Laneen Haniah

I am a unicorn. I’m the type of person you meet only once in a lifetime! What makes me unique is my powerful story of survival. I have over 40 years of experience as an award-winning author and keynote speaker and I could blabber on about my credentials, but I find that both boring and pointless. Having letters behind your name doesn’t hold the same promise of expertise and excellence that it used to. What qualifies me as a speaker is the life I’ve lived.

I was raped at two. I was diagnosed with a terminal illness at nine that imprisoned me in a hospital bed for much of my childhood. I was not expected to live past the age of 16! I was then out on my own as a teenager. On the mean streets of New York I faced life as a high school dropout and single mother. I also experienced substance abuse, gang violence, and sexual assault. But my greatest hazard was my lifelong battle with mental illness and depression, which led to multiple suicide attempts!

After surviving my childhood illness, getting married, and giving birth to seven beautiful babies, I was still suicidal. After speaking before audiences of over 10,000, hosting an award-winning radio broadcast, being featured in magazines, on radio and television—I was still suicidal. After growing a following of very 100,000 viewers on my blog, I WAS STILL SUICIDAL. Despite my continued public achievements, I attempted suicide for the seventh time, only three weeks after winning the second award for my radio broadcast!

On the back side of surviving another suicidal breakdown; the woman then known as, Dr. Intimacy, took a step back from everything to figure out her life. I disappeared and reinvented myself and have emerged as a healed, whole, and authentic person who is ready to talk about real things that are relevant. Not credentials, not accomplishments, not degrees, not awards, but how to live a life that doesn’t secretly make you feel like you’re dying inside.

I am passionate about guiding others toward self-love; personal empowerment; and healthy relationships. I am a strong advocate for mental health, emotional authenticity, and exposing superficial happiness which leads to a hidden suicidal nature that can go undetected until it’s too late. Although there are many speakers, I AM SET APART by my wealth of firsthand experience and my unique delivery. My inspiring story of survival gives people hope. My commanding presence and thought-provoking content is transforming and helps push people to purpose. I have no equal. I am—SouLah the Legend, “A RELEVANT VOICE, speaking the universal language of the soul!”