There are all kinds of wisdom. Mine is body wisdom.
I have spent 30 years studying one thing with complete obsession: how the human body performs, recovers, adapts and thrives under the demands of real life and real leadership.
How it all started.
In the early 1990s I was a catering director in Vancouver, Canada — going full speed at work and then at home, where I had young kids, one in diapers. I was so engulfed in work I often didn't even know the weather outside. Then suddenly my body stopped cooperating.
It was one of the most frightening and instructive experiences of my professional life. I had burned out.
I couldn't sleep. My hair was falling out in gobs. I couldn't think — it was as though my whole head and brain were wrapped in cotton wool. I didn't dare sit down because I wasn't sure I could get up again. In the supermarket my legs felt like they would give out under me. I had literally lost control of my body and felt like I might collapse at any time.
The turning point
My doctor said I should quit my job, which I did. A friend recommended Jeff, a massage therapist. I believe his care made all the difference. Each visit I got a little better. And on one of those visits I made a vow: If I came out of this ok, I would help others. I never wanted to feel this way ever again, and never wanted anyone else to go through this either.
At that time I had completely withdrawn. I felt very vulnerable. I didn't recognise myself — and felt sure everyone must think I was lazy and I worried something was very wrong with me.
That was 1994. I no longer live in Vancouver. But I still remember Jeff's name. And I have kept that vow every day since.
I had never been fit a day in my life. But I retrained myself as a personal trainer — and have never looked back.
The journey
I retrained as a personal trainer and quickly realised that exercise alone was not enough. So I studied holistic nutrition. Then realised that food and movement together still did not tell the whole story.
So I travelled to India and lived at an ashram — studying yoga philosophy, certifying as a yoga instructor, going deeper into what it actually means for a human body to thrive rather than simply function.
Every year the passion grew larger. I went back to university and earned my Masters degree in Exercise Physiology with a minor in Exercise Psychology. I studied both eastern and western traditions, ancient and modern science — travelling the world to build a methodology that draws on the full spectrum of human knowledge about the body.
That methodology is now Long-Haul Energy™.
I love playing with the swiss ball. Here I am at 50, balancing on it.
Three decades of practice.
How time has flown. I am now 65 and over 30 years and thousands of client hours in.
I have worked with leaders across Scandinavia, Europe and North America — executives, founders, senior professionals — at every stage of their performance journey.
My work never gets boring. Every day I learn something new from my clients. And, every year I learn from the best of the best in my field.
Here, I am with Patrick McKeown, world-leading breathing and oxygen expert. And, with Bruce Lipton, PhD — pioneering cell biologist whose work on epigenetics deeply influences my practice.
Peer Reviewed Publications and Presentations
Assessment of muscle oxygen saturation in patients whiplash associated disorder (WAD) during isometric exercise.
Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 37:5 (supplement) S365. (2005). Leavins, N.H., Neary, J.P., Albert, W.J., Smith, D.D., La Chapelle, D., Croll, J., Bernhardt, T.A., Roberts, A.W.
You say what to yourself. The role of negative statements in performance enhancement.
Presented at the Canadian Society for Psychomotor Learning and Sport Psychology Conference. (2001) Balch, M., Leavins, N., Boucher, J., Rowatt, J. A.
Haemodynamics of the trapezii muscles of patients with whiplash associated disorder (WAD) durning isometric exercise.
SCPE/CSEP: Ideas to Action- Healthy Living In Canada. (2005) p. 89. Nina H. Leavins, J. Patrick Neary, Wayne J. Albert, Douglas D. Smith, Jim Croll, Theresa A. Bernhardt, Andy D. Roberts.
Prefrontal Cortex Oxygenation during incremental exercise in chronic fatigue syndrome.
Clin. Physiol. Funct. Imaging. (2008)Patrick Neary, Andy D. W. Roberts, Nina Leavins, Michael F. Harrison, James C. Croll and James R. Sexsmith.
Today, I live in Denmark with my husband Peter.
I am based in Copenhagen — a city whose Nordic culture of hygge, longevity, nature and long-term thinking feels entirely aligned with everything I teach.
I am excited to be building the most ambitious chapter of my career. We live in a time where so much is possible for us no matter what our age.
I love what I do and have no intention of retiring but instead of pursuing super-aging and what I have dubbed age-neutral living. I created my north star in 2009 a few months before turning 50: Make your second your best 50. My plan - aim for living to 106, and upgrade my body for that.
If you are a woman leader who refuses to accept that her best decades are behind her — you are in exactly the right place.
Our cute dogs Skipper and Emil.
When I'm not working, you will find me on the golf course, on our boat in the Scandinavian archipelago, or gathered around a table with family and friends from around the world.
One of my greatest joys is being a grandmother — between us, Peter and I are blessed with 10 grandchildren. I'm also passionate about growing herbs and vegetables in my garden — a daily reminder that what we nourish, grows.
I believe our whole life matters.
I care deeply for the leaders I serve. You carry immense responsibility — for your teams, your companies, your communities, your family.
Through the years, I've watched countless leaders make sure everyone around them has access to support… while never finding time to prioritise their own.
I created Eat Better. Lead Better.™, and the Long-Haul Energy™ Concierge to give you that same access — delivered in a way that fits inside your life, so energy becomes your most powerful advantage, and not just another thing on your list.