It’s nice to meet you!

Hi, I’m Leanne Morris, a holistic practitioner, but I’m SOO much more than that!

HOW I GOT HERE

I never intentionally set out to be a healer – in fact in my pre-baby years I was climbing the corporate ladder as a Bank Manager for ANZ Bank. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined the paths my life has taken since.

I met my husband of over 35 years when I was 16, and we married when I was 21. In our first year of marriage we found out I was unexpectedly pregnant. We were surprised and overjoyed. Sadly, the baby was lost to a miscarriage and was followed by seven years of infertility and seemingly endless cycles of heart-breaking miscarriages.  Finally, we welcomed our first child. More miscarriages, then our second child was born.

 I left my corporate career, focusing instead on the care of my unwell babies. We moved to a home with a granny flat, so we could look after my much-loved and aging in-laws. When they passed I home-schooled our children for 16 years, which back then was rather radical unless you did it for religious reasons. Our next move was to a lifestyle block on the Kapiti Coast, Wellington, New Zealand where we have enjoyed a rural life for the last 24 years.

  THE SIMPLE THINGS IN LIFE

Our family is totally engaged with the rhythms of nature. We stay in tune with the seasons, the phases of the moon, and we celebrate The Wheel of the Year. We embrace a simplicity/minimalist lifestyle and rely as much as possible on the seasonal provisions of our large vegetable and herb gardens, orchard and following organic and gardening-by-the-moon principles. We strive to live off our land by growing our own food, harvesting our firewood, and raising sheep, chickens, and geese. Our beloved menagerie also includes three cats, one doberman and two poodles.

Due to a family member being chronically unwell – in fact, bedbound on a cocktail of pain killers - we spent thousands and thousands of dollars seeing practitioners and travelling far and wide, trying to find someone who could help. As a naturally curious research junkie, I would spend hours and hours searching for a clue to the cause. We tried dozens of doctors, specialists, herbalists, homeopaths, and naturopaths. I tell you, when you have a family member who is suffering, you try everything! Every healer contributed a little, but we never saw any amazing progress. I would be terribly frustrated that we only had a small window of time at each appointment, and labels would be given by different specialists – none of whom ever viewed the body as a whole. Instead we would see a gynaecologist, a paediatrician, an immunologist, a rheumatologist, and they all named a different diagnosis to add to the long list.  The number and strength of prescribed painkillers was alarming.  I remember plotting a spreadsheet of which pill, how many times a day and for what pain in an effort to present my concerns in black and white during the all-too-short doctor visits.  We saw an herbalist who agreed the number of painkillers could actually cause much harm, even kill. The herbalist helped a little, but she listened more to the list of diagnoses we'd been already given rather than getting to the root cause, and her focus on supporting the liver actually caused more harm than good.

THE BREAKING POINT

Finally, I reached a turning point after leaving the hospital in tears, having been told by yet another specialist that it was hopeless, there was nothing more to be done, this was to be our life journey. Due to an insatiable curiosity and an unwillingness to accept surface-level answers, I trained to be a clinical naturopath. After years of feeling helpless and frustrated I was now able to more fully participate in and contribute to the health and healing of my loved ones.  Our own doctors and specialists are amazed at the progress that has been made. Family members are in remission and no longer taking allopathic medication. Not that I am against pharmaceutical drugs. I firmly believe there is a time and a place for them. I also hold much respect for doctors and specialists and other healers. I believe many different healers are needed on a wellness team, and naturopathic treatment can be extremely beneficial working in conjunction with medicine prescribed by specialists or general practitioners.

THE NEXT CHAPTER

So here I am, a qualified clinical naturopath, medical herbalist and Homeobotanical practitioner. My family and I are proof of what can be achieved. My next chapter in life is in the role of the wise elder. Using my experiences to help others on their wellness journeys. My passion and areas of focus are preconception care, women’s health, and to care for those facing chronic illness and Long COVID. In my family alone, I have personal experience dealing with asthma, eczema, irritable bowel, ulcerative colitis, life threatening food allergies, food intolerances, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dementia, endometriosis, myalgic encephalomyelitis often more known as chronic fatigue syndome, fibromyalgia, insulin resistance, hormone imbalance, infertility and repeat miscarriages.  My first-hand experience with these many conditions brings a personal understanding of the role of being a caregiver to the chronically ill, and also an empathetic viewpoint of one having lived with poor health. I believe these life experiences bring a different dimension to helping my clients on their wellness path from chronic illness. In addition, I have a special interest in autoimmune diseases, Long COVID, anxiety, ADHD, PCOS, infertility, dementia, cancer preventative care and support with a cancer diagnose.

Leanne holds full practicing certificates in both Naturopathy and Medical Herbalism, and relevant professional and public indemnity.

Qualifications.

Diploma Naturopathy - Clinical Naturopath

Herbal Bridging Course - Medical Herbalist

Level I and II Usui Reiki - Reiki Practitioner

Certificate Bach Flower Remedies

Certificate Relaxation Massage

Further Training.

Long COVID Practitioner Training - June 2022

Prosper Oncology Support Practitioner Training - February 2023

ME/CFS and Long COVID accredited series for health professionals by ANZMES Monthly 2023

Associations:

Naturopaths & Medical Herbalists of New Zealand (Inc)

New Zealand Association of Medical Herbalist

Homeobotanical Inc.

Herb Federation of New Zealand