At the tender age of 17, Forrest Leichtberg (pronounced Light-berg), barely out of high school, found himself fighting for his life in a surgical suite and — if he survived — facing an arduous, multi-year recovery process.

Flash-forward to 2018, and we find that 25-year-old Forrest not only survived, he is now living out his dream of giving back to the world that gave him a second chance. He found his purpose as a Santa Barbara-based entrepreneur running The Consciousness Network® — a growing networking and event organization with a  mission to help people share their knowledge and power and growth potential for the betterment of humanity.

In September 2016, just six months after the Consciousness Network’s inaugural February 2016 event, Leichtberg was honored with a proclamation from the office of Helene Schneider, Mayor of Santa Barbara, on behalf of the Santa Barbara City Council, acknowledging and congratulating Mr. Leichtberg for the continuing success and growth of the Santa Barbara Consciousness Network he founded, and for encouraging all members of the Santa Barbara community to exchange and share knowledge and promote positivity.

The story of how Forrest Leichtberg went from a near-tragic experience to inspirational entrepreneurship is an extraordinary example of human tenacity in the face of extreme adversity.

The strength and knowledge he gained from his long healing process ultimately empowered Leichtberg to become an inspiration to his community — a leader with a simple, quiet but passionate desire to serve and impact society in positive ways.

By creating The Consciousness Network® — which is designed to “provide authentic ways to help connect people for the purpose of elevating their lives through health, business, and conscious relationships” — Forrest today is helping others enrich their lives physically and spiritually.

The avowed goal of The Consciousness Network® is to nurture collaboration and strengthen the connectedness of the conscious community and the people they serve. “I believe that can greatly enhance our ability to influence the rest of the world toward peace, healthfulness, prosperity and sustainability,” says Leichtberg.

Some of the events Forrest’s company has already put on have been Santa Barbara’s Conscious Entrepreneurs networking mixers, attended by people of all ages and all walks of life, as well as the premier Conscious Networking Event series.

The work is inspired by a profound love of humanity.

“Each of us has the potential to be a force for good in the world, to create the changes we want to see. The Consciousness Network® exists to help us all accomplish what we most want to achieve. I feel very blessed to be here in this life… to be given the opportunity to renew my life after having nearly lost it all. The Consciousness Network® is an opportunity for me to help others discover the same richness and magic in their lives.”