The entrepreneurial journey isn’t always the glamorous success story you see on social media. Sometimes it’s a messy path of failed ventures, burnout, and starting over more times than you’d care to admit. My story isn’t unique in that regard—I spent years chasing the next big thing, from dropshipping to NFTs, constantly pivoting when things got tough. But what is unique is how I finally broke the cycle that kept me spinning my wheels, and how that breakdown became the foundation for something genuinely meaningful.
From Chaos to Clarity: My Awakening in Asia
When I first landed in Southeast Asia with my laptop and a head full of entrepreneurial dreams, I thought I had it all figured out. The digital nomad lifestyle seemed perfect—work from anywhere, minimal overhead, maximum freedom. But what I discovered over that transformative year was that geography doesn’t solve internal problems. I was still the same person running the same patterns, just with better street food and cheaper rent.
The constant hustle culture that had defined my approach to business followed me across time zones. I’d wake up in Bangkok or Bali and immediately dive into the same frantic energy that had burned me out back home. The irony wasn’t lost on me—I was living in some of the most beautiful places on earth, yet I was too consumed with chasing the next opportunity to actually experience them. My days blurred together in a haze of Zoom calls, late-night “breakthroughs,” and the persistent anxiety that I wasn’t doing enough.
It was during a particularly low moment in Vietnam, staring at another failed project launch while nursing what had become a daily drinking habit, that something shifted. Maybe it was the distance from everything familiar, or maybe it was finally running out of excuses, but I started to see my patterns clearly for the first time. The constant pivoting, the inability to stick with anything long enough to see real results, the way I used alcohol to numb the disappointment—it was all connected.
The real awakening came not from any dramatic moment, but from the quiet realization that I’d been treating symptoms instead of causes. I wasn’t failing because I lacked skills or opportunities; I was failing because I was operating from a fundamentally unsustainable mindset. That year in Asia didn’t give me the business success I’d hoped for, but it gave me something more valuable—the clarity to see that everything needed to change, starting with me.
Breaking the Cycle: Sobriety as a Business Tool
Coming back to the U.S. was humbling. I was essentially starting over again, but this time I knew I couldn’t repeat the same patterns and expect different results. The first and most crucial change I made was getting sober. This wasn’t just a personal health decision—it was a business strategy. I’d finally connected the dots between my drinking and my inability to build anything sustainable.
Alcohol had been my coping mechanism for the inevitable disappointments that come with entrepreneurship. Failed launch? Have a drink. Account banned? Time to numb that frustration. But what I didn’t realize was how much this habit was sabotaging my decision-making abilities. Those late-night “brilliant” pivots often happened after I’d been drinking. The inability to stick with difficult projects long enough to see results was directly tied to my need for immediate relief from discomfort.
Five months into sobriety, the changes in my business approach have been remarkable. My thinking is clearer, my decision-making more strategic, and most importantly, I can sit with discomfort without immediately needing to escape or pivot. This might sound basic, but for someone who spent years bouncing between opportunities, the ability to stay present with challenges has been game-changing. I’m finally building something sustainable because I’m operating from a sustainable mindset.
The business world doesn’t talk enough about how substance use impacts entrepreneurial success. We celebrate the hustle, the late nights, the “work hard, play hard” mentality, but we ignore how these patterns often mask deeper issues with focus, consistency, and emotional regulation. Sobriety isn’t just about not drinking—it’s about developing the mental clarity and emotional stability that sustainable business growth requires. It’s become the foundation of everything I’m building now.
Building a Coaching Practice That Actually Matters
My coaching business emerged naturally from my own transformation. After years of chasing external success, I finally understood that the real work happens internally first. The entrepreneurs I work with now are dealing with the same cycles I spent years trapped in—the ADHD-driven hyperfocus followed by complete burnout, the social media addiction that masquerades as “market research,” and the substance use that promises relief but delivers more chaos.
What makes my approach different is that I’ve been there. I’m not coaching from theory or textbook knowledge—I’m sharing strategies that literally saved my business and my sanity. When I work with clients on ADHD management, I understand the unique challenges of entrepreneurial life with a brain that craves novelty and struggles with routine tasks. Traditional productivity advice doesn’t work for us; we need systems that work with our neurodivergence, not against it.
The sobriety component of my coaching isn’t about preaching abstinence—it’s about helping entrepreneurs recognize when their relationship with alcohol is sabotaging their goals. Many successful business owners don’t realize how much their evening wine or weekend binges are impacting their Monday morning decision-making. We explore the connection between substance use and business patterns, helping clients make informed choices about what serves their long-term vision.
Perhaps most importantly, I help entrepreneurs break free from social media addiction that disguises itself as work. The endless scroll through LinkedIn, the compulsive checking of metrics, the comparison trap that leaves you questioning your entire strategy—these aren’t business activities, they’re dopamine-seeking behaviors that drain the mental energy needed for real work. My coaching helps clients distinguish between productive online activity and digital addiction, creating boundaries that protect both their mental health and their business focus.
The path from chaos to purpose isn’t linear, and it’s definitely not as Instagram-worthy as the typical success story. But it’s real, and it’s sustainable in a way that my previous approaches never were. Building a coaching practice around these principles isn’t just my business—it’s my way of turning years of painful lessons into something genuinely helpful for others walking similar paths. Every client who breaks their own destructive cycle validates the difficult work I’ve done to break mine. This isn’t about perfect solutions or overnight transformations; it’s about sustainable change that actually lasts. And for the first time in my entrepreneurial journey, I’m building something that feels aligned with who I actually am, not who I thought I needed to be to succeed.
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