Leah was born in Oberlin, Ohio and grew up surrounded by the arts. In 2016, she graduated from Oberlin College with majors in East Asian Studies and Cinema Studies and proceeded to freelance as an artist and filmmaker before receiving an Oberlin Shansi Fellowship to teach English in Tokyo, Japan. After returning to Ohio, she taught stop-motion animation at The Rainey Institute in Cleveland. Inspired by her experiences in the arts and volunteering for a mental health lifeline abroad, Leah pursued graduate studies in clinical mental health counseling and is now working as a licensed professional counselor in the Cleveland area.