There’s a poem making its rounds on socials about how people are meeting their younger self for coffee. While on the forefront they are merely poems, the exercise of looking back at how far we’ve come is valuable. As a passionate writer, I couldn’t help but write my own …

So, I met my younger self for coffee today.

She rushed in, breathless, still getting used to the weight of a blazer on her shoulders. A fresh graduate, full of questions but afraid to ask too many.

She didn’t know what she wanted to be – only that she wanted to make a difference wherever she landed.

She sipped her coffee, eyes scanning me with quiet curiosity. I could see the thoughts racing in her mind – Did we figure it out? Did we make it?

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” she admitted.
I smiled. “You won’t for a while.”

She sighed. “Will I ever?”

I leaned in. “You’ll go back and study more, change roles, chase new ideas, start a business. You’ll make sacrifices, work late nights, doubt yourself more times than you can count. But every step will lead you here.”

She studied my face, looking for something – proof, maybe. Her voice softened. “That sounds like a lot. Did I lose myself in all that?”

I shook my head. “No. You just had to grow. And trust me, you did.”

We finished our coffee, and as I stood to leave, she called after me.

“Wait! So… what are you now?”

I turned back, smiling. “A leader. But so are you, you always have been. Don’t worry about the title, just keep being you.”

She tilted her head, unconvinced.

I leaned in. “Leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about asking the right questions. It’s about listening more than speaking, standing firm in your values, and lifting others as you climb.”

She exhaled, the weight of uncertainty still heavy on her shoulders.

“You won’t always feel ready,” I added. “But keep showing up. Keep learning. Keep being the person who cares enough to do the hard things.”

She nodded slowly, sipping the last of her coffee.

And as I walked away, I knew she’d be just fine.