The Jake Turner Podcast Ep. 19 ft. Robert Hartline

Success is supposed to be the finish line.

Freedom. Flexibility. Finally slowing down.

But what if the moment you “win” is the moment you realize you traded away something you can’t get back?

In this episode, Jake sits down with Robert Hartline, entrepreneur, EOS implementer, and founder of multiple businesses, to unpack what success quietly takes away when identity, energy, and alignment slip out of sync.

Robert spent decades building and scaling a multi-state company before exiting. On paper, it looked like the dream. Underneath was exhaustion, disconnection, and constant chaos instead of clarity.

They explore how alcohol and overstimulation erode judgment, why fear and ego often disguise themselves as strategy, and how leadership breaks down when energy is depleted. The conversation moves through sobriety, regret, identity loss, money, team dependency, and the invisible cost of never slowing down enough to listen.

Robert shares how sobriety restored intuition and presence, how exhaustion led to one of the most expensive decisions of his life, and why learning to lead from calm changed everything...in business and at home.

This episode isn’t about failure.

It’s about the hidden cost of winning, the danger of mistaking motion for meaning, and the discipline required to build success without abandoning yourself.

Together, they discuss:

• What success quietly takes away from you
• The emotional crash that follows an exit
• How alcohol drains clarity and leadership presence
• Fear and ego masquerading as strategy
• Exhaustion as the root of costly decisions
• Creating ownership instead of dependency
• Sobriety as a leadership advantage
• Identity loss after achievement
• Calm energy as a competitive edge

If you’ve achieved more than you imagined but still feel unsettled...this conversation will help you rethink what winning is actually supposed to feel like.

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⏱️ Chapters

00:00 | Welcome and background
02:41 | Regret and legacy clarity
06:28 | Living someone else’s plan
10:17 | Sobriety and intuition
14:03 | Alcohol and leadership energy
18:11 | Decisions made while exhausted
22:44 | Fear and chaos
27:09 | Why exits feel empty
31:43 | Identity and ego
36:25 | Leadership and control
45:59 | Ownership vs rescue
54:35 | Losing the business and yourself
1:03:14 | Numbing and avoidance
1:12:36 | Fear manifesting consequences
1:20:58 | Leading from calm
1:27:31 | The decision that changed everything

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Disclaimer: This episode is for educational, inspirational, and conversational purposes only. It does not constitute medical, psychological, or legal advice, and it does not create a clinician-patient relationship. Always seek the guidance of qualified professionals regarding personal or mental health matters. Any stories are anonymized. Views expressed are our own.

#leadership #success #sobriety #entrepreneurship #identity #purpose #clarity #mindset