Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Leddy.
Hi Josh , thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Former athlete who excelled in hockey and baseball. Injuries prevented me from playing college hockey at Boston University. I’ve endured a broken back, spondylolisthesis, 3 ACL surgeries, concussions and more.
After hockey, I started a lake weed removal business called Life’s A Beach Shoreline Services. Early success led me to move to a small lake house in Mound, MN on Spring Park Bay. I also ran a youth high school hockey league and coached high school hockey at Orono. During my time growing my business at the lake house, I was hampered by old injuries that led to new injuries from compensation patterns I developed. That led to a torn labrum in my right hip, partially torn hip abductor muscles and numerous herniated discs resulting in debilitating nerve pain down my legs. Fortunately, I had good resources in the form of a nephew in the NHL, Nick Leddy. I was able to take a different approach to the standard doctor, prescription, surgery route and had the tools to heal myself naturally.
Understanding that my body wouldn’t hold up if I continued the labor portion of Life’s A Beach, I opened my mind to discovering something else so I could elevate my employees and sustain the business. That’s when my girlfriend, Melissa, (now wife) and I began touring the country visiting breweries. After a road trip from Seattle to San Diego where we visited 50 breweries in 14 days, we knew we wanted to create a small-neighborhood style taproom in the Westonka area of Lake Minnetonka.
Back Channel Brewing was born in September of 2017 in Spring Park, MN. We were able to turn it into the ultimate community space for Westonka with the help of an amazing team. Our expectations for how our business would be received exceeded our expectations. We were growing faster than we imagined, so we signed a lease for an additional space for brewing. Then Covid hit and the grind to keep our business alive was on.
During Covid, I noticed my body was beginning to suffer from a lot of pain. I wasn’t active enough. I was primarily eating food truck food, And I had unlimited access to beer. I chalked the pain up to wear and tear from all my injuries but decided to improve my overall well-being instead of continuing in the pattern I was in. Around the same time, I needed to help my Life’s A Beach business because nobody was traveling and everyone was using their lakeshore. That meant for a lot of work with not enough guys to help. I was nervous to return, but there was no other choice. To my surprise, my body started to feel great. Being out in the sun, barefoot on the grass, moving and exerting my body was seemingly heal me from the pain I was in.
It was a slow multi-year process, but I soon got myself back to top form after caring for myself and treating myself like the athlete I always was. The newfound energy and purpose led me to write a book about my journey and I ultimately released, “Pain Management: My Pain, Your Gain,” in May 2024. I kept the momentum going by creating a sunrise wellness and dance festival called Spring Park Awakening. The event takes place at Back Channel Brewing, and my goal is to provide wellness for all. Breweries are great community spaces for connection, and I want to eliminate the invisible barrier that prevents someone from coming to our brewery who doesn’t drink beer. Everyone needs connection, but they don’t always need beer. Hence the focus on wellness and NA. I believe in promoting balance and showing people how to properly take care of themselves.
After the book and wellness event, I decided to keep the conversation going in the form of a wellness podcast & YouTube channel – Get Sweaty with Leddy. In the program, I sit down with amazing individuals in an Excelsior Sauna where we talk about all types of pain and pain management. From physical, mental, sport-related, work-related, invisible, visible, you name it. The goal is to provide natural tools to improve one’s overall well-being. As well as prevent people from the cyclical trap of doctor visits, prescriptions and surgery. I hope to become a well-known resource for people seeking help from their pain.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Depression that set in after losing my identity as a hockey player was difficult to endure.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Building community is one of my art forms. I bring people together through unique events at Back Channel Brewing. I’m also creating events in the wellness space for 2026. I’m a great entertainer.
I’m a connector in that I unite people who should know each other. I’m also an idea factory with marketing and event concepts constantly popping up.
I’m most excited for what I’m bringing to the table in the wellness world.
What makes you happy?
I love spending time with my wife, Melissa, and our two cats, Roger & Louie. I love dreaming up a future and making it reality. I love entertaining. I love seeing smiles on people’s faces when I bring them together. I love being active outdoors.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.joshleddy.com and www.leddwell.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leddyjosh/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/josh.leddy.7/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GetSweatywithLeddy
