Leigh has been running with gratitude in her heart for over 20 years, completing her first marathon in 2002, she hasn’t stopped running since. She has ran over 100 marathons & ultras. Her biggest running achievement was when she placed first female to finish running self-supported across the Australian desert, 525kms from Alice Springs to Uluru.
It was deep in the desert, under the full moon, traversing the tricky rocky terrain that Warrioress was birthed, a seed planted into the rich red earth, inspired by overcoming challenge & supported by Mother nature.
Leigh moved to the Blue mountains for their majestic trails, to immerse in their beauty, design & create Warrioress, build the brand, illustrate her Warrioresses & get stronger as an athlete & more courageous as a woman. Running is a love of her life, it's her sanctuary out on the trails & she is super grateful to have met some amazing running soul sisters along the ultra journey of life.
At 45 years she ran her biggest month in the Sydney to Melbourne virtual ultra, running 1001.9kms in 28 days & finishing first female. She completed a 48 hour run reaching her goal of 250kms & loving the experience. She’s just ran another self supported 500kms across the Namibian desert (in a Warrioress skort) & she's excited for her next challenge to create more Warrioress running stories, she has entered The Spine Race - 268 miles non-stop along the Pennine Way in the UK! Wearing Warrioress all the way always.
She created Warrioress because she realised she was running in apparel brands that harmed the beautiful trails she loved to run upon in toxic fabrics & from wasteful running labels. She wanted to make a shift to true sustainability with design features that really worked for being out on the trails for those long runs & to find practical solutions for comfort, fuelling & hydration whilst still looking brave & bold to meet race days with the right energy.
She wanted to be a fashion designer from when she was just 8 years old, designing clothes in the back of Dad's car parts shop. Graduating from university winning a best collection award at Graduate fashion week in London propelled her into the world of fashion & she worked as a designer & creative leader for renowned brands in New York, London, Melbourne & Sydney in a career spanning 3 decades.
Warrioress is a fusion of all of her passions & expertise. She loves the Warrioress run skorts for their functionality & femininity & believes the running belts are the best she’s ever worn, easy to carry the essentials. She strives to create & perfect the product for comfort, endurance, performance, the planet & race photos.
She realised whilst working in the fashion industry, the waste, corruption, exploitation & the pollution of the planet, & wanted to right her wrongs & create a brand with consciousness that she’s not harming the nature that she feels deeply connected to.
It is important to her that the supply chain is completely transparent, all components are carefully selected for sustainability down to recycled labels & biodegradable packaging. She designs, manages & makes it all herself in her studio in Glenbrook, all pieces are made with her highest intentions & loving energy. Warrioress being a bespoke brand & made to order offers you to chance to co-create your preferences because we all have different needs & wants from our running wear.
Leigh has also dived deep into the world of self development, she devotes time daily to her yoga & meditation practice this gives her calm & clarity to create. She has trained in Yoga 500 hrs YTT, Reiki, positive psychology, life coaching, NLP & matrix therapies & strives for Warrioress to weaponise women to believe highest & achieve bravest outcomes.
She welcomes you to the world of Warrioress, a space created for empowerment for all women, caring for our collective greatest Warrioress Mother Earth, as well as awesome product for amazing adventures, for running your race with love & grace.
With love xo Leigh
Namibia 2024 - Running 500kms self supported wearing Warrioress skort