Leanna Woodley is a Puerto Rican, Native American award-winning writer and actor with a rich and diverse background in the arts and education. Leanna was raised in two very strong cultures: her maternal ancestry being Puerto Rican/Taino and her paternal ancestry is mixed Keetoowah Cherokee.
Leanna has a B.A. in Television Writing & Producing from Columbia College Chicago and worked as an entertainment reviewer and entertainment writer for various publications. She is mentored by Story Summit founder and previous president of Paramount Pictures David Kirkpatrick.
Leanna's love for storytelling also took her to train at Second City Chicago and Gately-Poole Meisner Acting Conservatory in Chicago and New York. Having spent a decade in Los Angeles involved in different aspects of the entertainment industry, Leanna found that being half Puerto Rican, she all too often heard she was “not ethnic enough” or “too ethnic” for Hollywood, which played a large part in her drive to write characters that are multi-dimensional with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Leanna's creativity has led her to express herself in many differing avenues such as completing her K-8 Teaching Credential and teaching drama in New York, screenwriting in Las Vegas and drama & sixth grade in Hawaii. She had her own professional photography studio but closed it during the pandemic to focus solely on her real passion, writing. During this time, Leanna wrote nine scripts: features, limited series, children’s series and numerous holiday movies and hasn’t stopped writing since, including a recent middle grade novel adaptation of one of her pilot scripts.
Much of her writing contains a consistent narrative told in unique ways: diverse characters who find themselves struggling to hold on to the lessons from their multi-cultural backgrounds while stretching their own personal limits… and love. Who doesn’t love a good love story, especially at Christmas!
Additionally, Leanna and her husband co-created a Non-Profit called Youth Unplugged that raised awareness around the need for technology balance for young kids through outdoor play camps and nationwide education. Through Youth Unplugged, they helped kids balance technology by connecting to nature, community and themselves. Unfortunately due to the pandemic, Youth Unplugged took a break but will be returning soon in Spain.
Alongside her husband and mother, Leanna opened a life-coaching based, wellness study abroad program in Southern Spain where young adults 18-22 years old spend a semester or year learning the Spanish culture & language, as well as independent life skills to prepare them for their next steps. They also will be opening their holistic wellness retreat center in 2025. Alongside this, Leanna has written a non-fiction book entitled, Finding Mañana, based on her life lessons abroad.
Leanna lives on the Costa del Sol in Southern Spain with her husband Johnny, their eight year old daughter, and their two adorable pups, Cadence and Noelle and return to their home North of Seattle and to visit family in Chicago and Portland, Oregon from time to time. She adores Fall, all things pumpkin, everything Christmas and traveling Europe.
