Leslie Kindling was born and raised in Pennsylvania where she played soccer and ran track and field while in school. Attending Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, Leslie was a member of the varsity soccer team for three years and earned nine All-American honors in track and field. She took up to rock climbing and triathlon while in graduate school at the University of Oregon. As a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy, she maintains an active lifestyle with her primary athletic activities changing along with her duty station. She has competed running races from 55 meters up to 100 miles and three adventure races with World T.E.A.M. since 2016.