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A clearer picture of what your senior needs now
Beyond the college decision, what's actually at stake in the months between graduation and launch, and how to think about it clearly.
About your host
Riley Simpson, Founder of LeapYear
Riley is the founder of LeapYear. At eighteen he was burned out, unsure, and had no idea how to answer the question every senior gets: "So, what are you going to do?" At the wisdom of his parents, he took two years to explore before college: real estate, mediation, film, youth ministry. Those two years changed everything. He went from an unsure, exhausted student to someone who knew what he was about and could walk into a room with confidence and purpose.
Later, working in education venture capital at Learn Capital, Riley saw the bigger pattern: most students have no idea how to answer that question, and the system keeps asking it anyway. LeapYear is the program he wishes he'd had, designed to give every student that same clarity and confidence in nine months instead of two years. The founding cohort includes students who deferred offers from Stanford, Purdue, and Texas A&M.
Riley lives in the Austin area with his wife Molly.
Lead Coach
Tami Peterson, Lead Coach
Tami Peterson is the founder of Life Architects and LeapYear's lead coach. She has spent more than two decades coaching young adults and their families through the transition from high school to whatever comes next, including twelve years at Covenant Christian Academy in Dallas.
She holds dual coaching certifications (ACC-ICF and CCC-CCNI) and is a certified Highlands Ability Battery consultant with over fourteen years of experience helping students discover how they're built. She has served on the NACCAP Board of Directors and is a sought-after voice on student development, family transitions, and what it actually takes for a young adult to launch well.
