About LeAnn
“I’m going to live my life differently after hearing you today.” That’s how one healthcare CEO summed up his reaction after hearing LeAnn’s powerful keynote sharing life-changing lessons from her Vietnam Orphan Airlift adventure. Imagine bombs falling and 100 little babies laying three and four to a cardboard box, strapped in the belly of a gutted cargo jet! Believing we all have individual “war zones,” LeAnn inspires people to balance their lives, truly live their priorities and make a difference in the world.
A nurse for thirty years and coauthor of bestseller Chicken Soup for the Nurse’s Soul, LeAnn knows first hand the “war zones” of healthcare today.As an expert in healthcare recruitment and retention, LeAnn provides insights on improving productivity and profits while helping organizations attract, recruit and retain their nursing staff. By inspiring people to care for themselves as they care for others, she boosts morale, creating positive people who then produce positive outcomes.
LeAnn’s “Operation Babylift” adventure came full circle when, on the 25th anniversary of the airlift, President Gerald Ford asked to meet her.
Newsweek Magazine featured LeAnn’s story in its special Voices of the Century issue, including an amazing photo from the airlift. Click the Newsweek cover at left to see the article.
LeAnn met former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, who wrote a personal and touching forward to Chicken Soup for the Caregiver’s Soul. A portion of this book’s proceeds is donated to the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving. At the invitation of Mrs. Carter, LeAnn presented her ‘Caregiver’s Soul’ keynote at the Institute’s annual conference in Atlanta.
PAX TV presented LeAnn’s story on It’s a Miracle, in a segment titled Operation Babylift.
LeAnn is a professional speaker, author and nurse, but her favorite role is still wife and mother.
While the “Operation Babylift” experience dramatically changed her life, LeAnn credits her rural roots for having shaped it. One of eight children, she was raised on an Iowa farm. This simple and honorable lifestyle established the principles and priorities that guide her life today.
LeAnn and Mark, her husband of thirty-eight years, reside in Colorado where they enjoy their “empty nest.”
When she’s not writing stories beside a peaceful mountain stream, LeAnn enjoys hiking, gardening, playing with her grandkids, horseback riding and dancing to that old-time rock n’ roll!
 Dante Joseph, Grandson |
 Lia Nerine, Granddaughter |
 Dagny Grace, Granddaughter |
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LeAnn and her family. |
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LeAnn and her horse. |