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Jesse Leon

Jesse Leon is a professional motivational speaker who has inspired audiences in the United States, Canada, Dominican Republic, Columbia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Spain, and elsewhere. He connects with audiences through his honest and vulnerable, insightful and humorous speaking style. Jesse’s amazing life story offers audiences powerful lessons on overcoming adversity, self-transformation, and self-acceptance, and going from surviving to thriving. Jesse is fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese and has delivered speeches in each of these languages.

Jesse’s memoir, I’m Not Broken, is unique and exhilarating. It tells the story of one young man’s indomitable spirit and determination to survive—against all odds. Jesse graduated from Harvard University after overcoming the horrors of sex abuse and sex trafficking, drug addiction, homelessness, and mental health issues. Jesse offers audiences unvarnished insights into racism, social justice, economic parity, homelessness, affordable housing, education, substance abuse, drug addiction, sex trafficking, and other issues.

Jesse is a certified diversity coach and consultant to philanthropy and social impact investors. He has a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California at Berkeley, a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from Harvard University, and completed a post-graduate fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Urban Redevelopment Excellence.

Categories: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Educator, Educator - Motivation and Inspiration, Health Care, Health Care - Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery, Hispanic, HIV/AIDS, Inspiration, LGBTQ+, Motivation, New to AEISpeakers, Philanthropy, Quality Virtual Keynote, Social Justice

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  • topics Topics
  • books Books

Videos

Topics

  • The Jesse Leon Story - Surviving to Thriving

    Self-acceptance. Self-transformation. Overcoming adversity to move from merely surviving to thriving. Jesse Leon’s inspiring life story – a journey from seeming hopelessness to graduating from Harvard and a career improving the lives of others – shows audiences the way.

  • Finding Your Way in the Corporate World – Without Losing Yourself

    Do we really want diversity in the workplace? Jesse recounts his experiences with inclusion, authenticity and belonging in corporate leadership roles, senior leadership roles in philanthropy, and corporate and nonprofit board rooms. As a person who has overcome serious trauma impacted by race, class, gender, and sexuality, he offers a powerful testament to the possibility of transforming the workplace to create atmospheres of acceptance.

  • Achieving Educational Equity Through Supporting Students in Need:

    Too many kids in need slip through the cracks. Jesse Leon was one of them. Yet, he was able to take his life back and his inspiring story offers lessons for educators on how to identify, intervene, and assist youth struggling with issues of identity, poverty, substance abuse, gangs, and sex trafficking.

  • Moving Forward Together (Guiding America Forward)

    America’s divisions are stalling progress on important social issues. Jesse uses his powerful life story and experiences as a social impact consultation to show us a way to move forward together on vital issues such as racial, social and economic justice, homelessness and affordable housing, education, substance abuse, drug addiction, and sex trafficking.

  • Creating Opportunity for At-Risk Youth

    A single mistake can change a life forever. Jesse Leon narrowly avoided prison because he lacked important life skills. He’s now a successful social impact coach, and Jesse’s story offers effective strategies for mentoring programs, high schools, and community colleges to create alternative pathways to prison for at-risk youth.

  • Different Worlds, Latino & LGBTQ

    Coming to terms with sexual identity can be especially difficult for Latinos. Jesse recounts his personal journey of self-acceptance, which began with his self-hatred of blaming his sexual abuse on confusion about his identity. Touching on “machismo,” internalized homophobia and the cultural, classist, and often racist barriers existing in gay communities, Jesse talks about finding his place within the LGBTQ+ community spectrum.

  • How to Fix The Holes In Our Social Safety Net

    For Jesse — as with many Latino and other people of color survivors of sex abuse and sex trafficking — the services offered by state sanctioned institutions and programs to help abuse victims were not sufficient. Building on his personal experiences — coupled with his expertise in public policy, philanthropy and his work in creating public-private partnerships — Jesse provides ideas for how government agencies can do better to help survivors move from living in trauma to being triumphant.

  • Real Estate Development and Social Impact –– Do Well and Do Good

    Do well and do good at the same time. Build wealth and stronger communities. Drawing on experience developing over 5,000 units of mixed-income housing, social impact investor and philanthropy consultant Jesse Leon offers lessons for real estate developers and affordable housing advocates.

Books

I'm Not Broken: A Memoir
I'm Not Broken: A Memoir

In this unflinching and inspiring memoir, Jesse Leon tells an extraordinary story of resilience and survival, shining a light on a childhood spent devastated by sex trafficking, street life, and substance abuse.

You can purchase this book here

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