In this month’s IBWC Member Spotlight podcast, founder Beatriz McNelly sits down with Ladan Madresehee, owner of Leave it to ME, LLC, for an inspiring conversation about following your passion, even when it means leaving a 20-year corporate career behind.

When Ladan Madresehee arrived in the United States from Iran at just four and a half years old, she carried with her the dreams and expectations common to many immigrant families. Her parents, both pursuing advanced degrees in economics, had planned a temporary stay that became permanent after the 1979 Iranian Revolution changed everything.

“They hadn’t even packed up their apartment,” Ladan recalls of her parents’ original plan to return to Iran after her father completed his second master’s degree. Instead, the family’s journey took them from Idaho to Washington State, then to Iowa and finally Pennsylvania, where Ladan grew up with the familiar immigrant narrative: become a doctor, an engineer, or at the very least, study finance if you insist on business.

Ladan’s first taste of event planning came unexpectedly at age 17 when, as junior class president, she discovered she was responsible for organizing the prom. “I had an ice sculpture at the prom,” she laughs, remembering how she ran around handling every detail while her committee members enjoyed getting ready for the event. “I truly felt so alive and good.”

This energy and fulfillment from creating memorable experiences for others would follow her through college at Rochester Institute of Technology and graduate school at Thunderbird, where she organized graduation parties—including her own. Yet despite these clear signs of her calling, Ladan followed the expected path into the corporate world and eventually spent 20 years in the telecommunications industry.

“I had a fear of following my passion because it was a substantial pay cut,” Ladan admits candidly. As the family breadwinner, the financial risk seemed insurmountable. It wasn’t until her telecom career ended—”in a very messy way”—that she found herself at a crossroads.

When traditional event management positions proved elusive, a life coach suggested something that seemed impossibly risky to someone from a family where no one had ever started a business: become an entrepreneur. “I just laughed at him,” she remembers. But once she took the leap, there was no looking back. “I was designed to do this.”

Leave it to ME, LLC began with a simple premise: help people enjoy their own events by managing the details for them. But Ladan’s true calling revealed itself at a funeral, where she witnessed grieving families struggling to plan meaningful celebrations while processing their loss.

“I realized that I didn’t really like working with other event specialists because I am a little different,” she explains. While traditional planners excel at year-long preparations with color-coded folders, Ladan thrives in situations requiring quick thinking and emotional intelligence—exactly what’s needed when planning end-of-life celebrations.

Her services go far beyond typical event coordination. Ladan becomes what she calls “almost like a second or an adopted family member,” handling everything from purchasing picture frames at Michael’s to creating slideshows from decades of family photos—a task that can be overwhelming for those in grief.

One of Ladan’s most innovative offerings is her “Final Gift” program, which allows individuals to pre-plan their own end-of-life celebrations. “They lived their life the way they wanted, so they should have the ability plan their end-of-life party in their vision,” she explains. This service was inspired partly by a friend whose ex-husband had meticulously planned his own funeral, and partly by witnessing John McCain’s carefully orchestrated memorial services.

Ladan’s approach combines practical expertise with creative problem-solving. When one client wanted 12 poster boards for a celebration costing nearly $90 each, she worked with her printer to create framed photographs instead—more elegant, more practical, and ultimately more meaningful for the family to keep.

Looking ahead, Ladan is organizing the Final Chapter Expo in April 2026, bringing together resources for all aspects of end-of-life planning—from estate lawyers to elder law attorneys, from advance directives to reverse mortgages. It’s a natural extension of her holistic approach to serving families during life’s final chapter.

Ladan’s journey offers powerful lessons for women considering their own entrepreneurial leap:

1. Your passion often reveals itself early—pay attention to what energizes you
2. Sometimes the push you need comes from unexpected circumstances
3. There’s value in serving overlooked markets with genuine need
4. Your unique background and skills can differentiate you in unexpected ways
5. It’s never too late to pivot—Ladan made her transition after 20 years in corporate

What sets Ladan apart in the event planning industry isn’t just her expertise—it’s her deep understanding that end-of-life events aren’t about death, but about honoring life and legacy. Her work transforms one of life’s most difficult moments into an opportunity for meaningful celebration and closure.

“This isn’t the sexiest thing to sell,” Ladan acknowledges with characteristic honesty. But for families navigating loss, her services provide invaluable support during their most vulnerable moments.

As Ladan continues building Leave it to ME, LLC, she embodies the IBWC spirit: women supporting women, following their purpose, and creating businesses that make a real difference in people’s lives. Her story reminds us that sometimes the most impactful businesses arise not from market research or trend analysis, but from recognizing a genuine human need and having the courage to meet it.

To learn more about Ladan Madresehee and Leave it to ME, LLC’s end-of-life event planning services, or to inquire about the upcoming Final Chapter Expo in April 2026, visit leave2me.com or email her at ladan@leave2me.com.

• Final Chapter Expo will be held at the Crowne Plaza in Herndon on April 19th
• The Baltimore Divorce and New Beginnings Expo will be held on May 31st (hotel TBD).