leland franklin

i am because we are (ubuntu)

Hand-drawn heart sketch

I am who I am today because other people have believed in me before I believed in myself.

Beyond my family and friends, I'm especially grateful to these folks for seeing something in me and pushing me to become more.

Thank you. Your love and support live on through me.

  • Terry Driskill — middle school English teacher who encouraged me to apply to Thacher (previously wasn't even on my radar)
  • Alice Meyer — high school dorm head and psychology teacher
  • Kurt Meyer — high school advisor for senior project (sonoluminescence), faculty sponsor for my performance magic project, and my math & cs teacher
  • Pierre Yoo — high school chemistry teacher who took me under his wing to perform crazy science experiments after class - things that would be banned now ;)
  • Josef Mittlemann — professor of Entrepreneurship who always encouraged me to do good and do well in the world.
  • Arkady Belozovsky — sign langauge professor from Ukraine who saw something special in me
  • Nick Rintalan — early mentor at my first job
  • Eric Jurasinski — one of the best project leads I've worked with; learned a ton from him handling difficult clients
  • Mike Schaeffer — professional mentor who gave me opportunities and challenged me to step up beyond my years
  • Meghan Laffey — best manager I've had in my career, hands down; always emphasized that people come first
  • Sumit Chawla — senior director from the imaging team who was an example of a great leader to me
  • Romulo Melo — BJJ professor from white to purple, took me to Brazil, believed in me from the beginning
  • Paul Jeune — saw something in me early; AFF instructor, mentor, coach, friend. Believed in me so I began to believe in myself.
  • Alex Cashman — also AFF instructor, brought me on jumps "above my weight class" to push me
  • Dusty Hanks — world-class skydiving coach who taught me to fly head down, transition, and carve in a single weekend
  • Ben & Devin Roane — coached me to fly with big smiles on their faces
  • Alana Fulvio-Bigley — invited me to an elite invite-only annual event with some of the best skydivers on the planet
  • Donagene Jones — said yes to me joining that event!
  • MX, MK — believed in my flying abilities enough to put me in the lead jumper slot on the world record jumps
  • Debbie Cohen — encouraged and inspired me to explore professional coaching; illuminated the path to pursue my calling
  • Susan Carlisle — world-class coach who turned my world upside down in the best way possible; saw into my soul with love
  • Anne Grete Mazziotta — world-class coach who operates on multiple planes and sees the invisible
  • Dan Spinner — met at a nonduality breakout session @ Wisdom 2.0 and organically became my mentor of many years; taught me to listen and broadcast internally on a deeper level than ever before; also "language is the echo of energy already exchanged"
  • Steve Hardison
  • Ankush Jain
  • Townsend Wardlaw
  • Jonah Cohen — my current BJJ coach and friend who fans the flames of my potential

influences

Beyond the personal mentors above, these are the thinkers, writers, and teachers whose work has shaped my own.

Esther Perel, Brené Brown, Simon Sinek, Adam Grant, Patrick Lencioni, Tim Ferriss, Alex Hormozi, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, Rumi, Sam Harris, Henry Shukman, Adyashanti, Elena Bower