I’m a trauma-attuned healing guide.

My name is Leila Sadr, and in my experience, trauma or chronic accumulated stress over the years is what stands between a human who has tried all the things and is still stuck, and a human who has accessed their own wisdom and is actively building inner harmony because they've addressed this stress.

What I do is guide humans who are open and curious to do the work, so they can start reprogramming and restructuring what no longer fits. My work is relational, intuitive, and always collaborative. I draw from many practices, including different types of movement, parts work, artistic expression, slowness and space exploration, education, and an overall connection to our vessel through breath, body, and sound, in an immersion I have created called SADR.

I have trained at the Polyvagal Institute.

And with so many others in the trauma space, my education started with Gabor Maté, Richard Schwartz, Frank Anderson, Thomas Hübl, Bessel van der Kolk, and so, so many more. I have woven and will always ground these teachings in ancient wisdoms. I also deepened my relationship with my own culture as an Iranian and started to study the history of our world, the cultures we've built to survive in, and the history beyond dominant narratives. So my work is deeply aware of environment, culture, community, and, of course, the individual.

I remain a student of this work, integrating what I learn into my daily life and practice.

Seven years of learning about and gently reprogramming my nervous system and returning to my first love, dance, have been the pillars of the foundation I've built for myself. From 12-step programs to retreats, I went from transferring my addiction to healing work to truly surrendering altogether to the wisdom of my body and my design as a human. And that's when things started to shift in a very unsexy way! It is a slow and steady journey with a multitude of miracles and imperfections along the way. I talk about and show more of my journey in depth on my Patreon.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Leila & Why She Does This Work

  • After so many years of learning about myself, I was finally able to see that this work is why I'm here. I've never felt more aligned than I do when I'm doing it.

    I used to think that, like Jim Carrey, I belonged to the Church of FFC (Freeing people From Concern) because I love entertaining people and have always been good at it. But slowly, as I started to unravel my wounds, see them, and begin healing, I was asked multiple times to help others do the same. As I did and felt the contribution I was making, it became clear that this work is my purpose.

  • Trauma-Integrated Growth is the foundation of my work. I understand that growth happens both consciously and unconsciously. My role is to support the kind of growth that is truly sustainable—growth that prioritizes safety, doesn't bypass darkness, and follows the intelligence of the body.

    When we want to shift something or grow into something new, I've found the most sustainable path is through our wounds, traumas, or chronic accumulated stress—not around them. It is through that journey that we gain access to our gifts, true purpose, presence, and the human experience of something as simple as feeling.

  • So many things:

    • Thinking that talking alone is going to get them results.

    • Fully surrendering their will to a practitioner, thinking that'll ease their pain.

    • Thinking that if it's not 100% science-based, with tons of studies and evidence behind it, it's not going to work.

    • Thinking there's one specific approach that'll do the trick, overemphasizing one aspect while fully abandoning others.

    I believe healing is deeply personalized, and it encompasses every part of us as humans: body, mind, spirit, and everything in between. That's why I don't use the phrase "mental health," because it isn't isolated in the mind. We are not thinking machines who feel sometimes. We are feeling beings who think sometimes.

  • So many things, and they keep evolving as I learn and grow in this work. I didn't have the best experiences with talk therapy when I was younger, so when I started doing this work, I leaned heavily toward the body. Then I slowly realized both are important, and different people require different ratios of each.

    I've learned not to hold on too tightly to what I've learned, but instead to let it live in my body and my life, and through time and discernment, let it evolve.

  • I'm most curious about the underlying layers of things—their core. I'm curious about the grounded reality of systems and concepts, and the principles that facts about them illuminate.

    For example, when it comes to trauma, I don't just look at what it is, how to prevent it, or how to make it better. I'm curious about how it shapes us at every level: cellular, individual, relational, societal, and even planetary.

    What are the underlying principles that remain true across every level of human experience? Or how does life actually work when we strip away culture, ideology, dogma, and inherited assumptions?

  • I'm a 6/2 Splenic Projector.

    Human Design has been one of many fascinating lenses I enjoy exploring to better understand myself and others.

  • I have many favorite animals because each one teaches me or reminds me of something about ourselves and life. I love bats because of how much time they spend in darkness. I love slow lorises because they're so cute on the outside, yet they're the world's only venomous primates, and slowness is one of their survival strategies. I also love whales—belugas in particular—because they're incredibly social, playful, and compassionate. Their culture and different dialects fascinate me immensely.

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