Inspiring Conversations with Kenneth Scott of Leave A Blessing

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kenneth Scott.

Hi Kenneth, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was born in the great state of Texas but raised in California, specifically in the Inland Empire—about an hour east of Los Angeles. I grew up in Rialto and Fontana, where I saw a lot and was exposed to even more. For a large part of my childhood, it was just me and my mom. She battled lupus, and I became her caregiver at a young age. We lived off Section 8 housing, food stamps, SSI checks, and other welfare programs just to get by.

My biological father struggled with incarceration and addiction, but in his later years, he’s made the necessary changes to become a better man. I’m also grateful for my stepfather—who I call “Pops”—who came into my life around age 9 or 10. His presence gave me the stability and father figure I needed, and with him came siblings. I have three stepbrothers and one stepsister, though I’m especially close with two of my brothers who lived with us on and off. I never call them my stepbrothers — they’re just my brothers. They gave me the gift of brotherhood, and I’ll always be thankful for that.

In high school, I was a 4-star football recruit at wide receiver — ranked #34 nationally and named an All-American. I had scholarship offers from across the country but committed to the University of Utah at just 16 years old. A lot of people thought I was crazy for choosing a school so far from home, but it was the best decision I could’ve made. It gave me the distance I needed from everything going on in the neighborhood and allowed me to grow.

I had a great college career — finishing in the top 10 in receptions, earning several awards both on and off the field, and being named the Most Inspirational Male Athlete. That journey led me to the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams and then to the CFL with the Montreal Alouettes. Although my time as a professional athlete was short-lived, it gave me experiences I’ll never forget.

After football, I transitioned into social work, helping families get back on their feet. Later, I moved into corporate sales, where I thrived as an executive, trainer, and leader. It was during that season of life that I realized I wanted to merge both of those worlds — the heart of service with the power of business — to create pathways for at-risk, economically disadvantaged individuals to discover and activate their gifts.

That vision led me to create my Social Health Brand Program — a transformative framework that helps people build purposeful personal brands by blending social health, strategic sales skills, and personal development. The goal? To help individuals grow their social capital and leave a lasting impact — or as I like to say, leave a blessing.

I’ve been with my wife since we first met at the University of Utah — from talking stage to boyfriend and girlfriend, then to marriage. Today, we’re raising two beautiful daughters together. I hold degrees in Human Development & Family Studies and Economics, and everything I do is rooted in family, purpose, and the belief that where you come from doesn’t have to define where you’re going.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The most difficult season of my life came in the spring of 2017. Everything hit at once. A few months earlier, I lost my mother — my biggest motivator and the reason I pursued football and chased so many of my life goals. She was my “why.” Watching her fight through lupus, I wanted to give her experiences she never got to have because of her illness.

Then, shortly after her passing, I was released from the CFL. That marked the second time I had been released from a professional team, the first being the NFL. In a matter of months, I lost my career, my identity, and my stability. Because I hadn’t made the active roster, there was no income. And without my mom, I didn’t have a home to go back to — the Section 8 housing we lived in couldn’t be passed down. Years earlier, she and my pops had divorced, and at that point, he and I weren’t speaking. To top it all off, my wife was pregnant with our first daughter.

No career. No money. No home. No mother. A child on the way.

That season put me in a dark space. I felt broken and exhausted. I genuinely considered giving up.

But that’s when my village showed up. Friends, mentors, family — people who reminded me of who I was and what I still had inside me. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be here today. Their support helped pull me out of the darkness.

Looking back, it’s clear the road was never smooth. Growing up in poverty meant constantly trying to overcome obstacles — emotionally, financially, spiritually. It’s easy to get stuck in survival mode and hard to see beyond it. I saw so many friends fall off their paths not because they weren’t gifted, but because they never got the exposure or support to believe something else was possible.

I’m grateful that I did — and even more grateful that I get to be that support for others now.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Leave A Blessing?
Leave A Blessing is more than just a brand — it’s a mission, a mindset, and a movement rooted in helping people discover purpose through identity, service, and legacy. At the heart of everything we do is this message: Recognize your gift + utilize your gift, to leave a blessing.

Under the Leave A Blessing umbrella, I operate across multiple spaces — from higher education to community programs to corporate leadership development — but the purpose remains the same: to help people own their story and use it to create lasting impact.

One of the key pillars of this work is the Social Health Brand Program, which I teach as a professor at Rice University. In this course, I work with student-athletes, general students, and aspiring entrepreneurs to help them build purposeful brands to grow their social capital. We do this by blending personal development, emotional intelligence, strategic communication, and practical sales techniques — all through a culturally grounded and transformational lens. It’s not just about branding — it’s about building identity with intention.

In addition to teaching, I speak across the country — delivering keynotes and workshops that focus on identity, growth, leadership, and legacy. Whether it’s students, athletes, educators, or corporate teams, my goal is to help people tap into their values and turn them into voice — and turn that voice into value.

What sets Leave A Blessing apart is that it’s lived, not just taught. My journey spans from being a caregiver growing up, to a 4-star D1 athlete and pro football player, to a social worker and corporate leader. That full-circle experience gives me a unique ability to connect across generations and environments — from the block to the boardroom.

I’m also proud to serve as a community partner, developing programs that uplift underserved youth and families — whether it’s through mentorship, entrepreneurship, creative writing, or athletic empowerment. Right now, we’re also building tools to help student-athletes take ownership of their college recruitment journey and brand themselves intentionally.

At the end of the day, Leave A Blessing is about legacy. It’s about helping people, especially those who’ve been overlooked or underestimated, realize they have something powerful inside them. And once they recognize that gift and learn how to use it — they don’t just change their own life. They change the lives of everyone connected to them.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
If there’s one thing I’d want readers to take away, it’s this: you don’t have to have it all figured out to start building something meaningful. Your past doesn’t disqualify you. Your pain doesn’t define you. And your gift — even if it’s still unfolding — has value right now.

I’ve worn a lot of titles in my life — athlete, caregiver, coach, speaker, social worker, husband, father, professor. But the one that matters most is servant. I believe we’re all here to serve in some way, and the earlier you recognize what you carry, the sooner you can use it to help others and leave a blessing behind.

So whether you’re a student, a dreamer, a young parent, or someone just trying to figure out the next step — know that your story matters. And if you lean into it with purpose, everything you’ve walked through can become the very thing that blesses somebody else.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kennethscott.me/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kscott_2
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kscott2/
• Twitter: https://x.com/kscott_2