The Power of Reconnection: Unlocking A Growth Mindset

Reconnecting After 15 Years

I’m sitting outside at a Starbucks in Brentwood, California. It was a day like any other. I wasn’t expecting anything unique to happen in that moment. People were walking around, ordering coffee, and having conversations—nothing out of the ordinary. Leonard Trojan, a man I hadn’t spoken to since middle school, walks in. It had been about 15 years since we last saw each other—half a lifetime. Seeing him walk through the Starbucks door, looking like a million bucks in an awesome outfit, made a lasting impression on me. We had reconnected through Facebook, and this was our first in-person meeting in years. I was in my late 20s, feeling lost and searching for a new sense of purpose.

From Drift to Purpose

At the time, I had been drifting for years without realizing it. I had just completed my college football career and, for about five to six years, worked various jobs. At the time, I was working with foreclosure properties across Los Angeles, a role I had held for about four years during the financial crisis. Every day, I spoke to people who had lost their homes and livelihoods as the market crashed and mortgage payments soared. This exposure to constant hardship took a toll on me, although I didn’t fully understand its impact at the time.