This conversation with Brian Recker centres on what happens when the belief system you built your life around no longer feels honest or humane.

We talk about growing up inside fear based religion, the cost of belonging to high control systems, and what it means to start questioning ideas that once felt untouchable. Brian reflects on the quiet tension of knowing something is harmful while still being afraid to let it go, and the emotional fallout that can follow when identity, community, and certainty begin to unravel.

There is a recurring thread throughout this episode around fear versus compassion. Between belief as control and belief as care. Between inherited frameworks and the slow work of rebuilding a way of living that puts humanity first. Rather than arguing for or against religion, this conversation stays with the experience of deconstruction and the patience required to find meaning without coercion or shame.

What comes up in the conversation

In this episode, we talk about:

• Growing up inside fundamentalist Christianity and separation from the world
• The loss of belonging that often comes with changing your mind
• Fear as a tool of control, and how it shapes identity and behaviour
• Deconstruction, grief, and the “death of a dream”
• Rebuilding faith, values, and community without fear
• Choosing compassion over certainty

About Brian Recker

Brian Recker is a writer, speaker, and public theologian exploring Christian spirituality beyond fear, shame, and exclusion. He spent eight years as an evangelical pastor before stepping away to re-examine faith, power, and belonging through a more humane and inclusive lens.

Brian is the author of Hell Bent: How the Fear of Hell Holds Christians Back from a Spirituality of Love, and shares his work online through writing, teaching, and community conversations focused on deconstruction, compassion, and change.

Links & resources

Brian on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/berecker/

Brian’s website: https://www.brianrecker.com/

Hell Bent by Brian Recker (affiliate link): https://amzn.to/3Zt4LGy

About the podcast

12 Steps to Success is a podcast about what happens when the path you were on stops making sense.

Hosted by Eric Mackay, the show centres on honest conversations with people navigating change, pressure, identity shifts, recovery, and redefinition. These are not success stories or instruction manuals, but real conversations about how people live inside uncertainty and keep moving without false certainty.

Stay connected

Website: https://twelvestepstosuccess.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/twelvestepstosuccess

This conversation with Nyeesha D. Williams explores what happens when the structures you’ve relied on begin to fall apart, and the work required to rebuild without rushing to make sense of it too quickly.

We talk about setbacks and how disorienting they can feel when the path you were on suddenly stops making sense. About loss, disruption, and the pressure to keep moving forward even when you’re unsure what you’re rebuilding toward. Nyeesha reflects on moments where certainty disappeared, plans unraveled, and the focus shifted from outcomes to honesty about where she really was.

There is a recurring theme in this episode around rebuilding without performance. Around resisting the urge to frame difficulty as growth too quickly, and instead allowing space for grief, recalibration, and quieter forms of resilience. Rather than searching for neat lessons, this conversation stays with the reality of rebuilding slowly and with integrity when things do not go to plan.

What Comes Up In the Conversation:

In this episode, we talk about:

- Navigating setbacks without rushing to reframe them

- The emotional cost of holding things together when they are already breaking

- Rebuilding identity and direction after disruption

- Leadership in moments of uncertainty and loss

- Finding steadiness again without pretending clarity has arrived

About Nyeesha D. Williams:

Nyeesha D. Williams is a leader, operator, and community builder working at the intersection of purpose, culture, and connection. Her work focuses on creating spaces where people can be honest about where they are, particularly during periods of change, disruption, and transition. She is the founder of The HAUS, a membership-based community designed to support people navigating growth and leadership without pressure to perform certainty or resilience before they are ready.

Links & Resources:

Website: https://www.nyeeshawilliams.com

LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram: @nyeeshad

The HAUS: https://www.jointhehaus.com

Instagram: @jointhehaus

About the Podcast:

12 Steps to Success is a podcast about what happens when the path you were on stops making sense. Hosted by Eric Mackay, the show centres on honest conversations with people navigating change, pressure, identity shifts, recovery, and redefinition. These are not success stories or instruction manuals, but real conversations about how people live inside uncertainty and keep moving without false certainty.

Stay Connected:

Website: https://twelvestepstosuccess.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/twelvestepstosuccess

This conversation with Christopher Brereton centres on what happens when the identity you built your life around no longer fits as cleanly as it once did.

We talk about momentum and how easily it can turn into something you hide behind. About being known for a particular role, skill, or output, and the quiet unease that can surface when you realise you are still moving, still producing, but no longer sure who that movement is really serving. Christopher reflects on moments where forward motion stopped feeling like progress and started to feel like avoidance.

There is a recurring tension in this episode between building and becoming. Between the satisfaction of creating systems, companies, and portfolios, and the harder work of asking what kind of life those systems are meant to support. Rather than chasing reinvention, this conversation stays with the discomfort of re examination and the patience required to let a more honest direction emerge.

What comes up in the conversation

In this episode, we talk about:

• Momentum as both a strength and a defence mechanism
• Identity beyond titles, roles, and output
• The pressure to keep building even when direction feels unclear
• A portfolio mindset applied to work and life
• Slowing down long enough to ask harder questions about impact

About Christopher Brereton

Christopher Brereton is a fractional product and operations leader working at the intersection of product, energy, health, and long term impact. His work is guided by a portfolio mindset and a clear purpose of amplifying positive impact for people and the planet.

Christopher currently leads energy management systems work at MARA and serves as Head of Portfolio Acceleration at MOHARA. He is the founder of Product Hang Partners and is building The Folder, a platform rethinking estate planning as a living system rather than a static document.

Links & resources:

• Website: https://christopherbrereton.com
• Product Hang Partners: http://producthang.com/
• MARA: http://mara.com/
• MOHARA: http://mohara.co/

About the podcast

12 Steps to Success is a podcast about what happens when the path you were on stops making sense.

Hosted by Eric Mackay, the show centres on honest conversations with people navigating change, pressure, identity shifts, recovery, and redefinition. These are not success stories or instruction manuals, but real conversations about how people live inside uncertainty and keep moving without false certainty.

Stay connected

• Website: https://twelvestepstosuccess.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/twelvestepstosuccess