Leah Scott has always been curious about people.
Not nosy, as her dad used to call it. Curious.
She wants to know what shaped someone, what matters to them, and how life led them to where they are now. That instinct first pulled Leah toward journalism. Today, it helps her uncover the personal stories that make financial advisors relatable to the people they serve.
As a Producer and Project Manager at Idea Decanter, Leah guides clients from early ideas to scripts and videos that sound unmistakably like them. Her favorite assignments are “why” stories, where she can look beyond titles and credentials to discover what truly drives someone.
FROM THE BAYOU TO THE NEWSROOM
Leah grew up in Louisiana, about 60 miles south of New Orleans. Her favorite childhood memories include riding a tractor across her grandparents’ farm, wading through mud for crawfish, and gathering everyone for a seafood boil.
Although nearly everyone in her family went into medicine, Leah discovered early that hospital life was not for her. One glimpse of a bedpan confirmed it.
After earning a mass communications degree from LSU, Leah became a one-woman news department at a small television station in Morgan City. She later joined the FOX affiliate in New Orleans, working alongside future Idea Decanter teammates Laura Garfield and Sam Hale.
Leah was there when Hurricane Katrina devastated the city. She spent the following year working from a storm-damaged station before moving to Connecticut, where she produced television news for four years.
A STORYTELLER FINDS HER WAY BACK
Stepping away from television was not planned. Neither was becoming a stay-at-home mom, a homeschooling mom, or, as Leah affectionately calls herself, a “crunchy” homeschooling mom.
Life has a way of rewriting the rundown.
After surviving a brain aneurysm in 2019, Leah began thinking differently about health, time, and what she wanted life to feel like. Years later, a message from Laura brought her back to storytelling.
At Idea Decanter, Leah found a way to use everything she had learned as a journalist, producer, mother, and naturally curious human while keeping her family at the center of her life.
LEARNING TO SLOW DOWN
Leah and her husband, Jake, live in Texas with their three children, Pressley, Aubrey, and Hailey; their goldendoodle, Rudder; and three outdoor cats. Leah loves watching her children learn independently, explore their interests, and spend more time together through homeschooling.
She is also learning that a full life does not have to be frantic. Her perfect morning begins outside with coffee, a good book, and sunshine. Breakfast comes next. Give her eggs, steak, and hot coffee at a breakfast restaurant, and she is happy.
Leah believes life is a series of “level ups.” The hard seasons teach you something, unexpected turns help you grow, and sometimes the path leads you right back to where you belong.
For Leah, that means listening closely, asking one more question, and helping someone tell a story worth remembering.
Get to Know Idea Decanter
Childhood Ambition
Something creative, once she realized medicine and bedpans were a package deal
First Job
Gymnastics coach
Favorite Meal
Breakfast, especially eggs, steak, and hot coffee at a restaurant
Perfect Day
A slow morning, family breakfast, coffee with Jake or a friend, pickleball, and a show with the entire family
Favorite Indulgence
Learning about natural health…and another breakfast outing
My Life Is…
A series of level ups
