I was serving as a judge at a local startup competition. The judge on my left is one of the most accomplished executives I’ve ever run across. I’ve known this woman for a few decades (our spouses worked together). When Bella was first out of college, the two of them chatted on occasion. I can’t recall who or how that connection came to be, but each spoke highly and appreciatively of the other. I am thankful Bella had access to such a sharp and giving mentor in her early professional years. 

Before the startup pitches began, the woman told me that a friend of hers had recently written a book. She was trying to find someone to sponsor a trip from New York to St. Louis to do some speaking engagements and asked if I had any ideas about how to make that happen. I made a few suggestions, but none seemed to set a spark. Then she said, “You know what, I think I’ll ask Bella. I bet Bella will have some good ideas.”

I wish I could say that was the first time those words had been said to me, but it is not. 

And the student becomes the master at the ripe age of 23.