I think everyone has these three zones

Their comfort zone, their learning zone,
and their panic zone.

And I think our most defining moments,
and our greatest lessons

come when we take risks to move

from comfort into learning

and maybe, to the edge of panic.

Now, I'm on this stage,
because I did not go to grad school.

Instead, about five years ago,

after working with middle school,
and high school students,

when I was curious about the intersection
of for profit, and for purpose businesses.

I was almost going to go to a traditional
grad school to get a master's in business.

But the costs were too high,
and the style didn't fit me.

So I decided I would try to design
my own education.

By doing twelve projects in twelve months
around the world.

I would source these projects
by talking to companies in design,

and business and social change.

And I would try to find one project I could 
complete over the course of the month.

I would fund my year by creating a newsletter
that my friends and family could subscribe to

at ten dollars a month.

And I would share my learnings
with them each month.

Now as I was travelling to
fulfill this idea,

I had met all kinds of amazing people.

Who started talking to me
about the ideas they had,

to learn in a different kind of way,
or to create change to take leaps of their own.

So, I created an invitation
for those people, to send stories

about the leaps they were taking,
the risks they were taking,

to learn, grow, and create change
in their communities.

And I promised that if
at the end of the year,

I had enough stories, we would take
those stories and make a book.

And at the end of the year,
sure enough, we created a book

called "THE LEAPYEAR PROJECT",
of those stories.

And this kind of became my dissertation.

I also needed my place to graduate.

Some way to end my year.

And there was a TED conference
happening in Chicago.

So I put a cap and gown on,
and that was my graduation.

And in 2013, after this was all over,

We launched a school, where
people could come and design

their education through experiences,
in their field of study.

We called it the "EXPERIENCE INSTITUTE"

I even got to meet Oprah.

Now this is pretty traditional.
Me trying to explain

some sort of audacious idea
to someone who is

much more successful and powerful.

And really probably doesn't
actually care about what I'm saying.

This is a good picture of that year.

Now that was one of the most
transformative years of my life.