This is **Part 2** of the story we started in the previous episode. It all grew out of a single question I asked James:

> “When and why did you decide to go public with all of this?”

That question opened the door to a series of connected stories:

- The story of **Angel**, a service dog in training
- The story of **Alex Sanchez**, a man who lived years under crushing anxiety
- The story of **Eno**, a combat veteran and police officer who lost an arm, fellow officers, his house, a dog, and more

Their stories weave together into a road trip, a favor being called in, and a breakthrough James never planned for.

Alex is the man James “called in a favor” from. The favor?

A road trip to pick up **Angel**, a service dog who will be trained live in front of James’ online audience and eventually given to Eno.

At the time of this story, Alex:

- Gets extremely anxious in large crowds
- Has never gone to see his son play basketball because of that anxiety
- Has promised his family he’ll be back from this trip before they drive to San Antonio, where his oldest son will play in a championship game in a dome

As James and I talk through all of this, Alex begins to speak more freely. He remembers this road trip as a turning point, but **in real time** back then, he was still in the middle of the struggle.

### A raw, unpolished recording

You’ll notice the audio is a bit noisy. That’s because:

- We recorded this originally just to capture content for the upcoming book
- We weren’t planning to release the audio publicly
- You’ll hear us eating chips, walking around, checking who’s arriving at the Airbnb, and more

It’s real life. And it’s raw.

### The deeper message

Underneath all the details and side stories, this episode is about identity, movement, and hope. You’ll hear a simple but powerful theme repeated:

- **Where you are isn’t who you are**
- **Where you are isn’t where you have to stay**

You may feel stuck. It may take effort and ongoing work to move forward. You’ll need to be intentional about what voices you listen to so you don’t decide you’re unworthy and hit the self‑destruct button.

But wherever you are right now is simply your **starting point**, not your identity and not your permanent address.

In this episode you’ll hear:

- How a road trip tied together the stories of Angel, Alex, and Eno
- Why James decided to go public with his own story
- What it looks like to walk into places that make you anxious and still move forward
- How a “favor” and a service dog became part of someone else’s healing
- A reminder that your current location in life is not your final destination

If you feel like your walls are 40 feet high and 40 feet deep, I think this conversation will remind you that there is a door, there is a way forward, and you don’t have to walk it alone.

____________________

Check the show notes below for the link to:

- Join the launch team for James’ upcoming book
- Get notified when the book and other resources are released
- Connect with more tools to help you heal and step into your purpose