By Moirar Leveille
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May 22, 2025
A pivotal moment can come anytime and from the most unlikely circumstances. Success or failure is determined by what you do with that opportunity. Often, the importance of a moment is only evident in hindsight. A pivotal moment may pass and never reach its potential if not met with the right mindset. Because a pivot is a specific movement, it has decisiveness; taking advantage of pivotal moments is about mindset. Why do people pivot? Sometimes it’s to get unstuck or break out of old patterns. Sometimes a career pivot can alter the course of many lives. Moirar Leveille, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, had this wake-up call years ago when she found herself depleted and unappreciated in a dead-end banking job. “My whole self-esteem, my life, everything was just depleted. I got sick. I started traveling every six weeks going to Boston. I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease.” Leveille continues, “at some point, you question yourself, what are you doing with your life? I thought I’m declining; I’m going backward. I was getting depleted, so I decided to go back to school and become a licensed mental health counselor.” When Leveille decided to go back to school and imagine a change in her career, she was met with opposition. This only made her push harder. Working at a bank but without job satisfaction, passed over for promotions, she felt stuck. “When I asked for time, they were uncooperative to the point that I decided I’m going to make it happen,” she said. “You make your decisions, and your decision makes you. And then I decided, I’m going to school, and I will be successful, and I will get my degree before I leave this job.” It was not an easy task. She worked during the day and went to school at night while maintaining a family. Her determination held her steadfast. “I planned it very well, and I worked, going to school for about four years, from 11:00 at night till 3:00 in the morning. That was me. I stayed focused until I got my degree. I didn’t want my school to interfere with my family’s life. I decided to go to school at night because that’s what I had available. I did it, and then I quit my job in corporate banking after 14 years. I started to dedicate my life as a counselor to help individuals, empower them and tell them what is possible when you have your mindset right.” It’s not easy to step into the abyss, make a huge change and stay committed. It’s normal to have fears and doubts along the way. Leveille could have chosen a less challenging path. After all, this native Haitian and former language teacher had already earned a finance and banking degree and spoke five languages. But she was undaunted, and that pivot led to a total mindset overhaul. Leveille benefited from the mentors she sought out in her transition and did a lot of inner work and self-development. She says, “I started getting myself connected, getting my mindset together. And all of that has changed my attitude and my views around how to change the world.” Hard work also seems to be a tenet of mindset success. Leveille highlights this aspect of mindset as critical to success. “It became apparent to me that the fruit of your labor you enjoy the most is the one you work for, that’s not given to you,” she says. “All of that instilled in me the value of teaching other people how to lean into your greatness, to do things that you are meant for, and not to stay stuck because of one setback. Because I could have stayed stuck, but I decided no.” Looking back to that time in banking, Leveille summarizes, “I realized that that supervisor was a gift in disguise that pushed me to do what I had to do; if she liked me too much, I probably would never have gone back to school. Instead, I’m living my purpose now.” It’s common to need a push with decision-making and recognizing opportunities or pivotal moments. Sometimes it may come from an antagonistic force, like a supervisor that doesn’t have your best interests in mind, or it could be from someone who is more invested in your well-being. As a counselor, Leveille doesn’t just talk the talk; she has walked the walk and continues to be an example. With her focus on functional medicine, the importance of mindset is also impressed upon Leveille’s clients. “You come to me; you’re going to be working,” she says. “So, I work with my patients and show them you can live a better life. You have mental health issues, but you can change your life. Take every experience life has given to you to change your life. And then if you come to me about health: I’ve done it. I was sick for seven years. I didn’t have hope. My doctor yelled at me. Then I learned we’re able to heal our bodies more than you have been allowed to think. So, “mindfulyess” is my power phrase.” It’s her belief she healed through mindset. After the inner work Leveille’s done and her focus on mindset, it’s been over 15 years since she has taken medication. “I don’t do sickness. It doesn’t matter the disease that comes; I am confident that it’s not going to get to me,” she affirms. Taking mindset and her focus on mindfulness a step further, Leveille is now working on a book and TV show called “Mindfulyess.” Her secret? “I stay focused. I don’t let distractions come in my way of success. I say I’m going to do something, and because of that, I get it done. Is it hard? Yes, but I say it’s possible.”