Creating Comeback Stories with Chris Thompson of Sober Sidekick

Download Sober Sidekick on Apple or Google Play

Read about Sober Sidekick on Fortune

Sober Sidekick with Brian MacMahon on the Expert Dojo Podcast, The Art of Startup War

 

5:00 - Chris’s story about starting Sober Sidekick, beginning with waking up on the sidewalk on Thanksgiving Day and asking himself, “What if today was Day 1 of my comeback story?” Asking ourselves the powerful question “What If?” instead of the disempowering question, “Why is?”

10:00 - Chris begins to tell himself a new story. From sober living, armed with a 30 day chip from Alcoholics Anonymous, to beginning to write the first line of code for Sober Sidekick. Chris realized his algorithm from his last startup for musicians could help others get and stay sober.

14.20 - Chris provides his advice on how to get through with someone who is in a really difficult or tough place. The similarities between the entrepreneurial journey and the recovery journey. How purpose can come from struggle and suffering

17.00 - Genevieve discusses the illusion of separateness and how it drives us in isolation, in entrepreneurship, addiction and otherwise. Dropping the belief in separateness and realizing we are the same, being willing to connect through our similarities instead of trapped in our differences. Chris talks about Sober Sidekick’s foundation of being a We platform that operates without ego. Guilt and shame can only come from the ego.

23.00 - The fork in the road, when Chris almost quit and relapsed. Realizing the enemy is not outside of him, it’s within him. There was no scenario that he cannot push through. The day you want to quit is the most important day of your life.

31.00 - What if our healthcare was community driven? What if we were more dependent on each other? Especially in behavioral health and mental health. How isolation drives adverse health outcomes.

34.30 - Genevieve ruminates on transactional thinking. What if we ask ourselves instead, “who can I be?” How this opens up possibilities. Overcome the immense pressure to transact, add value, take value, etc. Chris draws the connection between how he comes into sales and investment pitches with this mindset. Claiming the ultimate power through realness, authenticity and connection and using this to create a business, and a purpose that is bigger than you. This is the root of the multiplier effect that powers Sober Sidekick, Suncoast Ventures, Expert Dojo and so many other high performing purpose-driven startups.

42.00 - One day when you are on your deathbed, what will you care about most about today? That you were willing to show up, be on the court. You will only regret failure if you’re not on the court playing full out.

43.50 - The only thing you can’t undo is not taking action. All you have is looking back and wondering “what if?” Genevieve shares about how she used to have lots of reasons, justifications and reasons for why she didn’t have the life, the career and the results that she wanted, and how this shifted when she got on the court and started to take action.