I am Redemption Bonfire Conversations: An Evening of Connection

September 27, 2025 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM Central

Squatch Frontier Fitness

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Event Host

Trip O’Connell

Senior Program Manager

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Trip O’Connell

Senior Program Manager

Trip O’Connell is +MPU’s Senior Program Manager, a 2023 +MPU Fellow, and on the Brickyard Leadership team in Austin, Texas.

Born in Virginia and raised on the DC/Maryland border in Chevy Chase, Trip is the son of Terry O’Connell highly decorated Vietnam Veteran and Linda Foley who kept Terry in line for almost 50 years prior to his passing in 2019. As a multi-sport athlete in high school Trip learned to express himself on the field of play and how to debate with his teachers. He took that same spirit with him to the University of Delaware where he was a member of the UD football team for two seasons. At university, he found his love for political engagement, principled debate, and community building.

His time at UD allowed him the proximity to partake as a security organizer at the 2004 Democratic Convention in Boston and lead to his participation as an Advance team member with the Kerry/Edwards campaign in New York for the Summer prior to his senior year. This valuable experience was a benefit when Trip moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2006 to work on the GOTV team for the Jack Carter for US Senate campaign. Unfortunately, the campaign was not successful and altered Trip’s planned trajectory of returning home to DC to work on the Hill as staff to Jack Cater, but taught him many valuable lessons in communication, team work, and organization.

Following the campaign, Trip took his community building and relationship skills into the hospitality industry in Las Vegas and Los Angeles for the next 4 years from 2006-2010 where learned about business operations, human resources, management and promotions. Despite the valuable learning experiences and relationships that the hospitality industry had to offer, Trip felt that he needed to engage in a more purposeful pursuit. One that he had always dreamt of.

After 2 years of training and preparation, Trip left for Air Force basic training to become a Tactical Air Control Party(TACP)/Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) with the 274th Air Support Operations Squadron in New York for 6 years. During his time in the USAF, Trip was an Honor Graduate of several schools including the TACP Schoolhouse and recipient of the Commandant’s Award at Airman Leadership School.

Following his separation from the Air Force at the end of 2019, Trip returned home to his native Washington DC and entered into the Health & Wellness space after seeing a lack of community, connectivity, and accountability by opening multiple F45 locations in the DC/VA.MD area. His success in opening 5 successful locations in 3 years on the studio franchise side of the business caught the eye of F45 HeadQuarters who brought Trip on to their team to develop the programming for the F45 Military Division which was built to help aid in the transition of US Military members out of service and into the civilian community through training, education, and operational placement within the F45 Studio system. That program still exists today and has helped transition hundreds of military members out of their time in service and into qualified positions in F45 studios.

Trip is building his passion project with Sandlot Technology and GORUCK to develop an application that brings people together in the real world via technology to spend less time with their faces buried in devices and participate in group fitness, community building, and human-to-human engagement.

Gather with others around the firelight for an evening of community, storytelling, and reflection. Together we’ll share, listen, and connect through meaningful conversation on themes of courage, service, compassion, and redemption.

Come for the warmth of the fire — stay for the warmth of the people!

Yes, food and beverages will be provided.

It is anticipated to be a lovely evening, but in case of weather the event will contact all preregistered attendees with the secondary plan prior to the event.

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Waiver

By registering and attending this event, you are agreeing to comply with More Perfect Union’s (“MPU”) Privacy Policy, Terms of Service. You agree to the Community Agreement policy of committing to: Finding Common Ground, Treating Others with Respect, Upholding the Truth, Not Spreading Misinformation, and Having Zero Tolerance for Discrimination of Any Kind. Further, by attending this event you agree that MPU may photograph, video, and/or record your likeness, voice, and/or activities (collectively “Images”). You hereby grant to MPU and its successors the following rights: (i) permission to use and re-use, publish and re-publish, and modify, edit, or alter any Images taken during the event, in MPU’s sole discretion; (ii) permission for MPU to, in its sole discretion, use the Images for any editorial, commercial, trade, advertising, or other purpose in any medium now existing or subsequently developed, worldwide; and (iii) the ability for MPU to transfer these rights to any other entity that MPU, in its sole discretion, sees fit. In addition, and as consideration for your ability to attend this event, you acknowledge and agree that your in-person attendance at the event is completely voluntary; there are inherent risks to in-person attendance at any event including exposure to COVID-19 or other injury; and by attending the event in-person you are assuming all risks, hazards, and dangers arising from or relating in any way to your attendance, including the risk of contracting or being exposed to COVID-19 or any other communicable disease, illness, or injury, whether occurring before, during, or after the event, however caused or contracted, and voluntarily waive all claims and potential claims against MPU, and any of its present and future subsidiaries, affiliates, partners, officers, directors, employees, shareholders, agents, other representatives, as well as any successors, heirs, and assigns of any of the foregoing, relating to such risks.

About the Austin Chapter

Across cities and towns just like yours nationwide, we serve our communities by starting with bringing different neighbors together for events centered around Service, Leadership, and Civics.

By rolling up our sleeves side-by-side, we can begin to see that we have more in common than what divides us; that first and foremost we are fellow Americans with a common love for our families and communities.

These Chapters – also known as our Brickyards – are mobile places for neighbors to connect and solve local problems. We do this through respectful and open conversations, and to find higher ground as we work together brick-by-brick.

Visit the Austin Chapter Page