We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Leka Fineman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Leka, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard

Most of the women’s fitness and health coaching industry is focused around weight loss and being a certain shape or size. There is still a huge emphasis on restriction and a huge diet culture that perpetuates an ideal for women to be skinny. Unfortunately, women still feel uncomfortable with them selves and hate their bodies. My focus is on shifting the emphasis from one of restriction to one of abundance and empowerment. I help women connect with their strengths and learn to fuel and nourish themselves so they can feel confident and healthy through all stages of life.

Leka, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a health, fitness, and mindset coach, athlete, and author. I am the mom of two grown daughters and one pit bull.

I’ve been a lifelong student of design, health, and movement, growing up in Northern California, surfing, practicing yoga, and riding horses. For two decades, I worked around the world as a professional wardrobe stylist. This creative pursuit gave me the tools to help others visualize their dreams and aspirations.

In 2008, at age 40, I was introduced to CrossFit—and immediately fell in love with the community and the variety and intensity of the workouts. Within five years, I started competing, making it to the CrossFit Games for the first time at age 50. I’ve been back three times since. I went from not being able to jump rope or do a single pull-up to finishing 7th, 11th, and 8th, and 5th in the world (in 2022).

When I began thinking of myself as an athlete and fueling myself for performance, I started to feel more confident in every area of my life.
Now, my passion is sharing my experience and knowledge with others and helping clients make sustainable transformations through healthy eating, movement, and mindfulness. I want to help women feel confident, strong, and empowered through all the different stages of life.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

The Covid-19 Pandemic was definitely a pivot point for my business (like so many others!). I went from coaching large group classes in two different gyms, to working completely online. It had been a goal and dream of mine to have a location independent business, so it was actually a huge blessing. One of my group classes is a 55+ “ Grandmasters”. They were the first to ask: “ can we do this on the computer?”. This was before everyone was so used to doing everything on zoom. From there I started doing virtual Nutrition and Fitness Bootcamps for women, and coaching entirely remotely. My business actually grew and I was able to quit working for the two gyms and go out entirely on my own. I’ve never looked back. Another evolution in my business was the realization of a long held vision of mine to gather together amazing women and provide a luxurious place to workout, eat delicious food and hang out together- three of my favorite things to do. In response to what was happening in the world and what I was hearing from my clients about the need for a reset and time for themselves to get back on track. and distress, I created the “Living Well With Leka” brand and hosted my first Women’s Wellness retreat in October of 2021. My aim is to provide the feeling you experience when you give yourself the gift of renewal: physically, mentally, and spiritually. I will be hosting my 4th retreat this coming February 2-5th in Palm Springs.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I am testament to the fact that it is never too late to start. If you put your mind to it, anything is possible. Consistency is key. Being a 4 times CrossFit Games athlete definitely gives me credibility. I also walk the walk. I am living proof of small steps over time leading to achieving big goals.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lekafineman.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lekafineman/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leka.fineman
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leka-fineman-2181019/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXj7kV3YyO8erYEbC3MtN2g