5 days ago

Ep. 256 - Second Life w/ Leah Nixon

“Most of us go around in life as if we’re not going to die, but we are not guaranteed 80 years. Knowing that I wasn’t going to have forever changed things.” ~ Leah Nixon

During what she calls her first life, Leah Nixon ran a half marathon, two full marathons, helped construct houses for Habitat For Humanity and generally built up a tolerance for doing tough things, and had just started making greeting cards with her sister.

Then an accident on a construction site on August 14, 2018, changed things. A telehandler slipped in the mud and fell over, crushing Leah beneath it. It took firefighters 45 minutes to free her. The accident left Leah’s lower body paralyzed but by some miracle she retained the use of her hands.

While in the hospital, Leah received an unexpected form of medicine: greeting cards. Receiving cards helped Leah “get past the trauma” of what had happened to her and shift her to focus to what might still be possible for her. Wanting to pay this immense healing she experienced from the cards forward, Leah called upon her experience in oil painting and illustration to test her hands and see if she could still draw. The answer was a resounding, Yes!

Now in her second life, Leah uses her talents to create some of the most beautiful and moving greeting cards I’ve ever seen for Tiny and Snail, a greeting card business she runs with her sister, Grace. “We are obsessed with using the magical invention of the Postal Service to infuse love into people’s days. In an age of technology, snail mail isn’t just a novelty—it’s powerful:”

Leah grew up in Rapid City, South Dakota and is proud to be living her second life there with her husband and children, with her parents close by.

Leah’s perspective on life is engaging, optimistic, and empathic. She has put this perspective into action that is now rippling out into the world.

As life progresses, there are undoubtedly going to be changes in store for each and everyone of us. May we embrace these changes with Leah’s determination, joy, and vision.