LeAnn Crouch
Client Engagement Specialist
LeAnn Crouch is a Client Engagement Specialist for US² Consulting, where she combines her passion for helping others embrace themselves by using her own successes and struggles as an indigenous, lesbian woman. She is a firm believer in getting out of one’s own way to accelerate personal growth.
LeAnn has been a business owner, activist, and speaker for longer than she is willing to admit. She is the owner of Twisted Willow Soap Co., a Detroit-based organic bath and body product company and prides herself in her intention-based products. LeAnn is also a business coach and personality profiler, and advocates for integrating honesty and integrity into all aspects of life.
When LeAnn isn’t presenting, speaking, or creating new products, you’ll find her hiking with her pack of dogs or cruising on her motorcycle.
I was always the kid that never seemed to fit in anywhere. If I was living in an area without tribal people, I was considered an “Indian” or called “half-breed” – or any number of other negative names. I was one of very few indigenous students in school that was open about my culture and being a part of a tribe, which was frequently met with ridicule. During the summers, I would often go home to my tribal community and have to “prove” that I hadn’t become part of “white society”. I would defend that I was still true to my tribal beliefs and, ultimately, not assimilating to colonial expectations.
When it came time to announce I was going to college, I was so happy and excited! I was a first-generation college student, which brought me a lot of pride. However, some of the tribal members were not nearly as excited for me to go to a white college and learn, as someone said to me, “the white man’s ways.” It felt like I could never please anyone or find where I belonged. It wasn’t until I was older that I realized being what I am (part-white, part-indigenous) can’t be defined by others. My identity can only be defined by me.
