Leland+ Content Library

Self-Host n8n for Free: Run Powerful Automations Without a Monthly Bill

​SESSION GUIDE: https://www.lelandcourses.com/ai-builder/n8n-build-workshop/ Every automation you build in Zapier, Make or n8n becomes a monthly subscription. The more you automate, the more you pay, and the bill keeps coming whether you used the tool that month or not. ​In this exclusive AI Builder session, Jonathan McLemore will walk you step by step through setting up your own self-hosted instance of n8n: the open-source automation platform that runs the same kinds of workflows you'd build in Zapier, without the per-task fees. You'll leave with a working n8n environment running on your own infrastructure, ready to run as many automations as you want. ​The real takeaway is the skill underneath: how to get yourself off the SaaS treadmill for tools you can host yourself, and what it actually takes to own the thing instead of renting it. Once you've done it once, you can do it for almost any open-source tool worth running. AI agents. Vector databases. Internal dashboards. Knowledge bases. The setup pattern is the same. ​Jonathan is the founding solutions engineer at Plinko Solutions, where he builds these kinds of systems for clients every day. Now he's showing you how to run yours.

Build an AI Personal Trainer

​SESSION GUIDE: https://www.lelandcourses.com/ai-builder/personal-trainer-build/ A good personal trainer costs $100 an hour and sees you twice a week. Yours will live in your pocket, cost nothing, and know exactly what to tell you the morning after you slept four hours. ​Join Jon Metz, Principal AI Product Manager at Nike, for an exclusive AI Builder session where you'll build your own AI personal trainer from scratch. Jon will walk you through every step, and by the end of the hour you'll have a working AI that takes your health information and fitness goals and generates a plan that's actually yours. ​This isn't a demo. You'll be building alongside him in real time, so you'll leave with a finished product, not a to-do list. ​Jon spends his days at Nike figuring out how AI can meet athletes where they are. Now he's bringing that expertise directly to you.

Build an AI Document Auditor

​SESSION GUIDE: https://www.lelandcourses.com/ai-builder/ai-document-auditor/ There's a whole category of work that lives in the gap between two documents. The invoice and the contract it came from. The shipment and the order it was supposed to fulfill. The resume and the job description it's claiming to match. Someone is supposed to check whether they actually agree, and most of the time, nobody does. The errors that slip through quietly cost companies a lot of money. ​In this exclusive AI Builder session, Karla M. will walk you step by step through building an automated document audit workflow, using invoice-to-contract matching as the live example. You'll work in Claude alongside an automation platform (Make.com or Zapier) and a simple database (Airtable or Google Sheets), so come with one of each ready to go. ​The real takeaway is the skill underneath: how to get AI to read messy, multi-page PDFs accurately, enforce strict rules so it never guesses, and return clean, structured output every time. Those three moves are what turn a chatbot into a reliable system. Once you can do them, the blueprint travels. Claims against policies. Receipts against expense rules. Patient charts against treatment plans. The example changes; the skill doesn't. ​Karla is a former JP Morgan investment banking associate, where catching a misplaced decimal could cost millions. Now she's helping you build the agent that catches it for you.

Build a Product Management Operating System

SESSION GUIDE: https://www.lelandcourses.com/ai-builder/build-pm-os/​ The PRD lives in Notion. The tickets live in Jira. The roadmap lives in Confluence. The actual decisions live in Slack. You live in the gaps, retyping the same context into four different boxes so everyone else can do their job. ​In this exclusive AI Builder session, Avinash Mahalingam will walk you step by step through building a PM Operating System powered by Claude, anchored on the PRD and wired into the tools you already use, like Jira, Notion, and Confluence. By the end of the hour you'll have a working system that does the connective tissue work for you. ​But the PRD is just the on-ramp. The real takeaway is the playbook: how to hand the messy, recurring parts of your job over to AI. First a PRD that writes its own tickets. Next a stakeholder update, a competitive teardown, a retro that compiles itself. Same skill, different shape. ​Avinash spent years at Amazon shipping products at the scale where the connective tissue is the job. Now he's helping PMs build the systems that let them get back to the thinking.

Part 2: Identify Your Target Organizations

Are you tired of applying to 100 jobs and not hearing back? Maybe you’re nervous about reaching out to other people and talking about yourself. Perhaps you’ve heard about networking from a lot of people, but you’re skeptical about the way it can actually work for you. This workshop series is for you! As a career coach, I have distilled the targeted networking approach of finding jobs into a five-step process, each of which I will guide you through. Every three weeks, we will address another piece of the puzzle through an interactive workshop. In Part 1, we reflected on what exactly you want out of your next job and why, and learned how to tell your story in an elevator pitch and rehearse it so you are comfortable sharing your story with others in as little as one minute. In Part 2, we will: - Identify 5-10 orgs/companies that you want to be in using LinkedIn, Internet search, and in-person events, now that you know what you want to do next. - Track what you learn about these companies to start building a picture of what opportunities exist in this space/ market - Change your mindset from a job seeker to a professional’s. Stay confident, not needy. Part 3: Build Your Network to Learn (June 19) Part 4: Maintain Your Network (July 10) Part 5: Use Your Network to Apply (July 31) By the end of the process, you will be fully prepared to use the targeted networking approach to find a job, and more importantly, you will be closer to a chosen job and career that helps you live a purposeful, fulfilling life. Each workshop will include exercises that we will work through together, and I will answer questions. While you can attend any workshop as a one-off, it can be very powerful to attend the entire five-workshop sequence. If you want more personalized support as you go through the job search process, sign up for 1-on-1 coaching sessions with me! This workshop is appropriate for: - Students and early-career professionals who are not sure how to get started with the internship or full-time job search - Mid-career professionals who are looking to pivot into another industry or find a job after a career gap - Anyone who wants to become more adept at networking and use it strategically

Part 3: Build Your Network to Learn

Are you tired of applying to 100 jobs and not hearing back? Maybe you’re nervous about reaching out to other people and talking about yourself. Perhaps you’ve heard about networking from a lot of people, but you’re skeptical about the way it can actually work for you. As a career coach, I have distilled the targeted networking approach of finding jobs into a five-step process, each of which I will guide you through. Every three weeks, we will address another piece of the puzzle through an interactive workshop. In Part 1, we reflected on what exactly you want out of your next job and why, and learned how to tell your story in an elevator pitch and rehearse it so you are comfortable sharing your story with others in as little as one minute. In Part 2, we discussed how to start by finding 5-10 organizations that you want to work at, now that you know what you want to do next. We talked about how to figure out what opportunities actually exist for you in the market, using both online (LinkedIn, virtual communities) and in-person (networking and industry events) methods. In Part 3: Build Your Network to Learn, we will: - Use your existing networks to find people who do the work you want to be doing and ask them for coffee chats so you can learn more about them - Harness your curiosity and concerns to learn about what they’re doing, their workplaces, and how you can break into this organization or field. - Focus on figuring out if a good fit exists and also creating a good connection and relationship with that person, not asking for a referral. Part 4: Maintain Your Network (July 10) Part 5: Use Your Network to Apply (July 31) By the end of the process, you will be fully prepared to use the targeted networking approach to find a job, and more importantly, you will be closer to a chosen job and career that helps you live a purposeful, fulfilling life. Each workshop will include exercises that we will work through together, and I will answer questions. While you can attend any workshop as a one-off, it can be very powerful to attend the entire five-workshop sequence. If you want more personalized support as you go through the job search process, sign up for 1-on-1 coaching sessions with me! This workshop is appropriate for: - Students and early-career professionals who are not sure how to get started with the internship or full-time job search - Mid-career professionals who are looking to pivot into another industry or find a job after a career gap - Anyone who wants to become more adept at networking and use it strategically

McKinsey PEI - REAL EXAMPLES AND TEMPLATE

This resource is for folks who are preparing for the McKinsey PEI. The McKinsey PEI is a notoriously difficult interview to prep for as it's unique to the Firm. This short guide contains an explanation, real examples, and templates as you prepare your stories. Feedback from successful McKinsey candidates who have used this template: - "Sophie helped me a lot for preparing for McKinsey's PEI section, and I received feedback that it was a very strong part of my interview. The stories, and the way she helped me structure them, helped me stand out at other firms I recruited for as well. Would highly recommend!" - "I highly recommend her for your behavioral interviews. She has taught me how to approach it with a structure overall and within each of the STAR steps, making it very easy for my interviewers to follow through." - "Sophie taught me how to approach questions with a clear structure, both overall and within each step of the STAR method. This made my stories much easier for interviewers to follow."

Closing Intro Calls and Selling Packages

Learn how to build trust and showcase your expertise, master the sales process, and convert more leads to paid clients.

Recommended Offerings Tutorial

Quick crash course on how to use recommended offerings to close clients.

Reducing Fear of Uncertainty & Change

This practical, 4-step coaching worksheet is designed to help you regain your footing when life feels unpredictable. By guiding you to identify your specific stressors, release the things outside your control, and refocus your energy on what you can influence, this tool interrupts the anxiety spiral. Who it's for: Ideal for professionals navigating career transitions, individuals facing unexpected life shifts, or anyone feeling overwhelmed by the unknown and looking for a simple way to regain their focus and peace of mind.

Accepted to Stanford: My Full Set of Supplemental Essays

This resource includes every supplemental essay and short response I submitted as part of my successful Stanford application. It provides an inside look at how I approached Stanford's unique prompts, balanced personality with substance, and built a cohesive application narrative across multiple essays. It's for students applying to Stanford, applicants looking for examples of strong supplemental essays, and anyone trying to better understand how to answer Stanford's short-answer and long-form prompts. Rather than serving as a template to copy, these essays are intended to demonstrate how authentic experiences, thoughtful reflection, and a clear personal voice can come together to create a compelling application.

Law School Personal Statement Sample (CLS Acceptance)

This is a sample of a personal statement for law school.

Essay That Got Me Into Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, Yale & MIT

This resource includes the full personal statement that helped me earn admission to Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, Yale, and MIT. It is designed to help students understand what a successful college essay looks like beyond grades and extracurriculars. You'll see how I approached storytelling, structure, reflection, and personal voice to create an essay that felt authentic and memorable. It's for high school students applying to selective colleges, students struggling to choose a personal statement topic, applicants looking for examples of strong narrative and reflection, and parents, counselors, and mentors supporting students through the admissions process. Rather than providing a template to copy, this resource is intended to illustrate how personal experiences can be transformed into a compelling college essay.

Vanderbilt Personal Statement (Pathway2MBA)

Reflect on a challenge or stressful situation you have faced. How did you respond to this challenge, and what did you learn about yourself through the process? (300 words)

Vanderbilt Personal Statement (Pathway2MBA)

Please share what you hope to accomplish professionally before beginning your MBA at Vanderbilt. How does the MBA come into your plans and what are your short-term career goals after obtaining your MBA? (300 words)

Sample Statement of Perspective/Diversity Statement

This is an example of a statement of perspective which I submitted and got admitted to a T-14.

Secrets of the Admissions Office: AMA with a Former Stanford Admissions Committee Member

Trying to understand what actually happens behind the scenes in admissions can be frustrating when most advice comes from secondhand perspectives and guesswork. This session is designed for applicants who want a clearer understanding of how applications are evaluated and what admissions readers are truly paying attention to. You’ll learn how applications are assessed in practice, understand the factors that influence admissions decisions, and hear common patterns that emerge across successful candidates.

Expert Roundtable: Leveraging AI in Your Coaching Business

Top tips from Leland experts on using AI to 10x their impact.

My 5 Top Tips for the ACT and SAT

Small changes in test strategy can lead to major score improvements on the ACT and SAT. This session is for students who want practical, high-impact ways to improve their performance and approach the exams more confidently. You’ll learn five proven tips for managing time, avoiding common mistakes, and maximizing points across sections without wasting effort on ineffective study habits.

3 Things to Do (and 3 to Avoid) for a Stellar College App

Small decisions in the college application process can have a major impact on how your application is perceived. This session is for students who want clearer guidance on what actually strengthens an application—and what tends to weaken it. You’ll learn three high-impact strategies that help applicants stand out, three common mistakes admissions readers frequently see, and how to present your experiences in a more compelling and authentic way.