Today we’d like to introduce you to Leah Tranovich.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up in New Jersey in a large, loving family. As a naturally curious person, the wonders of the universe around us and within us have always fascinated me. I entered high school in 2008 and began thinking about my future amidst the financial crash and following Great Recession. The messaging around me became clear: a good job = money = happiness. While I considered becoming a medical doctor due to my love of science and passion of helping others, I unfortunately faint at the sight of blood and quickly crossed MD off the list. The field of engineering arose as another natural fit: science, problem solving, and most importantly, job opportunities.
The next part of my story is sadly becoming more and more common. After demanding more of my mind and body than I could sustain, I graduated with highest honors from Lehigh University with a B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and went on to work in manufacturing for seven years. I remember how shocked my manager was when I told him I was quitting due to my mental health. On the outside, it may have looked like I went from “high achiever” to “burnout” overnight, but the reality was years of ignoring my body, not living my values, and believing the pain was worth the gain. Our current western capitalist culture rewards overexertion and devalues rest and connection. By the time I realized I needed change, I was past exhaustion. Many of the weeks and months that followed focused solely on surviving another day.
I spent the next two years trying different therapies and treatments, learning about the human mind and physiology, and figuring out what on earth I was going to do next. Thinking the problem was just my health, I returned to engineering for 6 months in 2024. I was physically and mentally healthier, but my return only further proved that I needed a vocation focused on directly making a positive impact on my community. Instead of salaries, bonuses, and titles, I now sought connection, community, and sustainable change as my markers of success.
Call it luck or call it destiny, I met Andrew (Andy) Langberg in 2020 and learned about the holistic wellness practice he developed called Reactivation. I was fascinated with his story and how such a gentle, non-invasive bodywork practice could be so effective at reducing pain and inflammation. After three sessions, the intense pain in my right jaw became nonexistent, leaving me to question the past year and half I spent visiting the chiropractor every two weeks. Four years later, I would be leaving my career for a second time and calling Andy to ask about internships. By summer of 2025, I was a certified Reactivation Specialist.
Recovering from burnout has given me the hindsight to know that so much of my pain was preventable. There are times I still grieve the life I feel I could have if I listened to my body sooner. Thankfully, every person I help with Reactivation solidifies that I am right where I am meant to be.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My own physical and mental health has not given me an easy path over the last decade, but my experience has enabled me to better connect with clients seeking similar relief. It has been terrifying to leave a “safe” career, become an entrepreneur, and dedicate my life to a practice few have even heard of. Reactivation has helped thousands of people over three decades experience relief from pain, discomfort, inflammation, and more. At times my biggest struggle is my own ego. When I was an engineer, people unquestionably respected the field. As a holistic wellness practitioner, I’ve received multiple responses along the lines that I am “selling snake oil”. I do believe that a certain amount of skepticism is good. We should be questioning and testing the ideas that are thrown at us. This is also why I offer your first Reactivation session completely free. I can talk about the practice all I want, but letting it talk for itself in a session is the best way to communicate. In the future I would love to conduct more formal research into the practice. Over the past few decades, developer Andy Langberg has connected with multiple research institutions, but to paraphrase, he has said he rather spend his time helping people instead of spending it trying to prove he can help people. With a new generation of practitioners in the field, I am hopeful we can dedicate resources to research without compromising care. There is so much that we still do not know about the body and how it functions, and I can’t wait to see what discoveries are still around the corner.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about JLK Health and Wellness?
JLK stands for Joy, Light, and Kindness. JLK Health and Wellness was founded with the mission to strengthen our communities with functional bodies and accessible information. In addition to sharing information on our blog and social platforms, JLK Health and Wellness is Jersey City’s home of Reactivation.
Reactivation is a holistic bodywork practice designed to put the body in a better position to heal with gentle corrective touch. During a session, we use muscle testing to identify dysfunction, or disruption in the signals of the nervous system. Once identified, we correct dysfunction (i.e. reactivate) with gentle, noninvasive touch. Reactivation looks at both the body as a whole and a system of individual components, recognizing that pain or dysfunction in one area may be connected to what is happening elsewhere in the body. By assessing the entire body, we are able to correct the root cause of discomfort, regardless of where it is experienced. Reactivation is also designed to complement, rather than compete with, other forms of care and can be used alongside practices such as physical therapy, massage therapy, and other wellness treatments.
JLK Health and Wellness is rooted in the belief that movement is joy and comfort is peace. We want our clients to feel ease in their bodies so they can more fully participate in the things that bring their lives meaning. Our bodies are complex, but wellness does not have to be.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
JLK Health and Wellness would not be here without the help from so many. My gratitude first goes out to my family, without whom I would not have been able to overcome my own health issues and be well enough to now help others. My parents, my brother, and my husband, as well as extended family and friends, were my biggest supporters at my lowest and highest moments, and it is their unwavering love I bring into every healing session. Another essential part of my story is the teaching, mentoring, and support of Andy Langberg. He has created an incredible wellness practice because he cares about people being well. His heart and his mind continue to inspire me to be a better wellness practitioner. Finally, I have to give credit to all wellness practitioners of complementary and alternative practices. I am inspired by their drive to help others and their curiosity into new ideas that have potential to help millions. When I am faced with doubt, internal or external, I am able to look into my community of peers and see why we persist.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jlkhealthandwellness.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jlkhealthandwellness/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@jlkhealthandwelln
