TJ is a recovering alcoholic and drug addict who, like many of us, had to face some demons from his past to turn his life around, make something better for his family, and find meaningful success in his life. TJ, like so many of us, lived a lot of his life worrying that he wasn't "normal" or didn't fit in and that lead to him heading down some dark paths to try and find happiness. I always really enjoy these conversations, from a "scientific" perspective because this is a real live use case of someone experiencing some of the worst things life has to offer, having their mind convince them there is no hope, but then eventually finding a way to be happy again. 

I took the opportunity to really dig into how TJ pulled himself back together, what challenges he faced along the way, what strategies he found most useful, and ultimately why he thinks he was able to overcome his past when so many others can't. One of the interesting debates we had was whether the best approach to changing your life is through actions or through deep introspection. TJ has used the concept of "atomic habits" to try to prove to his subconscious mind that the self-doubt he feels is not real, whereas I spend a lot more time thinking about my doubts and trying to logically prove to myself that they are not legitimate. 

Today TJ has his own podcast (Underground Reach) on Entrepreneurship where he tries to help others that feel buried by self doubt and limiting beliefs have breakthroughs and win in life and in business. So we spent some time towards the end understanding why TJ feels that is his true purpose and how the universe helped show him the way. Thanks to TJ for being on and for being so real and open to share his story.