If you told my 16-year-old self that I would end up as an HR consultant who works solely with social-good entities and launching a nonprofit focused on removing barriers to employment, I would have laughed in your face. Most of the people in our field were drawn in not because it was a last resort, but because it chose them – just as it did me.
I was the guy who restauranteurs and chef-owners assigned to train others, learning at an exceptionally quick rate, which thrilled the chefs I worked with. That was when I could show up myself. I often wouldn’t show up for days at a time. I never had a problem getting another job when I was let go from one place due to my drug-induced benders. I realize now that I was very privileged.
