Jacob C. | Leland

Jacob C.

5.0

Studied at IESE Business School

Works at IESE Business School

Available Sunday at 2:30 PM UTC

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Available Sunday at 2:30 PM UTC

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About Jacob

I’m a global admissions coach with a deep passion for helping people tell their story — especially those from nontraditional backgrounds or with less-than-perfect GPA's or test scores. Originally from Utah and one of seven kids, I spent much of my youth overseas — five years in Australia, followed by a year in Tokyo and London — global experiences that shaped my worldview early on. I earned my bachelor’s in hotel management while studying in Hawaii, where I met Kara, my wife of over 10 years. I began my career in hospitality with Marriott International before pivoting into recruiting and admissions. Over the past six years, I’ve conducted more than 4,000 interviews — first at Wayfair and now as a member of the admissions committee at IESE Business School in Barcelona, where I also completed my MBA in 2023. That MBA experience — living in Spain, exploring Europe with Kara, and learning alongside IESE’s international cohort — remains the favorite chapter of my life. I love helping people achieve similar outcomes. Outside of work, I’m a lifelong learner and fan of history, world religions, professional basketball, and Wes Anderson films. I stay active through boxing, rugby, and yoga. Kara and I live in Atlanta, Georgia with two large dogs: Cricket, a 130-pound Leonberger, and Koa, a rescue from Hawaii. My journey has taken me across continents, industries, and challenges — and what I’ve learned is that there’s no such thing as a “standard” MBA applicant. Helping people from all walks of life find their voice and shape their story is more than a job to me — it’s personal. I’ve lived the pivot, I’ve been the underdog, and I know how powerful the right support can be.

Why do I coach?

I coach because I genuinely enjoy people — understanding what drives them, helping them articulate their story, and watching them grow through the process. For me, coaching is about connection, building confidence, coming to terms with imperfection. Helping someone discover what they’re capable of is deeply rewarding. 6 classic quotes that illustrate how I feel about this work: - “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” — Mary Oliver - “Leadership is communicating to people their worth and potential so clearly that they are inspired to see it in themselves.” Stephen R Covey - “A coach is someone who tells you what you don’t want to hear so you can be who you’ve always known you could be.” — Tom Landry - “It is not the critic who counts; not the one who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” Teddy Roosevelt - “Be who you needed when you were younger.” — Ayesha Siddiqi - “There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” — Edith Wharton

Work Experience

Associate Director of MBA Admissions

IESE Business School

July 2023 - Present

Full-time MBA Admissions at IESE Business School for current residents of United States, Canada, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and the Caribbean.

Marketing Product Manager

Payflow

May 2022 - September 2022

MBA Internship

Sr. Recruiter / Recruiter

WAYFAIR

November 2019 - August 2021

Leading Service Recruiter at Wayfair for Q1 and Q2 2021. Hired 240 new employees over 2 years.

Account Development Manager

Podium

December 2018 - November 2019

Sourced 68 closed won deals for $462,194. Top ADM in the company in August 2019, sourced most contract value for sales team with 115 ADM's. Podium is a high growth startup in the SAAS industry.