Wes Wasson - An Outlier

Some people come into your life and change you forever. Enter Wes. My mentor. The embodiment of goodness. An outlier.

This angel human single-handedly changed the trajectory of my life. Not just my career, but the way I showed up in this world. The goodness I sought and gave in friendships, in jobs, in interactions with strangers - made possible because I had an example of the purest form of it.

During so many of my biggest life moments, I’d have a text waiting for me, wishing me good luck, telling me how proud he was, reminding me that I could do it. I tried to do the same in return.

Fitting that the first gift I received from you was the book, “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell. 10,000 hours of practicing anything would make you successful in that thing. Well your 10,000+ hours of practicing kindness and goodness made you 1 of 1.

Meeting Wes was a total circumstance of fate. I sat next to a family member of his on an airplane in 2015. He said - “you must meet Wes!” An intro email and Skype call later, he’d connected me to an organization in Uganda, where I soon began a 3-month fellowship. Life-changing moment #1.

In 2016, I finally met Wes in person when I moved to the same city, San Diego. We spent countless hours in cafes plotting how we could make this world better.

In 2017, he asked me to join the DreamStart Labs team. I said yes, like, immediately. That same year, we went to rural Tanzania to conduct some research - the very beginning stages of what has now become the DreamSave app, serving thousands of unbanked women around the world.

We had plans to get Wes to write a book. Called CrazyGood: what if everything we’ve been told about success is wrong? This man knew the power of goodness. Not just the normal amount - a crazy amount of good.

When he shared his cancer diagnosis with me, to say I was a wreck is an understatement. It just doesn’t compute when one of the best, purest humans on earth may have a limited time left on it. In one of his last texts to me just last month:

“Much love, thanks. I really want to beat this thing, Haneen. I have a lot more crazy good stuff to do in my life.”

Yes, you did, Wes. There was so much more and it’s just not fair. But I promise to continue working in your legacy. You’ve given so many people around you the gift of being able to soak up your crazy goodness for so many years. So many people are forever changed thanks to you. I hope we continue to make you proud. Thanks for being the outlier.

My heart is with Wes’ amazing wife, Heidi, his children, grandchildren, sisters, and mom. Sending you all so much love and strength. 

My Heartfelt condolences to the family and DreamStart Lab Team. 

Revelation 14:13