Leia Barrett

Author

Leia Barrett is a former nonprofit leader turned children's book author. Trained as a professional musician, Leia developed a love for providing education programs while teaching after-school band in an inner city school in Kansas City.

This program inspired her to become a Director of Education for the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, where she served more than 65,000 children and families annually through her programs.

A program she developed, Symphony Storytime, reignited a love of telling stories that led Leia to publish her first book, The Goldilocks Quartet, in 2021.

Leia moved back to Kansas City with her husband Drew in 2018, where she served briefly as a Marketing Director with the Friends of Chamber Music before being asked to step into an Executive Director role during COVID.

She stepped away from that role in 2023 to pursue her dream of being a full-time author and entrepreneur. Her new book, The Odd Dog, is the story of a quirky stray learning to live with a family for the first time. It will be released in March 2025 and she will be using her author platform to educate, advocate, and fundraise for rescue dogs.

She currently lives in Kansas City with her husband Drew and the original Odd Dog, Layla.