Leah Maille was born in the paradise of Mandeville, Jamaica to a strong and wise Tanzanian father, and a sweet and eternally loving Jamaican mother. Together, her parents instilled the truth of manifestation, the power of voice, and an unfathomable love.
Leah grew up and spent most of her adult years in Connecticut where she graduated from Central Connecticut State University with a Bachelor’s in Sociology and was heavily involved in dance communities in Connecticut, New York, and Boston. Upon graduating, Leah spent some time dancing in New York and later returned to CT where she worked for numerous community organizations. Leah is currently the owner/operator of Stage Left Dance Studio, in Middletown CT, where she provides a safe space for young people to gain confidence, build relationships, and explore the art of dance.
Leah has traveled around the globe using her movement teaching experience to guide different dance and yoga spaces in various countries including Australia, Indonesia, and Uganda. Leah also serves as a doula in her community, coaching & guiding expecting families into parenthood. She plans to dive deeper into birth work as she aspires to be a Nurse-Midwife, aiming to shed light on and alter the implicit biases present in a health-care system that disproportionately harms black women.
Additionally, Leah founded a campaign & youth empowerment program, “The Beauty Campaign: Beauty Ambassadors”, to plant seeds of self-work in young people. Working with Melissa Michaels & David Blumenkrantz has afforded Leah the opportunity to step into her own beauty, and she believes that introducing youth to the concept of self-love and embodied emotional literacy in a safe, supported, and contained community can be revolutionary.
Through the teaching and mentorship of Melissa Michaels, and the deep guidance afforded to Leah by her many mentors, she lives by the teaching of Embodiment, Community, Humility, & Love.
“Being black in this world is both a privilege and an experience of misery. We are strong. We are beautiful. We are resilient in the face of Global Systems that seek to diminish our worth in the name of capital gain. We have soul, full of flavor that is so violently stolen and appropriated, yet deemed unacceptable when embraced by our own. We love bold. We sing songs of truth and faith, and we hold tight to our own, committing to ensuring the legacy of our ancestors. We close our eyes and dream of a world where our strength won’t be deemed a threat, where our sons and fathers and uncles and brothers can walk in freedom with their heads held high, void of fear that their next step may be their last. I close my eyes and dream of a world where mothers and daughters and aunts and sisters birth kings and queens in comfort, knowing that their ancestors are there to hold space of love and comfort, with ease.“I am my ancestors”.
I believe that guidance comes in moments of stillness. When I close my eyes and silence the noise of the world around me, I envision myself older and wiser, caring for those getting ready to usher in new life. I come from a lineage of mighty village Midwives from the country of Tanzania. My paternal great grandmother was a Holistic Pediatrician and Midwife who stood tall in the face of adversity and committed her life to caring for those in her community; this knowledge runs through my veins.
As a black woman, my intention in becoming a Midwife is to educate, advocate, and empower black women in a biased, unequal, and inequitable system. I believe it is my role to be a beacon of positive change in a world where systems were created to diminish the value of black lives. I am here to continue the rich heritage of beautiful black women who dedicated their lives to loving and guiding beautiful black women. I’m committed to ensuring the legacy of my ancestors.“I am my ancestors.”
