Leah Farley earned her BSW from the University of New Hampshire and her MSW in clinical social work from Fordham University. For more than two decades, Farley worked with children, adolescents and their families, including as a social worker for New York Public Schools and as a substance abuse counselor for a state-run agency. She was also an advocate and behavioral educator for daycare children and staff in Massachusetts.

Most recently, Leah was the owner and director of a counseling group that served children and their families. She started a nonprofit foundation that served women starting over after incarceration, substance disorder treatment or domestic abuse. Farley was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment in 2023, which forced her to retire the same year.

Farley is a member of the 2024-2025 Alzheimer's Association National Early-Stage Advisory Group, and she was elected to the Alzheimer's Association Board of Directors in 2024.