Samuel Leath, Founder

Hello! My name is Samuel and I am a social entrepreneur, end-of-life planner, and certified sign language interpreter based in Columbus, Ohio - my hometown. I am also completing my studies to become a death doula. Nice to meet you.
 

I feel most alive when I am traveling internationally, learning other languages, and working to support equality and social justice.

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As an interpreter, I have gained thousands of hours of experience working in hospitals and doctors' offices, as well as interpreting phone calls to insurance companies and government assistance programs. Interpreting has taught me how to:
 

• ask clarifying questions to authority figures (like doctors)
   

• restate technical jargon in ways that make it accessible to all
   

• navigate new hospital / medical systems
   

• understand the relationship between medical providers and insurance companies
   

• honor my clients' decisions over my own personal interests
   

• develop strict confidentiality 

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For as long as I could remember, I have wanted to help people when I grew up. For a long time, I thought that meant I was supposed to be a doctor when I grew up. It was not until college, that I realized that my passion was rooted in culture and language, not science and math. My commitment to helping others never changed, though.

In college, I studied Spanish, French, and American Sign Language, and ultimately majored in cultural anthropology. I wrote my senior thesis on Deaf culture, which led me to become a sign language interpreter, which I have been doing for over 9 years now.

Interpreting 

 

My decision to become an end-of-life planner and death doula is rooted in my personal commitment to equality & social justice.

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I come from very humble beginnings and was extremely fortunate to attend an international high school, where I learned to value both the uniqueness of every person as well as the shared humanity that unites us. In college, I studied Spanish, French, and American Sign Language, and ultimately majored in cultural anthropology.

After college, I undertook additional studies and became a sign language interpreter which has been my career since 2012. Shortly thereafter, I moved to San Francisco, California where I was exposed to the world of startups and entrepreneurship, which ultimately led me to social entrepreneurship: using capitalism as an engine for positive social change.

In 2016, I moved to Barcelona and earned a graduate degree in Innovation & Entrepreneurship a year later. After returning from Europe, I earned my MBA, founded the Good Bye, and participated in  
 

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• 2021: Going with Grace: End-of-Life Training
   

• 2020: MBA, Master of Business Administration
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• 2017: MSc, Innovation & Entrepreneurship
   

• 2013: National Interpreter Certification (NIC)
   

• 2012: AAS, American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreting
   

• 2010: BA, Cultural Anthropology

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At this point you may be thinking, "Okay, but how the heck did you get into end-of-life planning?"







My most important core value is equality. As a teenager, I was fortunate to attend an international high school, where I developed deep relationships with classmates from all around the world. In college, I majored in cultural anthropology, which allowed me to study both the rich diversity that makes us so unique and the ways that our humanity unites us despite those differences. By the end of college, I had traveled to Central America, become fluent in Spanish, begun to study French and American Sign Language, and completed my senior thesis called, "Anything But Hear: Toward an Anthropology of Deaf culture."

After college, Samuel studied for two additional years to become 

Samuel earned holds undergraduate degrees in Cultural Anthropology and American Sign Language Interpreting Anthropology from Haverford College in 2010 and his AAS in Interpreting in 2012. In 2013, he earned his National Interpreter Certification (NIC) shortly after moving to San Francisco, where he lived for three years. In 2016, Samuel moved to Barcelona to study at ESADE Business School, where he earned his MSc in Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

In 2019, Samuel was promoted to his current role as Asst. Director of Interpreting at Sorenson Communications. Since then, he has served on Sorenson’s African-American Advisory Council (AAAC) and Spanish Management Team, and earned his MBA from the Quantic School of Business and Technology.

Outside of interpreting, Samuel serves on the board of trustees of an incredible little high school. He is passionate about issues of social justice, racial and LGBTQ equality, and immigrant/refugee rights. Samuel also loves international travel and learning languages.