OUR STORY
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Our Story
Kindling began with the spark of an idea.
During my 21 year career at ESPN, I became very involved with the company’s internship program. This exposed me to an incredible selection of young adults from all across the country. Ivy Leaguers, community leaders, and renowned athletes alike would come into my office vying for a coveted position at the “worldwide leader in sports”. But even amongst the most impressive of resumes, I began to notice a common thread. Â
Over the years, as I continued to work with and mentor new employees and coworkers, this same thread became more and more apparent to me. Regardless of the wide diversity in experience, education, and social/economic background, the young adults I was seeing all wished that they had been better prepared to purposefully shape and navigate a career path. They wanted those essential lessons that bridge the gap from things you learn in school to things you learn for life.
The mentors I’ve had throughout my career have undoubtedly made an incredible difference in my success and I will always be grateful for each of them. And I have always known that I’d want to pay it forward. Which is why I wanted to create Kindling — a course designed to provide the timeless skills and mindsets to help create the conditions to succeed at whatever you want to accomplish in life – both personally and professionally. To prepare you to be adaptable and agile for the many pivots in life with your own personal toolbox of skills.
Several years ago, I decided to leave a successful and fulfilling career at ESPN to pursue this calling. I studied under incredible minds in all areas of life – leaders in psychology, mentorship, as well as health and wellness. I traveled and met with a diverse range of young adults to learn and understand what their concerns were and the ways in which they wanted to grow and thrive. And I read everything I could get my hands on.Â
Most importantly, I still consider my education as ongoing and plan to always be a student of life, so that I can consistently bring new lessons and ideas to this platform.Â
I’m so glad you found your way here and I look forward to sharing this journey with you.
Our MissionÂ
to cultivate personal agency in young adults by empowering them with the skills, tools, and mindsets they need to thrive personally and professionally.
Here's How We DeliverÂ
âś“Â Accessibility
To ensure that the wisdom and insight Kindling provides is accessible and affordable to everyone. We believe the best way to do that is through an immersive online program.
âś“Â Dynamic Conversation
We filmed our entire program with a cast of 12 young adults, tackling over 20 hours of topics. And while we understand that lectures have a place in the world, we took a different approach – building our curriculum around conversation, storytelling, and experiential learning.
âś“Â Â Continuity
In-person mentorship sessions can incredibly effective, yet are often based on the availability of the mentor and the learnings of the moment can fade over time. One of the primary needs young adults seek with mentorship is continuity. With our online platform, young adults can access and review content as often and as long as they like. We believe this is critical as the interests and needs of young adults change over time.
âś“Â Â Community & Live Meet Ups
Another primary need is a sense of belonging and community. Loneliness has become a global crisis, particularly with young adults. We believe that establishing a private and long term community of peers who can share ideas, breakthroughs, and struggles is a critical component of the Kindling online experience. Kindling will also host regular live meet ups to answer common questions, provide suggestions for future content, and keep a consistent connection.
âś“Â Â Action & Accountability
As the saying goes “talk is cheap”. Watching a soundbite video can spark an insight that can disappear just as quickly without a call to action. Every one of our 36 chapters promotes action and accountability through our 160 page action item journal.
Founder
PETER RUSSELL
Peter brings 30 years of experience as a senior executive in advertising, sales, and marketing.
Peter worked with some of the most powerful brands in the world, including 21 years at ESPN, and has had the great fortune of working for some of the most visionary minds in Corporate America, including Ted Turner, Bob Iger, and George Bodenheimer.
His extensive experience in interviewing, hiring, training, and mentoring young executives has prepared him well for this important responsibility and personal calling.
Peter graduated from Villanova University with a business degree in marketing and was captain of the varsity tennis team. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife, author Kat Yeh, and their two children.
JASMINE RUSSELL-YEH
Marketing
Jasmine is a multifaceted writer/producer with a background in branded content, creative marketing, and writing. Â
She has extensive experience in marketing and production at major media organizations, including FOX Sports and Viacom. She served 3 years as Director, Marketing at ed tech company, Dewey, and is currently a Marketing Manager at Meta.
Jasmine received her B.A. in Economics and Creative Writing at the University of Michigan.
While in college, Jasmine was an Editor at The Michigan Daily and spent two years as a Group Leader at the student-led organization, Wolverine Support Network, which empowers and promotes mental well-being for University of Michigan students in an accessible, inclusive and confidential environment.
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TIGERÂ RUSSELL-YEH
Production
Tiger is passionate about film and writing.Â
 Now living and working in Los Angeles, Tiger spent 2.5 years at Free Association, Channing Tatum’s production company, where he wrote script coverage, was the Associate Producer for the Magic Mike Podcast, and lead the redesign of Free Association’s new company logo. Â
He received his B.A. in Psychology with a concentration in Film, Television, and Media at The University of Michigan.
While still in college, he wrote, produced, directed, and edited a pilot for a web series, called Mountain Marv.Â
Throughout all of his years at University of Michigan, Tiger served as a Group Leader at the student-led organization, Wolverine Support Network, which empowers and promotes mental well-being for University of Michigan students in an accessible, confidential and inclusive environment.
Advisor
ALAN TODD
Alan Todd is a talented and passionate trailblazer in the online learning space. A successful and thoughtful entrepreneur, he created and exited three of his online learning businesses.Â
Most recently, he was Founder and CEO of CorpU, an online leadership development platform which was acquired by Udemy in 2021. Prior to that, he was the Founder and CEO of KnowledgePlanet, a company that helped launch the online learning revolution and grew it to serve millions of people in over 150 countries - acquired by a PE group led by GE and AIG in 2007. His first company, KnowledgeSoft, offered tech bootcamps and was acquired by recruiting and staffing organization, Randstad, in 1996. Â
A successful and thoughtful champion for learning transformation for over three decades, Alan served Pennsylvania’s Governor on the Higher Education Commission, was a Board of Trustees member at Dickinson College and Harrisburg University, and served as Wharton’s Entrepreneur-In-Residence to help nurture new startups to improve education outcomes.
Alan is an executive learning expert, and advocate for cohort-based leadership development. He brings decades of experience in helping organizations build learning cultures and harness collective intelligence and foster team resilience. He is known for his work in developing innovative leadership programs and creating environments where individuals and teams thrive through meaningful dialogue and psychological safety.
Alan holds a Doctorate and Masters in Learning Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania. Â
Read more about Alan on LinkedIn.
Advisor
JEAN RHODES, PhD
Jean Rhodes is a leading global expert on youth mentoring research. Dr. Rhodes is the Frank L. Boyden Professor of Psychology and Director of the Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.
Jean has devoted her career to understanding and advancing the role of intergenerational relationships in the intellectual, social, educational, and career development of youth. Dr. Rhodes is a fellow in the American Psychological Association and Society for Research and Community Action, and was a Distinguished Fellow of the William T. Grant Foundation.
She is the author of two books: Stand By Me: The Risks and Rewards of Mentoring Today’s Youth and Older and Wiser: New Ideas for Youth Mentoring in the 21st Century.
Jean has helped establish the study of non-parent adult relationships as a serious academic sub-discipline, and has fundamentally shaped public policy and practice in the field.
Read more about Jean at www.rhodeslab.org
OUR KINDLING INTERNS
Production Intern
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Production Intern
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HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL RECEIVE:
Make It Happen.Â
HERE'S HOWÂ YOU CAN ENROLL IN
THEÂ KINDLING PROGRAM
(See gifting options below.)
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Use code: GRADUATION
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Give the Gift of Kindling.
TWOÂ WAYS YOU CANÂ GIFT
THEÂ KINDLING PROGRAM
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GIFT
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CONTRIBUTE
Join Kindling in our mission of empowering young adults and helping them build a better future.
Kindling will match the value of your contribution us as we collectively provide the Kindling program free to underserved communities.
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