Leland+ Content Library

The Reapplicant's Advantage: Turning Setback into Strategy. [6/15/2026] (Recording)

For many successful MBA graduates, rejection was not the end of the journey—it was the turning point. When approached with strategy, reflection, and renewed purpose, reapplying can transform a setback into a compelling statement of resilience, growth, and focus. Admissions committees respect candidates who demonstrate perseverance, self-awareness, and the ability to learn from experience—but only when that growth is clear, specific, and credible. This workshop will help you turn a “ding” into a competitive edge. You’ll learn how to conduct a clear-eyed assessment of your previous application, identify what may have held you back, highlight meaningful progress since your last submission, and approach the reapplicant essay with authenticity and impact. More than damage control, the reapplication process is an opportunity to show the admissions committee that you are stronger, more prepared, and more intentional than before. Done well, your reapplication can tell a sharper, more mature, and more persuasive story. By the end of this session, you will be able to: * Conduct a candid self-assessment to identify weaknesses in your previous application and opportunities for improvement. * Demonstrate tangible growth through professional achievements, academic progress, leadership development, and deeper extracurricular or community impact. * Refine your school strategy by aligning more precisely with programs where your fit, goals, and competitiveness are strongest. * Craft a powerful reapplicant essay that emphasizes resilience, growth, and renewed commitment—without sounding defensive or making excuses. * Strengthen recommendations and school engagement by securing enthusiastic advocates and building more authentic connections with your target programs.

Intel Collection for the MBA: Schools, Careers, and the Application [6/11/2026] (Recording)

This is the second session in the MDMP for MBA series series structured around the seven phases of the Military Decision-Making Process. Each session stands on its own, but together they form a complete framework for military and veteran applicants to systematically and strategically approach the MBA admissions process. In this session, we'll focus on mission analysis and cover how to collect HUMINT and AI-enabled SIGINT to improve your understanding of the critical elements of MBA application: target schools (including class profiles, employment outcomes, and culture), post-MBA career paths (industries, functions, recruiting pipelines, compensation), and the components of the application itself (essays, recommendations, and academic preparation. We'll also cover resources available to military and veteran applicants, from the GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon to Service to School and school veterans clubs. By the end, you'll know how to build your candidate school list, how to research post-MBA careers, and how to gather the intelligence that makes every later decision in the process a sound one. Hosted by Ian Kennedy, former Army Special Forces (18E, 1st SFG) and Stanford MBA/MS, who has coached military and veteran applicants into admissions at Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, LBS, Duke, and more.

MBA Strategy Session: Pick the Right Schools, Tell the Right Story, Apply at the [6/18/2026] (Recording)

In this free 45-minute strategy session, I’ll help you understand how to approach the MBA decision before jumping into applications. We’ll cover how to choose the right MBA format, build a smart school list, assess timing, and start shaping a compelling admissions narrative. What we’ll cover: How to decide whether now is the right time for your MBA Full-time vs Executive vs one-year MBA options How to choose schools beyond rankings What admissions committees look for in strong candidates How to connect your career goals, story, and school selection Common mistakes candidates make when starting too late or applying too broadly This session is especially useful for applicants targeting European and global MBA programs such as IESE, INSEAD, LBS, HEC, Oxford, Cambridge, IE, ESADE, and top US schools. I’ll also share practical insights from my experience as an IESE MBA alumnus, admissions collaborator, professor, and MBA coach.

From Generic to Hired | How to Polish Your CV for AI & Tech Jobs [6/15/2026] (Recording)

Join this practical mentoring session designed to help students, graduates, and early-career professionals improve their CVs for tech and AI roles. Led by an Ex-Microsoft professional and current Agentic AI Engineer at Accenture/Avanade, this session will show you how to move beyond a generic CV and tailor your experience for every job you apply to. We’ll cover how to read job descriptions properly, identify the skills recruiters actually look for, highlight projects and technical experience, use AI/ML keywords naturally, and structure your CV so it feels relevant, clear, and competitive. Whether you’re applying for internships, graduate schemes, AI roles, software engineering positions, data jobs, or consulting roles, this session will give you practical tips you can apply straight away. You’ll learn how to: -> Tailor your CV for each tech or AI job -> Make projects and experiences sound more impactful -> Use keywords without making your CV sound robotic -> Avoid common mistakes that get CVs ignored -> Present yourself clearly, even if you have limited experience A great session for anyone looking to stand out in a competitive tech job market.

7 Common Mistakes to Avoid in MBA Applications

Are you gearing up to apply to MBA programs and want to ensure your application stands out? Join me, Emily, for an insightful session on the 7 Common Mistakes to Avoid in MBA Applications. With an MBA from the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business and 10 years of professional MBA coaching experience, I've guided hundreds of applicants through the intricate admissions process. This event will provide an overview of several key aspects of the application process, and equip you with knowledge of what to being doing NOW to set yourself up for success in Round 1 applications. Whether you're considering a traditional full-time MBA, a part-time MBA, or any other format, this session will equip you with the knowledge to avoid common pitfalls and maximize your chance of success. Spaces are limited, so be sure to RSVP and secure your spot. I look forward to helping you navigate your MBA journey with confidence!

How to Safeguard Your Data While Using AI

As AI becomes part of more workflows, many people are realizing they’re using powerful tools without fully understanding the risks around privacy and data security. This session is designed for professionals, teams, and everyday AI users who want a practical approach to using AI responsibly without slowing down productivity. You’ll learn how to identify common data privacy risks, understand what information should and should not be shared with AI systems, and build safer habits for using AI tools in day-to-day work.

Vibe Coding 101: Build a Real Product with Just an Idea and AI

Have an idea for a product but no clear roadmap for turning it into something real? This session is designed for founders, builders, and curious creators who want to understand how AI can help take a concept from rough idea to working product faster than traditional workflows allow. You’ll learn how to turn ideas into actionable prompts, structure an AI-assisted building process, and avoid common mistakes that slow projects down or create messy outputs.

Your Plan to Build an AI-Native Team in 6 Weeks

Trying to introduce AI into your team without a clear plan can quickly turn into scattered tools, inconsistent adoption, and unclear results. This session is designed for leaders and operators who want a practical roadmap for building a more AI-native team with structure and intention. You’ll learn how to identify high-impact workflows, create systems that encourage adoption across teams, and build a phased implementation plan that drives meaningful day-to-day change over six weeks.

Your Plan to Build an AI-Native Team in 6 Weeks

Trying to introduce AI into your team without a clear plan can quickly turn into scattered tools, inconsistent adoption, and unclear results. This session is designed for leaders and operators who want a practical roadmap for building a more AI-native team with structure and intention. You’ll learn how to identify high-impact workflows, create systems that encourage adoption across teams, and build a phased implementation plan that drives meaningful day-to-day change over six weeks.

McKinsey PEI: Behavioral Story Development Worksheet

This worksheet is a companion tool to the bootcamp / consulting offer week classes I teach on developing a compelling behavioral & PEI story, and walks through two frameworks for how to select a story and how to develop it in order to get to a strong first pass.

Ship Your First Claude Skill: Live Build

Building with AI becomes much more approachable once you see the process happen in real time. This session is for professionals and builders who want hands-on experience creating their first Claude-powered skill from start to finish. You’ll learn how to structure a practical AI workflow, think through real implementation decisions, and walk away with a working build you can continue developing on your own.

Using ChatGPT for Career Narratives

Download this guide to help you use ChatGPT for support in your search-- from framing your career throughline to interview answers!

Build Your Own Competitive Research Agent

​SESSION GUIDE: https://www.lelandcourses.com/ai-builder/competitive-research-agent/ Competitive research is the thing you do once, mean to update, and then never touch again until your CEO asks for it on a Tuesday morning. By then it's six months old, and your competitors have shipped three more things. ​In this exclusive AI Builder session, D'Aaron Gonzalez will walk you step by step through building a competitive research agent powered by Claude, one that pulls from public sources, tracks your competitors over time, and keeps the picture fresh without the manual lift. By the end of the hour you'll have a working agent ready to put to work the next morning. ​But the research agent is just the on-ramp. The real takeaway is the playbook: how to turn any "I should keep tabs on this" task into something AI does for you, on a schedule. First competitors. Next industry news, regulatory changes, your customers' product launches, your own pipeline. Same skill, different shape. ​D'Aaron builds with AI for a living. Now he'll do it with you. ​Open exclusively to AI Builder Program members.

Build a Cold Outbound Email Agent

SESSION GUIDE: https://www.lelandcourses.com/ai-builder/cold-outbound-email-agent/ The math of cold outbound never quite works. A genuinely personalized email takes twenty minutes. A templated one gets a one percent reply rate. Either way, you're losing time. ​In this exclusive AI Builder session, Jonathan McLemore will walk you step by step through building a cold outbound email agent powered by Claude, one that researches every prospect on your lead list, writes a personalized first-touch email for each, and queues them up for you to review before sending. By the end of the hour you'll have a working agent ready to put to work the next morning. ​But the email agent is just the on-ramp. The real takeaway is the playbook: how to turn a one-off chat with AI into a repeatable system that processes an entire list the same way, every time. First outbound. Next a lead qualification agent, a customer research bot, a weekly report that writes itself. Same skill, different shape. ​Jonathan builds AI automations for sales teams as the founding solutions engineer at Plinko Solutions. He's done this for a living. Now he'll do it with you. ​Open exclusively to AI Builder Program members.

Path to PhD | How to Make the Most of Your Summer Research Program

How can you make the most of your summer research program as you build your profile for your PhD journey? No matter where you are on your path — whether you have extensive research experience and a clear direction, are just starting out, or are returning to school after time away — this session is for you. While this event is geared toward students in STEM fields, participants from all backgrounds are welcome. In this session, I’ll discuss strategies and concrete steps you can take to maximize your summer research experience as you build a standout PhD application. You’ll Learn: - How to approach your summer program strategically and identify the goals that matter most - Best practices before, during, and after your summer program - How to turn any experience into a competitive advantage With a background in higher education leadership and extensive experience guiding students through the PhD application process, I’ll be drawing from nearly a decade of experience directing the Stanford Summer Research Program, along with my current work as an educational consultant and coach.

5 Actions that can Make or Break your MBA Application

It’s not enough to do all the right things - you also need to know what not to do! Join me in this webinar as we review the dos and don'ts and uncover small yet crucial details that can help you win admission to your dream school. This event is designed to make you better informed, so you can make the right decisions about your applications!

Claude Code Deep Dive - Slash Commands

Today we’re diving into slash commands. We’ll cover both the built-in ones and how to create your own custom commands. “Automation is not about replacing humans, it’s about amplifying them.” ~ Satya Nadella

Claude Code Deep Dive - Basics

My way for studying anything is experimenting/building something and then writing about it. This is the first article in the CCDD (Claude Code Deep Dive) series. I’ll cover some general and personal background and history of AI coding and then show some basic yet useful Claude Code tips. “AI will soon be writing 90 percent of all code.” - Dario Amodei, Anthropic CEO, March 10 2025

Defining Your Personal Narrative for MBA Applications [6/3/2026] (Recording)

GIVEAWAY DURING THE EVENT: Join for the chance to win a free seat in Leland's MBA Bootcamp! Many MBA applicants have strong experiences, but struggle to turn them into a narrative that feels clear, cohesive, and memorable. This session is for candidates who want to better define the story they’re telling across their entire application. You’ll learn how to identify the themes that connect your experiences, communicate your goals with more clarity, and build a narrative that feels authentic while aligning with what admissions teams look for. Join live to ask questions about your own application story and get guidance from an expert MBA coach who is a Chicago Booth MBA and former admissions professional. The speaker has worked closely with applicants on positioning and storytelling and will share the patterns they see across successful candidates and standout essays. Expect practical insights and feedback similar to what’s covered in 1:1 admissions coaching conversations.

How To Write Outstanding Law School Application Essays [6/2/2026] (Recording)

Your law school application essays are arguably the most important aspect of your law school applications. To have the best outcomes and plenty of options at the end of the process, you need to craft compelling essays with solid narratives that paint a picture beyond your numbers. We will talk about different essay prompts and how best to tackle them, why it makes sense to have two 'main' essays instead of just one, how to handle optional essays and the dreaded 'why x school' essays. We will also have time for some 'Ask Me Anything' at the end!