Home Was Always the Destination: Returning With Full Hands and an Open Heart

After so many years away, I’m finally coming home.

Back to Trinidad and Tobago — to the place that gave me my first sense of who I was, long before the world ever told me who I should be.

Coming home isn’t about slowing down. It’s about grounding myself in the people, the land, and the spirit that shaped me. It’s about living closer to what matters — family, roots, the ocean breeze, the quiet strength that has always called me back. It’s a decision made not just with my mind, but with my heart.

Leaving wasn’t easy all those years ago. I left to chase opportunities, to learn, to grow, to build something I could one day be proud of. And I did. I built a career filled with milestones, a business that carries my values, and a life defined by purpose, not just titles. But no matter where I went, the feeling of home never left me. It’s been the silent anchor, the invisible thread tying every success back to the very first dreams I had as a young girl growing up on that small but mighty island.

Now, I’m bringing Valiant Strategies with me — because the work I’ve built isn’t tied to one place. It’s tied to a vision. A vision of helping organizations, across the U.S., Canada, and now the Caribbean, lead their procurement with boldness, win with precision, and transform with purpose.

But even more than that — I believe in my people. I believe in our potential, our brilliance, our ability to lead and innovate at a global level, right from home. Over the years, I’ve listened closely to the encouragement, the honest conversations, and the consistent feedback that my expertise could be an asset to the region. I’ve heard it in late-night messages, in conversations over Zoom, in quiet moments when friends and mentors said, "Come back — we need you here."

It stayed with me. It moved me. It challenged me to think bigger about what impact could look like.

So I’m answering that call — not just with strategy, but with heart, with humility, and with everything I’ve built over the last two decades. I am coming home to serve. I am coming home to build. I am coming home because I believe that we deserve the same caliber of expertise, leadership, and opportunity that I helped shape abroad — right here where it matters most.

Valiant Strategies will continue to operate across North America and the Caribbean, but my heart will be rooted right here — drawing strength from the soil that raised me. My mission is to help organizations across the region modernize procurement, secure meaningful contracts, and move with clarity, confidence, and courage in every decision they make.

Because home is not the end of the journey. It’s the beginning of a deeper one. A journey rooted in purpose. A journey fueled by belief. A journey powered by the quiet, steady knowledge that everything I need to succeed has been within me — and around me — all along.

Here’s to bold moves, to full-circle moments, and to building something even stronger — from the place that taught me how to dream in the first place.

Thank you for being part of this journey.

Whether you’ve known me for years or are just discovering Valiant Strategies, your support, encouragement, and belief mean more than I can ever fully express.

This next chapter is about more than business — it’s about building a life and legacy rooted in purpose, service, and heart. I’m so grateful to walk this path with all of you.

Here’s to what’s next — together.

— Leana