My guest this week personifies someone who had a vision for the future and then had every expectation crushed by medical hardships.

Over the course of his college years, Kawan suffered from a stroke and underwent three brain surgeries to correct a malformation. The surgeries, with their pain and difficult rehabilitation, led to addiction and severe depression, including a suicide attempt.

Now, seven years after the first surgery, Kawan has an entirely different mindset. Like so many people who have been through something that seems unfair and tragic to the outside world, Kawan told me that he wouldn’t go back in time and undo any of it. Despite his pain and hardship, he now has clarity and purpose that he didn’t have before. He is here to help people overcome adversity.