Exploring Life & Business with Kandi Leigh Hodges

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kandi Leigh Hodges.

Hi Kandi, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Thank you so much for having me! Here’s a little bit about my journey into entrepreneurship.

Since as young as I can remember, I knew I was a writer. When I was a toddler, I would sit at the dining room table scribbling my stories. I didn’t know how to write the alphabet, let alone words. But, I wrote page after page of curlicue scribble. In high school, I was on the yearbook staff, and I realized I also liked design work.

For college, I decided I wanted to major in mass communication and specialize in public relations. I loved that I would get to both write and design. A couple of years after graduation from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, I became a news reporter for a small newspaper. In addition to writing stories and designing page layouts, I was responsible for taking photos to accompany my stories. I knew nothing about photography, but I realized quickly that I wanted to learn more. That passion got put on hold.

Fast forward about five years. I began working as a public relations specialist for UT in Knoxville, and I noticed ample opportunities to take photos for my institution’s news stories, website, and social media. I finally enrolled in some photography classes, and my passion for photography caught like wildfire. I couldn’t stop learning. Through classes at Pellissippi State Community College, I learned every style of photography from portraits to still life (my favorite assignment involved making “advertisement” style photos) to weddings. I also learned all about studio lighting and the use of natural light. I loved it ALL.

At the time, I was married, and we built a successful, award-winning wedding photography business as a husband and wife team.

A few years later, I began noticing I was really bloated and didn’t feel well. But, doctors couldn’t find anything “wrong” with me. Let’s just say, if I was going to look pregnant, I at least wanted to be pregnant, ya know? A friend recommended I visit Nutritional Wellness Initiative, and I am so thankful I did. Using muscle response testing, the practitioner, Mary Anne Tsakeres, found that my body was full of toxins. This is when I embarked on a holistic health journey.

About six months later, on Valentine’s Day 2015, my brother passed away from pancreatic cancer. This shook my world. He was so much more than my brother. He had been a father figure and best friend. My grief changed my life. I began to question everything about my life and how I wanted to live it. Through these internal questions, prayers if you will, I triggered my Spiritual Awakening.

Through spiritual awakening, I began seeing and understanding life differently. It was as if I had gone back to Kindergarten and was re-learning everything through a new lens. My personal life spiraled quickly, and eventually, I was connected to my reiki master teacher, Carolyn Jones with the Holistic Institute of Wellness so that I could find healing for my mind and spirit. And just like when I was learning photography, I became a sponge to reiki. I blazed through Reiki I, II, and III classes, and I became a certified reiki master on September 15, 2019.

The moment I was named a reiki master, I felt as if I had finally found home within myself. I didn’t know if I had chosen reiki or if reiki had chosen me. Along the way, I also became a certified Intuitive Tarot reader and completed a life coaching program.

This is where Kandi Leigh was born.

Using all of my tools in reiki, intuitive energy reading, Tarot, and photography, I guide empaths into fulfilling relationships and help them thrive. And I get to take their photos. I realized we live in an abundant, unlimited universe, and I can pursue all of my passions.

While a lot of the energy healing and spiritual guidance work I do is “online,” I recently partnered with Massage Specialists of East Tennessee to offer “in-person” reiki and coaching sessions in West Knoxville, and I am so excited for this partnership!

And of course, it feels great to be behind the camera again. I love all styles of portraiture, but I am specializing in lifestyle portraits and branding photography, especially for power couples. All of my work is based on creating balance and wellbeing in health, wealth, and relationships, and as more people move into self-employment, people are valuing living less fragmented lives.

So, a lifestyle branding session allows people to capture a full 360-degree view of their lives including branding images, headshots, and portraits, family photos, and/or couple’s images all within one session that they can use to honor and represent the totality of who they are.

I also offer Smoky Mountain elopements and couples photos (and families, too!) I still love weddings, and I feel so blessed to get to live here and take pictures of people in love.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have definitely been struggles. I would say one of the biggest challenges I have had to overcome is explaining reiki to people who have never heard of it and then helping them see how it can benefit them. In a nutshell, reiki channels high vibrational energy into a person’s body to release subconscious blockages and activate the body’s own healing mechanisms.

We aren’t traditionally taught that our bodies have their own powerful healing abilities. A reiki practitioner helps to guide you. The other cool thing about reiki is that I can do what’s known as distance reiki, so the person doesn’t even have to be present in the room with me. It’s been extremely Covid-friendly.

Another challenge was simply coming out of the “woo” closet and being willing to be different. What I find really amazing is how people in Generation Z (born circa 1995-2009 and including my children) seem to see the world differently and are very open to learning about diverse cultures and experiences.

Possibly my biggest challenge has been bringing everything together – creating a “brand” identity and explaining what I do. This is actually still evolving. I always joke that my favorite hobby is updating my Instagram bio. I love to do “all the things,” and I have never really fit into any one box. Even in high school, I had friends within every crowd. But also, just choosing to go by Kandi Leigh has been a challenge. When I divorced, I didn’t change my last name, but I went through an identity crisis. Who was I?

What’s funny is that my mom named me Kandi Vanessa-Leigh Austin. Kandi was inspired by a pink dishwashing liquid very few people have heard of called Kandu. And she gave me two middle names because she always wanted me to feel like I had names to choose from. Even as a little girl, I envisioned that if I ever realized my dream of publishing books, my author’s name would be Kandi Leigh. So, here I am.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Officially, I am Kandi Leigh, but my holistic healing services fall under Holistic Wellbeing with Kandi, and my photography business is Kandi Leigh Photo.

Locally, I am most known for my photography work and reiki. However, I also offer Tarot readings and am now offering Tarot Reading Parties either in person or via Zoom.

Most of my clients are drawn to me because of my abilities to guide them through Spiritual Awakening and connect them to their intuitive gifts and soul purpose; help them call in their soul mate; provide guidance when making decisions, or just help them feel better.

My sessions tend to be powerful, and clients typically report immediate results. For example, the other day, I worked on a child with autism, and he tried a hamburger for the first time ever just hours after I finished. I am always blown away that I get to be a part of someone’s life like that. I find helping people feel better connects to my photography sessions as well. Clients say I keep it fun and help them see themselves differently, and that’s really beautiful.

Contact Info:

• Email: kandi@kandileigh.com
• Website: http://kandileigh.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/the.kandi.leigh
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ascendwithkandi
• Other: http://kandileigh.com/links

Image Credits
Kandi Leigh Photo
JoPhoto