[2:01] Leon had dreams of adventure, but grew up to be a broker. Unsatisfied and depressed, he continued in place until he watched the movie, The Motorcycle Diaries. His adventurous desires were reawakened and he quit his job and traveled the world, relying on kindness for support. The kindness of people became a large part of his journey.

[5:28] While hitchhiking across America, Leon experienced extraordinary acts of kindness. He concluded that all people have kindness, but they need to connect to it. There is a generosity of spirit in Americans that is not portrayed in the media.

[8:24] Leon’s emptiness came from being bullied as a sensitive boy. As he grew, he allowed society to guide his decisions, but it was pain and depression that forced him to break free and start a life of adventure. He advises people to share their pain with one person who will listen without judgment. Leon made commitments to fix himself, and come to a place of kindness and empathy.

[16:31] When you are really seen, you feel it. You feel that the other person actually gets who you are. Social media is not a substitute for human-to-human connection to truly feel each other’s energy.

[23:33] Kindness is not weakness. Leon offers the example of Muhammad Ali, as a man who touched people’s lives with kindness from the heart. You can be strong and still be kind.

[25:00] Trust comes by intuition. You find yourself in a situation and you quickly determine if it’s a safe situation or not. If not, you extricate yourself as quickly as you can. If it’s a safe situation, then you try to connect with the person by finding something in common that interests you both deeply.

[31:07] Leon gives to people who need help from his own resources. He creates opportunities for people to grow, develop, and flourish. He works to empower people.

[38:27] Leon’s most unexpected situation came in Pittsburgh. He asked a man in the park if he could stay in his home that night. The man turned out to be homeless, but he said, stay with me tonight, and I will feed you, and protect you. Leon’s rational mind said no, but his intuition told him to do it. He learned you don’t have to have a lot on the outside to have a tremendous amount on the inside.

[41:09] After their night outside, Leon was able to offer the man an apartment and an opportunity to go to cooking school. Tony accepted and took the opportunity. They changed each other’s lives. Leon learned from him to see the kindness inside a person, and not just what is outside. Tony has made some serious mistakes since then, but he is working his way back from them.

[44:05] Leon knows he’s not a perfect person. He’s relatable because he’s just like you. He says human nature makes us all the same.

“I ended up sitting behind a desk … On the outside I had everything. On the inside, I had pretty much nothing.”

After watching The Motorcycle Diaries, the dialog became, “There is nothing else I can do but leave.”

If some people have kindness, then it flows through all of us, and we’re just not connected to it.

If you listen to one thing from this podcast, it’s, “Share your pain.” Of course, it’s easier said than done.

“I made a commitment many years ago to fix myself. I made a commitment to come from a place of kindness; to come from a place of love.”

Many of us make commitments to our work and to our families, but we do not make commitments to ourselves.

“There were countless witnesses out there who have helped me be who I am. And that’s really what I want to be for others.”

If I can do it, then so can you.

When I give, I receive …

It’s a human need to be seen

Sometimes the crazy ideas are the best ideas.

Our true worth is not in our wallets, it’s in our hearts.

I have seen the darkest of the dark, and … the lightest of the light, and everything in-between, and we are all one.