About Leanne Simpson

"Tai Chi is a form of exercise that is available to everyone, practicing it encourages correct posture, breathing and relaxation. Many people say to me that they don't think they could do this type of exercise because they aren't sure which is their left or right. I say not exercising is the worry, left and right are just the sides of the body. Bring your sense of humour to class and have fun. Tai Chi can be done standing or seated, depending on your needs."

Having had the honour of being trained in Tai Chi for Arthritis by Master Trainers in Mackay and at Dr Paul Lam's Sydney Tai Chi Workshop and by attending a Tai Chi for Diabetes course with Dr Paul Lam in Brisbane she has been running classes for all ages and hopes to live up to the philosophy of "move it or lose it" or "fake it til you make it".

Leanne travelled south in January 2011 to attend the "Sydney One Week Tai Chi Workshop" as a Scholarship recipient. She was presented together with 3 other Tai Chi instructors from around Australia a trophy to acknowledge her win by Dr Paul Lam, the creator of several Tai Chi for Health programs.

The idea for the book, "Time Out Tai Chi – Welcoming Jing" came about when she started sharing Tai Chi with children by taking animal drawings and telling a story about them to help keep the youngsters engaged.

Leanne has been passionate about writing since returning from an "Around Australia Trip" with her husband Bryce and their two girls Bonnie and Jamiesen.

She presents a volunteer community radio program "Who Wrote That" on 4CRM, a program providing an opportunity for writers to share their work live to air "Unplugged" and gain valuable writing skills. Through this program, she has had the pleasure of interviewing many published authors and attending writing workshops.

Her motivation for actually making the move to get published came about at the Mackay Writers Group 25th Anniversary writers' weekend where she attended workshops conducted by Sandy Curtis, Peter Watt, Simon Higgins and Kate Eltham. Her belief in herself was cemented.

Leanne was recognised for her Outstanding Contribution to the Arts – General by the Mackay Regional Council and "Who Wrote That?" was acknowledged as being a part of the recent contribution by 4CRM for their award for Media & Tourism Outstanding Support of the Arts in the Media. The "Who Wrote That? Unplugged CD" was launch in 2007 under the banner of "Utterfusion", an Adult Learners Week celebration and was award the Public Library Achievement of the Year 2008.