The pain nearly broke me

I chose to Aim High

I’m Dr. David Leitner

IDF wounded warrior, strategist, and speaker.
I’ve lived pain, pressure, and the uncertainty of rebuilding.

I don’t speak from theory – I speak from experience.

The pain nearly broke me

I chose to Aim High

I’m Dr. David Leitner

IDF wounded warrior, strategist, and speaker.
I’ve lived pain, pressure, and the uncertainty of rebuilding.
I don’t speak from theory – I speak from experience.

But this wasn't supposed to be my story

At age 20, I moved to Israel alone and joined Maglan—one of the IDF’s elite special forces units.

I served as a sniper specialist and was going to be an officer.

I was determined to write that story and pushed forward, even after a training accident destroyed my ankle.

What followed were years of escalating nerve pain, surgeries, and eventually the loss of my ability to walk.

But I never stopped rebuilding.

Through chronic pain, failures, and constant uncertainty, I kept moving forward.

Today I’m a competitive shooter, strategist, and speaker.

I’ve returned to my roots, serving in the reserves with the Commando Brigade.

And I bring the hard-earned clarity of that journey to the people and teams who need it most.

This is what it looks like to Aim High
Even when everything breaks

Talks that cut through the noise

I deliver clarity. Every session is drawn from lived experience and designed to move people.

What's Your Story

This talk is about identity, resilience, and the power of owning your narrative.
I share how I rebuilt mine—after silence, after pain—and help your audience ask the hard, right questions about theirs.
It’s not motivational. It’s personal. And it moves people.

Leadership Rising

Leadership doesn’t start with a title. It starts with a need.
From sniper teams to strategy rooms, I unpack what leadership looks like when everything breaks—and someone has to act.
This talk is about responsibility, clarity, and the pressure to move when it matters most.

Politics Everywhere

Politics show up everywhere—teams, classrooms, platoons.
This talk is about how to work with people who don’t think like you, move like you, or want what you want.
It’s about power, trust, and learning to use influence without losing the mission.

Agent for Life

When everything breaks, agency becomes everything.
This talk is about what it means to keep choosing—to act, to belong, to move forward—when the path disappears.
It’s about the power of shared struggle, and how real teams don’t just survive chaos—they create something through it.

Soon by you

Inclusion isn’t about checking boxes. It’s about rethinking.
I speak from years of work advocating for accessibility while living with invisible pain, disability, and exclusion.
This talk challenges assumptions and offers hard-earned truths about what real inclusion demands.

What They’ll Take With Them

Leadership & Followership

Leadership means nothing without alignment.
I show how high-stakes environments reveal the real dynamics between leaders and followers—and what healthy followership looks like in action.

Trust &
Teamwork

Trust isn’t built in calm. It’s forged in chaos.
I explore how high-functioning teams emerge in crisis, and how organizations can create that foundation before the pressure hits.

Agency &
Identity

Who are you when nothing is in your control?
This theme reframes identity and resilience as a lived, chosen practice—not a label or personality type.

Strategy Under Pressure

Strategy isn’t a plan. It’s how you move when the plan breaks.
I walk audiences through the mindset and clarity it takes to act with intention when everything is on the line.

Power, Politics & Influence

Politics are everywhere. Influence is a choice.
This part dives into navigating competing agendas without losing clarity or mission—at any level.

Purpose & Direction

The story only matters if it’s going somewhere.
Clarity comes when pressure, purpose, and direction align. That’s how we move forward with trust—even when the path isn’t clear.