My method wasn’t born from a whiteboard. It was born from collapse.

—Leah Sanders, Creator of The Life Edit Method

I lost my sister. My mother. My father. My brother (cousin). Then beloved colleagues. And eventually, myself. At the time of my sister’s loss, I endured the cruelty of a psychologically abusive boss who I allowed to redefine and distort my sense of self — only a year of her presence, but fifteen years of her echo. The vulnerabilities and shock of my sister’s loss imprinted that period of my life in ways that would shape me for years to come. I made mistakes. I silenced my voice. I carried blame. Anxiety stole my sleep and focus at work. Still, I kept producing—until I couldn’t. My fixer drive spun out of control.

Then came layered grief: my parents losing their daughter, my mother losing both her daughter and husband, my older brother’s quiet pain, my nephew’s staggering loss—his mother, grandparents, godmother - one of his mother's closest friends. With therapy, he grew steady. His endurance and wisdom reminded me of a truth I’d forgotten:

This isn’t about surviving. It’s about becoming.

Decades in newsrooms taught me to lead under pressure, to perform empty, to keep going while falling apart. But like in the edit room, I learned to cut what interrupts the story. That’s why I created The Life Edit Method—a map for people like me. Strong but tired. Capable, but unraveling. Ready to heal, but unsure where to begin. This is how we rebuild—with structure, soul, and sovereignty.