Aligning Career Success with Soul Success with Brad Bessey

December 27, 2021

What started in 1989 as a volunteer opportunity is now Brad Bessey’s passion, career, and purpose. As the Head of Communications and Telerelations for nonprofit Project Angel Food, Brad Bessey spends his days supporting an organization that delivers over 1 million Medically Tailored Meals each year. In this episode of Lift U Up: Inspiring Health Stories, Brad tells his story of how he got involved with Project Angel Food and never looked back. With a background in television producing, a career in the not-for-profit world was not always in the plans – but Brad shares the inspiration behind his change and why you should learn to follow your gut too. 

Making a Difference

In 1989, Brad Bessey lived in Los Angeles during the height of the AIDS crisis. He saw friends around him get sick, end up stuck in hospital beds, and even lost many people close to him. During what was a dark time, Brad took an opportunity to shed whatever light he could and found himself volunteering for a small organization called Project Angel Food. They began by delivering food to those dying of AIDS, providing proper nutrition, and spreading compassion to people who needed it most. 

30 Years of Kindness

Over the next 30 years, Project Angel Food evolved to providing meals for more and more people living with disease.  They saw fractures in the healthcare system and were proud to help support a community of people who aren’t always able to take care of themselves. They provide meal plans specially designed to support particular medical needs and have seen hospitalizations reduced by 50% for the people receiving their meals. 

Even throughout the pandemic, Project Angel Food has remained a source of hope and support. With the loss of volunteers, they remained active by hiring unemployed chefs, providing freeze or shelf stable meals, and checking in as much as they could to people who may have felt isolated during the experience. 

Project Angel Food

Finding Purpose

While Brad’s first introduction to Project Angel Food was his volunteer effort in 1989, it took almost 30 years for him to come back to the organization for good. With a budding career in television production (that he saw great success in), Brads spent a lot of his life chasing success in the entertainment world. As his career grew, he found it harder to stay grounded and stay true to himself. Brad shares that the more success he saw in television production, the more he started to question his purpose in life. 

Project Angel Food reached out to Brad on their 30th anniversary to invite him as a celebrity consultant for an upcoming event – and just like that Brad knew in his soul where he needed to be. Since then, Brad has been brought on the team as their Head of Communications and Telerelations and is enjoying his new found passion of changing lives. 

What else can you expect in this episode?

  • The touching experiences of individuals served, that Brad has seen first-hand. 
  • Brad’s path to pursuing his master’s degree.
  • What it means to let your soul lead you during important moments.
  • Brad’s personal health tip (and the importance of grounding meditation).

Where to find Brad Bessey and Project Angel Food: