The Coffee Bean
1 minute read
In 2019, I was traveling with my mentor, Ret. Lt. Col. Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch. While passing through an the Las Vegas airport, we stopped in a store to grab some snacks. As a coffee lover, a small book caught my eye, “The Coffee Bean.” I picked it up, intrigued.
“Look, Miss,” I said, showing it to Consuelo. She smiled and, with her ever-present commitment to my growth, bought the book for me on the spot.
As I read it, something shifted. The message wasn’t just a metaphor; it was a mindset. The philosophy hit me deeply: We can choose to be like the coffee bean. When placed in boiling water, it doesn't just change, it transforms the water around it.
I decided right then: I want to live my life like a coffee bean.
I shared the lesson with students in a youth leadership program, handing each of them a single coffee bean to carry as a reminder: we can change our environments through resilience and purpose.
Fast forward a couple of years. A dear friend of mine had been in a terrible car accident, requiring reconstructive facial surgery. Over the phone, they shared their pain, their struggle to heal—physically and emotionally. As I listened, The Coffee Bean came to mind again.
I asked, “May I read you a book over FaceTime?”
They agreed and I read The Coffee Bean aloud.
They loved it. It empowered them. It reminded them they still had power in their story. That moment bonded us in a way only a shared truth can. That friend and I remain connected to this day.
Fast forward to June 10th, 2025, I am invited as one of three speakers at a leadership conference to over 180 community leaders, alongside two captivating voices: Ian McCready and Damon West, the co-author of The Coffee Bean.
We shared a green room.
We shook hands.
I shared how his message helped shape my journey and the lives of others.
We exchanged contact info, shared the stage, and brought full circle a moment that began in an airport bookstore years ago.
Thank you, Damon West.
For being the coffee bean and teaching the rest of us how to be one too.