Leah Boucher | Holistic Nutrition & Nutrigenomic Coaching in Calgary
Wired but tired? Your labs say you're fine, but you know you're not.
Generic advice was written for an average body. Nutrigenomic coaching looks at yours.
You’ll book through Vitality BioMed’s online calendar. Leah will be the one meeting you there.
Your body has been sending signals you can't quite decode.
You’re eating carefully. You’re trying to sleep. You’re showing up for workouts. You’ve collected supplements that were supposed to help. And your body still isn’t cooperating the way the internet promised.
You’re not imagining it. You’re not failing a wellness checklist. Something is still missing from the picture, and generic advice keeps missing it too.
Does any of this sound familiar?
Most of the people I work with are somewhere between their mid-30s and mid-60s, when the old "eat less, move more" rules quietly stop working.
Tired in a way sleep doesn't fix
Brain fog that makes simple days feel heavy
Weight that won't budge, even when you're doing everything right
Hormone shifts changing your energy, mood or sleep, whether that's perimenopause, your cycle or midlife in general
Anxiety that doesn't match a life that looks fine on paper
A cupboard full of supplements that never quite landed
Being told it's just stress, age or busyness
If several of these feel true, you’re not dramatic. You’re missing a map that fits you.
Genetic coaching won't replace your doctor. What it can do is help explain why generic plans keep bouncing off your biology.
You’ll probably get a lot out of this if…
You like understanding the why before you change anything
You want your results explained, not just handed to you
You're open to practitioner-ordered DNA Life testing
You already have DNA results and want someone to explain them properly
You're ready for a free 30-minute call to see if it fits
This probably isn’t the right fit if…
You have an urgent or unexplained medical concern. Start with your physician or a clinical genetics team.
You're looking for an ancestry kit or a raw DNA download
You want someone to diagnose, treat or cure a condition. That's outside my scope and belongs with your doctor.
If you’re unsure, that’s what the free consult is for. We’ll sort fit honestly.
What is genetics, really?
(And why “eat less, move more” keeps failing you)
Most people think genetics means disease risk or ancestry. Nutrigenomics is different. It looks at how your genes interact with nutrition, lifestyle, and your environment, which is useful when you’ve already tried the generic advice.
Your DNA is a biological blueprint, not a horoscope. Small variations (SNPs, we say “snips”) help explain why two people can eat, sleep, and train the same way and get different results. Findings are leanings and tendencies. Not destiny. Not a diagnosis. Genetics gives context. It does not write the ending.
When we look at your picture, we do it through four DNA Life panels: Core, Hormone, Mind, and Gut. Each one covers a different layer of how your body runs day to day. Together, they show how those layers work with each other.
Did You Know?
About 65%
of people worldwide make less lactase after childhood, so milk sits differently than it did when they were five. That ranges from around 5% to nearly 100% depending on ancestry, and most people keep some lactase activity, which is why yogurt or cheese often goes down fine when a glass of milk doesn't.
Source: MedlinePlus Genetics, U.S. National Library of Medicine
Over 95%
of caffeine's first breakdown step runs through one liver enzyme, CYP1A2. Your variants in that gene turn the dial on how long your afternoon latte stays with you, and so do smoking, hormonal birth control, and how much coffee you usually drink.
Source: PharmGKB summary of CYP1A2, Pharmacogenetics and Genomics
4 to 5 million
places where your genome differs from the reference human genome. Most of those differences do nothing you'd notice. A small, well-studied set shapes how you handle food, caffeine, stress and hormones, and that set is where nutrigenomics focuses.
Source: 1000 Genomes Project Consortium, Nature (2015), via genome.gov
Your Genetics: Broken Down
Your body runs on more pathways than any one test can capture. Four panels, each built for a different layer, get us much further than one thin report can. Not the whole story, but a far better-lit one.
DNA Core: Cardiovascular and bone health, detoxification, weight and metabolism, exercise response, nutrient needs, and more.
DNA Hormone: Synthesis, transport, and clearance of hormones such as progesterone, testosterone, estrogen, and stress hormones.
DNA Mind: Mood regulation, focus, sleep, addictive behaviour, and brain resilience and recovery.
DNA Gut: Digestion, inflammation, neurotransmitter production, immunity, and microbiome diversity.
Roughly 164 readings across four panels / about 114 unique genes.
I work exclusively with DNA Life, a genetic testing lab available only through trained practitioners. That means no raw data file and a search engine at midnight. Your results come to me, and we review them together, so every finding comes with context and a next step.
Program investments are walked through on the free consult.
How it works
Step 1: Test
We order your DNA Life panels. You provide a small blood-spot sample, and the lab does the rest.
Step 2: Translate
I read your results and explain them in plain language. No alphabet soup.
Step 3: Build
Together we turn results into a real-life plan: food, movement, sleep, and supplement strategy chosen for your body.
Over 20 years in wellness, and a family of my own navigating the same real-life stuff.
I know what it's like to live in a body that needs more attention than most. Being the kid who was always sick taught me to notice my body long before anyone could explain what it was doing. Long before I had a word like nutrigenomics, I was learning that the standard advice was written for someone else's body.
That question shaped my career. I started in personal training and competitive athletics, then spent ten years working alongside a functional medicine physician, which is where I was introduced to genetics. I went on to train in nutrigenomics and epigenetics in England, and I've been working with genomic results for eight years now.
What I do is translation. I take what your panels show and turn it into decisions you can make on an ordinary Tuesday: what to eat, how to train, when to rest, and which supplements are worth a conversation.
I'm also a mom of two very busy boys, and our family has had its own share of complex health challenges. Life is going to life. Weeks get busy, stress rises and falls, and plans fall apart by Wednesday. So I build plans that bend with your life instead of breaking when it does.
I coach out of Vitality BioMed in Calgary. It's home base for all my consults, testing and programs, and I work alongside a team there, so you're never relying on one person.
Backed by real training, not just curiosity
I'm a Certified Personal Trainer, a Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach, and a Certified Holistic Nutrition Consultant, with 8+ years specifically focused on nutrigenomics.
I'm a coach, not a physician. I don't diagnose or treat medical conditions, and anything medical stays with your doctor.
Leah Boucher | PFT, FMCHC, CHNC
Common Questions About Genetic Coaching
Genetic testing can feel overwhelming at first. Here's what most people want to know before they get started.
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It's coaching built around your actual DNA instead of generic advice. Nutrigenomics is the science of how your genes and your lifestyle talk to each other, how the food you eat, the way you move, and the way you handle stress can turn certain genes up or down. I read your genetic results and translate them into a real plan for your food, movement, and daily habits, one that's built for your body specifically, not a body that looks nothing like yours.
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Nope, most people come to me without any results at all. Getting tested is usually the first step we take together. I work with a trusted, specialized lab; we order your panel, and once your results are in, that's when the real coaching begins.
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SNP stands for single nucleotide polymorphism (we just say "snip"). It's a small variation in your DNA, and it's the reason two people can eat the same meal or follow the same workout and get totally different results. Your SNPs aren't flaws; they're just your specific coordinates. Once we know yours, we stop guessing and start working with the body you actually have.
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Not even close. Ancestry tests tell you where your great-great-grandparents came from. What I work with is 100% focused on your health: how you process nutrients, how your hormones behave, how your body handles stress and detoxification. No family tree, no percentages of this or that, just information you can actually use.
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Your doctor and dietitian are essential, and I'm not here to replace either one. What I bring is the genetic piece most standard appointments don't have time for. Instead of general guidelines, we work from your actual DNA roadmap and build a plan around it together, and I stay in your corner as you put it into practice, not just for one appointment, but as your ongoing side-kick.
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It's a relaxed 30-minute chat, no pressure, no obligation. We'll talk about what's going on for you, what you've already tried, and what you're hoping to feel differently. By the end, you'll know exactly what working together would look like, and whether it's the right fit. That's it.
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No, and I want to be upfront about that. I'm a genetic and nutrigenomic lifestyle coach, not a licensed physician. What I offer is education, translation, and lifestyle strategy, not diagnosis or treatment. Nothing on this site or in our sessions should replace the care of a qualified healthcare provider, and I'll always encourage you to work alongside your doctor, not instead of them.
Ready to see your roadmap?
In 30 minutes, we'll talk about what's going on, whether DNA Life testing fits, and what working together could look like. Program investment and lab fees are covered on the call, and there's no pressure to decide.