Turning Pain into Purpose with James Monahan

James (Jamie) Monahan is on a mission to turn his pain into purpose.

A little over five years ago, he was unemployed, on the brink of homelessness, and in the depths of his addiction. Now? He’s about to celebrate five years of sobriety this December, he’s an award-winning entrepreneur, working full-time, and a father-to-be.

And get this, Jamie’s journal from rehab became his business plan.

Feeling inspired yet? I am.

In this episode of The Orange Butterfly Effect, I had the absolute joy of sitting down with Jamie. He opens up about his journey to recovery, the power of asking (and receiving) help, how he turned pain into passion with his start-up, BedRez, why it’s important to help yourself first and actually pat yourself on the back (because, yes, you’re your biggest supporter), and his mission to break the stigma around addiction.Oh! and we even chatted about “sweating out the bad vibes.” Jamie is a yogi too!

Okay, but what does this have to do with you?

When’s the last time you asked for help (for anything)? Personally, asking for help sounds like a nightmare to me. Why? Well, according to an article in Psychology Today, a big reason we avoid it is that… we literally don’t know how. Yep. Asking for help is a skill, and like any skill, it takes practice.

“Asking for help is hard because it means humbling yourself, admitting a mistake, or admitting ignorance. Practice helps those three things hurt less over time.”

The article goes on to say that it’s scary to ask for help… and it’s scary because we don’t do it enough.

So here’s my challenge for you this week: Big or small, what do you need help with?

Behind the Mic

I’m endlessly inspired by people like Jamie who share their “mess” openly and humanize life’s experiences. We don’t share our messiness enough. It doesn’t always have to be our deepest, darkest secrets, but what if we were more willing to be honest about our struggles? Like, “It’s hard being a working mom” or “It’s exhausting living with a chronic illness.”

We can be professionals and human beings at the same time.

Maybe I’m rambling a little, but the rawness of my conversation with Jamie has me craving more deep, honest conversations.

Because here’s the truth: the magic is in the mess. - Brené Brown

Tune in. Take what you need. Pass it on. ✨