Meet Leigha Verbeem | Women’s Pelvic Health Coach, Movement Specialist and Nutritional Consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Leigha Verbeem and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Leigha, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I really think there were multiple factors on starting my own business, but I actually kind of started it by accident!

My dad has his own business and despite watching the long days he always put in, I still felt the entrepreneurial pull and always talked about having my own business one day, even though I didn’t know what it would look like.

As I got older, I worked for privately owned gyms and loved being involved in some of the processes that actually helped improve the experience. My first job ever was in retail and I saw so much potential in the business but I was such a small fish that my opinions really didn’t matter. So once I started working for small gyms and getting to see the inner workings of them, it really motivated me want to do something similar but also gave me ideas of what I liked and didn’t like. It really helped me decide on what my core values were.

I also had experienced my own health issues, and so I think like most practitioners in the health space, you become the practitioner that you wished you had on your own personal journey! Working for myself allows me to do that – I get to make my own protocols and advocate for my clients in the way that works best.

BUT the real story is that I just stumbled my way into it! I was working at a gym for a few years and had so much education behind me and wasn’t using it – I felt really uncomfortable in a comfortable job. I had a friend who had asked me before to come work with her, so when I finally built up the courage to take on a new job, I called her up and asked if the offer was still there and she said yes! She told me to finish my certifications and I did just that. Next thing you know, she’s telling me to go get my business licensing and my tax numbers – here I thought I’d just be hired as an employee and the flip was completely switched in a matter of days. But that was 2019 and it was the best decision I ever made.

I think the idea of having my business was always innate for me, but I definitely got pushed into it way before I thought I would actually go for it! Other days, I realize I was ready to pull the trigger way earlier.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I help women who suffer from pelvic dysfunction either as a result of pregnancy, digestive distress or hormonal hang ups! Typically these issues are addressed with pharmaceuticals or dietary interventions but I like to use my background in kinesiology to address more than just nutrition. I give my clients stretches, self massages, appropriate styles of exercise and help them rehab their pelvic floor muscles! Going through my own gut issues prompted me to really explore how my internal problems were causing external symptoms like low back pain, incontinence and difficulty breathing. Being able to tie my own personal experiences in with my education background is what I am the most proud of. I have such a wide range of skills and love that I can hone them in these particular problems, whereas you’re normally left without answers to your questions regarding your health. My biggest goal is for my clients to feel heard, empowered around their own health and advocated for on their own healing journeys. I want to be the coach that I wish I had.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The area I live in is very family oriented and we like to pretend we live in a small town. There are tons of places to go hiking and get out in nature and I can definitely say a hike or two would be on the itinerary. There are also so many local restaurants, breweries and bakeries to visit. I also live close to a few lakes that have great small beach towns. A small road trip would bring us to the beach where we can get ice cream, walk the board walk, do some shopping and run into old friends. In the winter, we also some some spots for tubing and skiing, as long as you bring your snow pants!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d love to shoutout to Carolyn Chylia. Her and I met about 6 years ago, I got a job covering her maternity leave. She trained me for a couple of days and we hit it off immediately. After that we didn’t work together but we did stay in touch for that year! She immediately became a mentor to me. A few years later, she was running her own business doing stretch therapist and suggested that I come work with her. We worked together up until the pandemic, where we unfortunately lost our studio space but never lost touch with each other. Now we’re going to back to working together this season. I’m beyond grateful to have had her guidance and support. My business wouldn’t be what it is today without her.

Website: http://www.leighaverbeem.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leigha.verbeem/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leighaverbeem/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LangLevenCollective