Workforce Development for

Lived Experience Leaders

LEAP4ward is dedicated to breaking down barriers, opening doors, and creating clear pathways for people with lived experience to achieve upward mobility in the workplace.

Meet the founders

Sean Whitten and Kris Freed

Our founders experienced homelessness and were able to advance their careers in the housing and homeless sector to become executive leaders and nationally recognized experts. Their paths were far from easy, which is why they are deeply committed to making the journey easier for others.

LEAP4ward is dedicated to breaking down barriers, opening doors, and creating clear pathways for people with lived experience to achieve upward mobility in the workplace.

Our Services

We partner with foundations, governments, non-profits, and for-profits to create pathways of upward mobility for staff, management, leadership, and boards across organizations and communities.

Our team works hand in hand with your organization to create tailored solutions that pave the way for sustainable progress and growth.

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Community of Practice

Ready to lead and thrive? Join this dynamic cohort and grow your skills, confidence, and impact—together.

Purchase Your Seat

  • "LEAP4ward is not just a training. It is a pathway for developing confident, capable leaders who are shaping the next chapter of our system."

    —Supervisor of Cohort Participant

  • "I am a different leader because of this cohort, and I know this because of feedback received from my leadership team."

    —Cohort Participant

  • "(Their) confidence translated into greater visibility in meetings, more frequent sharing of thoughtful feedback, and ideas that reflected agency-wide and system-level thinking rather than siloed perspectives."

    —Supervisor of Cohort Participant

  • "The content is designed in such a way that it helped step outside of the 'lived experience' box and continue learning beyond the characteristics that comes with lived experience. Having the perception that any level of leadership is attainable, I no longer box myself in."

    —Cohort Participant