261. Alexis Leigh | Pain is a Portal to Beauty: Stunning Discoveries After Loss, Psychedelics, and Feeling It All

Join us for ⁠⁠⁠BookThinkers LIVE 2025⁠⁠⁠! Happening November 9, 2025! ⁠⁠⁠https://www.bookthinkers.com/book-thinkers-live-2025 In today’s episode, we have the pleasure to interview Alexis Leigh, author of Pain is a Portal to Beauty: Stunning Discoveries After Loss, Psychedelics, and Feeling It All. Alexis is an investment banker turned seeker. She brings a unique blend of grounded insight and soulful storytelling to her debut memoir, where she traces her journey through grief, inner work, and spiritual awakening. With warmth, curiosity, and honesty, Alexis invites us to rethink what it means to heal, to feel, and to live more fully. In this episode, you’ll learn how slowing down and noticing your internal world can lead to profound breakthroughs, why authentic gratitude must be rooted in truth, and how facing even the subtlest discomforts can unlock deeper self-love, healing, and joy. We hope you enjoy this incredible conversation with Alexis Leigh. To Learn More about Alexis and buy her book visit: The Book: https://a.co/d/1hzQkzR Website/Socials: https://www.alexisleigh.com/ Chapters: 0:00 Intro 0:53 “If you died today, your life would have been a tragedy” 3:01 Toxic gratitude and how to honor truth 9:43 Being patient with yourself and your journey 12:06 David Hawkins on repressed emotions 13:13 Alexis’s advice on improving self-acceptance 16:38 From Christianity to psychedelics 20:45 Journaling as a tool to connect the outside & inside 24:17 Slowing down not to default to coping mechanisms 24:55 Fasting as a form of therapy 26:29 Start the inner work by shutting down stimuli & noticing things 31:11 Being able to be at peace with your thoughts & emotions 37:33 “You can do nothing better for me than work on yourself” 38:19 You can always come back to the work when you feel the need for it 39:30 Nick’s & Alexis’s first experience with psychedelics 43:13 Sometimes in nothingness you find your way to healing ________________________________________________ Join the world's largest non-fiction Book community! https://www.instagram.com/bookthinkers/ The purpose of this podcast is to connect you, the listener, with new books, new mentors, and new resources that will help you achieve more and live better. Each and every episode will feature one of the world's top authors so that you know each and every time you tune-in, there is something valuable to learn. If you have any recommendations for guests, please DM them to us on Instagram. (www.instagram.com/bookthinkers) If you enjoyed this show, please consider leaving a review. It takes less than 60-seconds of your time, and really makes a difference when I am trying to land new guests. For more BookThinkers content, check out our Instagram or our website. Thank you for your time!