Taylor Roark - I Was a Good Alcoholic With a Great Career The Brave Man Project #podcast

Taylor Roark was a Wall Street lawyer in New York, Tokyo and London, and at home a glass of wine became the whole bottle. Then, at half two on New Year’s morning, a friend asked: “Hey Taylor, are you okay?” Worth ten minutes, a quiet room and a pen: https://hamishniven.com/the-damage-re... Taylor Roark went to law school almost by chance and ended up a Wall Street lawyer in New York, Tokyo and London. In his third year, at a review in Tokyo, a partner told him he was well on his way to partnership. He looked around and could count the happy lawyers on one hand. Today he runs his own business, Galliant Trainings, coaching and facilitating workshops. He talks about refusing the call, the good alcoholic nobody worried about, and the question at a party that he couldn’t answer honestly. WHAT WE EXPLORE Golden handcuffs: well paid, quietly trapped, and not seeing there’s a choice The good alcoholic: functioning, successful, and a bottle finished most nights Refusing the call, and the friend who asked “are you okay?” twice CHAPTERS 0:00 I was a good alcoholic 3:26 A fish out of water 9:29 I have chores to do 13:00 Count them on one hand 15:54 I wish I had the courage 20:11 Well on your way 24:00 When you’re ripe, you rot 26:29 Was there a darker reason? 29:56 They’re a comfort 34:49 Hey Taylor, are you okay? 42:48 The ability to respond 45:49 Slam it into the ground FROM THE CONVERSATION “I can’t go save the galaxy. I have chores to do.” “I could probably count on one hand, maybe two, the number of people who were legitimately happy and satisfied with what they were doing.” “You get golden handcuffs. You’re paid well to stay in something that is maybe not very thoughtful and fulfilling.” “But from the mindset of somebody who’s in pain and struggling, they’re a comfort. They’re a relief.” “Responsibility is simply the ability to respond to whatever’s happening.” MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces Star Wars Galliant Trainings CONNECT WITH TAYLOR Website: https://www.galliant.life/ Men’s Meditation, Monthly Mondays: https://www.galliant.life/mens-medita... Instagram:   / thetaylorroark   Instagram - his business Galliant:   / galliant.life   LinkedIn:   / taylor-roark   Facebook:   / thetaylorroark   A LITTLE ABOUT HAMISH NIVEN For 25 years, I lived a life that looked successful from the outside. Inside, it was falling apart, and I was throwing fuel on the fire — addiction, alcohol. I was on a steep path to self-destruct. November 2018. I chose life, and had to change everything. I built The 13th Room because nothing like that existed when I needed it. The Brave Man Project — this podcast. It is about men, but not just for men. Men who broke under the weight of their own performance. Men who rebuilt and climbed so much higher. The 13th Room is a space for the successful man who needs to change and knows it. 13 sessions, you and me. No fixing. Pure witnessing. Starts with a free 20-minute conversation. Podcast website: https://thebravemanproject.com Hamish’s website:    / @thebravemanproject   LinkedIn:   / hamishniven   TikTok:   / hamish.niven   Instagram:   / hamishniven   Facebook:   / hamishniven   #TheBraveManProject #The13thRoom #FunctioningAlcoholic #GoldenHandcuffs #HerosJourney