If you’ve already read Chapter One, you may think you know this story.But this version, revised to match the depth, tone, and narrative rhythm of the rest of the book, lands differently.

This bonus podcast reflects the reworked Chapter One: a deeper, sharper, more honest rendering of Maya’s threshold moment. It was the chapter that started it all and it deserved to be rewritten once the full shape of the book emerged.

In this episode, you’ll hear Maya’s quiet reckoning as she sits through three ordinary meetings that leave an extraordinary mark. What unfolds is not burnout, not collapse, but a systemic stretch—one that reveals how much leadership has become an act of absorption: of contradiction, incoherence, and moral friction.

Inside the episode:

* The slow erosion of clarity in roles that demand performance over presence

* The mismatch between leadership language and lived reality

* The invisible toll of holding systems together without structural support

* And the moment Maya stops pretending it’s all working and begins to name what no longer makes sense

This is the threshold most leadership books skip. But here, we begin with it—because most transformation doesn’t start with vision. It starts with disillusionment that dares to tell the truth.

⚠️ Please note: This episode, like all others in this series, was generated using AI—grounded in my writing and direction but delivered through synthetic narration.

That said, the story is no less real.

Because Maya’s experience is not just hers. It’s quietly being lived by thousands of leaders—still functioning, but no longer asleep.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit richardclaydon.substack.com