Dr. Leonard Jackson shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Leonard, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
I am really enjoying spending a great deal of time with my family and taking trips with them. It is brings me joy to be around them, especially in these times.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am Dr. Leonard Jackson. I am an experienced education specialist with broad-based administrative and managerial skills in preparing and assisting students to improve grammar, reading, and writing skills for local, collegiate, and standardized testing. In addition, I have the proven ability to successfully analyze an organization’s critical support requirements, identify deficiencies and potential opportunities, and develop innovative solutions for increasing reliability and improving productivity (on student retention and curriculum development).
Among all of these many gifts and talents, I also teach in a private middle school setting during the day, where I am reading coordinator and chairperson of the middle school curriculum. It brings me a great deal of joy to still be doing what I love almost 25 years later.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
My view of myself was most heavily influenced by the relationship I had with my parents, which basically shaped my values, self-confidence, and sense of responsibility. I gained, through their support and demand, the morals of struggle, respect, and taking one’s own part. It was through their encouragement that I became aware of my abilities, whereas it was through their discipline that I learned to confront challenges and get my lessons from the errors. Even when I was at odds with them, those disagreements made me think about the kind of person I wanted to be. So, that relationship is still a major factor in my self-perception and decision-making.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
During a deeply challenging period when I was so exhausted from pretending to be “okay” that I had to be honest, I stopped hiding my pain and started turning it into power. After facing disappointments over and over again and moments of doubting myself, I realized that hiding my pain was the only way it kept me in control, but in silence. So, I decided not to live in denial any longer, and I confronted my experiences without giving in to shame or fear of being judged. It didn’t take me long to realize that these experiences didn’t break me, but rather they fortified my resilience. Through getting real with people, getting real with myself, and learning hard lessons from difficult times, I changed my pain into a source of motivation and self,-awareness. This source then became what gave me the power to grow, set boundaries, and walk away with confidence because I knew that what used to hurt me now is what makes me strong.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
I really think my closest friends view me as the “glue” that holds their eccentric group together. While they often tease me for being nonchalant with them, I really do think their collective observations reveal a clear picture of what truly matters most to me: friendship and friends that I view as family.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. When do you feel most at peace?
I feel most at peace on Sunday mornings when the house is finally quiet, and I can look at my family and realize that everything I’ve worked for is right in front of me. In those moments, the noise of the world fades away, and I feel a deep sense of gratitude for the life we’ve built together.
I can also feel most at peace when I have finished a long day of work and can sit down with a good book or a project I’m passionate about. It’s that transition from ‘doing’ to ‘reflecting’ where I feel the most centered and happy with where I am in life.
Image Credits
image credits: University of Phoenix
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