HeroPath™: meet the coaching team

“When participants walk away from HeroPath™, I want them to be in that mindset of no matter what comes up, no matter what goes on in their life, they’re still going to be able to pursue forward towards the dreams, towards the goals that they have in their life.”

Jeffrey Leiken, President of Evolution Mentoring International and co-creator of HeroPath™, has a unique practice, specializing in guiding and mentoring youth across the threshold of adolescence. For more than 20 years, he has helped prepare them to achieve excellence and to thrive as adults, regardless of the challenges they face. Though he is based in San Francisco, his practice is international with additional offices in New York and London. He has spoken to more than 25,000 parents and professionals who work with youth. He is a captivating storyteller and has a wealth of knowledge and a passionate, unapologetic voice of realism. Expect to be intrigued, engaged, empowered, and inspired.

Peter Borden is an executive coach and advisor to startups and individuals. He specializes in teaching the skills necessary to launch a career, venture into entrepreneurship, build and grow a thriving business, have rewarding personal relationships, and overall, craft a masterpiece of a life. He provides one-on-one, private coaching, focusing attention towards participants’ personal goals and what they want to accomplish. Visit Peter at www.ceoaching.com.



 

"HeroPath™ sets them ahead of their peers, and it sets them in a great direction, so they’re able to go out and lead extraordinary lives.”

Dennis Charles lives in Framingham, MA, and has been a coach all of his adult life. He was born in London and became one of the youngest qualified soccer coaches in the United Kingdom in 1990. Following his passion, Dennis moved to New Jersey and worked for a professional sports coaching company. After this, he started his own coaching business. During this time, Dennis trained with Jeffrey Leiken in Mythoself^®: The Mythogenic Self Process. Dennis currently runs his own coaching and training practice called Charles Career Mentoring. He secures great results helping individuals build a life of success and substance. Dennis is noted for his no-nonsense approach as well as his British sense of humor.

Todd Kestin is a mentor, counselor, and social worker. He specializes in helping teens and young adults foster healthy and meaningful life relationships and create a greater sense of meaning in their world. Todd utilizes counseling and mentoring programs that are highly individualized to meet the exact needs of his clients. It is his firm belief that the essence of an individual at his or her best—at any age—is predicated on his or her ability to form and sustain positive and meaningful relationships.

Todd graduated from the University of Arizona in 2000 and earned a Master's Degree in Social Work from Loyola University in Chicago in 2005. After receiving extensive training in the field, he was left with one thought: Something is missing. What he has learned through experience is that specific “treatments” don’t always fix specific “problems.” Todd learned to shift attention from this intense focus on “problems” to building healthy, productive, and meaningful relationships, and he began to see dramatic changes occurring. He created his practice on this premise.

Todd is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in private practice in suburban Chicago. He contributes with a regular article on the Huffington Post. Visit him at toddkestin.com or follow him on Twitter @toddkestin.

Samantha is passionate about working with teenagers and young adults. When she looks them in the eye, she sees everything they can be. She is dedicated to helping them discover the infinite possibilities they have for themselves and their lives. For Samantha, there is nothing as rewarding as accompanying them in this journey and witnessing how they discover themselves one step at a time and start creating a successful and fulfilling future, and most importantly, a future of their own.

Throughout her career, Samantha has worked with well renowned public and private institutions in the US, Mexico, and Spain. These include the Extension Center of the School of Psychology, PEMEX (CENDIs), the Health Department in several states of Mexico, Olinca School, Moderno Americano School, CEAM, Baden Powell School, ITYC, Colegio Erasmo de Rotterdam School, Peterson School, PIAVE School, Maud Mannoni School (Querétaro), Colegio Internacional Terranova (San Luis Potosí), Mens Venilia International Group (Spain), and The ScreamFree Institute (Atlanta, GA), among others. She represents Mexico in The ScreamFree Institute, is a ScreamFree Certified Leader, and owns the Parenting School in Mexico City, at which she provides education and support for families.

She secured her MythoSelf^® Facilitator certification in 2008. Additionally, Samantha is certified in Narrative Therapy and as a trainer to work in Educational Institutions.

Samantha graduated with honors from the National University of Mexico’s High Academic Standards Program with a degree in Psychology. Visit Samantha at educacion-constructivismo.org.

“HeroPath™ creates an opportunity for teens to discover something about themselves that enables them to become much more involved and better decision makers in their own lives.”

Mark Schwimmer brings more than 30 years of experience, practicing his work in association with the New York Awareness Center, of which he is now President. Through the years, he has extensively trained and coached individuals and groups in both the private and business sectors to become more effective in more areas of their lives. Through his practice he coaches individuals to manage the challenges of life during times of transition brought on by either choice or circumstance, and trains those individuals who wish to develop leadership skills.

Mark is a Certified Master Hypnotist and Hypnotism Instructor. He coaches individuals and is licensed to train individuals who wish to become professional hypnotists. Additionally, he holds certification as a Master Practitioner of NLP in association with the Society of NLP, and as a Facilitator in Mythoself^®: The Mythogenic Self Process and the Exquisite Performance Coaching™ model. Over the past 6 years, he also has assisted Jeffrey Leiken several times by facilitating within the HeroPath™ Program.

Joshua Wayne has worked with children since he was a teenager himself, and started working with families in 1996. He has worked with youth in street gangs who lived with violence and drugs all around them, and he has worked with teens from affluent backgrounds who were just as troubled but for a whole different set of reasons.

He has a Master’s Degree in Counselor Education from Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago and is a Nationally Certified Counselor with the National Board of Certified Counselors. He has spent years working in private practice doing what he calls Family Coaching and Youth Mentoring, and has held leadership roles in the mental health and education fields on the front lines of school reform with high-risk youth.

He has appeared on the Style Network as a Life Coach and has created a popular educational program for parents who are struggling with their teenagers, called Your Successful Teen.