Philip Molebash

For most of my life, I’ve been trying to understand what makes us feel alive, connected, and purposeful. That search has carried me through classrooms, research projects, communities across the country, and more than a few personal detours. At the center of it all has been one question: how do we become who we’re meant to be, and who helps us get there?

For nearly three decades, I’ve worked as a professor, supporting teachers, leaders, and young people as they search for meaning in their work and in their lives. I’m currently at Loyola Marymount University, where I continue to explore how learning, purpose, and connection take root. What I’ve learned is that the answers we need rarely come from certainty or expertise. They come from presence, from paying attention, and from the courage to stay open to one another when life feels messy or unclear.

Heroes of Change is the most personal writing I’ve ever done. It grew out of a season when I had lost my way and wasn’t sure how to begin again. The five people at the center of the book—a priest, a school bus driver, a community builder, a business leader, and a sacred jester—helped me find my footing by offering something simple and rare: their genuine presence. Their example didn't just inspire me.  It transformed me. And it reminded me that change is