In this raw and deeply personal episode, Coach Bryan takes listeners on an emotional journey through a pivotal experience of unrequited connection. Picking up where he left off, he recalls the moment he was forced to face the reality of someone he admired—someone he hoped for—who ultimately wasn’t meant for him. With gripping detail, he shares an encounter that forced him to confront his own feelings of vulnerability—how a brief conversation, a shared meal, and even a photograph couldn’t mask the growing distance between them. Bryan walks us through the bittersweet moments—seeing signs of another person in her life, wrestling with whether to share his heart, and ultimately realizing the timing was never right. He recounts how, even in the face of painful rejection—when he wasn’t invited to her milestone birthday—he found himself sitting with that reality. Through these reflections, Bryan reveals how sometimes life’s “no” is a signal that we aren’t ready for what we thought we wanted. He acknowledges the growth that comes when we accept that certain relationships weren’t meant to be. In this poignant episode, Bryan reminds us that letting go of a painful ending might be the beginning of our true path forward.