Operium Baldwin, M.Ed

You can tell me no. You can close the door. But you don’t get to decide when I stop knocking! Live for the YES - Part 2. Coach James Franklin and I first met in 2017, at the Bear Bryant Awards Show, in Houston. He was one of seven NOs I received that night. After that, I called him every year and asked to speak at training camp. And was told NO six more times. Seven rejections! He would be the last of those seven NOs that I flipped to a YES. It took me seven years to get to YES and speak to his team at Penn State. When he got the HC job at Virginia Tech, HE CALLED ME. He is now someone I call a friend. Thank you, James, for the opportunity to share the coffee bean with the Hokies. Be a Coffee Bean! 🫘

Real servant leadership is doing what’s right even when no one is watching because you’re not serving for recognition, you’re serving with purpose.