Our Story
The Legend Mindset embodies an ideology that our Founder, Ankur Sawal, believes can propel us all to become the best versions of ourselves. This mindset originated from a nickname ("The Legend"), given to him by an Executive many years ago, acknowledging Ankur's award-winning achievements in his career. Recognizing the importance of mindset in his success, Ankur adopted the nickname to represent that mindset (we're all chasing The Legend" within us).
​
Ankur's professional journey revolves around presenting to executives of global organizations as well as large, diverse audiences. Over the course of his award-winning career, he was asked to coach individuals and speak with groups to share the factors around his success. It was then that Ankur launched The Legend Mindset, allowing him to speak with organizations to help catapult the success of others in the same field.
​
Fast forward to Ankur's life as a father, where like many parents, he aspired to provide the best for his children. He wanted them to embrace all that life has to offer from an early age, preparing them for the future.
​
Ankur also recognized that regardless of his children's chosen professions, public speaking and presenting would be integral parts of their lives. They would begin in school and extend into adulthood, encompassing university interviews, job interviews, and careers. With the rise of AI (artificial intelligence), which will dominate the future, Ankur understood that the ability to present and communicate the data as a result of AI will be key to our childrens' success.
​
In his quest to find suitable public speaking programs for his children, Ankur encountered numerous options. After months of research, he enrolled his children in a program, eagerly anticipating the positive changes they would experience.
​
However, he was extremely disappointed to discover that after a whole year, the majority of the students in the program had not improved their public speaking abilities. The focus had been predominantly on the fundamentals of writing, with minimal emphasis on actual delivery. By the program's conclusion, the students were reading their speeches, lacking genuine emotional connection. While all kids are charming when they present, it fell short of Ankur's expectations.
​
He realized that the primary issue stemmed from the fact that although teachers excelled at instructing students in the fundamentals of writing and speaking, they had limited personal experience in public speaking and presenting. After all, speaking in front of a classroom full of children as a teacher could never replicate the anxieties faced when speaking in front of an audience filled with your peers.
​
Consequently, further research and conversations with parents ensued, leading to enrollment in various programs. Yet, the outcome remained unchanged because the process remained the same - teachers teaching students how to write and teachers teaching students how to speak publicly.
​
​
​
​
Our Influence
"Everything begins with an idea." - Earl Nightingale
The seed of the idea behind The Legend Mindset Jr. was first planted when Ankur was asked to deliver an impromptu speech at his niece's birthday party. Although some of the attendees were family, a significant portion consisted of teenagers.
​
As Ankur regularly speaks to audiences, he quickly created a delightful and impactful impromptu speech, while involving his children. After the speech, as Ankur and his children made their way back to their seats, Ankur inquired if his children had enjoyed speaking in front of the crowd. Both children confessed feeling anxious.
​
Then, Ankur's 9-year-old uttered a sentence that sparked a profound shift:
​
"I wish I could do what you just did and speak in front of lots of people without getting nervous."
​
With his own child's longing for confidence in mind, along with the countless other children yearning to speak and present without experiencing nervousness, The Legend Mindset Jr. was officially born.
​
​