Leland+ Content Library

Build Confidence Before You Feel Ready [8/18/2026] (Recording)

Confidence isn't something you're born with, and it's not something you have to wait to feel before taking action. It's something you build. Yet many ambitious professionals find themselves waiting until they feel "more confident" before speaking up in meetings, pursuing a promotion, making a career change, or taking on new opportunities. The truth is that confidence is often the result of action, not the prerequisite for it. In this workshop, I'll share a practical framework for understanding how confidence is built and the simple habits that help strengthen it over time. What We'll Cover: - Why waiting to "feel confident" often keeps us stuck - The Confidence Loop: a practical framework for building confidence through action - The three building blocks of confidence: Clarity, Courage, and Evidence - Simple practices to strengthen confidence in your career and everyday life - How to create lasting momentum by taking small, consistent steps forward You'll leave with a practical framework and actionable tools to help you build greater confidence, trust yourself more deeply, and move forward even when you don't feel completely ready.

Home for Ambition #22 — Weekly Live Show [9/9/2026] (Recording)

Home for Ambition is a weekly live show, hosted by Leland CEO, John Koelliker, for people trying to stay ahead as work, learning, and opportunity keep changing. Each episode tackles a handful of timely, high-signal topics across AI, careers, education, and the future of work. We expect thoughtful debate, unique perspectives, and practical takeaways you can actually use. It is not a typical interview show or a generic news recap. It is a live roundtable built to help ambitious people make sense of what is changing, understand what matters, and leave with a sharper point of view on how to navigate what comes next.

The Standout College Essay: How to Find the Story Only You Can Tell [9/20/2026] (Recording)

Many college essays fail the same way: they sound impressive, polished — and interchangeable. A standout essay does one thing instead: it tells the story only you could tell. I'm a Stanford- and Columbia-educated writing coach, and over 8+ years I've built a process that gets students to that story — the one that makes an admissions reader stop and pay attention. In this working session I'll show you what admissions officers are really looking for, the four qualities every standout essay shares, and then we'll do a live brainstorming exercise together to start uncovering your story. Bring paper and a pen — you'll leave with a real thread to pull. Key takeaways: What admissions officers actually look for · The 4 qualities every standout essay shares · A live exercise to uncover the story only you can tell · Different essay types: how to choose your structure.

Ask Me Anything: Foundations for Breaking into Consulting  [8/19/2026] (Recording)

After this session, you will know how to position yourself as a competitive consulting candidate from the start, what recruiters actually look for when screening resumes and cover letters, and how to structure your preparation timeline for case interviews. These are the decisions that separate candidates who move forward from those who stall early. Attending live means you can ask directly about your background, your timeline, or the specific gaps you are trying to close, and hear how those details change the answer. The coach works with consulting candidates regularly and brings a clear sense of the patterns that show up across successful applicants, which makes even a short conversation worth your time.

Choosing your international master's: a decision framework [8/24/2026] (Recording)

Choosing an international master’s is rarely just about the degree. It’s a decision about country, cost, career direction, lifestyle, and whether the move actually improves your life. For many candidates, the real challenge is not collecting information, it’s making a clear decision when the options all sound plausible and every path has trade-offs. *If you’d like your decision to be considered live during the session, please contact me in advance with a brief summary of your situation and the options you’re weighing.* In this livestream, I’ll walk through a practical framework for evaluating international master’s programs with more clarity and less anxiety. We’ll look at how to compare programs across factors like academic fit, location, finances, post-study opportunity, long-term career value, and personal context. The goal is to help you move beyond vague excitement or fear and toward a decision you can actually stand behind. By the end of the session, you’ll know how to: 1. Evaluate master’s options using a decision framework, not just instinct 2. Weigh academic, financial, and lifestyle trade-offs more realistically 3. Understand what really matters when choosing to study abroad 4. Avoid common mistakes people make when they choose based on prestige alone 5. Make a more confident decision about whether, where, and what to study This session is ideal for international applicants, career switchers, and professionals considering a master’s as a strategic next step. Focus: Decision-making, program comparison, career strategy, and study-abroad trade-offs Outcome: Leave with a clearer framework for choosing the right master’s for your goals and circumstances

Case Interview Communication: How to Sound Structured Under Pressure [9/30/2026] (Recording)

Knowing the right answer in a case interview is not enough if you struggle to communicate your thinking clearly under pressure. This session is designed for consulting candidates who want to sound more structured, confident, and concise throughout the case interview process. You’ll learn how to organize your thinking out loud, communicate a clear structure, and avoid the common communication mistakes that can make strong ideas harder for an interviewer to follow. Attending live gives you the opportunity to ask questions about the communication challenges you’re facing and hear how an experienced coach would approach them in real time. The speaker works closely with consulting candidates and will share practical techniques they use to help candidates improve their communication and perform more effectively under interview pressure. If you want to make your thinking easier for an interviewer to follow, it’s worth joining live.

Claude Cowork 101: Supercharge your work with AI [7/2/2026] (Recording)

Learn how to work alongside Claude to move faster, think sharper, and get more done from one of Leland's top AI instructors. This hands-on session covers practical ways to integrate AI into your everyday workflow. No technical background required. Kristen will also be sharing an exclusive discount code for Leland's AI Builder Program in celebration of America's 250th birthday!

What You Need to Know for PE Technical Interviews [9/22/2026] (Recording)

Private equity technical interviews are designed to test more than whether you can memorize finance concepts. You need to understand how the pieces fit together, think like an investor, and communicate your reasoning under pressure. This session is for candidates preparing for PE recruiting who want to sharpen their technical skills and walk into interviews with confidence. You'll learn the concepts you need to know, the question types you should expect, and how to approach challenging technicals without getting thrown off. Join live to hear from a private equity expert and former Lazard professional who knows what it takes to succeed in PE technical interviews. The speaker will break down the most important technical concepts, share strategies for tackling difficult questions, and highlight the mistakes that can cost candidates an offer. Expect practical guidance you can immediately put into your interview prep.

Secondary Applications & Interviews: Securing Your Medical School Acceptance [6/17/2026] (Recording)

Many medical school applicants focus heavily on the primary application, only to discover that secondaries and interviews are where acceptance decisions are often won or lost. This session is for applicants who want a stronger strategy for navigating the final stages of the admissions process. You’ll learn how to write compelling secondary essays efficiently, prepare for common and challenging interview questions, and present a consistent, authentic story throughout your application. Join live to hear from two medical school coaches who have recently gone through the process themselves and successfully navigated the path to acceptance. They’ll share the lessons, strategies, and patterns they observed firsthand, along with practical advice on what helped them stand out. Expect actionable guidance and insights similar to what’s discussed in 1:1 admissions coaching conversations.

Why Your Career Pivot Story Isn't Working...(for Midlife Professionals) [8/12/2026] (Recording)

You're not confused about whether to make a change. You're stuck on how to talk about it — to a former colleague, an interviewer, or yourself at midnight. This session is where that starts to shift. If you've been circling a career pivot for a while, you've probably noticed: the story you tell about it keeps coming out sideways. Too vague to be useful. Too hedged to be believed. Too much "I think maybe" and not enough of what you actually know. That's not a confidence problem. It's a structural one — and it's fixable in an hour. In this live session, you'll learn the two reasons pivot stories fall flat, try a tool that fixes both, and leave with one sentence you can actually say out loud — to a network contact, a recruiter, or the mirror. Is this for you? This session is a strong fit if: - You're in your 30s through 60s, with real work experience behind you, and you're thinking seriously about what's next - You have some runway — roughly 6 to 18 months — to land the right opportunity, not just an opportunity - You're motivated by finding alignment with your values and what you actually want from work now, not just by urgency - You're willing to turn your camera or microphone on and participate live — this session works because people do the exercise in real time, not because they watch it happen to someone else - You want a space to practice out loud without being judged for not having it all figured out yet This session is probably not the right fit if: - You have less than 5 years of full-time work experience - You need a job immediately — this is not a job-search-urgency session - You don't currently have the bandwidth for live participation and follow-through — which is completely fine, just not what this hour is for - You're looking to observe rather than engage, or you're not open to being contacted afterward with next steps and prompts to keep moving What you'll walk away with - One reframe — why direction matters more than clarity, and why waiting to feel "sure" is quietly keeping you stuck - One tool — the pivot sentence: a way to describe where you're headed that doesn't sound like a résumé or an apology - One real next step — no pressure, no pitch, just an open door if you want to keep going

How to Lock in an IB Offer in 2026 [7/30/2026] (Recording)

Investment banking recruiting is more competitive than ever, and landing an offer in 2026 will require more than just strong technical skills. The candidates who break through know how to position themselves early, network strategically, and stand out throughout every stage of the recruiting process. This session is for aspiring bankers who want a clear roadmap for securing an investment banking offer in today’s market. You’ll learn how to prepare effectively, avoid common recruiting mistakes, and maximize your chances of converting interviews into offers. Join live to hear from a former investment banker and hiring manager at Wells Fargo Securities with deep expertise in investment banking recruiting. The speaker will share insider perspectives on what top firms are looking for, the subtle signals that differentiate top candidates, and practical strategies you can apply immediately to strengthen your recruiting process.

The Veteran MBA Playbook: A Candid Q&A on Admissions, ROI, & Career Paths [8/18/2026] (Recording)

Join us for The Veteran MBA Playbook: A Candid Q&A on Admissions, ROI, & Career Paths, an engaging live conversation built to help service members and veterans cut through the confusion and decide whether an MBA is truly the right next move. This is not a generic admissions presentation. It is a candid, practical discussion about what an MBA can actually do for your career, how to choose the right program, and how to avoid costly mistakes before applying. Attendees will learn how to evaluate the real return on investment of an MBA, determine the best timing and program format, translate military leadership into language admissions teams and employers understand, and compare full-time, part-time, executive, and dual-degree options. The session will also explore career opportunities for veterans, school reputation, alumni networks, job placement, Post-9/11 GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon benefits, hidden program costs, and whether factors such as rank, MOS, or quantitative experience affect admission. Whether you are actively preparing to apply or simply wondering whether an MBA belongs in your future, this livestream will give you clearer answers, greater confidence, and direct access to professionals who understand both MBA admissions and the military-to-civilian transition. Join UVA Darden admissions leader Brett Twitty and veteran executive coach Patrick “Paddy” Weeks for a moderated Q&A on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. ET. Bring your questions and leave with a stronger game plan for your education and career.

AMA: M7 MBA Admissions and MBB Recruiting [6/9/2026] (Recording)

Want to break into an M7 MBA program and land an offer from MBB? Join Alec Emmert, a Wharton MBA, former McKinsey consultant, and former McKinsey interviewer, for an open, judgment-free coaching session on MBA admissions, consulting recruiting, and career reinvention. Alec was admitted to Wharton at 35 with a 2.85 undergraduate GPA and later joined McKinsey after being rejected in a previous application cycle. In this session, he’ll share the lessons, strategies, and hard-earned insights that helped him overcome nontraditional odds and answer your questions directly. Bring anything you want to ask about MBA applications, M7 positioning, consulting interviews, networking, overcoming weak spots, or building a compelling story.

How to Ace the HBS Interview [10/8/2026] (Recording)

The HBS interview runs differently than most b-school interviews: it's conversational and fast-moving, and the adcom has already read your file closely enough to probe the parts that don't quite add up. This session covers what that actually feels like in the room and how to prepare for questions that follow up rather than ones you can fully script in advance. Rifat works on storytelling and has coached candidates through the kind of high-stakes interviews where a rehearsed answer falls apart under a follow-up. Expect a practical look at staying grounded when the conversation goes somewhere you didn't plan for, not a list of sample questions to memorize.

GRE Quant: Time-Saving Strategies [9/15/2026] (Recording)

GRE Quant is as much a test of strategy and efficiency as it is a test of math. The right approach can help you solve questions faster, avoid unnecessary calculations, and save valuable time for the problems that need it most. This session is for GRE test takers who want to improve their pacing and get more out of every minute on test day. You'll learn practical shortcuts, smarter problem-solving approaches, and the strategies that can help you work through Quant with greater speed and confidence. Join live to hear from a GRE expert who has helped thousands of ambitious candidates achieve their target scores and gain admission to top graduate schools worldwide. The speaker will share proven time-saving techniques, common traps that waste valuable minutes, and practical strategies you can immediately apply to your GRE preparation.

Mastering the Self-Assessment: Own Your Year End Review [10/23/2026] (Recording)

Your performance review shouldn't be an afterthought — it should be a strategic career document. As a senior leader in banking with years of experience sitting on both sides of the calibration table, I've seen firsthand what separates a forgettable self-assessment from one that lands an associate at the top of their class. In this expert-level session, I'll pull back the curtain on how calibration decisions are really made — and teach you how to write with the clarity, evidence, and strategic framing that gets noticed. You'll learn how to translate your accomplishments into the language leadership responds to, avoid the common pitfalls that undersell strong performers, and craft a narrative that positions you as a top contributor, not just a solid one. This isn't generic advice. It's a playbook built from real calibration rooms, real advocacy, and real results.

Essay Edit: Watch Me Transform an Underwhelming Draft [6/18/2026] (Recording)

Strong master essays are built through strategy and revision, not first drafts. In this live workshop, attendees will watch a real-time transformation of an underwhelming master essay into a far stronger and more compelling submission. Along the way, the session will unpack the strategic thinking behind each edit, illustrating how top applicants improve storytelling, structure, reflection, and differentiation throughout the drafting process.

Wharton Essay 1: Defining Your Career Narrative [8/3/2026] (Recording)

Wharton has redesigned its Career Goals essays—and many applicants are misreading what’s actually being asked. This session will help students confidently navigate the new prompts by breaking down what each question is testing, how admissions evaluates responses, and where candidates often go wrong. We’ll deconstruct the language of the new essays, translate it into plain English, and introduce a repeatable framework for identifying the right career story to tell. Students will leave with a clear set of diagnostic questions to pressure-test their goals, guidance on how to balance specificity with credibility, and tactical advice on essay mechanics—how to allocate word count, structure responses, and avoid wasted sentences. The focus is practical and actionable: how to move from a vague idea of “career goals” to a compelling, well-structured narrative that fits Wharton’s new format and signals maturity, self-awareness, and direction. Ideal for first-time applicants and reapplicants alike.

MBA Round 1: Your 5 Week Roadmap [7/30/2026] (Recording)

Are you ready to tackle your MBA Round 1 applications but feeling the pressure of the ticking clock? Join me, Melanie, for a detailed 5-week plan to craft a standout application for your dream MBA program. With my background as an MBA graduate from both Columbia Business School, MBA Admissions Interviewer, and Professional Coach, I'm here to guide you through every step of the process. In this session, we'll cover your plan to craft an excellent application in just 5 weeks before the September deadline. Whether you're aiming for a traditional full-time MBA or a specialized program like MBA-JD or MBA-MD, this event is designed to help you shine. Spaces are limited, so be sure to RSVP and secure your spot. Let's make your MBA aspirations a reality!

Ask Me Anything Office Hours [10/13/2026] (Recording)

Join me for an engaging "Ask Me Anything" session where we'll dive into the world of management consulting, top-tier MBA programs, and anything else that's on your mind. Whether you're preparing for interviews, refining your resume, or strategizing your search, this is your chance to get personalized advice and insights. With a Master's from Cornell's Johnson Graduate School of Management and extensive experience at Boston Consulting Group, I've guided numerous candidates through the consulting recruitment process. My background spans from establishing recruiting pipelines to leading organizational transformations and financial strategies. Don't miss this opportunity to enhance your skills and strategies. Space is limited, so RSVP now to secure your spot!