0:00:07.090,0:00:10.838
I think everyone has these three zones.

0:00:10.838,0:00:17.321
Their comfort zone, their learning zone,[br]and their panic zone.

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And I think our most defining moments,[br]and our greatest lessons

0:00:22.999,0:00:26.425
come when we take risks to move

0:00:26.425,0:00:28.898
from comfort into learning

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and maybe, to the edge of panic.

0:00:33.583,0:00:39.633
Now, I'm on this stage,[br]because I did not go to grad school.

0:00:39.763,0:00:41.685
Instead, about five years ago,

0:00:41.685,0:00:44.419
after working with middle school,[br]and high school students,

0:00:44.419,0:00:49.719
when I was curious about the intersection[br]of for profit, and for purpose businesses.

0:00:49.719,0:00:55.059
I was almost going to go to a traditional[br]grad school to get a master's in business.

0:00:55.059,0:00:59.229
But the costs were too high,[br]and the style didn't fit me.

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So, I decided I would try to design[br]my own education.

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By doing twelve projects in twelve months[br]around the world.

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

0:01:11.171,0:01:13.180
business and social change.

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

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

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at ten dollars a month.

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And I would share my learnings[br]with them each month.

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Now, as I was travelling to[br]fulfill this idea,

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I had met all kinds of amazing people.

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Who started talking to me[br]about the ideas they had,

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

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

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about the leaps they were taking,[br]the risks they were taking,

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to learn, grow, and create change[br]in their communities.

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And I promised that if[br]at the end of the year,

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

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

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called "THE LEAPYEAR PROJECT",[br]of those stories.

0:02:04.731,0:02:06.991
And this kind of became my dissertation.

0:02:06.991,0:02:09.595
I also needed a place to graduate.

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Some way to end my year.

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And there was a TED conference[br]happening in Chicago.

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

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And in 2013, after this was all over,

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We launched a school, a place where[br]people could come and design

0:02:23.995,0:02:27.253
their education through experiences,[br]in their field of study.

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We called it the "EXPERIENCE INSTITUTE"

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I even got to meet Oprah.

0:02:33.840,0:02:36.295
Now, this is pretty traditional.[br]Me trying to explain

0:02:36.295,0:02:39.581
some sort of audacious idea[br]to someone who is

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much more successful and powerful.

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

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This is a good picture of that year.

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Now, that was one of the most[br]transformative years of my life.

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I learned about my industry,[br]the things I cared about,

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and about myself.

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And "Experience Institute" has been[br]my life's work,

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inviting people of all ages[br]to design their education

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through experience and mentorship.

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But, I think those photos,[br]they are all beautiful,

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and they show energy and excitement.

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I think they only tell one part of the story.

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Photos like this help[br]give another picture.

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When I was in Orange County,[br]trying to find a place to stay,

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not sure where I would stay[br]and finding a couch and a garage

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of a friend of a friend.

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And having to sleep[br]there for a while.

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And what you don't see[br]is the number of ants on that couch.

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Or the motorcycle that would[br]start every morning at 6:30.

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And that would be my alarm.

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Or downsizing most of my things,[br]getting rid of them, selling them,

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so I could afford the year,[br]and so I could stay light.

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And carry nothing more than[br]just a couple of bags, since I travel.

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Getting to the end of the year,[br]and realizing that

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writing a book, preparing for a TED talk,[br]and trying to start a school

0:04:04.811,0:04:07.581
is really overwhelming.

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Now, I ever since sleep here,[br]I've been exploring the risk it takes

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to move from comfort into learning.

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and the transformative impact it has[br]on an individual's life and career.

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What I never expected to find[br]was the role that panic plays in learning.

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It's the space where you come[br]face to face with your fears.

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And not just your fear's[br]bloated versions of those fears.

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Things that don't even really exist.

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It's a part of learning that's necessary.

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But it's rarely discussed.

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Now for a second, lets go back[br]to those zones.

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There's an influential psychologist[br]named Lev Vygotsky.

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He talks about the zone[br]of proximal development.

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the comfort zone isn't necessarily[br]about your resources, what you have.

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It's about your abilities.

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About not being challenged.

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You know what you know,[br]and you're right in the middle of

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what you know.

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And doing just that, there isn't[br]really a sense of challenge.

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In the learning zone, there is a challenge.

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But you don't have everything[br]you need to meet that challenge.

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You may have pieces of it.

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But you need other people[br]to help you piece those things together.

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And if you get that help, you will succeed.

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If you don't get that help, you will[br]zip right through to the panic zone.

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And the panic zone is where you feel[br]alone, overwhelmed, afraid.

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You've lost confidence here.

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You can't learn here.

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You don't function well.

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This is the head in hands moment.

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And the only way to[br]move back from panic,

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is to have help to get[br]into the learning zone.

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But normally, we just want to shutdown

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and go all the way back to comfort.

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Now, learning is where our most[br]transformative moments happen.

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When we meet somebody[br]who is incredibly helpful.

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Or when we overcome a challenge.

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If I were to ask you when you[br]learned your most valuable lessons,

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you would talk about a challenge.

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You would talk about someone[br]who helped you through that.

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But comfort isn't a bad thing.

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In fact, the goal of learning,[br]is to expand the comfort zone.

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This is where we become[br]more confident, more comfortable.

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As we move through life.

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Whatever it throws at us.[br]And not getting to the panic zone.

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So, if that's the goal of learning.

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If what we're trying to do,[br]is figure out how we can be people

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who are more confident,[br]no matter what life throws at us.

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How do we expand [br]the comfort zone?

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How do we push[br]back the panic zone?

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Now, the grand paradox is that[br]the only way to expand comfort,

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is by leaving it.

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So that's what we[br]have to figure out.

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Designing the leaps that move us[br]from comfort into learning.

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And when those leaps are[br]necessary in our lives.

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How do we make space for them,[br]in our education systems and our workplaces?

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So I have three hunches.

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It starts with discovery.

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Now, discovery is just[br]a matter of asking questions.

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The question you have[br]as you move through the day.

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About how to make something better.

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About how to increase[br]the thing that gives you hope.

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What are those moments that[br]you want to improve something,

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make something,[br]or change something?

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Those questions begin pushing you[br]to the edge of comfort,

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in trying to figure out what[br]things you might want to do next.

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Now as those questions[br]in hopes surface,

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the thing that happens next[br]is you begin exploring.

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What is it you could do?

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How do I learn?

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In defining those projects.

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Now, for some people,[br]school is the risk they take.

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They move into that setting.

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But for others, the question is

0:07:59.356,0:08:01.437
'Should I try to build something?'

0:08:01.437,0:08:04.412
'Should I travel, or do a research project?'

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or 'Should I just try to work[br]with an expert in the field?'

0:08:08.938,0:08:11.988
The more specific[br]that project becomes,

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the more parameters,[br]the time frames,

0:08:14.020,0:08:15.119
the deliverables.

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The more other people can[br]start seeing what you're doing.

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And you can invite them into it.

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Which leads to the second thing.

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That you need to bring other people.

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You need to invite other[br]people into learning.

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It's not a solo project.

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There is going to be times[br]when you don't know what to do.

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And you're going to need the help of others.

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During "LeapYear", I found myself[br]not only needing companies

0:08:37.355,0:08:39.852
to give me a chance[br]to work with them.

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To learn with them.[br]And to create with them.

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I needed my community[br]to guide me through times

0:08:44.563,0:08:48.239
when I got stuck,[br]or to support me emotionally.

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This included everyone[br]from my own family.

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My mother, to mentors and friends.

0:08:54.968,0:08:57.633
This photo, the story[br]of this photo,

0:08:57.633,0:08:59.538
isn't that I hit[br]the panic zone.

0:08:59.538,0:09:02.767
The story of this photo is that[br]someone took the photo.

0:09:02.767,0:09:04.655
They were in the room with me.

0:09:04.655,0:09:05.006
Right?

0:09:05.006,0:09:07.514
They were the people who[br]walked me back from the

0:09:07.514,0:09:09.522
panic zone, into the learning zone.

0:09:09.522,0:09:12.271
And helped me finish[br]at the end of that year.

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Now, I think there is something[br]more to community

0:09:17.632,0:09:20.857
than just emotional support.

0:09:20.857,0:09:22.939
I think they become our audience.

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They become the people who[br]validate, and celebrate

0:09:26.438,0:09:27.937
the things we learn.

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Which leads to the third hunch.

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How do we share[br]the projects we go into?

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The things we're[br]learning and doing.

0:09:35.850,0:09:38.051
For me during "LeapYear",[br]it was nothing more than

0:09:38.051,0:09:41.269
a weekly blog post,[br]monthly newsletter,

0:09:41.269,0:09:45.849
and at the end of the year,[br]creating a book and a presentation.

0:09:45.849,0:09:49.986
But for you, you don't need[br]a big book or a stage.

0:09:49.986,0:09:52.723
What you need is[br]just regular checkpoints.

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Places where people can[br]see what you're working on.

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Can give you feedback.

0:09:57.436,0:10:01.190
And can celebrate[br]when you finish.

0:10:01.190,0:10:06.189
Discover. Invite. Share.

0:10:06.189,0:10:08.480
So, I didn't go[br]to grad school.

0:10:08.480,0:10:13.347
But, I designed one of the most[br]transformative chapters of my life.

0:10:13.347,0:10:15.955
My comfort zone expanded.

0:10:15.955,0:10:19.255
But maybe more importantly,[br]I learned how to navigate

0:10:19.255,0:10:26.524
Between comfort, into learning,[br]and to push on the edge of panic.

0:10:26.524,0:10:31.099
Now, 2016 is actually[br]another leap year.

0:10:31.099,0:10:34.375
And I think in Portuguese,[br]they call this "ano bissexto"

0:10:34.375,0:10:35.238
Right?

0:10:35.238,0:10:40.182
Where there's an extra day,[br]and there is a title to the year.

0:10:40.182,0:10:42.419
And I was curious,[br]what would happen if

0:10:42.434,0:10:46.597
people in 2016 decided to[br]design a project of their own.

0:10:46.597,0:10:48.658
To move between[br]comfort into learning.

0:10:48.658,0:10:52.356
To design a leap,[br]however big or small.

0:10:52.356,0:10:54.559
And if we do,

0:10:54.559,0:10:57.462
whether you're in high school,[br]or college, or in a workplace,

0:10:57.462,0:10:59.736
whatever leap you take.

0:10:59.736,0:11:02.131
What would happen to learning?

0:11:02.131,0:11:05.171
What would happen to the[br]education space, when we realize

0:11:05.171,0:11:07.733
we can create learning,[br]we can design it,

0:11:07.733,0:11:12.016
just by taking a few leaps?

0:11:12.678,0:11:16.790
So, what leap will you take?

0:11:17.098,0:11:21.098
(Applause)