Overthinking? Terrified? Jumping Anyway!
Let’s figure out what’s in the way.
You’re not starting from scratch — you’re starting from experience and recovery.
You’ve done the work, rebuilt your life, and grown through fire. So why does it still feel like something’s holding you back?
It’s not motivation or character — it’s something subtler that’s draining your energy, clarity, and confidence as a leader.
Recovery Rewired You — But Your Leadership Might Not Have Caught Up Yet
Here’s the truth: Many professionals in long-term recovery aren’t stuck because they’re doing something wrong — they’re just still using survival strategies that no longer serve them. What once kept you safe may now be what’s holding you back from leading at your next level.
It might look like:
- Needing to prove yourself constantly
- Swallowing discomfort to keep the peace
- Playing small to avoid rocking the boat
- Overworking because rest still feels unsafe
These aren’t personality flaws — they’re protective strategies that once kept you upright in early recovery but may now be limiting your leadership.
Step 1: Go Inward (Recovery Taught You This, Remember?)
In early recovery, we learn to look inward. We take inventory. We get honest. We pause before reacting.
Those same tools apply here — just in a different arena.
💡 Try this: Think of a recent moment when your response didn’t feel aligned. Ask: What fear was driving that reaction? What old belief flared up?
This isn’t about judgment. It’s about self-leadership — the kind recovery made you strong enough to handle.
Step 2: Upgrade the Operating System (This is one I struggle with)
You wouldn’t use a flip phone in 2025 — so why lead with outdated beliefs? Many of us in recovery were raised on “fake it till you make it or don’t rock the boat,” and that often still shapes how we lead.
💡 Try this: Write down 3 things you believe about being a “good leader.” Then ask: Who taught me that — and is it still serving me?
Step 3: Make Conscious Choices, Not Auto-Reactions
Addiction ran on autopilot. Recovery is built on conscious action.
So is great leadership.
You don’t have to say yes to keep the peace. You don’t have to react fast to prove you’re capable. You don’t have to take on every fire just because you can.
💡 Try this: Pause before your next meeting, email, or big decision. Ask: “What energy do I want to bring into this moment?”
That’s how reactive habits get replaced with conscious leadership.
Step 4: Clear the Blocks, Set the Boundaries
Old patterns die hard. And for many of us in recovery, saying no still feels dangerous. Setting boundaries still feels like conflict. Owning your worth still feels… suspicious.
That’s where the deeper work comes in — and where real leadership begins.
💡 Try this: Audit your calendar. What’s in there out of guilt or fear? Which “yeses” are actually resentments waiting to happen?
Boundaries are not about keeping people out. They’re about keeping your integrity in.
Step 5: Influence, Don’t Control
Here’s the kicker: The strongest leaders don’t control. They influence.
They don’t need to dominate. They elevate. They don’t hide behind bravado. They lead from clarity.
Learning to let go of what we can’t control becomes leadership gold.
💡 Try this: Ask someone you work with: “What’s one thing I could do to support you better?” Then listen without fixing, defending, or qualifying.
That’s leadership built on trust — not fear.
You’re Not Stuck. You’re Just in the Stretch.
This isn’t a backslide. It’s an invitation.
The recovery journey didn’t end when you put down the drink, the drug, or the chaos. It just shifted into new territory — work, purpose, influence, legacy.
The question now is: Are you leading from old programming… or from your real power?
You already know how to do hard things. Now it’s time to do them differently.
Let’s go.
