Kendra Dahlstrom

But I think that ego plays a huge part of it.

And I think there's a lot of good things that ego can do too.

There is a protective mechanism.

There's a very long conversation we can have around all the good things it can do.

However, I think there are a lot of lies that we end up telling ourselves in our society today

around it, I think we think that proving will finally make us free.

Like, oh, if I can just get this next promotion, I'll finally feel better.

Well, guess what, Ryan, when you got that next promotion, did you finally feel better?

Most, maybe for a little bit, right?

Yeah.

And I find it to be almost like, it's very similar to addictions.

So you get that serotonin and dopamine rush every time you achieve and approve that next thing.

But just like that,

addict that needs the video game or more alcohol or more drugs, you need more of that achieving to actually get that same high, right?

Well, for me, it was a tipping point where it became too uncomfortable to not address it.

Right.

So, you know, I kind of hit rock bottom and have had a lot of abuse and trauma through childhood and then kind of on and off through my teens and then into college.

And then I got into some drug use for a few years.

and just really realized this is not who I am.

This is, I'm not even, I didn't even recognize this person.