Episode 1676: Interview with Daniel Bradley About Resilience and Intentional Living

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Scott Maderer: [00:00:00] Thanks for joining us on episode 1,676 of the Inspired Stewardship Podcast.

Daniel Bradley: I'm Daniel Bradley. I challenge you to invest in yourself, invest in others, develop your influence, and impact the world by using your time, your talent, and your treasures to live out your calling. Having the ability to recognize that you can always transform is key, and one way to be inspired to do that is listen to this, the Inspired Stewardship Podcast with my friend Scott Maderer.

Because I think a lot more people live in the dark night than we all realize. I think a lot more people have that than you would think. I said before, social media makes it look like everyone's thriving all the time. You know, there is a blanket where people can hide behind now. And, you know, I think behind all of that, there's still a lot of, there's a lot of grief, addiction, anxiety, loneliness, you know, [00:01:00] identity struggles.

Scott Maderer: Welcome and thank you for joining us on the Inspired Stewardship Podcast. If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent, and your treasures for your true calling. In the Inspired Stewardship Podcast, you will learn to invest in yourself, invest in others, and develop your influence so that you can impact the world

In today's podcast episode, I interview Daniel Bradley. I ask Daniel about why his calling is so focused on overcoming the dark times. I also ask Daniel about resilience

and why he feels it's so important, and Daniel also shares with you his podcast and coaching, Braving the Bright Side.

I have a great book that's been out for a while now called Inspired Living: Assemble the [00:02:00] Puzzle of Your Calling by Mastering Your Time, Your Talent, and Your Treasures.

You can find out more about that book over at inspiredlivingbook.com. It'll take you to a page where there's information, and you can sign up to get some mailings about it, as well as purchase a copy there. I'd love to see you get a copy and share with me how it impacted your world. Dan Bradley is the founder of Braving the Bright Side, a podcast and coaching platform dedicated to resilience, identity evolution, and intentional living.

A keynote speaker, coach, and entrepreneur, Dan helps high-performing men break out of survival mode and build disciplined, purpose-driven lives rooted in clarity and self-respect. After navigating his own journey through addiction, burnout, and identity loss, Dan rebuilt his life from the inside out, launching Braving the Bright Side LLC and stepping onto stages to share a message centered on ownership, growth, and courageous [00:03:00] self-examination.

Through honest conversations with athletes, entrepreneurs, and everyday warriors, Dan explores what it really takes to move from drifting to deliberate. His work blends grit with heart, strength with vulnerability, and challenges listeners to stop hiding behind titles and start living on purpose

Welcome to the show, Daniel

Daniel Bradley: Wow.

Thank you so much for having me, Scott. I really appreciate it, man. Scott, a pleasure to be here.

Scott Maderer: Absolutely. It, it's been great to connect with you over the last few months. We're in a group together so we, we network and, and talk outside of podcasting. But of course- Mm-hmm ... you're a great podcaster yourself, as I talked about in the intro.

But I always like to go in, when, when it talks about intros it always shows where we're at today- Mm-hmm ... but it never really talks about how we got there. Mm. And I think how we got there is usually the more interesting part of the story. So-

Daniel Bradley: Very true ...

Scott Maderer: take us back in time a little bit and tell... share a little bit about your [00:04:00] journey and what has br- brought you to the point where this is what you feel called to do and the message you feel called to put out in the world?

Daniel Bradley: Yeah, absolutely. My journey has been quite the journey. I... growing up I've always felt thing, felt things pretty deeply. You know, I was one of my family, Irish Catholic seven girls, one boy. And so I was raised by women, which I'm always very appreciative of. And, um, yeah, like, you know, I, I was raised with empathy, with care, and I f- feeling deeply about people and things and passions and stuff like that.

So but unfortunately sometimes that, that also comes with a little bit of darkness, right? Like unfortunately, as s- as life went on and things got hard, it also meant, like, you know, I felt addiction and depression and I felt that darkness at different parts of my life, um, where I felt like I wasn't living up to where I was supposed to be or, you know, [00:05:00] I'd...

I would- just felt like I was wandering at points. So I leaned into alcohol pretty hard for a good pa- good part of my life. Especially my... I lost my mother when I was 18, and, uh, that just kind of accelerated everything, you know. It was essentially my best friend that was gone, and I my family was there and we were all there for each other, but it's hard to kind of...

once that massive piece of your soul kind of falls off and gets taken away, I didn't know what to do with that. So I tried to numb it, you know. I tried to fill it up with whatever else I could get my hands on. You know, whiskey and a couple IPAs and other things was, seemed to work for a while there.

But it started catching up to me because I just refused to think about things. So when you start pouring alcohol and stuff on top of that, and whatever else distractions you can get, eventually they're gonna weigh you down long enough where you, you hit a bottom and you have to think about those [00:06:00] things, and that's kinda what happened.

It caught up to me, um, in the form of about six years ago, I- Was drinking with friends, watching a Philadelphia Eagles game. They were losing to the Dallas Cowboys, which is always depressing for a Philadelphia fan. And, uh-

Scott Maderer: Actually, anyone gets depressed if the Dallas Cowboys beats them, but that's, uh

Daniel Bradley: It's so true.

And I can

Scott Maderer: say that as a Texan.

Daniel Bradley: Ah, yeah. Yeah, you know it. You know it very well. So yeah. I remember that night, it was, uh, October 22nd, and my buddy, we had gotten done... I was a chef for many, many years, and you know, obviously, that kitchen culture kind of feeds into an addiction culture to a certain extent if you're not strong enough to kind of do your thing.

And, um, I... We got done drinking, and I was like, "All right. Let's meet at a bar. Drop me off at home," 'cause I didn't have a license, of course, and, uh, "Drop me off at home. I gotta feed my cat." long story short, I had left my keys [00:07:00] inside my apartment, um, once again. I did that a lot back in the day, 'cause I was always running late, 'cause I was always hungover.

My wife was out of ti- out, out of town, town at the time, so I decided that I could... I lived on, lived on the third story, and I had a outside deck where I knew the sliding glass door was broken. So I know that was unlocked. So I thought to myself, "Well I can just put a ladder up onto my neighbor's deck underneath us, pull myself up, get onto my deck, go in, feed the cat.

Everything's gonna be fine like I'm Spider-Man." spoiler alert, did not work out that way. I got up to my deck. It started raining. I remember that. I remember as I grabbed onto my deck, the ladder behind me fell, and I remember thinking like, "Well, I'm in it now. Here we go Tried to pull myself up. The last thing I remember was seeing my cat's face screaming at me.

Pretty sure he was screaming at me like, "What are you doing? Stop." Um, and my body, after years of- That's... No,

Scott Maderer: wait. No, no, no, no. It's a cat. Yeah. He was going, "My balls hit me. My balls hit me." Yeah, yeah.

You're

right. [00:08:00] That's what he was saying.

Daniel Bradley: My body's like, "All right. We're done here. You've taken this as far as you could."

It literally shut down. I watched my fingers open up, and I said, "Oh, no." Oh,

Scott Maderer: geez.

Daniel Bradley: And I fell backwards. I still remember the night sky. I remember seeing the moon fly by me, and I remember thinking like, "When I land, if I survive this, everything I know will be different. There's no way." Like, everything... I felt like I fell for about 30 seconds.

Landed hard. I don't know. I think I lost consciousness for a little bit. Finally came back. I remember picking up my arm and thinking to myself, " this feels like it's full of jelly beans." that's how mangled it was, and my brain was... That's how my brain kind of sa- you know, kind of gave myself a safety net, was comparing it to candy.

And, um, long story short, I shattered my elbow, broke three ribs, shoved a rib into my lung, and collapsed a lung. And the paramedic that was there, he's like, "I don't know how you got so lucky." My head was literally maybe in, less than a foot away from hitting concrete. Mm. So I was lucky to survive [00:09:00] that fall at all.

So I laid in the hospital for about a week. And I immediately, in that hosp- in the, uh, ambulance going to the hospital, I remember thinking to myself, "Well, this is it. I don't know that I can really f- literally fall any further than this." So after surgery, I got out, and I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what life looked like w- if you weren't drinking or partying or numbing things.

So I drank a lot of hot tea, started going to AA, started get- putting myself in crowds of people that were down the same path as me and struggled like me, and made some friends, made some connections. And then through that, that was... And then COVID hit, so that was a blessing in disguise and also really tough because, right, COVID you couldn't go out to the bars or whatever, so that was cool.

So it kind of forced me to be in on myself and in on my mind. But on the other end, literally everybody just drank all the time for the most part during COVID. People were drinking at all hours of the day. Every time I jumped on a Zoom call with a, with an old friend of mine, they were drinking at 8:00 [00:10:00] AM or whatever it was, so, you know, I was also like, "Well, thank God," because I probably would've drank myself to death at that point.

So long story short, through my sobriety, you know, my sobriety obviously was a massive turning point. Um, it really forced me to kind of feel everything that I had been ignoring my entire life, everything from addiction to loss to who I really thought I was and who I wanted to be. And it... I started growing more and more hungry for life.

And through that, I realized I didn't wanna be a chef anymore. I, I wanted more time outside of this iron box, this metal box in a kitchen. Loved it, but, you know, I just-- it wasn't for me anymore. I wanted to do more. I just felt like there was more I could be doing, not even in terms of myself, but just other people.

So I started, started working at a, at a grocery store instead, which was much better hours. [00:11:00] Ironically enough, better pay, which is crazy. And You know, I started talking to other people. I started talking to people that, you know, I kind of looked around, especially since COVID, people that hit really, really hard times and, and hit really, really dark patches and, and, you know, I would talk to them about it and tell them my story and they would hear that and take solace in the fact that they were being hear- heard and seen as well by somebody that came from that same path.

And, um through that I started making, you know, some, some great connections and I thought to myself, "Well, what if I can do this on a larger level? What if I can, I don't know, put these stories out there that I'm hearing from other people on a platform so then other people can feel seen and heard?"

So really my sobriety helped spawn this, this urge, this hunger to kind of just connect with myself, and then through that with other people. And then also create the podcast, Braving the Bright Side. So the idea is that I'd have people who've come from all walks of life, whatever [00:12:00] they may have deal with, whether it be like just feeling left behind in life, feeling lost, addiction, grief, you know, whatever their struggles may be, whatever their dark spots may be having them on and then giving them a platform to kind of speak that out of their soul and, and have pride in terms of what they've gone through and how they're still standing.

But then also create a safe space for other people that are hearing these stories and letting them know, man, like, okay, all right, so it's not just me. Because that's the biggest thing too, especially in a world of social media, it is very easily to f- easy to feel isolated, and you feel like everybody else is living their best life and you're barely scratching by, and that's just not the case.

So just honest conversations about struggle, resilience, and ultimately hope because, um I carry that. I carry a lot of hope in this world, and I also carry authenticity of there is a better... You know, your past doesn't dictate your future. So it's called Braving the Bright Side with Dan Bradley, but really each guest I have on there is the star of [00:13:00] the show, and that's, you know, that's, that's kind of what it was.

It was just, you know, it was two-way street of helping people tell their story and then helping people feel seen and heard outside there too. Let them know they're not on their own, that it does get better, and hang in there.

Scott Maderer: So what's your sober date?

Daniel Bradley: Uh, October 22nd was the last day I drank. October 22nd- So

Scott Maderer: 2019

of '19? Okay. Yeah. Congratulations.

Daniel Bradley: Thank you

Scott Maderer: very much. Good job. Yeah. So that's the day before my birthday. My birthday's October 23rd, so that'll be an easy- Is it really? Yeah, that'll be an easy date for me to remember. So, uh- That's

Daniel Bradley: wild.

Scott Maderer: Yeah. I have a lot of respect for sober dates. I grew up in an alcoholic household and, and, Mm

um, stopped drinking myself in '99 'cause I was starting to feel like I was going down that road. So I, I didn't- Yeah ... I didn't actually go down the road, but you know, fortunate enough to stop before it, but I haven't touched alcohol since '99 'cause I just- Wow. Good on you, man ... I'm not gonna, not gonna do that.

Yeah.

Daniel Bradley: Yeah. It doesn't do, doesn't do you anything. As soon as you feel that [00:14:00] coming on, you're like, "Okay, nope. We're good."

Scott Maderer: So earlier you mentioned something and I wanted to kind of follow up on it. You said the, you know, you were in the kitchen culture, which also includes addiction culture.

Mm-hmm. And then later you talked about moving to the grocery store and, and other things. I I'm curious, do you think it was that the kitchen culture lends itself to addiction culture? Or do you think it's because you had the addictive mindset you found the people that were- Mm ... the addictive culture, if that makes sense.

Do you know what I mean? That does make sense, yeah. Is it, was it a cause effect like, oh, that's where the addicts hang out? Or was it a, no, you're an addict so you-

Daniel Bradley: Right. Right. That's really interesting actually. I don't think I've ever, ever had anybody ask that. But I think it's like a, it's a two-part relationship where both sides kinda come together, 'cause- I, the idea of a restaurant and you see all the old movies and TV shows and all this stuff is when you're a chef, when you're a cook, that's it.

You, you chain smoke cigarettes, you [00:15:00] chug beers afterwards. You know, you... There's like this, especially in the past 20 years with the Kitchen Network, like the different shows that have come up, it's like this rock star, you know- Yeah, Gordon Ramsay yelled at me enough. You know what I mean? Yeah, exactly. I go drink too.

It's, it's like, yeah, I get tattoos on my knuckles that say chef life or get knives tattooed on me, and then I'm just, I just live hard, I play hard, and I work hard. And, um, so I think that kind of built up that culture. But also, you know, a lot of addicts, like especially alcoholics, like for the most part, you know, if you're able to show up and get the job done and you can kind of for the most part, th- thrive or at least survive in kitchens, even if you're an addict, because you show up a couple hours, you sweat you work hard, and then really there's a bar 20 feet away from you when you get done work.

And a lot of places will give you a free beer if you- Well, and you're somewhat invisible. Yeah. You're somewhat invisible too, 'cause you're in the back. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. I think it's both. I think addicts just tend [00:16:00] to it's an easy-- Like, kitchens are always looking for help and, you know, it's, it's...

If you have the work ethic, you can get in there. And then also being in that environment, you can't help but kind of get swept up in it and, you know, you become friends with these people that you stand next to who's also all about drinking and then, you know, "Oh, we had a great shift together. You wanna grab a beer?"

"Yeah, let's go grab a beer." And then, you know you sit at the bar and... So I think it's, I think it's a two-way street. I think it goes both ways, but, um, very interesting question. Um I think it's a little bit of both, honestly.

Scott Maderer: Yeah. Yeah. 'Cause I've seen... I think a lot of times we... It's not that your environment can't affect your behavior, obviously it does, but at the same time, you know, there's somebody that is in that kitchen that's probably stone cold sober, you know what I mean?

Yeah. You know, so it's like, eh, you know? Yeah. Does that really mean that it creates it or does it mean-

Daniel Bradley: It almost just helps sustain it

Scott Maderer: if you already have it. It helps sustain it if you already [00:17:00] have it. Yeah. Yeah, kind of thing. Uh, because it's kind of the norm. It, and again, I'm, I'm using addiction there, but I think that's true of, of a lot of our habits.

You know- Mm-hmm ... if the, if the culture of the place that you're spending eight hours a day or more is a certain way, well, you can begin to adapt that cul- culture yourself no matter what.

Daniel Bradley: Right. And that's kind of what led to my exit from there too was from kitchens, was like, okay, this isn't... I still love cooking food, and I was kind of getting burned out but, you know, you can't help but just, you know, I was working at a place that pushes beer, pushes li- liquor, push, you know.

It was like, um- It just didn't do me any favors anymore. I didn't, I didn't really have that same level of passion, whether 'cause I wasn't getting done hanging out with everybody and shooting shots, and, you know, there was a lot of times where chefs were getting together and having beers afterwards and making all these plans, and I would find out about it secondhand because I wasn't at the bar the night before.

Yeah. Right. Like, "Oh, we were talking about doing this, this, this." I'm like, "Okay. I wish I could've been a part of that conversation, but I don't go out anymore," so- Right ... you know? Right. Yeah. So it was, it was time for me to move on, for sure.

Scott Maderer: [00:18:00] It's hard, it's hard to hang out in the bar and not participate.

Yeah. It is not, not a, not an environment you necessarily wanna put yourself in.

Daniel Bradley: I can only chug so much club soda, you know?

Scott Maderer: So. So would you... Talk as well, one of the things I like to highlight on the show is kind of what I call the, the intersection between our, our faith journey and our life journey.

And, you know, you shared a lot there about some of the challenges you've gone through. But how has that affected your faith and how has the effects of your faith affected the decisions and the life- Yeah ... journey you've been on?

Daniel Bradley: Yeah, my, my relationship with faith has always been kind of more of a journey than a straight line, that's for sure.

You know, like I said, raised Irish Catholic. So there was- My condolences, by

Scott Maderer: the way ... throughout my

Daniel Bradley: entire life,

Scott Maderer: there's...

Daniel Bradley: What's that?

Scott Maderer: My condolences, by the way.

Daniel Bradley: Yeah. Thanks. Daniel Patrick Bradley, I didn't stand a chance. I was Irish Catholic 100% there. [00:19:00] So yeah, church was, It was definitely we, we...

It was something that I grew up with that I went to every Sunday. You know- Mm ... did that whole thing. CCD, I think that's what they called, was where every Sunday w- the kids would go and get this group. Um, I think I got kicked out of it because I was so obnoxious. But, you know, so I looked at it at first as, like, this boring thing that I had to get to, but as I got older, especially after my mother passed, I, I kinda leaned into it a little bit more, actually read the Bible.

You know, started really kind of starting a journey, you know, with faith and, and not necessarily buying completely into... You know, my, a lot of my sisters are Christian so, you know, I, I... Which was great for me in terms of leaning on after my mother's death, but you know, as time went on, I was like, eh, you know, kinda wavered a little bit there.

So there was times in my life where I felt spiritually connected for sure, but then other times where I kind of questioned everything. You know, I'd hit hardships or I'd lose a friend or there'd be, like, a death, and I'd be like, "What are we doing? Like, what? Why? Why?" [00:20:00] so you know, faith for me is less to do with having, like, perfect answers and more to do with remaining open to something bigger than myself, you know?

And I've always been open to that, and I've always believed that, and I don't try to just jump into one lane. I try to be very observant and very open to that spirituality, you know, you realize quickly too when you get sober that you can't do everything alone, and you certainly can't rely on other people all the time.

So that, you know, I'm, I'm very open to that spiritually. And, um, especially for me, faith, like I said, I don't, I don't... I'm not landing in one lane right now, but faith for me creates space for like humility, gratitude, and perspective. And that's a big part for my journey and also for what I'm trying to do right now and, and staying humble.

And, um, you know, for me, it's become a reminder that even when life feels chaotic or uncertain, um, there's still meaning and purpose to be [00:21:00] found. Yeah, every morning I'm- I wake up and I'm I'm grateful for the life that I live. I'm grateful for the second chances I've gotten. And I'm for whatever power's out there, I I'm grateful for.

Scott Maderer: Would, how is this kind of connected to, uh, th- the work you do on, on Braving the Bright Side, where, you know, you are focused on sharing those stories of people kind of overcoming, overcoming the dark, so to speak? Mm-hmm, mm-hmm ... you know in, in my circles we call that the dark night of the soul moments.

You know? Mm-hmm. The the moments where you wake up at 3:00 in the morning and wonder if you're gonna wake up in the morning, y- you know? Yeah, yeah ... uh, the, the, that kind of thing, and you have those thoughts. Why that focus? And how has that affected your, your response to faith?

Daniel Bradley: It's a great question.

[00:22:00] Honestly, because I think a lot more people live in that, that dark night than they reali- than we all realize. Um- Oh, yeah ... I think a lot more people have that than you would think. You know, like I said before, social media makes it look like everyone's thriving all the time. You know, there is a blanket where people can hide behind now.

And, you know, I think behind all of that there's still a lot of, there's a lot of grief, addiction, anxiety, loneliness, you know, identity struggles. I think there's a lot of that going on, and a lot of the people don't wanna talk about or even admit. So I think a lot more people are dealing with what you just pretty much explained than we realize.

So you know, I don't wanna pretend those things are exi- don't exist, and I, I wanna bring them to the forefront and make people realize that you're not alone if you are feeling that, and then it's okay to... You know, one of the hardest things is sitting in that and, and having a serious talk with yourself and admitting that.

And you know, I've had talks with people that have kind of led them to faith. You know, I've had a couple, a couple of conversations that have led them to showing [00:23:00] back up to a church, you know? 'Cause I lean into you can't do this alone, you know? Mm-hmm. Like, you can't just do it with one other person.

Like, you know, it's, it's okay to kinda surrender that the path that you jumped into isn't working, and you need to find a new one. And whatever that m- form that may take, whatever, you know, decision that leads to, I think that's, that's okay. But, um, you know, and f- I, I th- I throw it out there a lot of times.

You know, are you a faithful person? Are you, are you Christianity, Catholic? Whatever you may believe in, is, uh, or any aspect in that, in your soul, is that something that would speaks to you again? So I think that's a huge part of people finding their way again, like you said, is faith. And I've helped, I've talked people in, you know, into just ta- taking a step back into a church again, and-

It's done wonders for them. You know? It's, it's created a safe space and a community for them. It's been great.

Scott Maderer: And I think that community aspect is so important. Mm-hmm. A- and again, I'm not [00:24:00] necessarily even talking about a formal church. Yeah ...

you know but surrounding yourself with pe- well, again, it goes back to what we were talking about with the kitchen, you know?

Right, right. It's the

Daniel Bradley: other side.

Scott Maderer: If you're in the midst of that environment, well, that's the way you go. But if you surround yourself with people that are going, "Nope," you know?

Daniel Bradley: Yeah. Yeah,

Scott Maderer: exactly. It's like the- You know, it's a lot easier to go that way.

Daniel Bradley: It's the bright side of that. You know, that other side of it where, you know, you're around people that can see their own struggles in you and be like, "No, no, no, don't do that.

Actually, here, do this instead."

Scott Maderer: Yeah. "

Daniel Bradley: How about you

Scott Maderer: come over here?" And, and, and what's more, I'll walk with you- Right ... or hey, I'll put my arm around you and say, "Yeah."

Daniel Bradley: Yeah.

Scott Maderer: Uh, you know, again, like I grew up in the f- in the household of an alcoholic, so I've got to see... I saw the end of that journey- Mm-hmm

which was why I was able to go, "Nope." You know? Yeah. "I don't, I don't wanna do that." Yeah. This is gonna be a bad choice." you know I I k- I know where that, the end of that path is, and that's, that's not a direction I wanna go. But, if I hadn't known the end of that path, then I think the stories [00:25:00] that...

Well, and when I was suicidal because of finances you know, what finally broke me free was hearing someone else sh- share, share a story of success from a situation that was close enough to how I was feeling-

For me to hear myself in it, you know? Yeah. It wasn't identical, but it was... There was a lot of parallels.

It made me go- Yeah ... "Huh, well, if they can do it-"

Daniel Bradley: Yeah, and there's so much power behind that. The, that simple saying that you've heard your entire life. Oh, well, if they can do it, I can probably do it. You know? But there is so much power into it. And, you know, not to keep harping away at it, because I feel like I keep saying it, but, you know, with social media showing people just on a boat or living their best lives that builds a wall between you and the rest of humanity where you're just like, "Oh, man, I'm...

Okay, well, I'm, I'm 32 years old and I'm still paying rent. I'm behind on these bills." Like, this person's got this person's got that. To create a space where it's honest, authentic, and open, where people can hear these stories of [00:26:00] struggle and then be like, "Oh, man. Okay. Well, that person had three kids this, and this, and they did it.

All right. I, I can do it." You know? Like, I think there is so much power in that phrase that you just said, "If they can do it, I can do it." And that comes from a good place, honestly, for the most part.

Scott Maderer: Yeah. If it's not motivated out of competition, but, but connection, then it's... Yeah.

Daniel Bradley: Yeah.

Scott Maderer: Ha- have you ever seen...

A- and sorry, this just crossed my mind, so I'm gonna ask it. So there's a, a video, it's an old video. I've seen it on YouTube, but I'm not sure... I'm sure you can find it other places, called God Glasses.

Daniel Bradley: No. I think, I'm think I'm aware. So

Scott Maderer: this guy is basically having a bad day. I'm pretty sure the title of it was God Glasses, and he finds a pair of glasses and puts them on, a- and basically he can see underneath people words that is what's going on in their life.

Daniel Bradley: Oh.

Scott Maderer: You know? So, like, you know, the, the barista in the coffee shop is kinda [00:27:00] fumbling around, and underneath it it's like, you know, ne- d- you know, div- nearly divorced or, you know- Mm-hmm ... getting a divorce or whatever.

And it's like... And it, it changes his attitude about all the people around him. And I'm like, I often wonder if we had that ability, you know- how much, how much kinder we would be to the people around us- Yeah ... if we could see- Yeah ... the battles that they're facing, 'cause we don't. We hide it.

Daniel Bradley: No, I mean, we do.

And, and it's honestly, that's also, like, a m- you know, they call the main character syndrome, when you're, all you're doing is focusing on yourself and what you gotta do, what you're do- what you're do- you have to get to work, you have to go to this, you have to get to that, that you don't think of pe- about people as other people.

You think of, like, "Oh, my God. All right, they're in my way." Like, "Oh, come on." Like, they're- Sure ... stumbling over their, my latte. Like, "Pick it up, lady. Come on." Like, you're messing me up, and there's no understanding or viewpoint of, like, well, I hope they're okay. Are they all right? Like, this person doesn't look okay.

Yeah. But if you're just focusing on yourself and your own journey nonstop, you won't see anybody and anybody else's struggles.

Scott Maderer: And by the way, if you think you're not, uh, you're not [00:28:00] doing that, just reflect back on the last time someone cut you off in traffic, and what- Nice ... was your response? You know?

Yeah. For sure. I think that exposes all of us, 'cause we all I've seen very few people that go, "Oh, they probably need it in." You know? Yeah.

Daniel Bradley: Yeah. Well, to be fair, I stopped flipping people off and I started giving them the thumbs up. Thumbs up, yeah. That actually turns, that makes them actually, I think, angrier, more than the middle finger sometimes, so.

Scott Maderer: Yeah. Well, and, and again, I always say that I reflect to myself that you know, again, I don't think they intentionally thought to themselves, "I'm gonna cut off Scott this morning." Right, right, right. Yeah. You know? That, that really was not personal. It's like- Yeah ... They're just trying to get where they're going.

I mean I still don't appreciate it, but- Yeah ... you know? Yeah,

Daniel Bradley: exactly.

Scott Maderer: It's not personal. So talk about some of the things as you've heard these stories, as you've gone through the journey yourself, what are some of the, the [00:29:00] tips that you've heard or the practical advice that you've heard? That has kind of helped you share how can people develop resilience, how can people kind of get through these-

Dark times and find the bright side?

Daniel Bradley: I think, um, you know, one of the biggest things I've learned, uh, in my journey through the sobriety and everything like that is I'm an '80s kid. So I was gr- I grew up on these big movies and these action movies. I thought we were all gonna be movie stars making all this money and stuff like that.

But like, I, you know, grew up... Ghostbusters is my favorite movie and I expect everything to be dramatic, right? Like, so when I got sober, I kinda thought like, "All right, the world's gonna open up. Here we go. Everything's gonna get better. I don't drink anymore." And it's just that's not realistic, you know.

I was waiting for this big dramatic moment where someone's like, "Daniel, my son." But you know, it's not built through huge dramatic moments. Um, it's built through small [00:30:00] daily choices and you have to start small. You know, you can't overwhelm yourself. You know, there's a lot going on out there, so you have to start small, whether it be like, "I'm gonna make my bed this morning.

I'm just... I'm gonna... That's all... That's where I'm gonna start." Or, "You know what? I'm gonna give myself 10 extra minutes to just have a cup of coffee and just think about my day." You know, like, little things like that where you... Just the smallest pivots can lead to massive, massive changes down the road.

And that's the biggest thing too is take your time. Like the... You have to take your time day by day. Um, physical health is a big one. Um, excuse me. I can't stress enough just going on for just like a simple walk, getting outside if you can if it's nice enough outside. Like taking care of your physical health, staying connected to people who support you are both big ones.

And, um, for me, taking care of my body finally after 37 years of neglect really was insane [00:31:00] and it was... It kind of... It helps you build that resilience. You know? Not even just in like a cosmetic way in terms of like how you look, but it does. When you go to the gym and you walk for an hour, you know, or on a treadmill for an hour or you lift 100 pounds, you know, it, it kind of be like, "Okay you know, maybe I can go ahead and pay this PICA bill."

Like, "Let me get ahead on this," or, "Let me have this tough conversation with my coworker that I don't wanna have about boundaries." You know? And it's... It really does kinda trickle-down effect in terms of helping you build your character and... or at least dig up and find your character again. Um, I'm huge on physical fitness as well but, you know-

Uh, and staying s- connected with people who support you, like your family, your friends, keeping... Knowing those true people and keeping them in your life and leaning on them. And then, um, practicing gratitude, honestly, is a big one. I practice gratitude every morning. It really helps you set the tone for the day and makes you realize, man, I have a lot more to be grateful for than I [00:32:00] do not.

And we often lose sight of that because I'm like, "Oh, I really wish I had this shirt or this new phone," or So and so had got the promotion, I didn't." But if you sit there and you take the time to show gratitude, it really helps you anchor yourself as you start your day to really kind of start off on the right foot and just be grateful for what you have and where you're at.

And that, you lay that foundation down, then you can really start building from there, the smallest of steps. So that's a big one, too. And you know, honestly, like, to really kind of sit in your own story and tell, and tell your story truthfully to yourself, which I feel like is a really, really tough thing for people to do.

And it's 'cause it's ego-driven, right? So, you know, you have to really be honest with where you messed up possibly, and I know everyone's been wronged, everyone's... has hit hard times and been un- life's been unfair at times, but there's also been times where we probably could have done better, done more, made the wrong choice, and that's okay.

I mean, that's, you made the best choice at that moment in your life. But to sit in it and [00:33:00] tell yourself the true story and not lie to yourself about or sugarcoating anything is a big part of it as well. So that is a massive, massive part. And just starting there, and like I said, the smallest of pivots will send you down a different path into a different, different life that you never thought possible.

I mean, I never thought I'd be right here right now six years ago, even five years ago, really. Um, you never know what the wor- what the world has for you in store, yeah, I think sometimes we you know, you earlier you talked about, you know, having that one life-changing moment and now everything's different.

Scott Maderer: And, you know, yes, that's true, and also it's not. Right. One of the things I say to people is, you know, it's a process, not an event.

Mm-hmm.

Um, you know, we we think we go to that weekend retreat and, you know, now everything in our life is better. Right. And it's like, and that lasts about three days, you know?

You know, at best, you know? Yeah. Um, that's if it was really a good retreat, you know? Yeah. And then life, you know, and, and it, and [00:34:00] it whittles away. But if you do those small incremental habits it really does add up, Mm-hmm ... over, over time. It, it changes more than I think we, we like to admit or know.

Daniel Bradley: Yeah. I mean, I think it's really tough for people to have patience, you know? And that's, that's... We live in a very quickly, We want that dopamine hit. We want, if I order this on Amazon, it's gonna be here the same day. You know, we're we're used to g- you know, quick- Immediate gratification

gratification. Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah, immediate gratification. So that's another tough part about when you really start digging into your soul and figuring out where, where you wanna go with your life is the patience part. 'Cause just like when I mentioned earlier about going to the gym, man, you have to have so much patience.

'Cause again, you just wanna be where everybody else is at. But it's not realistic, and you, if you want to change your life, you have to be patient with the smallest of pivots. 'Cause it's, uh, 100,000% worth it, but patience is often one of the hardest things to have for it. Right.

Scott Maderer: Yeah. And you go to the [00:35:00] gym in January, and of course you can't get a machine.

Correct. Because everybody joined the gym. Yeah. And then, eh, February 14th, parking lot's empty. Right. You can,

Daniel Bradley: you can set your watch to it. You'd be like, "All right. Let me just give this about 12 more days and this'll thin out, and I'll finally have time to get in there."

Scott Maderer: Yeah. 'Cause they they don't see the instantaneous change- Right

and so they, they give up. Yep, absolutely. So I'm curious, on Braving the Bright Side, a- and I know this is gonna be kinda like asking someone to name their favorite child, but what are a couple of the stories that have really impacted you the most that you've heard shared?

Daniel Bradley: Oh, man. Yeah. That's a tough one.

So I just did an interview with an, a gentleman named Scott as well. Actually, you know what? Let me talk about this guy. Uh, John he actually is in, over in Taiwan right now, and, um, he was financing movies, making movies. [00:36:00] He was doing, um- um, drone shows. Have like built this whole company with AI drone shows, and was, you know, like I said, on the surface doing really, really well and, and killing it.

But, um, he ended up kept having nervous breakdowns 'cause he just felt like it was empty what he was doing. There was still no, there was no passion behind what he had. And for whatever reason, the idea of death kept hitting him, and he didn't really know why. So he kind of held onto that and chased that.

So what he did is become, trained to become, um, a midwife. Where, you know, you sit with somebody who's, who's on their way p- to passing out and talking to them and being there for them. And, um it it transformed him. And so then he decided, you know, John Hopkins is his name, Hoppy, and, um, it transformed him to the point where he wanted to chase that and realize that's his calling.

And I was like, "Well, what do you mean with that, that's your calling?" so he kind of framed this whole [00:37:00] philosophy. He started building this philosophy where if people started looking at life... You know, he says, "People don't wanna talk about mortality," right? People don't wanna talk about death. It's icky, it's uncomfortable, it's dark.

We don't like that, especially he said in the West. So what do... What if we do have those conversations ahead of time? Not even when someone's sick, not even when someone's dying, not even when something's bad, but just every day or, you know, in everyday conversation, you just bring it up. What if you start having those conversations?

And his idea is that you have these conversations where you know life is limited, right? Where you know there's an end. That makes you realize and be grateful for every other small moment in your life, and also makes you really start pushing yourself to enjoy life to the fullest because you start looking at it as a, you know, not in a negative way, but as a time limit.

There is an end. Mm-hmm. And that can be... enriches your life on every other level. Um, and he started pushing that and started building that, and he's just started off. He's about six, seven months in. He moved to Taiwan to kind of start building that. So I thought [00:38:00] that was wild. That was really, really interesting.

Um, another one, I talked to a woman who at 24 Had a stroke out of nowhere and then was pretty much comatose from the neck down. Uh, or no, sorry, from the ears down. So she couldn't speak, but she could still hear and see, but they, everyone thought she was in a coma. So she just lived like that for I think three months or so, for a long time.

And she was just like, she would hear the doctors talk about her. The doctors would tell her family, "No, there's she's not there. Like, you can't hear her or see us." Even though she could blink and stuff like that. So she was just trapped in like this prison and I can't, I mean mentally I can't imagine what that must have been like.

But slowly but surely she started willing herself back and her finger was one of the first things to move and her parents went and got the doctors and were like, "Look, we told you she was in here. She's still there." and she said as soon as she got movement of her hands [00:39:00] she used all of her strength to flip off the doctors who wouldn't listen to her or look at her.

But she, yeah, I mean over the course of I think like the next 10 years after that she slowly but surely... They told her she'd probably never walk again, she probably wouldn't be able to do this and she relearned how to walk, talk, write. She ends up doing yoga now every day. And she's like a physician, a health physician where she helps people with their diets and everything like that and she's all about nutrients and keeping the body healthy.

Um, that story was incredible. I mean that was, talk about mental fortitude. That's one of my favorites for sure.

Scott Maderer: Is that Maria?

Daniel Bradley: That's Maria, yes.

Scott Maderer: Yeah. Yes. Yeah. She's been on, she's been on our show as well so, on, on here so, uh, yeah she's got a, a tremendous story. Uh-

Daniel Bradley: Yeah. Her story's incredible man.

Scott Maderer: So I've got a few questions that I like to ask all of my guests but before I go there is there anything else about the work you do or the podcast that you'd like to share with the listener?

Daniel Bradley: [00:40:00] Absolutely. Yeah. At the heart of everything I do whether it's the podcast I'm actually getting ready to launch, uh, I'm actually launched coaching services. It's all gonna be underneath Braving the Bright Side umbrella. You know, the idea is always steeped in none of us are doing this alone so you know the- The podcast is gonna keep growing.

I'm gonna have a lot of great event- uh, great people coming up. I'm gonna start traveling. But I'm also launching a coaching program called Braving the Bright Side, and that's where I'm kinda helping people who feel behind, left behind by life or possibly in a job that they feel like they've lost all control over.

They lost themselves to it, so their identity is tied to their job, so they don't even know what they are anymore. And helping them find themselves again through community, culinary, um, and then anything else I can kinda help them with. And then I'm also about to publish a book called Braving the Bright Side.

It's all braving the bright side. Essentially it tells my story of [00:41:00] my life things I've come from, things I've seen, things I've learned, and then also turning into how one, you know, pretty much what my basis of my push right now is having people read that story and see, "Oh, okay.

Well, this guy can do it. I can do it." so steeped in other people feel- feeling seen and heard as well.

Scott Maderer: So my brand is Inspired Stewardship, and I kind of run things through that lens of stewardship, and yet I've discovered over the years that that's one of those words that can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people.

So for you, when you hear the word stewardship, what does that word mean to you?

Daniel Bradley: Yeah, you know, it's, it's funny because when I had you on my podcast, I was like, "I'm intrigued by this, this word," and, you know, your company name and stuff like that. And, you know, I asked you the same thing. I was like, "What is this?"

Um, so when I saw that that question was coming up on this podcast, I really thought about it. And I think for me, stewardship [00:42:00] is about kind of recognizing that our lives, you know, our time, our talents, our relationships are, you know, are things that we've been entrusted with, right? Like, you know, they're all kind of gifts, and they're all have...

take a certain amoun- amount of responsibility to withhold and honor. You know, they're not just resources to spend, and they're opportunities to invest, you know, in, in something meaningful, whether it be, you know, my, my friendship with my f- my relationship with my father to somebody at work that's struggling or, you know, even my podcast.

Like, I'm very, very passionate about that, and I think it's an honor to have that, and I, and I don't take that lightly. I feel like when I, when I really think about that question and it kinda changed how I approach everything too, and how I look at it. Actually, especially since the last time you were on my podcast, 'cause it w- I just find that fascinating.

And I think I find it humbling in a way. [00:43:00] So how I spend my time and the conversations I choose to have, you know? It's... If I see... If I'm in a conversation where I was like, "This person just wants to be right, this person does not," I was like, "Okay," and I will honor that in terms of what they wanna hear or what they wanna say.

I'll let them say that, but then I'm not gonna spend too much time with that. I have better things and more time to be, uh, somewhere else with other people that are a little bit more open or need my, n- you know, need my voice, or vice versa, I need to hear their voice. Um, so you know, it's less about chasing success, you know, and more about using my time and my resources right now to see, you know, how can I, how can I help someone?

How can I use what I've been given through life and through what I have right now to help somebody out out there?

Scott Maderer: So this is my favorite question that I like to ask everybody. Imagine for a moment that I could invent this magic machine, and with this machine, I was able to take you from where you are today, transport you into the future, maybe [00:44:00] 150, maybe 250 years, and through the power of this machine, you were able to look back and see your entire life, see all of the ripples, all of the connections, all of the impacts you've left.

What impact do you hope you left in the world?

Daniel Bradley: I think, I feel like mine's pretty simple. I would hope that people felt a little less alone because of something that I created or shared. You know, if somebody listened to a conversation, read something that I wrote, or crossed paths with me at any point in time and it helped them keep going during a difficult moment, or when they felt like they were giving up, or they were losing sight of themselves I feel like that would mean the world to me.

You know? And think of just at least one or couple people felt that way. You know, I don't think impact always has to be this massive, global changing event, you know? I don't... It's not steeped in those, like, "I've built this massive company now," or it's, you know- [00:45:00] I've accumulated all this. It's, I think it's more so, you know, even the podcast stays where it's at and doesn't blow up and none of this goes and earns me millions of dollars, I mean, I'm totally fine with that.

But, you know, I think, uh, you know, the most meaningful impact happens pretty quietly most times than not, you know, in one conversation at a time. So I think that'd be my biggest thing. If if I could look back and people were comforted, seen, heard, and then deci- you know, better off from a communication with me or anything I created, I think that would be the best.

I think that would be awesome. And then maybe a proton pack. If I get a proton pack along the way- ... from, uh, you know- Ghostbusters? ... Peter Venkman. Yeah. But other than that, yeah, the connections.

Scott Maderer: Just don't cross the streams, and you'll be fine.

Daniel Bradley: Exactly. You get it.

Scott Maderer: Yeah. So, uh, I'm sorry, I was thinking of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

Daniel Bradley: What did you do, Ray?

Scott Maderer: What did you do? Anyway, so what's coming next for you as you continue [00:46:00] on this journey?

Daniel Bradley: Man, I mean, that's the kind of the exciting part, you know? I... Like you said, you and I are part of the group. I'm pretty new to it, and it's funny 'cause I'm talking to a bunch of people there, your- y- yourself included.

You know, I just did, um we just did that thing with Jose not too long ago, uh, that speaking event. Legacy. Mm-hmm. Legacy, thank you, uh, which was really, really cool. I got to see your your talk, which was phenomenal. So I'm learning so much from everybody in this group but I'm still going to work and stocking shelves.

So it it's... You know, it keeps me humble. It keeps me hungry. So that's the kind of the exciting part is is I don't know. I'm I'm building as I go, and I'm kind of gathering as much information and learning as much as possible from e- from all you guys and everybody in the group that I can.

So I just kind of focus on not massive steps, but significant steps, you know, or I grow Braving the Bright Side community expanding the conversations I'm [00:47:00] having about resilience, purpose, hope and just keep creating spaces where people feel safe to share their stories.

Um, and like I said, launching the coaching, uh, business keep doing public speaking, and then I think for, for right now, I keep writing. You know, I love, I love writing. I love writing books. So I think that's kind of all I'm focusing on right now, but just kind of keep growing, man, and I'm just excited for life, excited for the future, for sure.

Scott Maderer: That's fantastic. So you can find out more about Daniel Bradley and Braving the Bright Side by searching Braving the Bright Side with Daniel Bradley anywhere where great podcasts are found. It should come up. And Daniel, is there anything else you'd like to share with the listeners?

Daniel Bradley: No. I mean, reach out to me via email, via, uh, direct message on Instagram if you have...

If you're struggling with anything, or if you just wanna chat, or you have a great story and you feel like you wanna come on the podcast and hang out, talk. [00:48:00] And also, on a more personal note, if you're struggling out there, hitting hard times I know what that feels like. Scott knows what that feels like.

We've all been there. W- Humanity has been there, and you're- you don't have to brave that alone, you know what I mean? Sometimes the bright side isn't so obvious. Sometimes you have to be brave enough to look for it. So hang in there.

Scott Maderer: Thanks so much for listening to the Inspired Stewardship podcast. As a subscriber and listener, we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listen, but act on what you've heard and find a way to live your calling. If you enjoyed this episode please do us a favor. Go over to inspiredstewardship.com/itunesrate, all one word, itunesrate.

It'll take [00:49:00] you through how to leave a rating and review and how to make sure you're subscribed to the podcast so that you can get every episode as it comes out in your feed. Until next time, invest your time, your talent, and your treasures. Develop your influence and impact the world.