FOUNDERS:

Lyndia Leonard

I am a Mother, Grandmother and Great Grandmother. While I have carried many other titles, to me this is the most important. Raising responsible, emotionally literate children is the biggest contribution any of us can make to a world that seems at times, to be careening out of control. We have 4 children, two birth children, one adopted and one who lived with us for an extended period of time. Our house was always the “Kid House” and we loved it that way. We provided a refuge for kids and their parents, helping them make family changes that worked for everyone. When our youngest son Julian died in 2014, our family (and friends) were devastated. His death was initially listed as a suicide but seven years later it was revealed to be much more nefarious.

This loss sent us into a healing crisis and on a search to understand how this could happen to our sweet family. The wisdom we have gained is allowing us to be of service to families who are experiencing family disharmony or loss.

Meredith Project is a part of our healing and give back to the millennials and their families who are searching to find their way in life. We are assisting these young ones and their families with our understanding of depression, addiction, family dysfunction and suicide.

Action and having a deeper purpose can provide healing for all who are ready. We have many in our circle of friends can offer their wisdom to ones who have lost hope and are in need of direction, through simple mentoring. Meredith Project can bring these the elders and the youth together for mutual benefit.

Lance Leonard

In my life, I have found that it is nature that supports the greatest healing in all of the people I have worked with, including myself. My passion and joy is the oceans and my focus always returns to that. In my professional career I have worked in job development, public radio, professional boat building and have been a substance abuse counselor to U.S. Navy personnel as a civilian contractor through the University of Arizona. With my wife of 47 years, I have also cofounded a successful business creating and marketing cutting edge health products for which we have received many awards and been featured in books, magazines, radio, television, podcasts, etc.,.

In 2014 my wife and I tragically and unexpectedly lost our 24 year old son. Only through our solid foundation of personal/spiritual development and support from our community of loving family and friends did we manage to weather that intense storm.

Meredith Project is a positive way forward for us, a way to contribute to the young ones who need more than the traditional education system can offer. It is also a way for Lyndia and I to affirm our own ongoing healing process at the same time we help others.

I have had several important mentors in my life and one of them was Robert Prothero, founder of the Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building, located in Washington State. In addition to my time with Mr Prothero and my professional boatbuilding time, I have also sailed well over 10,000 ocean miles (and many more miles on inland waters like Puget Sound), a good deal of which was on the 42’ John Alden designed wooden, gaff rigged schooner that my wife and I built for our family.

As a cofounder and steward of Meredith Project, I envision creating an atmosphere in which young people feel welcomed, understood and motivated to develop a pattern of positive choices and life skills which in turn support them to create a life in harmony with their community and their highest aspirations.