Day in the Life of jacob

I recently flew up to Sacramento for the day.

That was a first for me.

Inner Spark was being honored as Nonprofit of the Year by Assembly Member Tina McKinnor, and I had the chance to accept the award on behalf of the team.

So I figured I’d take you along for the ride.

Here’s a day in my life as a nonprofit Founder and Executive Director:

6:45 AM

Had a quick yogurt at the crib – knew it’d be a minute before lunch.

7:07 AM

Started the drive to LAX. First time driving myself to a flight.

7:15 AM

Stopped by Eye Peeled Coffee for the first time. I usually go for hot, but iced made more sense since I needed to finish it before security.

7:35 AM

Pulled up to LAX, walked to security, finished the coffee just in time.

8:30 AM

Ran into Will – Assembly Member McKinnor’s campaign manager – at the gate. We caught up before boarding.

10:15 AM

Landed in Sacramento and headed over to AMM’s office with Will to hang out until lunch.

11:15 AM

Chatted with AMM and her Chief of Staff for a bit, then walked together to the award lunch.

11:20 AM

Passed a demonstration on the way. AMM supports the group and stopped to stand with them, so Will grabbed some photos of me while she did her thing.

11:30 AM – 12:45 PM

Got to the award lunch and immediately realized it was barely a lunch.

While we waited for real food, had some good conversation with AMM and Will – talked about AMM being a grandma, the Kendrick Lamar concert she’s going to, and how we were all planning our escape to find something more substantial to eat.

12:45 PM

Confirmed I was with my people when we quietly dipped mid-program to go find real lunch.

12:45 – 2:00 PM

Grabbed burgers with AMM, Will, and a couple lobbyists who joined us.

Lots of laughs and some real talk too – especially about a funder who pulled out because we explicitly work with Black and Brown kids. Turns out that funder is in AMM’s district, and she already has a meeting lined up with their lobbyist. (I’ll be sharing more about this on LinkedIn.)

2:00 – 2:45 PM

Will gave me a quick tour of the Capitol. Took a few pics and soaked in the moment before heading back to the office.

2:45 – 4:30 PM

Posted up in AMM’s office for a while – talked with her staff, made sure I wasn’t missing anything urgent. AMM was at a budget meeting, but I got to see her one more time before heading out.

4:30 PM

Headed back to the airport with Will. Had a great convo about what “community” means in different places, and who gets to define it.

4:45 – 5:30 PM

Hung out in the terminal waiting for the flight. The conversation kept going.

5:45 PM

Forgot to check in for the second leg of the trip – but it worked out. Will saved me a seat and we headed home.

7:45 PM

Landed back in LA. Swung by to grab some salmon for lunch the next day and treated myself to Salt & Straw on the way home.

I appreciate you reading through the day.

The award was just one part of the day. The people made it.

Also – grateful for the team here in LA, holding it down so I could make this trip happen.

Being able to step away for the day without worrying, knowing everything was in good hands…that’s not something I take for granted.

Grateful to Assembly Member McKinnor for showing up for us – and showing what it looks like to lead with heart.

If you enjoyed this, please consider signing up for my weekly newsletter, The Spark. That’s where I share content like this, what’s going on behind the scenes, stories from the Lab, the challenges I’m facing, and more.