and keep the faith, when times are dry. Being consistent and putting in the work even when you don’t feel like it,
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am proud of my four books which I wrote and published. My historical fiction novel, The Rebels of Florida, is the only of its kind to my knowledge. I am not aware of any historical fiction novels specifically about this particular section of Florida and people from that area who fought.
I am also proud of my musical contributions, as I have composed numerous pieces of music.
How do you define success?
Success to me is getting to live the life that you dream of, one that your child self would be proud of.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.leahoxendine.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theleahoxendine
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551384174254
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-oxendine-miller-2a1673168/
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/user/leahoxendine?sub_confirmation=1
- Soundcloud: http://www.soundcloud.com/leahoxendine
- Other: http://www.tiktok.com/@leah_oxendine
