In the spotlight for this edition of our Practitioner Profile series is Leah Styles RMT. Here are 10 insights about Leah to get to know her a little bit better!

Q: Where was your home town, and what was your favorite thing about it?

A: I grew up just outside of Shelburne in the Amaranth township in the country. My favourite thing about growing up here was the freedom we had as kids to roam and explore throughout my parent’s property. My dad was a dentist in town but had a small hobby farm so we had the opportunity to raise animals of all sorts. At one point we had a male peacock who would run around fanning his beautiful tail feathers. When the sheep had babies we would bring the lambs inside and bottle feed them by the fire, it was a wonderful place to grow up.

Q: What made you enter your field of practice?

A: Everyone in my family works in health care in one form or another so I always knew that would be the area I would enter. Originally I had no idea what I wanted to do and entered the massage therapy program on a complete whim. I absolutely loved it and still do nearly 8 years later.

Q: What is the most rewarding experience you have had in your practice?

A: Everyday is filled with rewarding experiences with my clients but a particularly rewarding day was treating a client who had been suffering from severe headaches for nearly six months. After I finished my treatment with her she told me it was the first time in six months she was without a headache and pain free. It’s wonderful to be able to improve someone’s quality of life in that way.

Q: What is your favorite movie?

A: My favourite movie is Julie and Julia, it is a movie about Julia Child who I adore because I love to cook and I rewatch it all the time!

Q: What is one thing about yourself that no one would guess?

A: One thing about me that no one would guess is that I took opera singing lessons from the age of 11.

Q: Do you have a favorite sports team? Which one?

A: I always played soccer and volleyball growing up but I don’t really play any team sports or watch sports now (sorry Leaf fans).

Q: What is the most interesting place you have visited?

A: One of the most interesting places I have visited is Belgium and Holland. I accidentally ate a horse burger in Belgium, the regularly use horse meat and no one told me so I ordered a burger assuming it was beef and only found out after it was horse! 

Q:  If you could meet one person from any time in history, who would it be and why?

A: If I could meet anyone from history it would probably have to be Julia Child as per my obsession with cooking. 

Q: What has been the best year of your life so far? why?

A: The best year of my life would definitely have to be 2017 because I married my husband.

Q: What is your favorite pastime away from the clinic? 

A: My favourite pastime away from the clinic would have to be just spending time with my friends and family and cooking for them, nothing makes me happier than that!