8 weeks with Leif

Growing
Yourself Up

Journey to Center, a labyrinth and seated meditating figure, original artwork by Brooke Doughtry

Here's the stuff no one taught your parents, or their parents, or their parents......

The actual practical steps for what to do after you feel your feelings.

Because feeling the feelings is only Step #1.

Learn how to really process emotions, identify your needs and get them met, understand why you keep sabotaging your best intentions, and build healthy adult relationships.

By becoming a trustworthy parent to yourself.

Apply Now

8 weeks · intimate group coaching with Leif Ariel · begins september 22nd

Is this for me?

Sound familiar?

You've done the therapy. You can name the pattern. You're still doing the pattern.
You know attachment theory backwards and forwards. You still spiral when they take three hours to text back.
You can have a hard conversation for anyone else on earth. Except for yourself.
You cried those “inner-child tears” four times. Why aren't they happy already?

And what you're actually longing for

To get to that mystical land of calm, stability, and relief you've heard comes from truly processing a big emotion.
To stop repeating that relationship you swore you were done with.
To finally build that relationship you swear you actually want.
To finally recognize what your d*mn needs are and ask for them.
To trust yourself to have your own back, even when you're hurt, scared, rejected, or seriously activated.

“I know myself right now, I know what my needs are. And I know how to express that in a clear way… You held that container for me, encouraged me, and sat with me. Watched me fall apart, and come back together, and fall apart again. With complete and true love and compassion. Seeing from your soul, seeing me and my soul, and seeing my infinite potential. It's priceless.”

Anne Michael · Realtor & TRE Practitioner

What actually changes

Self-parenting in action.

Same trigger. Two totally different people showing up.

Your partner wants space.

Before“Why are you pulling away? Are you mad at me?” Texts repeatedly, spirals, demands reassurance.

After“Ahh, this is bringing up my abandonment fear.” Tends the fear, then asks clearly: “Can we reconnect tonight?”

Someone is disappointed in you.

BeforeImmediately explains, apologizes, or changes your decision so they won't be upset.

AfterLets their disappointment exist. Checks inward: “Do I actually believe I did something wrong?” Responds from there.

You seriously mess something up.

Before“Jeeeez, what is wrong with me?” Shames yourself as a way to guarantee it won't happen again.

After“Yep, I screwed that up.” Feels the disappointment, repairs what needs repairing, learns, moves on.

You're lonely on a Friday night.

BeforeOpens Hinge, texts the ex, scrolls for three hours. Somebody make this feeling go away.

AfterRecognizes “I really want connection tonight,” feels the loneliness, then consciously chooses to call someone, make plans, or spend the evening alone.

You're furious with someone.

BeforeSuppresses it until it becomes resentment, passive aggression, an explosion, or a fantasy about cutting them off forever.

After“Whoa, my anger is telling me something isn't okay.” Feels it in the body, identifies the boundary, says what needs to be said.

You desperately want something.

BeforeTalks yourself out of it. “That's stupid, unrealistic, selfish,” or waits for someone else's permission.

After“Something in me really wants this.” Gets curious about the desire, takes it seriously, decides what to do with it.

The practice

The Good Stuff

You'll end with more than a framework, you'll end with a practice designed to genuinely change your life.

Week 1

Map of the Psyche

Meet the many parts inside you, and learn why they can all have a voice without all getting the steering wheel.

Week 2

Understanding Child Consciousness

Why you suddenly become five years old in completely adult situations, and how to return to adulthood.

Week 3

Defenses, Adaptations + Resistance

Discover what your most frustrating patterns have actually been protecting you from, so you can stop fighting them and start healing them.

Week 4

Coming Into Contact With Yourself

Get out of your head and learn to genuinely experience what's happening inside you.

Week 5

Identifying Needs + Boundaries

Learn to read what your emotions are telling you, identify what you actually need, and own your responsibility to honor them.

Week 6

Meeting Your Needs

Some needs only you can meet. Some needs require others. We'll learn the difference.

Week 7

The Actual Practice of Self-Parenting

Learn how to listen to every part of yourself while becoming the trustworthy leader and parent you've always needed.

Week 8

Having Healthy Adult Relationships

Bring all of this into real relationships: conflict, vulnerability, intimacy, repair, autonomy, and pleasure.

Who am I?

About Leif

I'm Leif. I grew up in the ticky-tacky boxes of the Orange County suburbs, aka the place where how you look on the outside is all that matters…… so take that inside stuff and squish it down, girl!

Worked for a while. Until it didn't.

I've dedicated the last 10 years of my life to unraveling that “inside stuff.” This course is the distillation of it all.

May it help you turn towards yourself with curiosity, compassion, and leadership.

25,000+ hours as a wilderness therapy guide working with clients in trauma and addiction recovery
4 years and 1,000+ hours of training from the Barbara Brennan School of Healing
3 years in private practice doing this work with hundreds of humans
Countless hours parenting myself in the exact way I'm teaching y'all

Structure + investment

What you get.

8 weekly live group coaching calls
Calls are 2 hours, Tuesdays 1–3pm MDT
Slack community access between calls
Lifetime access to the Growing Yourself Up curriculum
Weekly experiments designed to bring theory into practice
My meditation library
Recordings of every call

$1,400

Payment plans available

I can't guarantee your experience of being you. But show up for the calls, do the experiments, get curious, be willing. And I bet you will experience yourself in a whole new way.

Apply Now

Before you apply

A few questions.

What happens after I apply?+

I'll reach out via email with a link to book a short call with me, about 20 minutes. We'll chat and make sure Growing Yourself Up is the right place for you.

Is this therapy?+

No. This is a psychoeducational group container, not clinical treatment. We draw on real developmental psychology, but you're not in a client-therapist relationship with me. If you're in active crisis or need clinical support, this isn't a replacement for that.

What if I miss a call?+

Every session is recorded, so you won't lose the material. That said, the live container, the actual experience of doing this alongside other people in real time, is a big part of what works, so it's worth treating the calls as non-negotiable where you can.

Do I need experience with this kind of work already?+

No. Some people arrive having done years of therapy and feeling stuck. Others are just starting to look at this stuff. The curriculum builds from the ground up, week one assumes nothing.

How is this different from your 1:1 work?+

This is a structured 8-week curriculum in a small group, with weekly live calls, written material, and experiments between sessions. 1:1 work is longer-form and built entirely around you. If you're not sure which fits, apply and we'll figure it out together.

Is there a payment plan?+

Yes, payment plans are available. We'll work together to pick the plan that fits your financial needs.

GrowingYourself Up