about-new

how I got here

As a recovering overachiever who had spent most of my career in high-growth tech companies building products and teams, I lived my life chasing external validation, convincing myself that true happiness would accompany the next accomplishment.

The harder I pushed, the more I began to feel less "me", pretending to be someone I wasn't. Outside, I looked successful, but inside, I was deeply dissatisfied and knew I didn't belong. The ladder I was climbing was leaning against the wrong wall.

Turning inward, I began questioning the scaffolding of my identity that had defined most of my adult life. With guidance and coaching, I gradually began seeing and understanding my beliefs, and their effects, more clearly. Every moment of insight brought more connection with a more authentic me.

From this newfound awareness, I rediscovered an innate ability we all have but too easily give away: the power to choose what we give meaning to. To paraphrase Marcus Aurelius, the quality of our lives depends on the quality of our thoughts.

These shifts have been so powerful for me that I've dedicated myself to a path of helping others become as successful as they want to be, as (re)defined on their terms. I've repeatedly witnessed that when leaders welcome and express their authentic selves, they become more effective, innovative, and inclusive - and give others permission to do the same.

i'm fascinated by human potential and development

What most people know about me

Born and raised in Hong Kong before moving to the US at age 16
Service professional for 12+ years: cloud tech consulting, next-gen product development, and education technology
Built & developed teams of project managers, engineers, and consultants who have gone on to work for Apple and Google
Won multiple awards for exceptional customer service & high performance in the face of adversity
Voted best project lead in my consulting org for my dedication to mentoring and developing others
Always reading on leadership, culture, behavioral psychology, neuroscience, mindfulness, and personal development

What I don't want you to know about me

The root of my greatest fear is letting down the people I love
In chasing what I thought meant success, I've pretended to be someone I wasn't
I've been put on a performance improvement plan
I've burned out multiple times, fainting in the middle of a friend's dinner party and (separately) getting pneumonia
Had bad acne as a teenager and a mild stutter my whole life - I know what it's like to crave acceptance
Lost loved ones to suicide, eating disorders, and cancer

But what I'm really proud of is

Calling my mom every week
Rebuilding my relationship with my brother
With my partner, nurturing a family that is healthy, loving, and mutually supportive
Cultivating genuinely meaningful relationships with people I call friends, colleagues, mentors, and clients
The incredible work my clients are up to in the world and how I get to contribute to their success and wellbeing
I LOVE what I do and I'm learning to build a sustainable life centered around family, service, adventure, and fun
Deep down, I'm happy with who I am, warts and all, and excited for how I'm growing

engineer -> program manager -> people manager -> coach

(professional bio)

Leland has been involved with leadership development, innovative technology, and social impact for over 12 years.

Prior to launching his leadership development firm in 2019, Leland served as Head of Partner Engineering at Clever, a K-12 education technology platform providing digital learning resources to 20M students every month in 65% of U.S. K-12 schools. Before that, he built the Engineering Program Management team at GoPro, working with a talented team to build next-generation action cameras as the company grew from 250 to 1800 employees and $1B in revenue and IPO'd. Before that, he led consulting teams at Citrix, the industry leader in cloud-based digital workspaces, on strategic transformation projects for Fortune 100 customers in healthcare, renewable energy, education, and finance. Leland has over a decade of experience managing cross-functional projects involving up to 130 people on 4 continents with annual project budgets upwards of $11M.

Leland has founded several passion projects including a career mentoring network for students, a volunteer mental wellness coaching platform for frontline COVID healthcare workers, and a peer community for professional leadership coaches.

Leland earned a bachelor's degree in Business, Entrepreneurship, and Organizational Behavior from Brown University and is currently pursuing an Evening & Weekend MBA at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. He also holds a Professional Certificate in Strategy, Leadership, and Project Management from Stanford University.

Leland is certified by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and the Co-Active Training Institute (CTI), widely regarded as the gold-standard in professional coach training and development.

Leland is a licensed skydiver and certified skydiving coach with over 700 jumps and 2500 wind tunnel flights. He holds 3 world records recognized by the FAI international governing body and 8 national and state records in team formation skydiving.

Leland has been meditating since 2013 and is a Certified High Flow Meditation Guide through Wacuri, having been personally mentored by Dan Spinner, former CEO of the Deepak Chopra Foundation.

Leland lives with his partner and aussie collie puppy, Mochi, in the Bay Area, California.

Certifications and credentials:

Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC)
Certified by the International Coaching Federation (ICF)
Certified High Flow Meditation Guide
Certified Stanford Advanced Project Manager (SAPM)
Certified Scrum Master (CSM)
Certified Agile Hardware Practitioner (CAHP)
Certified Skydiving Coach from the United States Parachute Association (USPA)
8 technical certs including Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) and Citrix Certified Integration Architect (CCIA)

tidbits

I've been a magician since I was 7.
As a performing close-up magician, I find tremendous joy in helping people get momentarily reacquainted with their sense of childlike wonder and awe. I've performed for kid's birthday parties, university deans, veterans, Krispy Kreme chefs, and audiences of up to 300 people.

Check out that bowl cut.

I come from a family of educators.
My grandfather worked for a university until he was 93 years old. My father recently turned 70 and is still teaching grad students around the world. My mom has helped thousands of students find careers after school. It runs in my blood - here I am as a Rotary camp leadership facilitator for high school students.

I'm a lifelong student of martial arts.
After 3 years of Krav Maga, I dipped my toe into a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class and immediately connected with its principles of experimentation, adaptation, integration, and community. 6 years later and going strong, I'm currently a purple belt under Romulo Melo in San Francisco and now train regularly at Guardian Gym in Oakland, where every adult membership supports one local youth to train for free.

Drop in at an open mat or come find me coaching the youth class on Saturday mornings.

I've leapt out of airplanes 700 times.
One of my greatest teachers, skydiving has opened up profound experiences and meaningful relationships beyond words. Contrary to most people's assumptions, dancing with gravity is one of the most peaceful and meditative activities in my life where I'm fully present and in flow. Where the mind quiets and time slows down. I earned my Accelerated Freefall (AFF) License in 2011, became a certified USPA skydiving coach a few years later, and went on to set 3 world records with the best group of humans one could ask for. (video)

I've participated in Burning Man 7 times.
You can usually find me handing out pour-over coffee at sunset as part of a theme camp we started in 2013. One of my big takeaways over the years has been embracing the beauty and freedom in imperfection. I am forever grateful to have met my now-wife out there dancing in the dust.

)'(

the big picture

I'm envisioning a future where an ecosystem of sustainable business, technology, authentic leadership, equitable education, diverse collaboration, and spiritual development are harmoniously integrated to cultivate the next generation of impact-driven leaders. A future where a deeper understanding of what it means to be human is supported and nourished by organizations.

At the end of this life, I want to look back on memories of all the wonderful people I've served, knowing that our time together created ripple effects in positively changing the lives of others in some way.

I'm tremendously honored to work with the clients I do - each is an inspiration and a gift.

~