We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Leah Dortmann a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Leah , thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
My resilience comes from being broken and having no choice but to rebuild myself. The military gave me discipline and perseverance, but my experience in the prison system truly tested my strength. Being sexually harassed and stalked, developing PTSD and anxiety, and feeling like I had completely lost who I was left me at rock bottom. I stripped away my femininity just to survive, and in the process, I lost myself. My husband just got married, and suddenly, he was watching his wife disappear into someone he didn’t recognise.
But resilience isn’t about being unshaken; it’s about choosing to rise even when everything inside you is telling you to stay down. I found my way back through pageantry, something I never expected to be part of my journey. It gave me permission to reclaim my confidence, my femininity, and my sense of self. It reminded me that no matter how many times life tries to break you, you always have the power to put yourself back together—stronger, wiser, and more unstoppable than before.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a passionate advocate for resilience, empowerment, and helping women find the strength to stand and the courage to rise. As Mrs. Universal Petite Australia 2025, I am using my platform, UnstoppableHER, to inspire and equip women with the tools to overcome adversity and step into their full potential. My journey; from battling trauma and PTSD to standing on international stages; fuels my mission to show women that they, too, can become unstoppable.
UnstoppableHER centers on three key initiatives:
Social Media Campaign & Movement (#IAmUnstoppable) – This global pledge empowers women to declare their commitment to becoming their best selves. It’s about taking action, embracing challenges, and celebrating growth.
Book & Global Speaking Tour – My upcoming book, Strength to Stand, shares my personal story alongside actionable steps for resilience and transformation. I will be launching a global tour to bring this message to schools, organizations, and women’s groups worldwide.
Workshops & Mentorship – I host workshops combining mindset coaching, fitness, and nutrition; core elements that helped me rebuild my own life. As a Master Female Trainer, Fitness Instructor, and Nutritionist, I know firsthand how vital a strong body and healthy nutrition are to overcoming life’s challenges. I also mentor women on their journeys to confidence, leadership, and success.
What excites me most about this work is the impact; seeing women break through limiting beliefs and rewrite their stories. This year, I am expanding UnstoppableHER by forming partnerships with organizations aligned with mental health and women’s empowerment.
Fitness and nutrition are the foundation of my platform, and I believe they are essential in empowering women to become their unstoppable selves. My mission is to provide them with the tools, both physical and mental, to transform their lives.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Looking back, three key strategies were pivotal in my journey to becoming unstoppable: setting an audacious goal, breaking it down into small daily steps, and creating a supportive environment.
Audacious Goal: The foundation of any transformative journey is a big, bold vision. My audacious goal was to step onto the pageant stage, advocate for women, and share my story on an international platform. That goal gave me direction and purpose, even during times when the path ahead seemed uncertain.
Advice: Choose a goal that challenges you; something that excites you and pushes you beyond your comfort zone. It should be big enough to make you grow, but also something that ignites passion in your heart. When you have that vision in mind, it becomes your anchor, guiding you toward the woman you’re becoming.
Breaking It Down into Small Daily Steps: Having a goal is one thing, but achieving it requires breaking it down into manageable, daily actions. For me, every day was a small step toward my vision, whether it was preparing physically, nurturing my mindset, or advancing my advocacy. What I realized is that the journey, with all its daily efforts and challenges, is where true growth happens.
Advice: Focus on progress, not perfection. Break your big goal into small, actionable steps, and commit to making incremental improvements every day. The process is just as important as the end result, because it’s through the small daily actions that you evolve and step into your most powerful self.
Supportive Environment: The people around you can either propel you forward or hold you back. In my journey, I intentionally sought out those who believed in my vision, lifted me up during hard times, and encouraged me to be my best self. My environment played a huge role in my resilience and growth.
Advice: Build a network that empowers you. Surround yourself with people who inspire, challenge, and support you. Seek out mentors, communities, and friends who believe in your potential, and who will hold you accountable in your pursuit of greatness. Your environment should not only support you but push you to rise higher.
These three strategies: setting a bold goal, breaking it down into daily actions, and cultivating a supportive environment; were the pillars of my journey. For anyone just starting, the key is to define a goal that excites you, commit to consistent action each day, and surround yourself with people who will help you thrive. The combination of these elements will set you on the path to becoming the unstoppable person you are meant to be.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
The person who has been most instrumental in helping me overcome challenges and develop the skills I needed to be successful is my husband, Nathan Dortmann. Throughout my journey, Nathan has been my unwavering rock. When I was going through my darkest moments, he never left my side. He was patient with my healing process, never rushing me, but always offering love and support. At the same time, he knew exactly when to gently push me to start working on myself again, helping me take the first steps toward recovery and transformation.
Nathan is not only the person I trust the most, but he is also the one I admire for his incredible mental toughness. As an Ironman athlete, he embodies resilience, discipline, and the ability to push through challenges, no matter how tough they get. His journey as an athlete has taught me the value of persistence, commitment, and finding strength even when the odds are against you.
Every single day, Nathan is my daily inspiration. He constantly encourages me to pursue my dreams and helps me stay focused on becoming the best version of myself. His belief in me has been a driving force behind my ability to push through adversity, and he is the one who continuously reminds me of my own strength.
Without his support, love, and guidance, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Nathan has been integral in helping me build the foundation of resilience, self-belief, and mental toughness that I carry with me in everything I do.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leah_unstoppablequeen
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leahdortmann
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@leah_unstoppablequeen
Image Credits
Alexis Turner
Ben Adams
Kristen Weaver
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.