WEBVTT 00:00:16.839 --> 00:00:19.839 Welcome back to Networking Unleashed, Building 00:00:19.839 --> 00:00:22.980 Profitable Connections. I'm your host, Michael 00:00:22.980 --> 00:00:26.320 Foreman, speaker, strategist, and firm believer 00:00:26.320 --> 00:00:29.120 that the right connection can change the course 00:00:29.120 --> 00:00:32.759 of a life or a business. Today's episode is more 00:00:32.759 --> 00:00:37.759 than just networking. It's about resilience. 00:00:38.200 --> 00:00:41.520 It's about starting over. It's about the power 00:00:41.520 --> 00:00:44.539 of relationships, not just to grow a business, 00:00:44.719 --> 00:00:48.759 but to rebuild a life. My guest today is an entrepreneur 00:00:48.759 --> 00:00:52.979 whose journey through addiction and into recovery 00:00:52.979 --> 00:00:55.780 has shaped a bold, authentic, and purpose -driven 00:00:55.780 --> 00:00:59.240 approach to networking. Their story is proof 00:00:59.240 --> 00:01:02.140 that no matter where you've been, you can always 00:01:02.140 --> 00:01:05.200 build forward one meaningful connection at a 00:01:05.200 --> 00:01:08.400 time. Whether you're in recovery yourself, supporting 00:01:08.400 --> 00:01:11.980 someone who is, or just looking ahead to lead 00:01:11.980 --> 00:01:15.959 with more authenticity and courage in your business 00:01:15.959 --> 00:01:18.900 relationships, this conversation will meet you 00:01:18.900 --> 00:01:22.920 right where you are. David, how are you today? 00:01:23.099 --> 00:01:25.819 And could you tell us a little bit about yourself? 00:01:27.879 --> 00:01:30.760 Michael, thanks for having me. I am doing fantastic 00:01:30.760 --> 00:01:35.459 today. And for your listeners, I'm a 40 plus 00:01:35.459 --> 00:01:40.140 year entrepreneur. And 10 years ago, after working 00:01:40.140 --> 00:01:42.500 with a brilliant coach, I decided I wanted to 00:01:42.500 --> 00:01:44.840 offer to entrepreneurs the things that Coach 00:01:44.840 --> 00:01:47.379 Kevin had offered to me. So I became an entrepreneurial 00:01:47.379 --> 00:01:52.010 coach and a facilitator. And I'm in recovery 00:01:52.010 --> 00:01:54.609 from alcoholism. And I made the decision a few 00:01:54.609 --> 00:01:57.230 years ago, just three or four, to become public 00:01:57.230 --> 00:02:01.049 about that. And so I now specialize in helping 00:02:01.049 --> 00:02:04.230 entrepreneurs who are challenged with alcoholism 00:02:04.230 --> 00:02:09.270 or addiction. Okay, that's great. And congratulations, 00:02:09.310 --> 00:02:13.710 because I know how difficult it is. And you've 00:02:13.710 --> 00:02:17.289 made it this far. So congratulations are in order. 00:02:17.930 --> 00:02:20.229 Thank you so much. I really appreciate that. 00:02:20.389 --> 00:02:24.389 You're welcome. Okay, so let's start. How has 00:02:24.389 --> 00:02:27.229 your journey through recovery influenced your 00:02:27.229 --> 00:02:32.610 approach to networking as an entrepreneur? My 00:02:32.610 --> 00:02:35.210 recovery is through one of the best known 12 00:02:35.210 --> 00:02:40.710 -step programs, which is really the fellowship 00:02:40.710 --> 00:02:43.389 of those programs is the essence of networking. 00:02:44.430 --> 00:02:46.550 although you might not realize it when you go 00:02:46.550 --> 00:02:49.409 in like when I walked into my first meeting I 00:02:49.409 --> 00:02:51.949 was scared out of my mind I was probably five 00:02:51.949 --> 00:02:55.310 or six years before I really admitted that and 00:02:55.310 --> 00:02:59.830 I was just really warmly welcomed and really 00:02:59.830 --> 00:03:04.110 welcomed into that group I later joined it as 00:03:04.110 --> 00:03:10.830 my home group and one of the things so I've heard 00:03:10.830 --> 00:03:14.270 you in other interviews on your podcast talk 00:03:14.270 --> 00:03:17.490 about how important it is to have great listening 00:03:17.490 --> 00:03:22.490 skills when you're networking. And 12 -step meetings, 00:03:22.590 --> 00:03:25.849 to me, more than almost any other experience 00:03:25.849 --> 00:03:30.370 I've had in my life, is honoring the person who's 00:03:30.370 --> 00:03:33.090 speaking. In 12 -step recovery meetings, there's 00:03:33.090 --> 00:03:35.289 typically, it could be going around the room, 00:03:35.349 --> 00:03:36.930 people are sharing, there could be an invited 00:03:36.930 --> 00:03:42.240 speaker. the person is speaking about their experience, 00:03:42.259 --> 00:03:44.659 strength, and hope and their journey before, 00:03:44.780 --> 00:03:47.879 during, and after recovery, you generally can 00:03:47.879 --> 00:03:52.740 hear a pin drop in the room. And it's just this 00:03:52.740 --> 00:03:58.219 respect that everyone has for the person who's 00:03:58.219 --> 00:04:02.280 speaking. And so that's one of the things I really 00:04:02.280 --> 00:04:07.159 think is super important in networking is It's 00:04:07.159 --> 00:04:09.319 not about getting my point of view across. It's 00:04:09.319 --> 00:04:11.879 really listening to someone else, listening what 00:04:11.879 --> 00:04:14.840 they do, finding. And then step 12 in recovery 00:04:14.840 --> 00:04:18.639 is about being of service. So the only way I 00:04:18.639 --> 00:04:21.600 get to stay sober is to share my experience, 00:04:21.639 --> 00:04:24.459 stroke and hope with other people who are suffering 00:04:24.459 --> 00:04:27.439 in the hope that they'll get something from what 00:04:27.439 --> 00:04:31.000 I, my experience that will help them. And my 00:04:31.000 --> 00:04:34.509 belief in networking is that we. We get the most 00:04:34.509 --> 00:04:36.230 out of networking when we're being of service 00:04:36.230 --> 00:04:40.089 to the other people that are there. And rather 00:04:40.089 --> 00:04:42.689 than it being all about me, it's all about the 00:04:42.689 --> 00:04:45.769 other people and asking them what they're stuck 00:04:45.769 --> 00:04:48.990 on and seeing if there's a way that I can help 00:04:48.990 --> 00:04:51.970 them, which there won't always be. But if nothing 00:04:51.970 --> 00:04:54.709 else, I can at least be a good listener and honor 00:04:54.709 --> 00:04:57.509 what they've shared, you know, by reflecting 00:04:57.509 --> 00:05:00.529 it back or giving perspective on it. So those 00:05:00.529 --> 00:05:02.589 are some of the ways that my experience in recovery 00:05:02.589 --> 00:05:06.589 is very overlapped with how and why and the way 00:05:06.589 --> 00:05:11.029 that I network. That's great. And I don't want 00:05:11.029 --> 00:05:16.250 to equate what you've gone through to just networking, 00:05:16.490 --> 00:05:19.509 because I feel that's so small in comparison. 00:05:20.089 --> 00:05:23.550 But the one thing that I see that is the same 00:05:23.550 --> 00:05:25.949 is that you approach it with a servant's heart. 00:05:26.649 --> 00:05:29.790 And because you're looking to give, not to receive. 00:05:30.250 --> 00:05:34.610 So if you can take that feeling, that knowledge, 00:05:34.850 --> 00:05:37.990 and just bring it into your networking ordeals, 00:05:37.990 --> 00:05:41.970 then you should be fine. But having the servant's 00:05:41.970 --> 00:05:45.149 heart is the really the number one way of networking. 00:05:45.370 --> 00:05:48.769 And I again, I don't want to compare it to what 00:05:48.769 --> 00:05:51.509 you went through, because there is no comparison. 00:05:52.290 --> 00:05:56.089 Okay, so What strategies do you use to build 00:05:56.089 --> 00:06:00.009 authentic connections in business while maintaining 00:06:00.009 --> 00:06:05.470 your sobriety? One of the ways is being coming 00:06:05.470 --> 00:06:08.410 on podcasts like yours and really sharing my 00:06:08.410 --> 00:06:11.870 journey. For 20 years, I was a daily drinker. 00:06:12.370 --> 00:06:17.850 And I was in complete denial about my alcoholism. 00:06:18.189 --> 00:06:22.699 And I was a high -performing alcoholic. I drank 00:06:22.699 --> 00:06:24.600 because it was rocket fuel so I could get more 00:06:24.600 --> 00:06:27.139 stuff done. I drank so the lows weren't quite 00:06:27.139 --> 00:06:29.680 so low. I drank because to make the highs higher. 00:06:30.019 --> 00:06:31.600 Really, at the end of the day, I drank because 00:06:31.600 --> 00:06:34.939 I was an alcoholic. And so I share the story 00:06:34.939 --> 00:06:39.459 of coming into recovery, which actually happens 00:06:39.459 --> 00:06:42.600 through networking as it happens. So I went to 00:06:42.600 --> 00:06:45.000 an event with a guy, Vern Harnish, has a couple 00:06:45.000 --> 00:06:47.620 books called The Rockefeller Habits and Scaling 00:06:47.620 --> 00:06:49.629 Up. And he's created something called the One 00:06:49.629 --> 00:06:52.149 Page Strategic Plan. There's a lot of entrepreneurs 00:06:52.149 --> 00:06:54.870 who really find this framework very useful. And 00:06:54.870 --> 00:06:56.550 I'd heard about it, but I didn't really know 00:06:56.550 --> 00:06:59.290 the details. And I took an entrepreneur that 00:06:59.290 --> 00:07:01.569 I was working with and decided to learn more 00:07:01.569 --> 00:07:03.850 and went to an all -day session that Vern was 00:07:03.850 --> 00:07:07.269 giving here in Vancouver, Canada. And at the 00:07:07.269 --> 00:07:09.709 break, he said, hey, there are two scaling up 00:07:09.709 --> 00:07:14.209 coaches at the back of the room. And I went and 00:07:14.209 --> 00:07:17.339 started talking to them. I talked to both of 00:07:17.339 --> 00:07:19.740 them and one of them made me more uncomfortable 00:07:19.740 --> 00:07:23.920 than I'd been in four or five years. And he made 00:07:23.920 --> 00:07:27.379 me really realize that I was completely unfulfilled 00:07:27.379 --> 00:07:30.620 in this phase of my career. And I won't get into 00:07:30.620 --> 00:07:33.660 all the details, but I literally had tears in 00:07:33.660 --> 00:07:35.620 the corner of my eyes at a networking event with 00:07:35.620 --> 00:07:38.920 like a hundred business people, which is, and 00:07:38.920 --> 00:07:41.680 I'm not necessarily advocating that as a networking 00:07:41.680 --> 00:07:45.839 strategy in this. What I heard was what I needed 00:07:45.839 --> 00:07:48.800 to hear. I think that's the important thing to 00:07:48.800 --> 00:07:53.100 take away from that experience. And I took Kevin's 00:07:53.100 --> 00:07:58.319 card and I had it next to my phone. And probably 00:07:58.319 --> 00:08:00.699 once a week, I thought about calling him and 00:08:00.699 --> 00:08:04.699 reaching out. And every time I did, the phone 00:08:04.699 --> 00:08:08.579 weighed maybe 10 ,000 pounds. Like I wasn't ready 00:08:08.579 --> 00:08:11.639 to take that step. And then after about three 00:08:11.639 --> 00:08:15.430 weeks, Kevin called me. And said, hey, do you 00:08:15.430 --> 00:08:17.329 remember me from the Vern Harnish event? And 00:08:17.329 --> 00:08:20.709 I said, yes. I didn't say, I haven't thought 00:08:20.709 --> 00:08:26.470 about much else the last three weeks. And this 00:08:26.470 --> 00:08:29.430 is a great example of where Kevin saw something 00:08:29.430 --> 00:08:32.850 and then he had systems in place so that he made 00:08:32.850 --> 00:08:36.590 sure to eventually follow up with me. And I ended 00:08:36.590 --> 00:08:41.860 up hiring Kevin as my coach. And he's my kind 00:08:41.860 --> 00:08:44.299 of guy. It's like, I'm all in or all out. There's 00:08:44.299 --> 00:08:47.500 no in between. With Kevin at that time for one 00:08:47.500 --> 00:08:49.519 -on -one coaching, his initial coaching session 00:08:49.519 --> 00:08:55.419 was two eight -hour days. So that's all in. So 00:08:55.419 --> 00:08:57.919 we worked on my career and we worked on cleaning 00:08:57.919 --> 00:09:01.639 all the kind of clutter off the table until after 00:09:01.639 --> 00:09:04.179 18 months, I built such a strong trust relationship 00:09:04.179 --> 00:09:08.120 with him that he was the first person I admitted 00:09:08.120 --> 00:09:12.080 I had a drinking problem too. And in his personal 00:09:12.080 --> 00:09:14.720 life, he had encountered people who had long 00:09:14.720 --> 00:09:17.299 -term sobriety and were part of 12 -step recovery. 00:09:17.600 --> 00:09:20.720 And they'd educated him about how it works. So 00:09:20.720 --> 00:09:23.820 he had the tools necessary to tell me, suggest 00:09:23.820 --> 00:09:28.320 what to do. And I committed to, that was a Tuesday, 00:09:28.580 --> 00:09:32.000 January 27th, 2009. And I committed to him to 00:09:32.000 --> 00:09:35.059 go to a meeting by that Friday. And being the 00:09:35.059 --> 00:09:37.799 overachiever that I am, I looked online that 00:09:37.799 --> 00:09:40.580 afternoon. Saw that when I was going to be driving 00:09:40.580 --> 00:09:43.200 home from a networking event at 8 o 'clock, there 00:09:43.200 --> 00:09:44.899 was going to be a meeting a quarter of a block 00:09:44.899 --> 00:09:47.139 off the road I was driving down that started 00:09:47.139 --> 00:09:51.139 at 8 .30. And that was my first meeting. And 00:09:51.139 --> 00:09:53.639 the one I just mentioned was the one where I 00:09:53.639 --> 00:09:55.940 got really welcomed to and actually made what's 00:09:55.940 --> 00:09:57.919 called a home group, which is a group I commit 00:09:57.919 --> 00:10:01.460 to going to every week. And I was there last 00:10:01.460 --> 00:10:04.759 Tuesday night. So I've been going there for 16 00:10:04.759 --> 00:10:07.539 years. That's really great, and thank you for 00:10:07.539 --> 00:10:11.620 sharing that with us. How did you navigate disclosing 00:10:11.620 --> 00:10:18.879 your recovery in professional settings? So let's 00:10:18.879 --> 00:10:21.080 back up the story a little bit. After Kevin, 00:10:21.279 --> 00:10:24.820 he'd stopped one -on -one coaching, and I switched 00:10:24.820 --> 00:10:27.639 coaches to actually to his coach, a woman by 00:10:27.639 --> 00:10:29.559 the name of Nan O 'Connor, based in Atlanta. 00:10:30.759 --> 00:10:33.179 And then after we worked together, I told her 00:10:33.179 --> 00:10:36.769 about my recovery. that from the get -go. But 00:10:36.769 --> 00:10:39.889 as we worked together over the years, she kept 00:10:39.889 --> 00:10:42.070 reflecting back to me how every time we talked 00:10:42.070 --> 00:10:45.629 about my recovery and my experiences in 12 -step 00:10:45.629 --> 00:10:49.690 recovery, how pure my energy was, and also any 00:10:49.690 --> 00:10:53.309 questions she asked me, I had answers for. And 00:10:53.309 --> 00:10:58.710 she just kept prodding me a little bit to go 00:10:58.710 --> 00:11:01.830 public. That took a little while. It probably 00:11:01.830 --> 00:11:04.019 took a couple years. And it's not like she brought 00:11:04.019 --> 00:11:06.360 it up every coaching call. It's just from time 00:11:06.360 --> 00:11:09.519 to time, something would come up around my recovery. 00:11:09.600 --> 00:11:12.159 I'd talk about it. She said, wow, like, it's 00:11:12.159 --> 00:11:14.779 just your energy is so pure around this. And 00:11:14.779 --> 00:11:17.139 then again, all in or all out. So once I made 00:11:17.139 --> 00:11:22.299 the decision to out myself publicly and let people 00:11:22.299 --> 00:11:25.159 know, I shot some videos. I put them on YouTube. 00:11:25.820 --> 00:11:28.379 I promoted them on social media. And I just, 00:11:28.399 --> 00:11:30.440 if I'm in a networking event and I introduce 00:11:30.440 --> 00:11:33.320 myself, I say, hi, I'm David Greer. I'm just 00:11:33.320 --> 00:11:36.279 like I did at the start of this interview today. 00:11:36.919 --> 00:11:39.820 Hi, I'm coach David Greer. I'm a 40 plus year 00:11:39.820 --> 00:11:42.379 entrepreneur, business coach and facilitator. 00:11:42.379 --> 00:11:46.490 And I work. with entrepreneurs who generally 00:11:46.490 --> 00:11:49.169 own or founders who have businesses with 10 to 00:11:49.169 --> 00:11:51.789 200 employees. And I specialize in working with 00:11:51.789 --> 00:11:54.110 entrepreneurs who are challenged one way or another 00:11:54.110 --> 00:11:57.250 with alcoholism and or addiction. And it's that 00:11:57.250 --> 00:12:03.129 simple. It's part of that very quick summary 00:12:03.129 --> 00:12:06.590 of who and what I am and who I try to help. You 00:12:06.590 --> 00:12:09.230 had to go through what you went through for you 00:12:09.230 --> 00:12:13.440 to have that clarity so you can actually go out 00:12:13.440 --> 00:12:17.019 and talk to people, but everything relies on 00:12:17.019 --> 00:12:21.059 something else. And you always, but you got to 00:12:21.059 --> 00:12:24.679 the point where you are clear. We had that clarity 00:12:24.679 --> 00:12:28.379 when you spoke, when you speak, because you are 00:12:28.379 --> 00:12:31.980 so well in tune with what you went through and 00:12:31.980 --> 00:12:34.700 that you're trying to help somebody else from 00:12:34.700 --> 00:12:37.740 going through. It's nothing but a great thing. 00:12:37.840 --> 00:12:40.899 That's all. Thank you. Let's go to challenges. 00:12:41.529 --> 00:12:44.889 What unique challenges do entrepreneurs in recovery 00:12:44.889 --> 00:12:48.289 face when networking and how do you overcome 00:12:48.289 --> 00:12:52.730 them? I do a fair amount of coaching around this 00:12:52.730 --> 00:12:56.049 particular area, especially because like CEOs, 00:12:56.149 --> 00:12:59.909 business owners, generally when get invited to 00:12:59.909 --> 00:13:02.769 anything in the business community, there's always 00:13:02.769 --> 00:13:04.490 sponsors who want to sponsor the bar because 00:13:04.490 --> 00:13:07.470 they want to get access to these people. So booze 00:13:07.470 --> 00:13:12.529 is usually free. And I coach around things like 00:13:12.529 --> 00:13:16.110 always have a drink in your hand. Like a glass 00:13:16.110 --> 00:13:19.210 of water is fine, but you don't want someone 00:13:19.210 --> 00:13:22.309 else like offering to get you a drink. Because 00:13:22.309 --> 00:13:24.990 especially someone who's not comfortable in being 00:13:24.990 --> 00:13:28.570 public about their sobriety, which you don't 00:13:28.570 --> 00:13:31.950 owe an explanation to anyone. But you also don't 00:13:31.950 --> 00:13:33.750 want to get into a big, no, I really don't want 00:13:33.750 --> 00:13:37.470 a beer. And so you can head off at the pass. 00:13:38.539 --> 00:13:40.659 Some of those questions by always having a drink 00:13:40.659 --> 00:13:43.679 in your hand. Another thing that is critically 00:13:43.679 --> 00:13:46.000 important, I believe, is that you need to have 00:13:46.000 --> 00:13:50.240 an exit strategy before you get there. So if 00:13:50.240 --> 00:13:52.519 you get triggered, and I have had this happen 00:13:52.519 --> 00:13:54.860 at networking events where, like, you don't know 00:13:54.860 --> 00:13:57.779 when you'll be triggered. I can go to 10 networking 00:13:57.779 --> 00:13:59.639 events and it's perfectly fine. And then one, 00:13:59.700 --> 00:14:04.519 like something that triggers my subconscious 00:14:04.519 --> 00:14:07.419 brain. And I'm feeling really uncomfortable. 00:14:07.539 --> 00:14:10.220 So I have to have an exit strategy. And I particularly 00:14:10.220 --> 00:14:12.419 have to work out with my spouse if we're going 00:14:12.419 --> 00:14:14.799 to a networking or some kind of social event 00:14:14.799 --> 00:14:19.720 or a charity gala or something like, okay, dear, 00:14:19.860 --> 00:14:21.419 I'm going to let you know if I get triggered, 00:14:21.539 --> 00:14:24.679 I'm going to leave. Now, are you coming with 00:14:24.679 --> 00:14:27.519 me? Because if not, we need to have separate 00:14:27.519 --> 00:14:30.679 transportation. Like you need to talk this through 00:14:30.679 --> 00:14:34.840 and have a plan ahead of time. Because maybe 00:14:34.840 --> 00:14:37.740 she'll stay and you'll leave. And then you also 00:14:37.740 --> 00:14:39.779 have to have the little story that she's going 00:14:39.779 --> 00:14:42.120 to tell people. But you need to do this for your 00:14:42.120 --> 00:14:45.379 protection. So this is really important that 00:14:45.379 --> 00:14:47.399 you, if you know there's drinking going to be 00:14:47.399 --> 00:14:51.440 involved, and many networking events, especially 00:14:51.440 --> 00:14:54.559 in the afternoon and the evening, there is, how 00:14:54.559 --> 00:14:58.159 are you going to protect yourself? Okay, you 00:14:58.159 --> 00:15:02.360 answered my next question. So I'm going to just... 00:15:02.649 --> 00:15:05.549 skip over it and can you share an example of 00:15:05.549 --> 00:15:09.190 a pivotal connection that significantly impacted 00:15:09.190 --> 00:15:15.250 your business or recovery i that's why i shared 00:15:15.250 --> 00:15:19.070 meeting coach kevin right i getting sober is 00:15:19.070 --> 00:15:22.070 the single biggest achievement in my life and 00:15:22.070 --> 00:15:25.629 my belief is that the universe put coach kevin 00:15:25.629 --> 00:15:31.039 in my path so i could get sober and right And 00:15:31.039 --> 00:15:35.980 I go to this event with no notion at all of Kevin 00:15:35.980 --> 00:15:39.059 and the other coach were just networking, meeting 00:15:39.059 --> 00:15:42.120 entrepreneurs, talking to them, being of same 00:15:42.120 --> 00:15:45.379 thing, being of service. And obviously looking 00:15:45.379 --> 00:15:47.799 for business, but they were doing a lot of coaching 00:15:47.799 --> 00:15:51.559 in the back of the room. And it was a pivotal 00:15:51.559 --> 00:15:55.759 encounter that led to the single biggest achievement 00:15:55.759 --> 00:16:00.080 of my life. So it's unquestionably. My most important 00:16:00.080 --> 00:16:03.419 person that I've met through networking. Okay, 00:16:03.500 --> 00:16:08.019 okay. How has networking contributed to your 00:16:08.019 --> 00:16:16.919 personal growth in recovery? So, you know, I 00:16:16.919 --> 00:16:18.919 network for a number of reasons. I was thinking 00:16:18.919 --> 00:16:21.120 about this before I came on the podcast today. 00:16:21.259 --> 00:16:24.799 Like, for one thing, I only now I'm at a stage 00:16:24.799 --> 00:16:27.580 where I generally only go to networking events 00:16:27.580 --> 00:16:30.889 if I think they're going to be fun. or they're 00:16:30.889 --> 00:16:34.409 going to have a piece of learning. And there's 00:16:34.409 --> 00:16:36.570 something in addition to the networking forms 00:16:36.570 --> 00:16:41.970 part of a bigger event. And sorry, I've lost 00:16:41.970 --> 00:16:44.070 the question. I know where I am in the answer, 00:16:44.190 --> 00:16:46.529 but you have to remind me of the question. How 00:16:46.529 --> 00:16:49.590 has networking contributed to your personal growth 00:16:49.590 --> 00:16:53.509 in recovery? Yeah, and I look for those things 00:16:53.509 --> 00:16:56.730 that are going to challenge my personal or professional 00:16:56.730 --> 00:17:00.679 growth. I also, like on the personal side, I 00:17:00.679 --> 00:17:02.820 found a conference that happens every January 00:17:02.820 --> 00:17:07.160 in Mexico, which is run by people from AA and 00:17:07.160 --> 00:17:09.279 Al -Anon. It's called Sobriety Under the Sun. 00:17:09.740 --> 00:17:13.960 Tracks about 800 people. And the speakers that 00:17:13.960 --> 00:17:16.559 they have, it's not exactly a networking event, 00:17:16.660 --> 00:17:19.799 but it is because you're there with... The thing 00:17:19.799 --> 00:17:22.619 is, my tribe is recovering people and especially 00:17:22.619 --> 00:17:25.460 recovering people who use 12 -step recovery as 00:17:25.460 --> 00:17:29.859 their... for getting and staying sober and living 00:17:29.859 --> 00:17:33.119 life on life's terms. And I've learned a tremendous 00:17:33.119 --> 00:17:35.940 amount by the leadership and by the speakers 00:17:35.940 --> 00:17:39.740 there, not just in recovery, but their example 00:17:39.740 --> 00:17:42.799 in life and like what they have done in life 00:17:42.799 --> 00:17:45.940 subsequent to getting sober and how they have 00:17:45.940 --> 00:17:48.759 served their communities in different ways. So 00:17:48.759 --> 00:17:53.319 it inspires me not just in my personal life, 00:17:53.380 --> 00:17:58.430 but also in my business life. And then a lot 00:17:58.430 --> 00:18:00.829 of this personal growth that I've needed to do 00:18:00.829 --> 00:18:05.490 in order to grow in recovery has then let me 00:18:05.490 --> 00:18:10.130 show up much better as a coach. So this personal 00:18:10.130 --> 00:18:14.750 growth work, while it's not directly learning 00:18:14.750 --> 00:18:18.170 a new technical skill or what AI is useful for, 00:18:18.329 --> 00:18:22.630 those can be useful too. getting to know myself 00:18:22.630 --> 00:18:25.130 better because now I can get myself out of the 00:18:25.130 --> 00:18:29.170 way more when I'm on coaching calls. Granted 00:18:29.170 --> 00:18:32.589 that your personal growth can help you while 00:18:32.589 --> 00:18:35.569 you're coaching so you can help other people, 00:18:35.670 --> 00:18:38.789 but your personal growth with just about everything 00:18:38.789 --> 00:18:42.829 else that you have a new appreciation for because 00:18:42.829 --> 00:18:46.789 you know that you're sober, but you can contribute 00:18:46.789 --> 00:18:50.470 so much more. And that's what a big thing is. 00:18:51.309 --> 00:18:53.569 Yeah, and I'm a lot more empathetic. I've been 00:18:53.569 --> 00:18:57.109 to probably 2 ,500 12 -step meetings now. And 00:18:57.109 --> 00:19:01.890 the number of stories I've heard and the inspiration 00:19:01.890 --> 00:19:05.950 of what people have managed to overcome and being 00:19:05.950 --> 00:19:09.309 able to hear those stories and be inspired by 00:19:09.309 --> 00:19:13.490 them has also then formed my own ability to inspire 00:19:13.490 --> 00:19:17.089 others, to help others to inspire others. So 00:19:17.089 --> 00:19:20.509 again, when people hire me as a coach, they often 00:19:20.509 --> 00:19:22.480 say, we're only going to talk about business 00:19:22.480 --> 00:19:25.740 issues. And I go, I'll never talk to you about 00:19:25.740 --> 00:19:29.640 anything you don't want to talk about. Now, six 00:19:29.640 --> 00:19:32.839 months in, almost guaranteed there'll be some 00:19:32.839 --> 00:19:36.380 personal or life issue that enters into our coaching 00:19:36.380 --> 00:19:42.160 discussion. Because this notion that we can compartmentalize 00:19:42.160 --> 00:19:47.259 ourselves into these finite rooms, there's my 00:19:47.259 --> 00:19:50.559 career room, there's my... personal resiliency 00:19:50.559 --> 00:19:54.680 room there's my relationship room is just completely 00:19:54.680 --> 00:19:59.119 bogus so my my belief very deeply uh especially 00:19:59.119 --> 00:20:01.680 as a coach is that and as an entrepreneur is 00:20:01.680 --> 00:20:06.380 whenever we grow in business personally relationships 00:20:06.380 --> 00:20:10.039 that growth spills over into every other aspect 00:20:10.039 --> 00:20:15.420 of our life i agree a hundred percent there's 00:20:15.420 --> 00:20:19.920 no way that you can compartment You can't separate 00:20:19.920 --> 00:20:23.059 all the different things of your life, of your 00:20:23.059 --> 00:20:26.980 business life, because it's so intertwined. There's 00:20:26.980 --> 00:20:30.599 a saying, an entrepreneur, but there's another, 00:20:30.700 --> 00:20:33.579 there's a solopreneur. I'm a solopreneur because 00:20:33.579 --> 00:20:36.579 I'm by myself and I go out and I speak and everything 00:20:36.579 --> 00:20:40.640 else. There's a work -life balance that I have 00:20:40.640 --> 00:20:43.900 to keep with my wife, with my family, with my 00:20:43.900 --> 00:20:47.259 job. They all have to work together. Otherwise, 00:20:47.400 --> 00:20:50.000 they don't work at all. And that's what I think 00:20:50.000 --> 00:20:54.720 you tried to explain. Let me go on advice. What 00:20:54.720 --> 00:20:57.160 advice would you give to other entrepreneurs 00:20:57.160 --> 00:21:01.440 in recovery who are looking to expand their network? 00:21:04.839 --> 00:21:07.559 If 12 -step recovery works for you, I'd highly 00:21:07.559 --> 00:21:10.140 recommend that. That obviously expands your sober 00:21:10.140 --> 00:21:13.160 community. And people in recovery tend to help 00:21:13.160 --> 00:21:15.779 other people in recovery. So I've had some career 00:21:15.779 --> 00:21:17.859 opportunities that were a result of networking 00:21:17.859 --> 00:21:23.000 through 12 -step recovery. There's that aspect. 00:21:23.140 --> 00:21:27.920 And then my general advice is you need to know 00:21:27.920 --> 00:21:31.069 your tribe. So whether that's other recovering 00:21:31.069 --> 00:21:34.509 entrepreneurs or it's like other entrepreneurs 00:21:34.509 --> 00:21:38.490 at your level, like there's some peer networking 00:21:38.490 --> 00:21:41.710 groups here in Vancouver, but, and some of them, 00:21:41.750 --> 00:21:44.029 I think do a great job of matching entrepreneurs. 00:21:44.029 --> 00:21:48.450 So they get entrepreneurs to meet monthly who 00:21:48.450 --> 00:21:52.910 are roughly at the same stage status, like not 00:21:52.910 --> 00:21:58.990 way bigger or further or way. lower I think whether 00:21:58.990 --> 00:22:01.089 you're in recovery or not and you're an entrepreneur 00:22:01.089 --> 00:22:05.450 it's who is your tribe I really encourage entrepreneurs 00:22:05.450 --> 00:22:09.609 to not do it alone to find others whether it's 00:22:09.609 --> 00:22:12.450 a mentor whether it's a coach but also to find 00:22:12.450 --> 00:22:15.690 your peers in your community who you can network 00:22:15.690 --> 00:22:19.589 and spend some time with And it's not necessarily 00:22:19.589 --> 00:22:22.450 you listen to another entrepreneur and do what 00:22:22.450 --> 00:22:25.069 they did. Oftentimes it's listening to another 00:22:25.069 --> 00:22:27.230 entrepreneur and realizing the struggles you 00:22:27.230 --> 00:22:31.890 have, others have. And then it's not, yeah, it's 00:22:31.890 --> 00:22:36.410 not just me. And it's true. The people that I 00:22:36.410 --> 00:22:40.430 coach are entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs that are 00:22:40.430 --> 00:22:45.069 up to a certain level. But I have a coach, I 00:22:45.069 --> 00:22:49.089 have a mentor. And because... I need to go further. 00:22:49.289 --> 00:22:51.930 So regardless of where you are on that ladder, 00:22:52.089 --> 00:22:55.690 you need somebody, yet you can help people. So 00:22:55.690 --> 00:22:58.349 that's the way that I see it. So let's bring 00:22:58.349 --> 00:23:02.349 this whole thing full circle. And how do you 00:23:02.349 --> 00:23:05.289 see the intersection of entrepreneurship and 00:23:05.289 --> 00:23:12.049 recovery shaping future network practices? Wow. 00:23:13.029 --> 00:23:17.410 I'm not certain I have an answer to that. I've 00:23:17.410 --> 00:23:20.130 really struggled to find other coaches like me, 00:23:20.170 --> 00:23:23.630 business coaches who specialize in recovery. 00:23:24.369 --> 00:23:27.089 So if you're one of those and you're listening, 00:23:27.210 --> 00:23:30.309 I'd love for you to get in touch. And there's 00:23:30.309 --> 00:23:34.289 also, I know of one sober recovering entrepreneur 00:23:34.289 --> 00:23:37.309 community that I found, but I think that's a 00:23:37.309 --> 00:23:39.410 really interesting idea because I think that 00:23:39.410 --> 00:23:42.359 as recovering alcoholics, I talked about like 00:23:42.359 --> 00:23:44.400 some of these networking problems. There's also 00:23:44.400 --> 00:23:47.299 problems in closing big deals where alcohol is 00:23:47.299 --> 00:23:50.160 usually involved and now you don't drink. So 00:23:50.160 --> 00:23:53.740 that because of the role of an entrepreneur, 00:23:53.880 --> 00:23:56.920 I think it's very helpful if you're working, 00:23:56.940 --> 00:23:59.559 if and can network with other entrepreneurs who 00:23:59.559 --> 00:24:03.660 are also in recovery. So I encourage you to find 00:24:03.660 --> 00:24:05.920 those, but again, not many people are being public. 00:24:05.960 --> 00:24:09.559 So it's a challenge. To figure out most people 00:24:09.559 --> 00:24:11.779 just don't want to be public about their recovery. 00:24:12.019 --> 00:24:14.539 So it's, I don't really have an answer to that, 00:24:14.619 --> 00:24:16.740 but I'd like to see more of it. That's okay. 00:24:17.059 --> 00:24:21.160 Listen, David, how can somebody get hold of you? 00:24:21.200 --> 00:24:24.619 If somebody wanted to be coached by you or just 00:24:24.619 --> 00:24:28.640 sit down and talk to you about anything, how 00:24:28.640 --> 00:24:32.500 can they get hold of you? So I had two part answers. 00:24:32.599 --> 00:24:34.420 So the first part is I want all your listeners 00:24:34.420 --> 00:24:37.759 to know that I have an offer. I offer one hour 00:24:37.759 --> 00:24:41.220 free coaching to anyone who wants it. If you're 00:24:41.220 --> 00:24:45.000 stuck on something, business, alcohol related, 00:24:45.220 --> 00:24:48.420 it doesn't matter. Reach out to me and I'm happy 00:24:48.420 --> 00:24:50.440 to spend an hour with you. Now, how do you reach 00:24:50.440 --> 00:24:54.920 out to me? CoachDJGreer .com. That's Coach D 00:24:54.920 --> 00:24:59.059 as in David, J as in James, Greer .com. Top left 00:24:59.059 --> 00:25:01.900 corner of every single webpage on my website 00:25:01.900 --> 00:25:05.920 has my phone number and my email address. use 00:25:05.920 --> 00:25:09.619 one of those and reach out to me or use the contact 00:25:09.619 --> 00:25:13.440 form if that feels better for you. Perfect. David, 00:25:13.519 --> 00:25:18.359 I can tell you're a great guest and you give 00:25:18.359 --> 00:25:22.160 information. I hope all my listeners got just 00:25:22.160 --> 00:25:25.259 as much information and I really appreciated 00:25:25.259 --> 00:25:29.640 you coming on. Thanks, Michael. I really appreciated 00:25:29.640 --> 00:25:34.200 being here today. Well, hold on, folks. Don't 00:25:34.200 --> 00:25:37.019 go anywhere. Let me just read a few of our sponsors 00:25:37.019 --> 00:25:40.700 that we have. Struggling to read success? Maybe 00:25:40.700 --> 00:25:43.880 it's time to quit. In Quit Your Way to Success 00:25:43.880 --> 00:25:48.759 by Rodney Davis. This reveals 27 steps to breaking 00:25:48.759 --> 00:25:51.720 bad habits that hold you back. This powerful 00:25:51.720 --> 00:25:55.460 book helps you rewire your mindset, take control 00:25:55.460 --> 00:25:58.599 of your actions, and turn setbacks into stepping 00:25:58.599 --> 00:26:01.890 stones. 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That's R 00:26:42.890 --> 00:26:49.869 -E -V -V -E -D -U -P -K -I -D -S dot org. A huge 00:26:49.869 --> 00:26:52.170 thank you to our guests for sharing such incredible 00:26:52.170 --> 00:26:55.670 insights today. And of course, a big shout out 00:26:55.670 --> 00:26:58.990 to you, our amazing listeners, for tuning in 00:26:58.990 --> 00:27:01.869 and spending your time with us. If you're interested 00:27:01.869 --> 00:27:05.269 in my digital courses, being coached, or having 00:27:05.269 --> 00:27:08.390 me come and talk to your company, just go to 00:27:08.390 --> 00:27:11.630 Michael and fill out the request form. Remember, 00:27:11.950 --> 00:27:15.250 networking isn't about being perfect. It's about 00:27:15.250 --> 00:27:18.170 being present. So take what you've learned today, 00:27:18.349 --> 00:27:20.970 get out there, and make some meaningful connections. 00:27:21.690 --> 00:27:24.609 If you've enjoyed this episode, please don't 00:27:24.609 --> 00:27:27.950 forget to subscribe. Leave us a review and share 00:27:27.950 --> 00:27:30.150 it with someone who could use a little networking 00:27:30.150 --> 00:27:33.150 inspiration. Let's keep the conversation going. 00:27:33.329 --> 00:27:37.869 You can find me on Apple, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, 00:27:38.029 --> 00:27:42.670 or my website, foreman .com slash podcasts.