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Author, poet and diversity advocate, Andreena Leeanne is supporting the LGBT+ community and beyond through her own lived experiences. As a Black, working-class lesbian, Andreena has faced more adversity than most, and through such hardship has developed strategies to succeed despite her circumstances and mental health issues. A truly inspirational champion, Andreena has the tools to transform and educate any audience supported by personal anecdotes.
Having faced extensive challenges throughout her life, Andreena is a role model to those aspiring to overcome hurdles they face. From childhood trauma and abuse to PTSD and depression, Andreena’s life has been fraught with difficulty, only intensified by the isolation she felt as a Black member of the LGBT+ community from a working-class background. Harnessing creativity as a therapy, Andreena is an exceptional poet a means through which she shares her feelings with others. To support individuals with similar experiences as herself, Andreena has founded Adult Survivors Open Mic, an event for sharing via spoken word pieces.
Empowering others through her journey has led Andreena to publish her book of emotive poems titled ‘CHARRED: A Survivor Speaker Her Truth to Inspire’ in 2020. Additionally, Andreena is responsible for the establishment of Poetry LGBT Open Mic Night which has been a popular safe space for members of the community to share experiences through creativity since 2015. In recognition of her commitment to championing diversity, Andrena was listed as a Stonewall Black History Month Role Model in 2018 and has been shortlisted for the Positive LGBT Role Model National Diversity Award, a testament to her influence.
As a speaker, Andreena is sought after for engagements to explore such topics as LGBT+ empowerment, self-care, and identity. She has previously spoken at events celebrating LGBT History Month, Pride, Lesbian Visibility Week and on several panels as an expert in her field. Most recently, Andreena has become a trustee of Action Breaks Silence, a charity for female victims of violence.
In November 2023 we sat down virtually with Andreena Leeanne and discussed what inspired her to establish the poetry LGBT open mic nights as well as how corporations can support their LGBTQ+ employees. Watch our Exclusive Interview with Andreena Leeanne!
Andreena Leeanne is regularly booked to engage audiences at events, read their latest feedback below:
“Andreena was amazing! She really spoke from the heart and our students loved her! The most powerful part was her poetry performance- they loved that part in particular.
Please pass on my thanks to Andreena for being such a great keynote speaker for our Educate Empower Excel day.”
“Thank you so much Andreena for your talk! It was so encouraging for us to have 95 people across the company engaged and learning from you and I believe it will really help to make our company a more accepting and inclusive workplace. So many colleagues have contacted me since to say how brilliant they thought you were, and people loved the videos and the poems – I even had a colleague say he teared up during the Homebound video. You have left us with a real buzz and eagerness to continue educating and to move forward in our journeys. Colleagues have since messaged to say that they were taking everything in and learning, and didn’t feel comfortable asking questions at the end but that they took a lot away from today.”
“It was fantastic having Andreena come into our office a few weeks ago to talk to our staff about her lived experiences, the impact this has had on her mental health, and her journey of writing poetry to help her manage what she’s been through. There was a huge buzz in the office after her talk and it opened up a lot of conversations about mental health and the importance of looking after one another. Overall it was an inspiring, emotional and empowering talk that gave us all something to think about, and we can’t thank Andreena enough for taking the time to come and speak to us!”
“Andreena’s talks went well and were well received and definitely gave lots of discussion with pupils post her talk. It was so important to address the subject and welcome her to Gresham’s and she said she felt very welcome, with everyone being very warm and friendly. Her talk resonated with many of the pupils, and they were delighted to meet her”
“Please pass on our warm regards and thanks to Andreena, the event was really powerful – covered lots of grounds which is topical for us in force at the moment”
“Thanks again for arranging for Andreena to present a webinar with Sussex Police last week. This was a very powerful and impactful session. I’ve sent Andreena a message of thanks but also wanted you to know how much we enjoyed the input”
“Here at WildBrain, we had the pleasure to have Andreena for a moderated discussion where she led us on an exploration of intersectionality, pride and allyship. Andreena kept the audience engaged with her captivating and authentic storytelling, sharing her lived experiences and expertise. It was a privilege to have Andreena not only share her lived experience but also her poetry. Through her passion for poetry and advocacy, Andreena expressed her feelings and connected with others, showing us how the arts can serve as a powerful form of advocacy”
The LGBT Speakers Agency has been one of the UK’s leading bureaus for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender speakers since 2020. We supply speakers for corporate and public events across the world, and cater to both in-person occasions and online webinars. Our roster includes athletes, psychologists, celebrities and more, to ensure that audiences of all demographics receive tailored, impactful strategies for inclusion.
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