the Journey that Shaped the Work
“Whāia te iti kahurangi, ki te tuohu koe me maunga teitei”
- Seek out your heart's desire, though if you have to relent, let it be to a lofty mountain
Ko Tokatoka tōku māunga
Ko Kaipara tōku moana
Ko Māhuhu-ki-te-rangi tōku waka
Ko Ngāti Whātua, me Ngāti Wai, me Ngāpuhi, me Te Rarawa ōku iwi
Ko Te Uri o Hau tōku hapū
Nō Parirau ahau
Ko Tana, Manga me Mackie ōku whānau
Ko Chrissy tōku mama, ko Alex tōku papa
Ko Leihia Wilson tōku ingoa
Although I was raised in Rotorua, much of my connection to healing, whakapapa and wellbeing was shaped through time spent with my grandmother, great grandmother and wider whānau in the Kaipara district of Te Tai Tokerau during school holidays.
My mother was raised there and taught by her Māori elders in traditional Māori healing practices and ways of understanding wellbeing, connection and the relationship between people and their environments.
Through her, and through time spent with my grandmother, great grandmother and wider whānau, many of these understandings became part of my own foundations growing up.
I was also raised within the Rātana faith, a faith grounded in spirituality, service, community and healing. Looking back now, I can see that many of the foundations shaping this work were already being laid long before I fully understood them myself.
Even so, stepping fully into this work has been a journey.
For many years I balanced two worlds — a career within large organisations alongside a deep personal interest in healing, wellbeing and understanding human behaviour. While healing remained close to my heart, it was often something explored quietly alongside work, relationships and life.
Over time, my own experiences with chronic pain and personal transformation became some of the biggest catalysts for change.
Living with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) challenged not only my physical wellbeing, but also the way I understood fear, stress, beliefs, emotional patterns and the relationship I had with myself. One of the biggest shifts in my healing journey came when I stopped approaching pain through fear and began shifting toward possibility, gratitude and belief in healing.
Over time, this fundamentally changed the way I related to my body, my thoughts and my wellbeing.
While every healing journey is different, this experience deeply shaped my understanding of the connection between beliefs, mindset, emotional wellbeing and the environments we create within ourselves and around us.
These experiences became part of the foundation for what would later evolve into Finding Freedom, Rapua te Mea Ngaro and Te Āhurutanga.
What began as a personal journey gradually expanded into a broader exploration of beliefs, behaviour, relationships, wellbeing and the environments that shape us. Over time, this work continued to grow through relationships, collaboration and a shared commitment to supporting healthier and more connected ways of being together.
Today, the work continues to evolve across individuals, teams, kura, organisations and communities — always grounded in the understanding that meaningful transformation begins with awareness, connection and the environments we create together.
Written by Leihia Wilson