Moirar Leveille moved from Haiti to Costa Rica and pursued a life of banking for 14 years. However, when Leveille joined a program called, “Work and Travel from Costa Rica to Nantucket,” she not only found a home on Nantucket island, but a home in the field of health and wellness.
Leveille is currently finishing her Ph.D. in Integrative Medicine, to put towards her mental health counseling, and has recently been awarded the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is received if you contribute more than 4,000 hours of service in your lifetime.
She received a personalized certificate and presidential recognition for her free counseling and treatment sessions during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also participated in service projects and gave financial resources to serve the people in Kenya.
The Beginning of “Unsilent Heroes”
Leveille is in the process of establishing her nonprofit organization called, “Unsilent Heroes.” The goal of this platform is to give a voice to the voiceless, no matter who they may be.
“It is the teachers that work long hours and have never fully been seen,” Leveille said. “It is the police officer who goes above and beyond to serve different community members. It is the house cleaner that is putting in hard work in their communities. So, my goal is to work with people and help them understand that they are being seen.”
Leveille and the rest of her group are currently working on their website, where they will be able to share more of their nonprofit work to the community. She hopes that this website can also be used to collaborate and connect with a variety of people, so their stories can be seen and heard too.
Creating a nonprofit can be a challenge, but Leveille has always been inspired by her family to try something new that she is passionate about.
“My mom is my biggest inspiration,” she said. “She has this quiet power within her. She always went inside of her to find peace, so she inspires me all the time in the past and now, even after her death, to continue and find my own peace and go after what I want.”
In the beginning, Leveille was intimidated before starting her nonprofit because she didn’t know what it would all entail. But, after speaking with the Chamber of Commerce, she made “Unsilent Heroes” a reality.
“I knew I had support,” she said. “My advice would be to surround yourself with the lion – versus – surrounding yourself with sheep. Find people who are just as passionate about the project as you. Having those connections allowed me to go for what I wanted.”
Empowering women to have a voice
With her nonprofit, Leveille believes that it is also important that women have a voice. She was inspired by the Global Sisterhood works to empower women as a nonprofit, so she is motivated to continue that same mission.
“We have so many women in different communities that are tirelessly working day in and day out, expecting anything from nothing,” she said. “I don’t think we can do anything without having women involved.”
Leveille wants to make sure she tells stories of struggling and hardworking women, so that they too are recognized in the community.
The Importance of Mental Health
With her mental health counseling, Leveille has done numerous trainings to become a licensed clinician and a board-certified functional medicine practitioner in her field.
She focuses on mindfulness, meditation, ways to exercise, healthy diets, engage in hobbies, set realistic goals and to have someone to openly talk to.
“For me, it’s not just a job, it’s a mission as well,” Leveille said. “It’s so important for me, because as a doctor in integrative medicine, I’m mission driven to empower the people to own their life and make sure their body has all the necessary nutrients and equipment.”
She continues to explain that she works with patients from four years old to 85 years old, but when she sees them, she treats them all the same … as equals.
“If you are feeling intimidated to seek mental health counseling, know it is not because you are weak, it’s because you want to maintain strength,” she said. “If you find a counselor you cannot connect with, please reach out to another one. There are a great deal of mental health counselors out there that could work for you.”
Last year, was Leveille’s first holistic wellness summit. Her next holistic wellness summit will be Sept. 21 on stories that heal. This event will be in support of “Unsilent Heroes” and there will be fundraising to help the nonprofit and its mission.
Spreading Her Mission
With her passion for travel, Leveille visits many places including Kenya, London, France, and a variety of places in the United States to share her mission involving her health and wellness and the beginnings of “Unsilent Heroes.”
“It’s all about having an empowering and supportive mindset,” she said. “This helps you keep the people inspired, empowered, and transform one life at a time.”