The Moment My Vision Came to Life
- Oct 14
- 3 min read
By Lisa Jeffs
I didn’t grow up knowing my power.
After my dad died just after high school, I lost my footing. I slipped into survival mode and ended up in the adult entertainment industry. On the outside, I looked confident. On the inside, I was numb. Battling addiction, self-doubt, and the belief that I was only as valuable as what I could perform.
Then at 23, I stared at a positive pregnancy test, hands shaking, heart pounding… and knew I couldn’t keep numbing my way through life.
I had a choice, keep disappearing into a life that dimmed me, or rise into the one I was always meant to live. I chose to rise.
I left everything… the industry, the addictions, the identity that had kept me small. I took a minimum wage job at a Tim Hortons inside a children’s hospital in downtown Toronto. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was my bridge back to myself. It gave me hope, and it gave me space to breathe.
But this wasn’t just about my healing. It was about the legacy I was building for my daughter. Becoming a mother gave me a new lens on everything.
Suddenly it wasn’t just about getting through the day. It was about the kind of woman she would see when she looked at me. I didn’t want her growing up believing her worth came from what she could prove, perform, or give away.
And I certainly didn’t want her thinking her only value came from how she looked.
I wanted her to see that a woman can rise from pain, own her story, and lead her life on her own terms. That vision pulled me through the heavy days and reminded me why I couldn’t go back to who I used to be.
From there, I went back to school and studied counselling. I loved it, I thrived. For the first time in years, I felt proud of myself. Every course I completed, every challenge I pushed through, reminded me that I was capable of so much more than I had ever believed. I stopped waiting to be “ready.” I stopped trying to prove I was enough. I knew I was, and I started building from that place.
That’s when my real vision emerged, not from a five-year plan, but from living through the mess and rising anyway.
Today, I’m the founder of Purpose Academy Pro and a coach for ambitious leaders and entrepreneurs around the world. I help my clients rebuild their identity so success becomes who they are, not something they chase.
The moment my vision came to life wasn’t a single breakthrough. It was the moment I chose purpose over shrinking.
It was a decision that:
I’m not here to play small.
My story isn’t something to hide, it’s power.
And I don’t need to fit into anyone else’s box to lead powerfully.
Since then, I’ve worked with leaders and creatives who looked like they had it all together, but behind the scenes, they were stuck in cycles of overthinking, self-doubt, and chasing success that never felt like enough.
We didn’t just set new goals. We rebuilt how they saw themselves. From that place, the clarity came, the confidence stuck, and the momentum carried forward.
My story didn’t start with a plan. It started with pain and then a decision to stop running from it and let it shape me into someone new.
That’s when everything began to shift.
It happened moment by moment, choice by choice. One day, I looked up and realized I wasn’t just surviving anymore. I was leading my life, not apologizing for it. Leading it.
I was living my vision. Owning the power that had always been mine.
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