Leland+ Content Library

Maximizing Productivity and Building with Claude [7/20/2026] (Recording)

After this session, you will know how to use Claude to meaningfully increase your daily output, not just as a writing tool but as a thinking partner that shapes how you plan, prioritize, and build. Expect to walk away with a practical framework for prompting Claude effectively, a method for integrating it into an existing workflow without overhauling everything, and a clear sense of where it actually saves time versus where it creates more work. Attending live means you can bring your specific setup, your tools, your role, and get a direct response to what is actually slowing you down. This coach works with AI in a hands-on, applied way every day, and this session is a chance to see how that thinking works in practice.

Home for Ambition #15 — Weekly Live Show [7/8/2026] (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.

Home for Ambition #17 — Weekly Live Show [7/29/2026] (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.

Why Strong People Start Looking Weak in New Rooms — And How to Fix It [7/22/2026] (Recording)

It is a painful irony: you are technically excellent, you have a proven track record, and you’ve earned your seat, but the moment you enter an unfamiliar professional culture or a more senior global room, you start sounding less clear than you actually are. This is the phenomenon of being "Badly Translated." When high-performers move into global teams (like my clients at Netflix APAC) or competitive international interviews, they often default to tactical, deferential, or over-explanatory habits that make them appear more junior than they are. This livestream is about reclaiming your signal. We will break down why your experience isn't landing and how to shift from sharing information to demonstrating judgment. By the end of this livestream, you will be able to: 1. Spot the Deferential Trap: Identify the specific linguistic and behavioral habits that make you sound like an executor rather than a peer in senior meetings. 2. Master Recommendation Language: Move beyond just asking questions or providing updates to using the phrasing that senior leaders use to direct attention. 3. Shift from Biography to Positioning: Reframe your self-introduction so that it highlights your judgment and impact rather than just a list of tasks you’ve performed. 4. Audit Your Visibility: Understand the Invisible High-Performer pattern and how to enter a conversation early enough to help define the question, not just answer it. Outcomes 1. The Senior Signal Toolkit: A set of 5 specific entry-lines and phrases you can use in your next global meeting to sound more strategic. 2. Interview Re-Framing: A new way to answer "Tell me about yourself" that stops being a history lesson and starts being a value proposition. 3. Confidence Audit: A personal diagnostic to see where your meeting confidence is dropping and whether the gap is lack of knowledge or a habit of seeking permission.

Ask me anything: Job Searching in a Challenging Job Market [7/29/2026] (Recording)

The job market is challenging right now. Job searches are taking longer and old approaches aren't working the way they used to. It's a long game. So having the right mindset and strategies are even more important. In this "Ask me anything," we'll be talking about: - Job search mindset - Finding purpose - Job search networking - Thoughts for career pivoters - Avoiding burnout - Interview prep ... and any other job search topics that come up.

Build Your First AI Agent: Put AI to Work on Real Tasks [7/13/2026] (Recording)

By the end of this session, you will have built a working AI agent that can handle a real task autonomously, not just generate text. We'll cover how to define an agent's goal and tools, how to connect it to external actions like browsing or sending data, and how to avoid the common setup mistakes that cause agents to loop or fail silently. Attending live means you can describe your specific use case and get a direct answer about whether your approach will work, something a recording cannot give you. The coach builds and deploys AI agents in production and will share the decision-making framework they use when scoping what an agent should and should not handle on its own.

Wharton Essay 1: Defining Your Career Narrative [8/17/2026] (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.

Mixture Problems Made Easy: The Number Line Trick and More [7/21/2026] (Recording)

Mixture problems don’t have to mean messy algebra and time-consuming calculations. This session is for GMAT test takers who want a faster, cleaner way to solve one of the most commonly tested quant question types. You’ll learn how to use the number line trick to simplify mixture problems, avoid common mistakes, and solve difficult questions with more speed and confidence. Join live to hear from a GMAT expert who scored a 790 on the GMAT and has helped students dramatically improve their quant performance. The speaker will walk through practical examples, break down when this technique works best, and share strategic shortcuts you can immediately apply in your own prep. Expect high-impact methods designed to help you save time and pick up valuable points on test day.

8 Steps to a Complete MBA App: 8) Essay Drafting & Finalize Application [7/2/2026] (Recording)

Applying to business school can feel overwhelming! You have dozens of moving pieces: essays, short answers, video content, resume, recommendations, outreach, research, and more. This is the final event of a structured 8-part MBA Identity Mapping series designed to take you from fragmented tasks to a clear plan of action. In this session, you will move from preparation to writing and turning your outlines into strong, authentic essays. These sessions walk you step by step through building one fully aligned MBA application. In every workshop, you will be assigned tasks to complete over the next two weeks, keeping you organized and accountable. By the end, you will have strong, authentic essays and a cohesive narrative that runs consistently through your resume, goals, recommendations, school strategy, and interviews. You are absolutely welcome to attend individual sessions if you only need focused help on a specific component(s) of your MBA application. This session moves your MBA application forward by turning your preparation and outlines into written application materials: • Learn an efficient strategy for drafting your essays. • Understand how to move from outline to draft without losing focus or structure. • Ensure consistency while avoiding repetition across essays, resume, and recommendations. • Prepare other written and recorded components of the application. This is the phase where all of your preparation comes together. Instead of starting from a blank page, you will be writing from a clear plan that reflects the work you have already done throughout the Identity Mapping process. The MBA Identity Mapping process has guided 100+ applicants into every M7 program, all other top 20 U.S. programs, and leading international programs including INSEAD, London Business School, IESE, Esade, Oxford, Cambridge, NUS, and more. Clients consistently describe it as transformative because it replaces scattered effort with forward momentum and strategic clarity. If you are ready to turn your preparation into polished application materials and move confidently toward submission, this is your final step in the series.

Drop in Q&A Rnd 1 MBA- Know your story and uniqueness. Not cookie cutter advice [7/21/2026] (Recording)

Round 1 deadlines are coming. Your essay is probably a mess. Your story probably doesn't make sense yet. That's fine — that's exactly what we're going to fix. I'm Bryan, Wharton undergrad, MIT Sloan MBA, and I've spent 12 years helping people turn complicated, non-linear careers into applications that actually get read. I've seen the cookie-cutter essays. I've seen the AI-written ones. Adcoms have too. We're not doing that. In this session we'll talk about what Round 1 actually means for your chances, how to find the thread that connects your story, what schools are really asking when they say "why MBA, why now," and how to stop writing essays that sound like everyone else's. No fluff. No templates. Just the stuff that actually moves the needle. Bring your messy draft. Bring your confused career pivot. Bring your "I don't know how to explain what I do" problem. We'll figure it out together.

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!

How to Interview for International Roles Without Sounding Generic [6/30/2026] (Recording)

If you're applying for international roles, getting the interview is only part of the challenge. The next step is knowing how to talk about your experience in a way that feels clear, credible, and relevant, especially in competitive processes where many candidates sound polished, qualified, and ultimately interchangeable. In this webinar, we’ll look at why strong candidates often come across as too broad, too rehearsed, or not specific enough in interviews, and what to do instead. We’ll cover how to give sharper answers, present your experience more strategically, and communicate in a way that feels confident without sounding forced. In this webinar, you'll learn: - why candidates often sound generic in international interviews - how to answer common questions with more clarity, specificity, and credibility - how to talk about your experience in a way that highlights relevance, not just responsibility - how to build stronger examples that show judgment, ownership, and impact - how to adapt your story for different roles, markets, and interview styles - how to sound more natural and convincing without over-rehearsing By the end of the session, you’ll leave with: - a clearer understanding of what makes interview answers memorable and persuasive - a stronger framework for structuring your responses - more clarity on how to present your background for international opportunities - practical ways to improve the way you speak about your experience in interviews This webinar is for professionals who: - are applying for international roles in English-speaking or global environments - feel their interview answers are too vague, too long, or not landing well - want to present themselves more clearly in recruiter screens and formal interviews - have relevant experience but struggle to communicate it with impact - want to sound more thoughtful, credible, and competitive in high-stakes interviews Whether you already have interviews coming up or want to improve before you start applying, this session will help you speak about your experience in a way that is more focused, more convincing, and more effective.

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

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

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.

Outstanding Law School Admissions Essays with Indrani, Former Stanford Law AdCom [6/24/2026] (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!

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 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.

How I got into a dual program at Harvard and MIT [8/17/2026] (Recording)

How did I manage to be admitted into two of the best schools in the country - and into a dual degree program where I am attending both? Join me before MBA week kickoff for a session where I break down exactly what I did to be admitted to Harvard, MIT, and other M7 / top schools.