Meet Leslee Vogal.

Q: Would you tell us a little bit about what you do in Sedona?

A: I run an integrative counseling practice called The Institute for Wholeness that I’ve operated for 20+ years. I provide counseling that attends to the whole person, and I bring the tools that I’ve accumulated in my 62 years of living to support people in finding wholeness their way.

Q: Did you do something a long time ago when you first came to Sedona?

A: Yes, my husband and I owned Nature Spirit Herbals when we first came to Sedona, which was a store that sold lots of herbs, Chinese herbs, Ayurvedic herbs, and bulk herbs. Our storefront also housed my counseling office.

Q: How long have you lived in Sedona?

A: 27 years.

Q: What brought you here to begin with?

A: I was yearning for a different kind of place, I wanted a small community that could hold space for deep healing. That was, and still is, important to me. I grew up in Albuquerque, NM, and my husband and I looked at Taos and Santa Fe, and traveled a lot, but we kept coming back to Sedona.

Q: What do you do for fun here?

A: I am a simple person. I write, do yoga, and swim in the summers. I love being with my cats, reading, walking, and most recently, walking at night. It’s been one of my greatest joys, to put on my shoes and go all around our neighborhood at night. The nighttime is quieter, feels more yin, and very special for me.

Q: Who’s the most interesting or special person you’ve met while you’ve been here all these years?

A: It’s my husband. I met him here, and we’ve been together for 20 years. I find him to be one of the most fascinating people. I admire him. He’s a simple man who grew up in a small town in Minnesota, but he also has a brilliant mind. He is just a really fascinating, intriguing, and lovely human being.

Q: What person dead or alive would you like to have lunch or dinner with and why?

A: There are several: Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Carl Jung, Michelle Obama, Adyashanti, and the Dalai Lama. Why? Because of their wisdom, their knowledge, and their ability to have heart in this world.

Q: How would your best friend describe you?

A: My closest friends say that I’m a very good listener. My best friend has even said that listening is my superpower. Sometimes I can be wild, hopefully in a good way, and I also hope that I am kind.

Q: Has there been any person aside from your husband that might have changed your life or the way that you looked at your life in a small way?

A: My first mentor, a lovely man who is no longer with us. When I was little, I wanted to be some kind of physician. I wanted to support the healing of human souls. When I began working with this mentor in my twenties, he said to me, “Les, you definitely are a physician, and I think being a physician is good, but you’re not a physician of bodies. You’re a physician of souls”. That shifted my perspective and set me on the path to everything that I’ve done.

Q: What’s your favorite restaurant in Sedona?

A: Thai Spices, because I know Pearl is completely committed to how clean and lovely her food is. Everytime I eat there, I feel nourished. Also, Rene’s. We’ve had some beautiful times there too.

Q: Anything I haven’t asked you that you would like someone to know about you?

A: That I’m an introvert. While I love people tremendously, I recharge best in solitude. Another thing is my deep devotion to animals. If I had to do everything over, or had another career, I would pick something related to helping animals.