Social Impact Authors: Why & How Steffani LeFevour Is Helping To Change Our World
The moment I stopped outsourcing my power and started following my inner guidance, everything began to align — and that’s when things started to flow.
As part of my series about “authors who are making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Steffani LeFevour.
Steffani LeFevour is a Chicago-area author and coach whose work centers on what she calls “daily happiness” and a shift from “victimhood to personal power.” Raised with four siblings outside Chicago, she has written and spoken candidly about a childhood marked by addiction at home and the death of her 18-year-old sister in a drunk driving crash, experiences she says left her “armored up” for years of self-sabotage before she found personal growth work. She credits Marianne Williamson’s A Return to Love with helping her reframe that past, and later met Williamson while volunteering at a Chicago conference, after years of carrying a “dog-eared” copy of the book. LeFevour’s writing and coaching draw on lessons from her own marriage, including her husband John’s long-term sobriety, and on stories from clients she says have used the work to rebuild relationships. She is currently building what she calls the Soul Happy movement, encouraging readers to identify their “soul assignments” and “stop outsourcing” their inner authority.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
I grew up just outside of Chicago with four siblings, and if I’m honest, my childhood was messy and painful. At the time, I thought it was normal — because what else did I know? But looking back, it was filled with chaos. My parents fought constantly. My dad drank heavily. Most of their arguments were about my mom trying to stop him from driving drunk — with us kids in the car.
When I was eight, he left. Not because my mom drew a hard line, but because he chose another woman, another family. After that, we rarely saw him — except when we tried to track him down for the child support he refused to pay.
Then, when I was eleven, everything unraveled even more. My sister died in a drunk driving accident. She was only eighteen. The girl who was driving dropped her off at the hospital and left. A few days later, my vibrant, fun, effortlessly cool sister was gone. I was in the room when she passed. I kept trying to leave, telling my mom, “The room feels too crowded.” But it was just the two of us.
I now understand the spiritual impact of that moment — and the story it etched into my bones: I’m broken. I’m unlovable. Nothing good ever lasts. Life is made of trauma and heartbreak. So, I armored up for a lifetime of more tragedy.
For the next decade, I lived that story. I drank. I partied. I sabotaged every relationship I had. I mirrored the very patterns I swore I hated in my father. My only plan for the future was to ruin anything good, just like he did.
But then — by the grace of God — I stumbled into personal growth. And it cracked me open. It was messy. It was slow. I didn’t have many role models. But I grabbed onto it like a lifeline. I started treating my happiness like a full-time job. And step by step, I began climbing out of the rubble I’d built around myself.
That’s the real reason I do this work. Because I know what it feels like to believe you’re undeserving of joy. And I also know what it feels like to rise from that place — and choose to create something better. My writing, my coaching, my movement — they all exist because I lived through the wreckage and made the decision to rewrite the story.
When you were younger, was there a book that you read that inspired you to take action or changed your life? Can you share a story about that?
Yes. A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson was the first book that cracked me open.
It showed me there was a world beyond my childhood trauma — one rooted in possibility, not pain. It taught me about forgiveness, something I hadn’t truly considered before.
Through that book, I forgave my father for leaving. I forgave my sister for dying. And I forgave myself — for not knowing how to grieve, for not knowing how to forgive, for not knowing how to love myself through the wreckage. It gave me permission to stop giving up on myself and on my future. That book changed everything.
Fast forward ten years: I was deep in the work — messy, powerful, beautiful healing. I had been volunteering at a conference in Chicago called Celebrate Your Life, where some of the world’s most renowned spiritual teachers spoke. One year, the organisers asked me to host the keynote.
“Can you pick this woman up from the airport, take care of her all weekend, and introduce her on stage?”
I said yes — without hesitation. The woman was Marianne Williamson.
She noticed my dog-eared copy of A Return to Love sticking out of my purse — pages highlighted, underlined, worn thin from how many times I’d read and re-read it, desperate to embody every word. She held it in her hands and said, “What a gift to see a book like this.” She signed it. And we spent the most beautiful weekend together.
I manifested that moment. I had spoken so often about the impact her book had on my healing that meeting her felt inevitable — like I had called her into my orbit, both energetically and literally. That’s the power of manifestation.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
When I first started speaking, I thought I’d made a huge mistake by being “too vulnerable.” Right before one of my early talks, my daughter and I stopped into a plumbing store. She was only four at the time. While I wandered around looking at bathtubs, she walked off, blanket in hand.
When I found her, she was sitting on a toilet in the front display window… going pee. I could barely contain myself as she looked up at me and said, “Mommy, this toilet doesn’t work properly.”
The store clerk was incredibly gracious. That story had just happened, and when I got on stage, I decided to share it. I figured — why not?
But as the words left my mouth, I thought, well, that was way too personal. No one’s ever going to take me seriously now. But something unexpected happened. The audience laughed. They leaned in. They softened. And at the end of my talk, when I invited them into my very first group coaching program, women actually signed up!
What I thought was a mistake — oversharing — turned out to be the very thing that connected me to them. It taught me early that authenticity isn’t something to hide. It’s the bridge.
That moment sealed it for me: I will never shy away from telling the real stories. Because being myself is what makes this work land.
Can you describe how you aim to make a significant social impact with your book?
At my core, my mission has always been simple: to help people experience more daily happiness. I’ve been devoted to that work for over 13 years — and this book is a natural extension of it.
My second book, which is about soul assignments, invites readers to uncover the unique experiences they’ve signed up for in this lifetime — the soul-level lessons that shape who they’re here to become. It helps them radically accept those assignments, so they no longer feel like victims of their circumstances. And it teaches them how to harness the power within those experiences.
Only when we shift from victimhood to personal power can we consciously create a life we truly love. The ripple effect is what excites me most. When one person chooses joy, it changes everything: their family, their friendships, their community. Imagine households where parents model resilience instead of replaying trauma. Workplaces where joy — not burnout — is the cultural norm. Communities that thrive on possibility, not fear.
That’s the vision behind the Soul Happy movement. My vision is that this book helps ignite it. At the heart of it all, I want people to remember that happiness is possible — no matter what they’re walking through — and to choose it. That choice has the power to change everything.
Can you share with us the most interesting story that you shared in your book?
There are so many powerful stories in my book — my own, my clients’, even stories from well-known figures. But one of the most personal and most unexpected is the story of my husband, John, and me.
We actually met when he was 11 and I was 15. He was in fifth grade. I was a sophomore in high school. We met at my block party, and on the very first day, he told me I was “the one.” His confidence and charm completely disarmed me. But he was in grade school. I was in high school. A few days later, after he kept hanging around, I laughed and told him, “You’d make a good boyfriend… in about ten years.”
He looked right at me and said, “Will you wait for me?”
I said “sure,” completely unaware that a soul assignment had just been activated. Ten years later, we ran into each other again. He asked, “Do you still wonder what it would be like to kiss me?”
I did. He asked for my number, I gave it to him, and four days later, he picked me up in his dad’s car for our first date.
What I thought would be a summer fling turned out to be so much more. Exactly ten years later — on the anniversary of that date — we got married in a midnight ceremony.
But it wasn’t a fairy tale. Not even close.
Like my father, John struggled with addiction to alcohol and eventually drugs. Seven years into our relationship, I found pills on his bedside table. Again. I knew exactly what they were, and I knew what came next. I dropped them on the floor, walked out without a word, and swore I would not marry my father.
But unlike my father, John got sober. He fought for his life. For me. For us. He fought for the two kids we hadn’t had yet. And for the future, we could only build through his sobriety. He’s been sober now for 22 years.
And while life with a recovering addict might sound easier than life with one in active addiction, it’s not. But we didn’t sign up for easy. We signed up for growth. We signed up to trigger each other, to face what most people run from, to raise kids through sleepless nights and colicky babies, to fight and make up, and to hold each other through loss, heartbreak, and joy.
At some point, I realized John wasn’t just my husband.
He was my most significant soul assignment. I know now that we chose this. I chose to love him through his addiction. He chose to help me break the cycle. And that knowing — that this was never random, that it was sacred — has carried us through nearly three decades.
It’s been almost 30 years now.
I signed up to do this life with John — to love him through his addiction and his wounds. And he signed up to help me break the cycle — the generational pattern of marrying a man who can’t show up for the people he loves.
I’m proud of us for that. And proud that our kids won’t carry that forward.
I’m proud of us. We are proud that our children will grow up with a different story. We are proud that we turned pain into love. And proud that we turned a soul contract into a marriage that is real, raw, soft, supportive — and inspiring.
What was the “aha moment” or series of events that made you decide to bring your message to the greater world? Can you share a story about that?
Yes. A few years ago, I was on a mentor call with my dear friend and teacher, Neale Donald Walsch — the author of Conversations with God, a series that completely changed my life.
I had devoured every word he’d ever written, met him many times, and even served on the board of one of his organizations. His work shaped me in ways I can hardly put into words.
That day, we were deep in conversation about life, philosophy, and the soul’s journey when he suddenly asked me: “So… when are you writing it?” “Writing what?” I asked, even though I knew exactly what he meant. He was talking about the book that had been living inside me — the one I had been resisting, denying, and tucking away.
“Your book,” he said. “The book on this”. On the truths you see so clearly that most people don’t yet understand. When are you writing it?” Something cracked open in me in that moment. I took a breath, and instead of pushing it away again, I said: “Thank you. I’ll have it done by the end of the year.”
And I did. Neale went on to write the foreword to my book. To this day, I’m still in awe of how life weaves full-circle moments. The man whose words once saved me became the one who called me into my own.
Without sharing specific names, can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
I’m honored to say that the work I do with women has saved many marriages. Honestly, there’s nothing that means more to me. It saved my own marriage — more than once — and has saved countless others.
One story that’s stayed with me is about a woman I’ll call Pamela. When she first came to me, she was exhausted, resentful, and convinced her marriage was beyond repair. She felt unseen, unloved, and ready to walk away. But as we worked together, something began to shift. She started to see how her own stories and patterns were shaping the dynamic. She did the inner work — healing old wounds, reclaiming her worth, and showing up differently.
And then something remarkable happened:
Her marriage transformed.
The same relationship that once felt hopeless became a space of love, partnership, and possibility again. That’s what I love most about this work. It’s not just about saving marriages — it’s about women remembering their power. It’s about choosing happiness. It’s about creating change from the inside out. Because when one woman rises, her entire family rises with her.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
The truth is, the most important thing any of us can do — whether you’re a politician, a parent, a CEO, or a student — is the inner work required to show up as your best self. At the end of the day, there are only two categories in life: what we can control and what we can’t. We can’t control other people or circumstances. But we can always control ourselves — our energy, our mindset, our choices. That’s where real change begins.
If I had to name three things society could do to transform itself, they would be these:
- Awareness. Become fully aware of your inner world — your thoughts, words, feelings, beliefs, and the stories you carry. All of these shape your outer reality. Awareness is always the first step.
- State Management. Design your mornings, routines, and daily practices to help you feel as good as you possibly can. Gratitude, movement, breathwork — whatever helps shift your state into one of possibility. Consciously put effort into being your best self.
- Mindset Mastery. Direct your thoughts toward what you want — not what you fear or lack. Dream bigger. Visualize it daily. When your thoughts align with your desires, you become magnetic to what you seek.
These may sound simple, but simple doesn’t mean easy. Yet these shifts have the power to transform a life almost instantly. If we want a more purposeful, joyful, and healthy society, we have to start here — inside ourselves. Because while it may not be your fault how you were conditioned, it is your responsibility to choose differently. That’s how we change not just our own lives, but the lives of everyone we touch.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
I define leadership as living authentically — being true to who you really are. To me, leadership isn’t about titles, power, or how many people follow you. It’s about embodying your truth so thoroughly that your life becomes the example. The leaders I admire don’t shrink themselves to fit someone else’s mold.
They serve the world by showing up as their most genuine selves — and that authenticity is what inspires others.
One person who embodies this for me is Vishen Lakhiani, the founder of Mindvalley. I’ve known him for over 15 years, and what inspires me most is not that he’s perfect — but that he’s not. He’s human, like all of us. He’s faced challenges, drama, and setbacks. And still, he continues to grow. He continues to evolve spiritually. And he continues to lead from a place of truth. He speaks up courageously against injustice. He scales his business while lifting others with him.
He has a clear vision for his life — and he inspires others to create theirs. That is authentic leadership. Genuine. Human. Courageous. And deeply inspiring.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
When I first started on this entrepreneurial and spiritual journey, there were five lessons I wish someone had whispered in my ear. They would have saved me years of second-guessing, wasted money, and unnecessary suffering. Here they are:
1 . Follow your own inner guidance over everyone else’s.
When I was building my business, I hired countless marketing experts — each with their own “secret formula” for success. I invested big and followed their blueprints to the letter. But nothing worked the way they promised. I now understand why: I was overriding my own intuition. The strategies felt forced because they weren’t mine. The moment I stopped outsourcing my power and started following my inner guidance, everything began to align — and that’s when things started to flow.
2 . You will never succeed beyond your belief in your own success.
For years, I set big goals but quietly doubted myself. I’d say I wanted to reach thousands, but deep down, I was thinking, who am I to do this? That hidden disbelief sabotaged me more than any external obstacle ever could. The turning point came when I started treating belief like a muscle — training it daily with affirmations, visualization, and mindset work. As my belief grew stronger, so did my results. It was never just about strategy. It was about the story I was telling myself.
3 . Your inner work trumps everything.
In the beginning, I thought business was about hustle — more content, more effort, more doing. But my most significant breakthroughs didn’t come from working harder. They came from going deeper: healing old wounds, forgiving, and rewiring my core beliefs. I tell my clients all the time: you can’t out-strategize your unhealed self. The inner work is the foundation on which everything else rests.
4 . Authenticity is what draws people to you. Being YOU is enough.
I used to think I had to present myself as polished, perfect, and in control — like I had all the answers. But people don’t connect to perfection. They connect to humanity. The moment I started sharing my real story — the messy parts, the heartbreak, the resilience — people leaned in. Authenticity builds trust in a way no marketing strategy ever could.
5 . Consistency is key.
There were so many moments I wanted to quit — especially in the early years when it felt like no one was listening. But I kept showing up — writing, speaking, posting, serving, even when the results weren’t immediate. Looking back, I can see it clearly: consistency built the momentum. It created trust. It shaped the community I have today. Success didn’t come from one big breakthrough. It was built brick by brick, day by day.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” — Marianne Williamson.
When I first read those words in A Return to Love, they cracked me wide open. I realized I hadn’t spent my life fearing failure — I had been fearing my own brilliance. That quote helped me forgive myself, stop dimming my light, and finally step into my calling.
It’s why I do the work I do today: to remind people that their power is not something to fear —
It’s something to embrace fully.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them.
I grew up a product of The Oprah Winfrey Show. She was the first person who opened the door for me into the world of spirituality and personal growth — introducing me to Marianne Williamson, Eckhart Tolle, and so many others who would go on to change my life. Oprah wasn’t just a television host to me; she was a spiritual guide. She did her inner work live on air, every single day — and in doing so, gave the rest of us permission to do the same.
In 2008, I manifested the chance to work with Oprah and Eckhart Tolle on their A New Earth webinar series — the largest spiritual event of its kind at the time. It was surreal to find myself behind the scenes of something I had once only dreamed about.
Years later, I had the opportunity to work with Oprah again, and both experiences reminded me just how powerful intention and manifestation really are.
If I had the chance to sit down with her today, I’d want to do two things: first, thank her — deeply — for the doors she opened for me and for millions of others. And second, I’d want to share the ripple effect of her work. Because the truth is, the book I wrote, the women I coach, the Soul Happy movement I’m building — it all exists because she planted a seed in me decades ago.
I’d love to look her in the eye and tell her:
“Your work is still being processed by me. Through the women I serve. Through the ripple that keeps expanding. And of course, I’d love to be a guest on her Super Soul podcast someday. This very article may be part of that manifestation unfolding.”
How can our readers further follow your work online?
The best way to stay connected with me is through my website: www.coachwithsteff.com. There, you’ll find powerful resources, my books, and ways to work with me directly.
I’m also very active on social media — especially Instagram, where I share daily inspiration, manifesting tools, and behind-the-scenes glimpses into both my life and my work. You can find me at @coachwithsteff.
I’d love for your readers to join me in the global Soul Happy movement I’m building. My mission is to help people remember their power, manifest their dreams, and create lives they truly love — because when one of us rises, we all rise.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Social Impact Authors: Why & How Steffani LeFevour of Coach With Steff Is Helping To Change Our… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.