The courses offered through Viva Institute cover a wide variety of topics, all carefully designed to assist you on your path. However, over time, I have received requests from people who are seeking a more personalized opportunity to work with me privately. Private Coaching is for you if you’re interested in quality one-on-one engagement, in-depth conversation, personalized connection and motivation, and a plan for taking action. Choosing to invest in yourself and your personal vocation is a big decision, and our commitment is to create a personalized plan for advancing your dreams and goals.

“Vocation is the place where our deep gladness
meets the world’s deep need.” ~Frederick Buechner

A MOVING SNAPSHOT

I’ll meet you where you are, answer your questions, and help move you forward so that you can leave your own unique mark on the world. It’s the best of you―seen through an observer’s, bird’s eye view lens. I don’t make claims that this process will “fix” your life; I believe I will bring something much more valuable: a fresh, new perspective.

I will be a mirror for you in order to create a “moving snapshot” of your life right now—today.

If you know that you’re someone who benefits from direct, personal interaction, Private Mentoring is an opportunity to have a one-on-one instruction session, which provides you with perspective about your current place, and a plan for moving your ideas forward.

“I love my life, and experience has shown me that there are infinite possibilities for designing a life. Your life can be as exciting and fulfilling as you make it, and what fulfills you today may very well change throughout your lifetime. Actually, I believe there is an essence to who we are that runs through all that we do, but how your essence is expressed in the world may change every 5-10 years—and that’s a good thing.” – Leigh Hopkins

About My Teaching

Wondering if working with me is right for you? Individuals who work with me see results. Here’s what a few folks have to say about working one-on-one with me:

“Following my work with Leigh, I was surprised to discover that everything that I am doing, every conversation I have, every book I read, every person I encounter has a connection to my ultimate goal; the big picture. Leigh helped me to realize this. Every single thing in life is significant. Sometimes we are blind to these tiny yet important details. Leigh brought the importance of these instances into perspective…

..when working with Leigh, I didn’t expect to have such personalized attention and a detailed plan with step-by-step information to help me achieve my goals. I have just successfully launched a website that contains my spiritual-based artwork. I received an offer to have a solo exhibition of my work, and the exhibition proved to be very fruitful!

I would recommend one-on-one instruction with Leigh if you feel stuck and are unsure about what direction you need to move in; if you have many ideas but need help organizing them and coming up with a plan of action; or if you feel as if you need a new perspective on what your life purpose is about.” – Danielle

“Leigh is a very special woman and her willingness to share her light with the rest of us is a priceless gift.” ~Sue Ellen, Arizona, Author and Director of Reinventing Reentry

“Leigh provided a clear format for taking an idea/dream/hope to the next level and making it real. I feel validated and more ready to begin this work. I realized my fears were unfounded and that the cost was well worth it for the take away.” – Ruth

“Leigh is the most all-encompassing teacher I have met thus far….I am doubtful I will find anyone with her skills on this plane. She is exceptional.” – Chris

“Leigh is very encouraging and positive and has a way of making a person feel very worthwhile and capable of doing something good with their life.” – Kit

“Working one-on-one with Leigh allowed me to refine my gifts, remove blocks that were holding me back, and fully embrace what I love to do.” ~Karen Ritsche, Minnesota, Owner, Starlite Crystals and Reiki

“I highly recommend Leigh Hopkins for any class or opportunity that calls forth your curiosity, invariably you will thank yourself for honoring the seeker within you.” ~Karyn, Washington

“I really like how encouraging and direct Leigh Hopkins is in her approach, charismatic and anecdotal – but not waffling or spouting platitudes. You really feel her enthusiasm.” ~Sue, Nova Scotia

Let’s Talk about YOU!

In your private one-on-one session with me, I will:

• Go deep with you about where you’ve been. What have you enjoyed the most about the ride so far? What have you learned? What do you have to share? We’ll start here.
• Get at the heart of what motivated you to invest in yourself at this particular time in your life. Are you ready to launch a new idea into the world? Are you at a crossroads? Are you feeling stuck? Or a little of everything?
• Listen to your challenges. What have you had to overcome? What regrets do you have, if any and have you found a way to turn them into learning opportunities (yet)?
• Provide you with perspective about your current place.
• Capture the essential elements of what has worked for you before, and build from there.
• Provide structure and feedback if you’re on the verge of launching a new idea, business concept, or creative project.
• Act as a catalyst for change in your life.

Are you ready to make something happen?

Schedule your session today, and we should be able to make your first appointment within the next 10 days.

About My Teaching Philosophy

The Tree of Life’s labyrinth, Patagonia, Arizona

My life’s “deepest gladness” has always been through service. I love teaching, I’m passionate about learning and endlessly curious about the way things work. As a result, my vocational path has included everything from working as an elementary classroom teacher to launching a private tutoring company; to directing, fundraising, and developing literacy programs in the nation’s most challenged communities. For many years, I worked with policymakers in the U.S. Department of Education and members of Congress, working with five hundred education programs across the country.

This work was fulfilling but the constant travel took a toll on my body. After a near-death experience, I discovered how to take control of my health, developed my new-found intuitive abilities, and went on to run a vegan retreat center—something I did because it intrigued and excited me. Today, as the Director of Viva Institute, I am the designer and developer of virtual learning spaces for learners on 6 continents.

I have been able to reinvent my life multiple times through intentional practice, by paying attention to what interests me, and by discovering (and rediscovering) what brings me “deep gladness.” I believe that it is entirely possible that what challenges us the most, when worked through, can bring us the most joy. With courage and attention, our deepest gladness may even fulfill an important need in the world. Register today to begin working with me.

Through these diverse experiences, I know what it means to live your deepest gladness. I also know that what may drive you during your 20s could very well change by the time you’re thirty, and that this could very well happen again at forty, fifty and sixty! That’s why I believe in embracing momentum and change. As a result of my own path, I am passionate about helping others to identify what gives them purpose.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC

I’ll listen to your story.

I’ll give space to your big ideas, and look deeply into the things you’re working on.

We won’t solve everything, but together, we’ll develop a plan to move you forward today.

If you’re someone who is on the verge of something new, and you think it needs to be a concrete idea (like a new business, a concept, or even a book), I get it! Viva Institute is the third successful business I’ve launched, and I know the call of the entrepreneur. I’ll take on your life’s passion (your deepest gladness) as my part of my own personal purpose.

Private Mentoring IS FOR YOU if:

• You are open to new insight, guidance, perspective, and feedback.
• You have a new project or idea but you’re not sure how to get it off the ground.
• You’re feeling stuck.
• You’re in the midst of challenge and want to find meaning for your life within your current situation.
• You have just made a big change and need direction.
• You are dealing with a life situation that challenges you.
• You have had great loss in your life and need help making sense of it.
• You are on the verge of birthing something new.
• You’re managing a health challenge or want to develop a plan for feeling better in your body.
• You’ve just undergone a major life change and you’re not sure what’s next.
• You’ve felt curious to see your life’s path from a new perspective.
• You’re full of big ideas but feel like you need structure.
• You are caught in the details and need help seeing the big picture.
• You’re excited to go deep.
• Day after day, you keep “showing up.”

Amitabha Stupa, Sedona, AZ

Private Mentoring is NOT FOR YOU if:

• You believe that your life’s path is a fixed point that cannot change.
• You’re uninterested in self-reflection and “going deep.”
• You find comfort in having a pessimistic view of life’s challenges.
• You’re not interested in the process of self-discovery.
• You aren’t curious to know about and don’t believe in “the bigger plan” for your life.

Feeling stuck?

I believe that feeling frustrated and stuck is actually one of the most important parts of the creative process. That moment when you say, “I give up, I don’t have a clue!” is often the moment when your thinking mind can step out of the way, and allow inspiration to come through.

Your Purpose is YOU.

Don’t have a “vocation?” That’s where you’re wrong. I’m not someone who believes that your job is what defines your life purpose. How you live in the world, the relationships you make, the challenges you experience—these are all critical indications of your unique contribution to the world.

If you’re in the midst of challenge, we’ll work together to bring greater meaning to your current experience, because I believe that there’s meaning in all of it.

Let’s create a moving snapshot of your life.

You do not have to be “ready” for this—you already are. Wherever you are today (which will be different six months from now!), Private Instruction is about helping you to more fully become yourself.

Why Invest in Working with Me? I have:

Amitabha Stupa, Sedona, AZ

• Launched 3 successful businesses (the first at age 25).
• Taught elementary school, including creative writing, and worked as a reading specialist for middle-high school students.
• Developed and operated my own private tutoring service, with employees serving multiple school districts.
• Served as Vice President and Director of Education Initiatives of a leading social policy think tank.
• Directed the mid-course correction of a foundation’s $25 million investment which resulted in improving educational improvement in low-performing schools in five California cities.
• Directed the largest literacy initiative for the White House Office of Faith-based Initiatives.
• Convened the leadership of 25 major nonprofit organizations to create an integrated system for change for a citywide after school network.
• Thrived as a raw foodist at various times, beginning in 2008 to treat a serious medical condition. That experience inspired me to begin teaching about the raw vegan lifestyle as a “weekend hobby.” Viva Institute is the result!
• Owned, co-directed, and served as the chef at Instituto Viva, a raw-vegan retreat center located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2010-2013).
• Developed the first online courses on intuitive development with internationally-known author Echo Bodine.
• Kept a personal blog (for three years) that had a daily readership of 2,000 visitors in 100 countries.
• Was invited to be a guest curator and a monthly columnist for award-winning author Lidia Yuknavitch’s writing workshop, Corporeal Writing.
• Launched a new space for my writing, “LeighHereNow.”
• And am currently writing a novel…

A 1-hour one-on-one session may include our conversation about any of the following:

• The essence of what moves you in the world
• Creating a focused vision for your life
• Strategies for moving through loss
• Becoming a catalyst for change
• Health, nutrition, and wellness
• Spirituality and intuitive development
• Mid-course corrections that could change your life today
• Building on what’s already working for you
• Identifying patterns and highlighting how they fit into your path
• How to create a “big picture” view
• Capturing the essential elements of what will make you feel most satisfied
• How you can help yourself to embrace challenges as positive instruments for growth
• How to more fully connect with your soul’s plan for this lifetime
• The possibility of beginning a systemic change: your health, relationships, career, living environment, spiritual practice
• Bringing your deepest gladness into the world
• Designing a concrete plan of action for your ideas, business, work, relationships, family

How Private Mentoring Works:

Private Instruction includes a single 1-hour one-on-one Private Instruction session, but it is a multi-part, comprehensive process:

1. The first step is to register on the right, and then I’ll send you an email to schedule our first meeting, along with a short survey. In this survey, I will be looking for a individuals that I think I can help the most—not “judging” your application. For this offering, I can only accept a limited number of applicants.
2. At least 3 days before your session, you will submit by email your completed survey which takes you through an in-depth series of questions that will get you thinking about the focus for your call, and will give me the background needed to prepare for our conversation. At this time, you can also send me samples such as links to your website, something you’ve written that’s meaningful to you, photos of your family, a business idea you’ve been working on, a piece of writing that’s meaningful to you (yours or a favorite author’s), or anything that’s meaningful to you that gives me a window into what brings you “deep gladness.”
3. We will have your 1-hour one-on-one Private Mentoring Session via Skype, FaceTime or by phone.

Invest in Yourself and Get Started Now.

Private Mentoring includes your completion of a short survey, a 1-hour in-depth Private Mentoring Session, and a plan for moving forward. The investment for these services is a one-time payment. Ongoing Private Instruction sessions will be a separate offering available upon request after completing the initial offering.

You will come away with specific, actionable methods and strategies tailored to you to help you move forward in your life. Regardless of your starting point, and no matter what your goals are, we will work out a plan to help you move towards where you aspire to be. I look forward to sharing with you what I know and love about this journey we share as human beings.

Register now to secure your spot. For this offering, I’ll be working with a limited number of applicants.

I look forward to working with you soon.

P.S. Choosing to invest in yourself is a big decision. Feel free to email me at leigh@vivainstitute.com with any questions.

When the sweet ache of being alive,
lodged between who you are
and who you will be,
is awakened,
befriend this moment.
It will guide you.
Its sweetness is what holds you.
Its ache is what moves you on.
~ Mark Nepo

Leigh Hopkins Biography

Leigh Hopkins received her Bachelors in Elementary Education and Music and a Masters in K-12 Reading Education. She has a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from Cornell University, and is a certified Usui Reiki Master. To read more, read Leigh’s full bio in the About section.