I don't know who needs to hear this today, but I felt called to record this episode.

This is for anyone who feels like they failed. Maybe you've lost everything. Maybe you're carrying shame from a mistake you made years ago. Maybe you've been battling anxiety. Maybe you've been fighting depression. Maybe you've gained weight and don't recognize the person staring back at you in the mirror. Maybe you're trying to save a relationship. Maybe you've spent months, or even years, beating yourself up over one chapter in your story.

Maybe your business isn't growing. Maybe you bet big and lost. Maybe the launch flopped. Maybe the ads didn't work. Maybe you're wondering how you're going to make payroll. Maybe everyone on social media thinks you're crushing it, but behind the scenes you're hanging on by a thread.

For years, I didn't share these stories. I was embarrassed. I was ashamed. I didn't want people to know that I suffered from severe depression, that there were days I couldn't get out of bed, that I used alcohol to numb pain, that I've lost everything three different times, that I filed bankruptcy, battled a brain tumor, faced hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills, and had moments where I genuinely questioned whether I wanted to keep going.

But I've come to realize something I wish someone would have told me years ago... Temporary setbacks don't define you.

A few days ago, I read a quote that stopped me in my tracks:

"I asked God why He led me through so much darkness. And He answered... It's so you'll know the way out when I send you back in for someone else." And I think that's exactly what these last eight years have been. Maybe God wasn't punishing me. Maybe He was preparing me. Maybe He was teaching me the path out so that one day I could walk back in, find someone who's still sitting in the dark, grab their hand, and say... "I've been here before." "I know this road." "You aren't alone"." "Come with me."

After eight years of darkness, healing, rebuilding, and becoming the man I was always meant to be, I finally feel ready to go back in. To find as many people as I can who feel lost, ashamed, broken, or like they failed... And help guide them back into the light.

If that's you... I made this episode for you. I love you. I believe in you. And as always... You are TRIUMPHANT!

-Nicholas "Nicky T" Trevillian ❤️ 🤙