About
Lesley C. Graydon
I am an educator, writer, consultant, therapist & coach in the realms of higher learning, transformative conversations, and inspired living. My purpose is to be a light and bring clarity and freedom. I bring a professional, authentic, and dynamic energy to my commitment in making a real difference to people, groups, and organizations. Working in the classroom or in my private practice, my job is to aid the courageous folks I work with to fulfill on their goals and visions and to produce new results. I create and facilitate the space for increased knowledge, self-awareness, self-expression, and connection.
I obtained my Ph.D. in English and MA in Philosophy from The Graduate and University Center of The City University of New York, obtaining the first interdisciplinary concentration in LGBTQ/Sexuality Studies at the Ph.D. level in the United States. My BA, Honour’s degree in English is from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, BC. In addition to over ten years of University teaching, I have over fifteen years of various integrative therapy trainings, leadership and coaching trainings and hold a number of certifications.
I have published academic theory, literary articles, poetry, prose, and literary reviews as well as edited hard copy books, websites, magazines, and journals. I teach Literature, Writing, Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, & Interdisciplinary Cultural Studies/Humanities. I facilitate workshops & groups and collaborate and speak at events, retreats, and conferences. I also consult with businesses and organizations and have a private therapy and coaching practice.
I am foremost a caring teacher who serves to educate, expand, and empower those I work with. Making a transformative difference in the world is my life work. I believe that through our personal education and growth that our humanity and connection to each other is deepened and expanded; by extension our world becomes a more loving and equitable place for all.
Testimonials
My experience working with Lesley has brought such amazing changes to my life, it’s hard to capture it all within just a small paragraph. With her guidance, I have begun to develop an unshakable foundation of self-love and self-empowerment. She has given me the tools to critically assess my unhealthy patterns, clarify my goals, and develop language and practices of self-compassion.
Lesley has been my guiding light and voice of reason, in so many realms of my life. Guiding me through my romantic relationships, my family dynamics, through my career and school paths, friendships, and self-esteem, just to name a few. I am so thankful for her wisdom, insight, and honesty. She has lead me on a path of personal growth and self-discovery which I could have never imagined when I met her six years ago. Our therapeutic bond is special; I feel deeply understood, cared for, and advocated for.
Lesley has a wonderful combination of warmth, authenticity, and a sharp perception which, I imagine has developed from her years of experience as a therapist and teacher. I am grateful for our work together and having her in my life, and for her invaluable compassionate guidance. If you work with Lesley, you will dive deep into your own personal work and learn how to truly love yourself; all the while feeling connected, supported and valued throughout your journey.
I have participated in multiple workshops presented by Lesley (Lester) Graydon. I found Dr. Graydon’s workshops to be the most professional, educational, and inspirational of all that I attended. Lesley is a dynamic, engaging, and compassionate facilitator. She is able to create a safe space with a diverse group of people to explore challenging topics. I would seek any opportunity to read Dr. Graydon’s work or attend a class, speech, or workshop.
Lesley’s work has created a pivot shift in my life steering me away from a catastrophic trajectory and guiding me on path to becoming my true authentic self. I have worked with many counsellors in the past with little progress partially because the connection wasn’t strong and partially because of the huge protective fortress I had installed in my youth.
Lesley has helped me uncover and face buried wounds and showed me how to nurse and heal them in order to let my best self shine. She has guided me in identifying and honouring my core needs and values so that I now make daily choices that are uplifting and fulfilling rather than destructive or spurious.
Lesley takes a gentle and caring approach while pulling from different therapeutic modalities tailored to my needs to help facilitate positive change. Her broad scope of expertise has helped me identify, nurture and heal maternal/paternal trauma, addictions, insecurities and self-doubt. She truly believes in me, she encourages me, and she challenges me to be better. Lesley’s genuine investment in my mental well-being has allowed me to blossom into a confident, happy, sober and worthy woman.
I am delighted to recommend Lesley Graydon. She has been an indispensable presence—passionately articulate, sensitive, a committed and ardent reader and critic. Lesley has a remarkable degree of attunement to verbal and emotional nuances in literary and cultural artifacts. She is a fellow traveller whose intellect and spirit I treasure most deeply. I know that she is a dynamic, experienced, responsible teacher; she has the power to infuse a classroom with gravity and levity, with imagination and excitement. Her interests in literature and culture are wide-ranging and eclectic; she has a vast storehouse of ideas and experience from which to draw in her pedagogy and writing. As a writer she is capable of marvelous effects: I’ve been impressed by her creative essays, their flair and depth, their adventurousness. I recommend her with the greatest enthusiasm.