My name is Hasani X. I’m CEO of Rise of a Leader, a business performance coach/investor, professional speaker and most recently the founder of Lead Your Story.
I grew up in the streets of Oakland California, where I learned firsthand the power of STORY. How with my STORY I was able to develop an inner-belief, strength, and conviction when everything around me said the opposite. And the truth is, without this vision of possibility guiding me, I wouldn’t be here today.
In fact, back In 1983, after crying my eyes out backstage, I nervously gave a speech. To my surprise I received a standing ovation and after total strangers came up to me stuffing money into my hands and showing me crazy love.
I was only five years old and couldn’t explain any of it. But what I did know was that STORY had the power to change my life.
That said, even with my STORY, it wasn’t easy. I still had to fight and grind it out. I started my entrepreneurial journey at nine years old. I sold ninja stars, my mamma’s tacos, and whatever else I could.
When I was 12, my dad made me go to Toastmasters meeting. At the time It sucked and felt like cruel and unusual punishment. But it kept me on the path to speaking in public and delivering my STORY.
Eventually, I overcame the odds and became the first person in my family to go to college. And to give you context, my high-school started with about 500 freshmen, but only about 38 of us graduated.
During the late 90’s while in college at the University of Pennsylvania I founded a company called A.U.N (All You Need) Marketing. It was about the sheer hustle of getting clients everything they needed to promote their brand and STORY.
After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, I upped my game and founded 4e Consulting, a business growth firm that combined gorilla marketing and strategic business consulting.
Fast forward a couple of years, and I was crushing it in business, happily married with two kids and life was all good. Then one day I received a call from my mom…
Hi Mom “Hasani they killed him, he’s dead…” Wait, what? “Your brother is dead…”
My younger brother Ramin was shot and killed back in Oakland California. He lived the life that I was able somehow able to avoid. As I put the phone down stunned and heartbroken, my mind flashed back to our last conversation.
We were arguing over something, but it ended when he said…
“You were never there for me… You weren’t the big brother I needed!”
At the time I shrugged him off because I wasn’t going to take the blame for his shit. I handled my business, he should be able to handle his (period).
But that day, starring in the mirror, I realized that I’d always been dedicated to doing what it took to succeed, but ran away when it came to leading others.
Being honest and RAW with myself I soon realized that I was comfortable doing just about anything but leading others. I thought…
Who was I to lead? Who was I to say what’s right? Who was I to say this is where we are going?
This realization pushed me to explore and experiment at the edges of personal growth and leadership. I knew that I had to develop a new STORY that went beyond personal success and into the realm of leading.
So I began facing my deepest fears by jumping out of planes, becoming a professional cage fighter (crazy story), mind hacking and exploring spiritual growth through 1,000’s of hours meditating, fasting weeks on end on nothing but water to studying with the worlds best minds on human psychology and performance to developing my own innovations in personal breakthrough science.
Over time I pushed into the personal development space through speaking and coaching leaders on how to building their businesses, life, and legacy (BLL). It was on this path that I finally found my true MISSION.
To build people and businesses.
Feeling the gratification of helping others to break through, I decided to go all in. I exited 4e Consulting, divested all other investment projects and founded Rise of a Leader as an out of the box leadership and team development company.
It was here that I created the Living Leadership Model. A model I’ve used working with presidents of publicly traded companies down to prisoners facing a life behind bars.
In short, anyone who would listen I helped them with my Breakthrough Performance Science. Because here’s the truth, success principles don’t care about who you are or where you come from. If you Lead It, Live It, and Love it, you’ll eventually breakthrough!
Having the good fortune of being able to sit and review my life I can that over the last 20 years, I’ve founded 2 successful marketing companies, a personal development company, helped to grow hundreds of businesses as a consultant, coached hundreds of leaders and teams, given over 1,000 presentations, speeches and workshops, all while being happily married for 17+ years, raising 3 kids, and being fulfilled and living on my terms.
In mapping out the next 20 years, I’ve decided that I finally want to combine my two passions for building businesses AND building people. So I founded Lead Your Story as a hybrid marketing company that helps businesses use STORY to drive leads, business growth, and build strong leadership.
I’m so eXcited about Lead Your Story, because I believe in the power of STORY. It saved my life and has been the root of all of my successes.
Further, I believe that STORY in the modern age is the most effective way to drive the success of business, leaders, and teams. Because with a powerful STORY you’ll attract perfect customers, recruit talented staff who believe in your cause, and FREE yourself as a business owner.
We are talking about going from trying to sell for a buck to finally sharing a STORY that you believe in. This is the type of FREEDOM that pays in business, life, and legacy building.
And who doesn’t want that?
Out… X