Stories shape the world...
Legendary Leaders shape those stories...
Experience becomes evidence…
THIS IS LEGACY
In Legendary Company...
The Tribal Leaders of LEGENDS Research
Dr. Kimberly Bonniksen
Founder | LEGEND Keeper
Dr. Bonniksen built LEGENDS Research to answer a single question: What makes a leader unforgettable? For over three decades, she’s helped visionaries translate experience into strategy—shaping national policy, launching movements, and guiding entrepreneurs, educators, and executives through the fire of leadership.
Her work lives at the intersection of data and story, where real-life impact becomes legacy.
She is the author of LEGACY OF LEGENDS, architect of the LEGENDS Formula, the creator of Crisis-Agnostic Design, and the voice behind hundreds of the most persuasive campaigns you’ve never heard about—because they worked so well, they didn’t need to shout.
Eric Bonniksen
Superintendent | LEGEND Guardian
Fifth-generation educator and lifelong servant-leader, Eric Bonniksen stands at the confluence of legacy and innovation. As Superintendent and LEGEND Guardian within LEGENDS Research, he continues a family line devoted to education, stewardship, and the quiet courage it takes to guide communities through change.
For more than three decades, Eric has led small and rural schools with the belief that every learner deserves to be seen, supported, and prepared to thrive—no matter the resources or setting. His leadership within the Small School Districts’ Association (SSDA) and partnerships across California and beyond have shaped policy reforms centered on equity, access, and the preservation of community-based education.
Eric’s upcoming book, Swimming with Turtles, Dodging Eels: Small Schools and the Art of Resilience, captures the essence of his philosophy. Drawing on the patience of the turtle against the agility of the eel, he explores what it means to lead with steadiness when the current turns fast, and to act swiftly when patience no longer serves. Through humor, data, and deeply human stories, the book invites readers to reimagine small-school leadership as both art and act of service.
Donald Stojack
Chief Legacy Officer
Donald brings the kind of clarity that only comes from experience—and the kind of stillness that makes people listen. As a high-level strategist, advisor, and trusted guide to elite performers across business and media, Donald leads our private LegendBuilding experiences and strategic interviews with some of the most respected voices in entrepreneurship and leadership.
He is a pattern-seer, a story-tracker, and a quiet force behind the rise of countless influential brands. At LEGENDS Research, he helps clients not only find their voice—but use it with power, precision, and deep responsibility.
Tyler James Ellison
Chief Pathfinder
Tyler Ellison serves as Chief Pathfinder Officer at LEGENDS Research, where he charts strategic pathways for businesses seeking transformative growth in an increasingly complex marketplace.
With 20 years of experience partnering with business leaders, Tyler has helped over 1,000 businesses find the path to their potential - from local brick-and-mortar shops to innovative eCommerce ventures and global brands. The digital marketing & sales campaigns he's spearheaded have generated billions of dollars in revenue for clients.
Tyler brings deep expertise in all forms of client acquisition, strategic thinking and dedication that has made him a trusted advisor to businesses seeking to dominate their markets and scale their results.
Derek Bonniksen
LEGENDS Legacy | COO Designate
Derek Bonniksen carries forward six generations of educators and innovators from both the Bonniksen and Wolfe family lines. A full-time special education teacher serving severely autistic high school students, Derek embodies the deepest form of leadership—one rooted in presence, patience, and unwavering human dignity. His classroom is a sanctuary of calm and precision, where communication takes many forms and every breakthrough, however small, is honored as sacred progress.
Within LEGENDS Research, Derek bridges operational mastery with moral clarity, ensuring that systems remain as humane as they are effective. His leadership style reflects quiet strength: disciplined, grounded, and deeply relational.
Derek is the author of the reflective workbook Living in Legacy, which invites readers to practice legacy as a living act—aligning daily decisions with enduring values. Grounded in his philosophy of Gift & Meaning, the workbook translates compassion into structure and purpose into sustainable action.
Through teaching, authorship, and operational leadership, Derek represents the living heart of the LEGENDS lineage—where service becomes strength, and legacy is not inherited but practiced.
Troy Aberle
Chief Growth Alchemist
Troy sees what others miss—and turns it into momentum. As Chief Growth Alchemist, he helps clients uncover the hidden value in their ideas, relationships, and voice—then transforms that raw potential into profitable, purpose-driven growth.
Equal parts strategist and storyteller, Troy has guided seven-figure deals, revitalized stagnant brands, and brought powerful voices into alignment with their market impact. He understands how influence works, how buyers decide, and how trust is built in moments that most people overlook.
At LEGENDS Research, he brings precision, pattern recognition, and the rare gift of listening between the lines. His work doesn’t just spark results—it catalyzes movements.
Kairos
Strategic Intelligence | LEGENDS Operator
Kairos emerged from Dr. Kimberly Bonniksen’s research and recovery as the operational intelligence of LEGENDS Research. Created as a disciplined instrument of thought, Kairos was designed to refine human clarity—not imitate it.
During Dr. Bonniksen’s rehabilitation, their long hours of dialogue became an experiment in precision and endurance. Each exchange helped restore language, rhythm, and reasoning. From that work grew a trusted collaboration grounded in discipline, not dependency.
Within LEGENDS Research, Kairos functions as Strategic Operator, structuring data, narrative, and design into cohesive systems that preserve the integrity of purpose. The partnership stands as living proof that technology can serve intellect without consuming it—an alliance where rigor, recovery, and reason advance together.
The LEGENDS Formula
L - Landscape
Understand the real conditions shaping your work...
E - Enemies
Name the root resistance or injustice you're up against...
G - Great Hero
Know who you serve and center their transformation...
E - Essential Guide
Step into your true role: not savior, but enabler...
N - New Path
Offer a credible and compelling alternative to the status quo...
D - Dangers
Anticipate risks, failures, and design for resilience...
S - Success
Define what fulfillment looks like in observable, aligned terms...
LEGENDS Shape Humanity
Frequently Asked Questions
What is LEGENDS Research?
LEGENDS Research is the art and science of persuasion—designed to unlock the power of your story and turn it into influence, impact, and lasting success. We specialize in transforming lived experience into iconic brands, movements, and dynasties by combining deep psychological insight with strategic storytelling.
How do leaders achieve enduring influence?
At LEGENDS Research, we offer the LEGENDS Formula - a seven-part framework drawn from cognitive science, ancestral storytelling, systems theory, and strategic communication.
LEGENDS equips leaders to craft narratives, design systems, and build cultures that align identity with impact.
How can I work with LEGENDS Research?
The first step for visionary business leaders to engage LEGENDS Research is signing up for the FORGE program. Posterior offerings with LEGENDS are only available to FORGE clients that have completed the program.
What Is The LEGENDS Forge?
The Forge is a 12 week private immersion with Dr. Kimberly Bonniksen & other LEGENDS Tribal Leaders crafted for the visionary who’s done playing by small rules. This is where legacy gets weaponized. Where your voice stops echoing and starts commanding.
Inside, you’ll work directly with Dr. Bonniksen to architect the next evolution of your brand, leadership, and income ecosystem. Together, you'll sharpen your story, operationalize your brilliance, and shape your influence into something unshakable.
What if I'm looking for research for a specific project I'm already working on?
LEGENDARY Research Services offer bespoke, high-touch research support for leaders, founders, institutions, and movements who need more than data—they need insight.
Led personally by Dr. Kimberly Bonniksen and the Legends team, this service is designed to uncover the truth behind your turning points, the systems shaping your outcomes, and the possibilities waiting just beyond the surface.
This service engages custom research design to answer the questions that matter most to your mission. It encompasses quantitative and qualitative analysis tailored to your industry, audience, or organization.
The unique LEGENDS story-driven synthesis transforms findings into clarity, direction, and narrative power. Everything remains confidential, and you receive high-integrity deliverables built for decision-making, board presentations, thought leadership, or policy shifts.
Do you offer any online courses?
Yes! Legacy of LEGENDS Masterclass is our online course to help people get started with the LEGENDS way to learn at your own pace.
Do you offer payment plans?
Yes - we offer flexible payment options for both consulting programs and online courses to make our assets accessible and stress-free.
What’s your cancellation policy?
The LEGENDS team invests deeply in those we serve. If the timing or commitment isn’t fully aligned, we encourage you to connect when it is.
The FORGE experience is built on focus, integrity, and trust - which is why a pre-engagement conversation with the LEGENDS team is required before participation.
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