Driving Question
What happens when a year begins with loss, forces us through uncertainty, and still asks us to build something meaningful without having all the answers?
Episode Description
2025 didn’t begin gently. It began with loss and unfolded through fear, transition, travel, identity, and rebuilding. In this end-of-year reflection, Nicholas Lindsey traces a year shaped by tragedy and unexpected triumphs: grief that arrived without warning, moments of disorientation, and the quiet decision to keep moving forward anyway.
From navigating life as a returning student at USC, to confronting personal trauma abroad, to discovering a voice through journalism and podcasting, this episode isn’t about having it all figured out. It’s about sitting with uncertainty, learning in public, and choosing curiosity over perfection.
This is a reflection on resilience without performativity, growth without polish, and why sometimes the most transformative years begin in places we never would have chosen but still shape who we become