Jodie with friends and family standing at the top of Wairere Falls Track.
Jodie Leqeta has been living with Multiple Sclerosis since 2019. She shares the change in mindset that has empowered her to keep moving forward and doing the things she loves.
Every day, regardless of the season or the weather, Jodie Lequeta swims along the Hibiscus coast. She recently celebrated 1,000 consecutive days of swimming, even through the relentless winter months. Her daily ocean swim is not just a routine offering physiological benefits; it is a personal reminder of her significant accomplishments in her journey with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Rather than allowing a life-altering medical condition to narrow her horizons, Jodie harnessed the power of movement, holistic wellbeing, and intention. Her commitment to moving outdoors in this way is an expression of her mindset of grace and growth.
Growing up on the Kapiti Coast
Growing up on the Kapiti Coast, Jodie has always loved the outdoors. She spent her childhood on a dairy farm just out of Waikanae, before moving to the Manawatū in her teens. Her deep connection to nature was formed early on and the outdoors became a way of life. Although she never described herself as an athletic person, she came to love the beauty of outdoor adventure.
Jodie studied health and education at AUT, where she learned the importance of looking after the body. During this time, she had placements in Rotorua – a city renowned for its great redwood forests and biking trails. There, Jodie got into trail running and mountain biking, and this became the bedrock for her physical and emotional wellbeing.
Now, Jodie is based in the Hibiscus Coast in Auckland and is a busy mum of three girls. She enjoys staying active outdoors – especially with friends and family – running, biking, and horse riding.
When Everything Shifts: Navigating grief
In 2018, despite being an active member of her local pony club, Jodie was surprised to experience change within her body; she suddenly found she couldn’t ride a horse for more than 10 minutes without her legs shaking uncontrollably. These signs were followed by fatigue and loss of energy, which was very concerning for Jodie as she had never experienced these issues before. Her body was slowly retreating, and she found it increasingly challenging to do basic tasks throughout the day.
In early 2019, Jodie received a formal diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The initial shock was compounded by an adverse reaction to a lumbar puncture, leading to hospitalisation and period of severe fatigue.
For someone who had always operated from a “go hard or go home” mindset, the sudden loss of physical function was heartbreaking. As her balance and walking deteriorated over the following years, Jodie found herself subconsciously avoiding exercise to conserve energy for necessary tasks. She felt as though she had lost her basic functions.
Adding to the sense of loss was the emotional burden of navigating a marriage breakdown while raising three daughters and managing a chronic health condition. Jodie experienced deep grief over the loss of her former physical independence and the fracturing of her family life.
With her body struggling to keep pace, Jodie realised her need for rehabilitation support. She began seeing neurophysiotherapist Gilly Davey to focus on retraining her brain and nervous system to form new pathways, assist with her balance and gait, and learn how to manage fatigue.
Gilly recommended that Jodie see her at least 2-3 times a month. However, as for many people requiring neurological rehabilitation, the high cost of support needed to get back on track was financially prohibitive. Unfortunately, going through the public system wasn’t a viable option either, with it being difficult, if not impossible to access this support. So Gilly suggested Jodie apply for support through Mastering Mountains Charitable Trust.
Growing New Foundations
Just as physical and personal challenges converged in Jodie’s life, a new pathway emerged: Jodie was accepted into the Mastering Mountains Expedition Programme, which supported participants in a multi-day adventure with family and friends, to achieve an inspiring goal. The timing proved to be a lifeline for Jodie, providing her with an empowering sense of confidence amidst the grief and challenges she was navigating.
The Expedition Programme provided the scaffolding Jodie needed to make her multi-day journey possible. She received neurophysiotherapy support to rebuild her core stability and endurance, mentoring with the Mastering Mountains team, and specialised gear and supplements from sponsors such as the North Face, Bivouac Outdoor and MitoQ.
Jodie’s goal was about reclaiming her movement and independence, and being able to share that goal with others. Initially, she had a grand dream of traveling abroad to hike the famous Camino de Santiago in Spain, spanning up to 800km. But after some reflection, she realised she didn’t need to travel across the world; she could pursue a deeply meaningful, multi-day journey in her home country, Aotearoa, surrounded by the beautiful landscapes and people she loved most. She wanted to design an expedition that allowed her friends and family to join in.
Jodie shifted her vision to a four-day multi-modal expedition covering almost 170 kilometres across the North Island. Days one to three involved cycling the rugged Hunua Traverse, connecting onto the Hauraki Rail Trail, and riding all the way to Te Aroha South near the foot of the Kaimai Range. On the final day, she wanted to hike the steep and demanding Wairere Falls Track, a trail that climbs through native forest to the very top of the North Island’s highest waterfall.
Preparing for a 170km journey with MS required meticulous planning and an honest assessment of potential obstacles. Jodie had to account for severe neuromuscular fatigue, impaired body temperature regulation (as heat can exacerbate MS symptoms), core stability, and the mental stamina required to keep pushing when her legs felt heavy. The programme gave Jodie access to the resources needed to slowly rebuild her confidence and capacity. With a clinically-designed training plan, Jodie rebuilt her strength, and slowly grew her stamina on the bike.
To support her nervous system, Jodie adopted a functional medicine approach under expert guidance. She transitioned to clean nutrition, combining the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) and the Wahls Paleo Plus diet, supplemented by targeted nutrition and dedicated stress-management counselling to process emotional trauma.
“Learning to be kinder to myself, give grace to myself, accepting my limitations and just being more gracious to everybody.”
While in the past, Jodie was driven by the “go hard or go home” mentality, this approach quickly proved to be an obstacle that compromised her health as she prepared for the expedition: “That doesn’t work with MS,” she explained, “all that pushing too hard for too long when your body says no”. Over time, she learned to move away from pushing herself to her limits, and fighting against a body that was asking for rest, to acceptance, self-compassion and grace; a mindset of embracing change and willingness to grow.
Learning how to train her body in a new way was crucial, and during this time, Jodie was able to start adapting to her new mindset of grace and growth. In order to move fast, she had to move slow. For a driven woman who had spent a lot of her life “on-the-go”, Jodie initially found it difficult to adapt to this new change. But over time, she learned the importance of rest and recovery, and how drastically these can affect your body, especially when dealing with a condition like MS. “[I’m] learning to be kinder to myself, to give grace to myself, accepting my limitations and just being more gracious to everybody.”
The Journey: Learning to work together
Adventure Together NZ - Designed by Jodie’s cousin
In January 2025, Jodie and her support crew set out on the trail. All four days on the tracks were filled with breathtaking scenery, physical struggle and laughter. To mark the journey and build a sense of shared purpose, Jodie’s cousin had designed a special logo for the expedition: Adventure Together NZ. The name captured the essence of her mission. This was not a solo challenge to push herself; it was a celebration of community, resilience and connection throughout the journey.
Accompanying her on the adventure as support crew were her mum, brother, and sister-in-law. Her daughters, nieces and nephews joined her for some of the first day’s cycling, while her dad and a cousin joined her on the third day of biking. A few close friends also joined in the hike on the last day. At the end of the four-day journey, Jodie and her amazing support crew came together to celebrate with a big feast!
Reflecting on the adventure, what Jodie enjoyed most was being able to share it with family and friends, but it was not without its difficulties. Managing group dynamics was an unexpected challenge Jodie had to navigate. Undertaking a multi-day expedition with loved ones meant extending grace and compassion to them too, moving beyond her own physical requirements to ensure everyone felt supported, valued and heard.
Jodie also had to navigate the art of pacing. When the rest of her crew wanted to keep pushing through the trails, or when logistical delays occurred, Jodie had to prioritise listening to her body. Throughout the 170km challenge, alignment with her core values meant taking a paced approach. When fatigue set in, she had to accept her need to rest for longer than she initially planned. Through her journey with Mastering Mountains, she learned that listening to her body and accepting its limitations wasn’t a setback, but an essential step in keeping her body moving.
For Jodie, confronting her new reality meant facing a fear of judgment – both from others and herself. During the expedition, it was easy to fall into the trap of worrying that needing extra rest would burden others or slow them down. For someone used to “going hard”, admitting to needing a longer break than planned required pushing past the fear of being seen as incapable. Overcoming that hurdle meant giving herself grace through unlearning the idea that her worth was tied to endless endurance.
And giving herself grace enabled more growth. By choosing to speak up about what her body needed, Jodie discovered that being honest about her limits didn’t bring judgment from her team; it brought a deeper sense of trust and connection. Surrounded by a deeply supportive community on the trail, Jodie slowly discovered that vulnerability and asking for help wasn’t weakness, but a reflection of authenticity and integrity. For someone whose worst nightmare was remaining stagnant, the true heart of the adventure wasn’t just reaching a milestone, it was the internal growth along the way. By balancing the drive to keep pushing with the conscious need to stop and rest, Jodie redefined what it truly meant for her to be resilient. The expedition was a success, but the physical accomplishment was almost secondary to the internal growth Jodie experienced, “It really helped me to align myself with my values”.
Looking Forward: Going slow to go fast
“I would really want to encourage [newly diagnosed people] that their life isn’t over. If anything, with the growth and development that comes out of it, your life can be better than it was before.”
Jodie has recently finished her latest mission: cycling the length of the North Island. From struggling to make it up her driveway a few years ago, to cycling hundreds of kilometres across New Zealand, Jodie has experienced significant growth through Mastering Mountains. She has not only developed the physical ability to take on new challenges in the outdoors, but also a framework for understanding her body, her limits and what she is capable of, as well as a shift in her mindset and values. What once seemed impossible has now become her new normal.
Throughout her journey, Jodie has been capturing her North Island trip on Instagram, sharing vlogs of her everyday challenges and joys, progress and adventures (@jodesleq). For Jodie, sharing her journey is about more than simply showing what she can achieve. It has become a way of challenging the misconceptions about MS, and showing others that a diagnosis does not mean having to give up the things you love.
One of the biggest misconceptions Jodie encountered after her diagnosis was the belief that having MS meant she had to sit back and limit herself completely. “You know, in my head, MS meant that you’re gonna end up in a wheelchair unable to feed yourself”. Through her work with Mastering Mountains and Gilly Davies, she learned that this did not have to become her reality. She is currently pushing herself to go on 20km hikes again, with plans to cycle the South Island next year — something she never thought she would be able to do after her diagnosis.
Jodie’s new guiding mantra can be best described as “going slow to go fast”. She thinks that sometimes people might misinterpret slowness as weakness or laziness, but living with MS has taught her that progress does not always mean pushing harder. Jodie has learned that slowing down can actually empower her to move forward. Sometimes, it means listening to your body, accepting its limits and giving yourself the space to recover.
This mindset shift has also changed the way Jodie understands herself as a whole person. She emphasises the importance of nourishing not only the body, but also the mind and soul. Jodie has noticed that her body will often give her physical signs that she needs to rest before her mind is ready to acknowledge it. Learning to listen to those signals has become an important part of living with MS. Recovery for Jodie is not simply physical. Processing grief, looking after her emotional wellbeing and allowing herself to let go of old expectations are all part of moving forward.
Re-engaging with the outdoors community has also given Jodie a platform to share what she has learned with others. She feels strongly that there is still a lack of investment in neurological conditions, particularly when it comes to funding and research, and hopes that sharing her experience can help challenge that. For this reason, she hopes to use her cycle journey down the South Island as a fundraiser for MS Get a Head Start and Mastering Mountains, giving other people the opportunity to access the same kind of support she received.
When reflecting on her journey — from frightening days in the paddock, to being bedridden in a hospital bed, to standing tall at Wairere Falls — Jodie’s story is ultimately one of resilience, growth and a complete shift in perspective. Her journey shows just how much can change when a person stops measuring progress by how hard they can push, and instead learns how to listen to their body, go slow, and give themselves grace.
When asked what she would tell someone who has just been diagnosed with MS, Jodie’s message is simple:
“I would really want to encourage them that their life isn’t over. If anything, with the growth and development that comes out of it, your life can be better than it was before.”
Thank You
The team at Mastering Mountains would like to express their heartfelt thanks to the sponsors who made this grant possible:
The North Face Explore Fund for supplying clothing, footwear and gear;
MitoQ for a supply of their antioxidant supplement;
Giro for the gift of a quality helmet.
A huge thank you, too, to all those who have supported and encouraged Jodie along the way.
