Leslie's done a little bit of everything. Her non-linear path gave her opportunities to travel the world, study human dynamics, and live life to the fullest every minute. She calls herself a “Life Enthusiast” because if there’s some kind of challenge most people don’t want to tackle…she’ll give it a try. From running an ultra-marathon to lessons to master the flying trapeze, Leslie doesn’t know the meaning of the words, “I can’t.”

She decided early on to take the road less traveled, which led her to The U.S. Military Academy at West Point after high school. Leslie spent four years there pursuing a degree in Portuguese (including a summer program in Brazil, which hooked her irrevocably on international travel) before being commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army. She spent seven years as an Aviation officer flying CH-47D Chinook helicopters, including tours in Kosovo & South Korea:

After leaving the Army, Leslie worked in a lot of organizations & roles from sales to project management. Some of her most unique (and favorite) jobs were as a professional organizer & TV news producer. Eventually she found her way into a role as an internal facilitator where she spent several years working & playing in a field she knew was meant for her! She also added the titles "trainer," "inspirational speaker," & "coach" to her resume before starting her own company, which focuses on inspiring groups & individuals to look for new perspectives when the ones they're stuck in just aren't working anymore. Her passion is helping teams use their own brilliance to improve communication and enhance success. Her client list includes:

The World Bank • U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) • U.S. Customs & Border Protection • U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) • U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) • Veteran's Administration (VA) • U.S. Army War College • The U.S. Military Academy (West Point) • New Hampshire National Guard • Sandia National Laboratories • Got Your 6 • USAA • VISA • Disney • Fidelity • Adobe • CapitalOne • Cisco • Raytheon • Procter & Gamble • Kimberly Clark • Etsy • Chrysler • Honda • Daimler Trucks North America • Manheim • COX Automotive • Haliburton • ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership • Association of Legal Administrators • National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) • American Chemical Society (ACS) • American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) • American Society of HealthSystem Pharmacists (ASHP) • American College of Medical Coding Specialists (ACMCS) • Drug, Chemical & Associated Technologies Association (DCAT) • Child Health Corporation of America (CHCA) • The United Way • Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) • Energetic Women • DiversityInc • Globo.com • Adventure Training Concepts • Heartland Visioning • 4-H National Youth Conference Center • United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) • Landmark Graphics • BMC Software • MEA Energy Association • CenterPoint Energy • Midwest ISO (MISO) • National Australia Bank • Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas • Oregon Fire District 3 • The City of Las Vegas • International Game Technology (IGT) • John's Incredible Pizza Company

In her spare time (just kidding...she has a toddler, so “what spare time?!”) she rides her Peloton, whips up masterpieces in her kitchen, and creates adventures everywhere she goes! She is also an avid penny picker-upper (or any found money, really!), starting The Penny Project as a way to pool found money & small donations for a bigger cause. With hundreds of people out there finding pennies with her, she’s been able to collect over $4,800! She’s donated the money to inspiring individuals, local community-building organizations, & national charities during times of need. On top of all that, she compiled all the great lessons she learned from the experience in Penny Perspectives: Let Go of Happily Ever After & Invest in Happily Ever NOW! And you probably thought pennies weren’t all that interesting or valuable, eh?! Just like she will on most topics, Leslie will have you thinking twice about your old perspective on that!

Leslie Riley