Rising Stars: Meet Libbey Pelaia-Krumhansl of Cleveland, Ohio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Libbey Pelaia-Krumhansl.

Libbey, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I always say I was born into the fire – not by choice, but by circumstance. I grew up in the same quiet Midwest climate as a man the world would later know as a serial killer. Our childhoods mirrored each other in eerie ways: the silence, the dysfunction, the generational trauma. But while he became infamous for destruction, I chose a different path – one of healing, purpose, and helping others rise from the ashes.

For over 20 years, I worked in public health designing programs, leading initiatives, and speaking on everything from addiction to chronic illness. But something was missing. I kept noticing the gaps no one was addressing: the trauma under the surface, the disconnect between science and spirit, and the systems that left people surviving instead of thriving.

So, I followed the fire in my chest and founded O.W.L. – Our Wellness Lives: a movement rooted in reclaiming our power, rewriting our narratives, and integrating the full truth – the messy, the mystical, and the deeply human. I blend research and realness, lived experience and soul downloads, all with a side of rebellion and challenging the status quo. My work now spans writing, speaking, mentorship, music, and educational content – all dedicated to helping people transform pain into power and ignite their own glow-up from the inside out.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not even close. The road was cracked, overgrown, and sometimes straight-up on fire. I’ve got a high ACEs score, which basically means childhood was more chaos than calm – abuse, abandonment, and constant instability. I was navigating life on my own way before I should have – poverty, trauma, you name it.

Like a lot of people with early adversity, I fell into patterns that felt familiar, even if they weren’t safe. That meant abusive relationships, people-pleasing to survive, and constantly ignoring my own needs because I didn’t think they mattered. I lived with depression most of my life and wore resilience like armor, thinking if I could just keep it all together, I’d be okay.

The real work began when I stopped trying to survive for other people and started choosing myself – not out of ego, but out of alignment. That choice cracked everything open. It led me to deep healing, radical self-reclamation, and the path I walk now. Founding O.W.L. wasn’t just a career move – it was a higher calling. A mission to help others remember their worth, rewrite their story, and rise. My purpose is to elevate the collective, one soul at a time. Because when we heal ourselves, we ripple healing outward. And I’m here for all of it.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Through O.W.L., I help people turn their pain into power using the triforce that’s become my signature: science, spirit, and lived experience. I’ve got the degrees and published research to back it up. But I’ve also got the inner fire, the intuition, and the scars that never needed to be pretty to be powerful.

I specialize in breaking wellness wide open – challenging toxic norms, rewriting narratives, and offering people real tools to reconnect with their minds, bodies, and souls. My work weaves together nervous system science, emotional regulation, trauma literacy, and spiritual practices – but always with a deeply human, no-BS approach.

I’m also a writer, speaker, and recording artist creating books, talks, and music that help people feel seen, empowered, and reminded of their light – especially the ones who’ve spent a lifetime dimming it just to survive. I don’t just believe in transformation – I embody it. That fire? It fuels everything I do.

What sets me apart is simple: I don’t separate the clinical from the cosmic, the professional from the personal, or the intellect from the intuition. I bring the full human experience – raw, real, and ready to rise.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
What most people don’t know? I didn’t come from power, privilege, or polished beginnings. I came from grit, survival, and a whole lot of figuring it out on my own. The only consistent guide I’ve had is my intuition, instinct, and connection to my higher purpose. People see the degrees, the public health resume, the big energy on stage. But what they don’t see is the girl who used to abuse her own body. Or the teen who raised herself. Or the adult who unlearned an entire belief system just to survive.

Also, I’m not just a wellness rebel – I’m a creative force. I’m one half of the music duo Lücid Lovers with my husband (we make industrial love anthems for the collective healing era). I won the Women Who Rock contest in Cleveland. I won a Gold Davey Award as the host of OnePath: Safer Opioid Prescribing. My husband and I even created the jingle for Gene Simmons’ Moneybag Sodas. I’ve been featured in several news outlets for my work.

I’m also the author of Born into the Fire: The No-BS Glow-Up Guide for Turning Pain into Power – part trauma-to-triumph memoir, part self-empowerment playbook. And because transformation deserves a soundtrack, I’m creating a companion music album to pair with it. I believe healing should be an all-encompassing experience – mind, body, and beat. The book will be released by September of 2025.

The truth is everything I’ve built came from understanding pain, not being protected from it. I don’t speak from a pedestal; I speak from the fire I walked through. That’s what makes my work real, and why people feel seen in it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ourwellnesslives.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/ourwellnesslives
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/OWL-Our-Wellness-Lives/61575883288581/?checkpoint_src=any#
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ourwellnesslives
• Other: https://linktr.ee/ourwellnesslives