So for me a lot of stuff was kind of maladaptive. I would every now and then drink more than I should just kind of bury myself so I played basketball after work and used as a distress or tried to over exercise. I ran from it everything except for sit and stare at the pain in the face and that's why I used the term out of the because it wasn't really affecting it was a way to kind of smooth out the edges a little bit and maybe give me a bit of

piece temporarily but never really addressing the issue because I never really

addressed the issue but the monster under the bed got scarier and stronger and

bigger until it overwhelming and I think that's a lesson that now I know very, very well to address these things.

If you had a lump under your rib cage, oh man, I'm just going to ignore it.

The type of person I was to give you better insight is when I was younger my brakes were grinding on my car and because the

brake pads were gone and so when I would break it would grind. So what I did instead of going to get them fixed, I would just turn the radio really, really loud when I'm driving so I wouldn't hear the grinding.

But metaphorically speaking, it does fit how I saw life.

I was like, if I just find a way to drown out the noise with something louder,

then I won't hear it and then it will go away in predictably and unsurprisingly it never did.

Hey friend, welcome back to the Light Watkins show. I'm Light Watkins and I love to interview ordinary folks just like you and me who've taken an extraordinary

leap of faith in the direction of their path, their purpose, or what they've identified as

their mission in life.

And in doing so, they've not only transformed their own lives,

but they've also inspired countless others along the way.

And one thing I've come to realize after conducting hundreds of these interviews is that

everyone who's found their purpose has encountered a defining moment where they could either

stay comfortable or they could follow their inner guidance, even if it seemed risky or uncertain.

And it's in these moments that we make the choice to become truly ourselves,

and that choice often has the most profound impact not only in our own lives but also in the lives of everyone around us.

In today's guest, Shola Richards, is the archetype of that hero's journey.

Shola is a speaker, an author, and an expert on workplace civility,

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