Episode Description:

Success on paper doesn’t mean clarity in practice. In this episode of Mission Driven You, Will Samson continues the journey through the Resilience Stack by introducing Layer Two: Radical Self-Ownership—a mindset and practice that shifts you from reactivity to authorship, from control to clarity.

If you’ve ever felt like you were “in charge” but still living in constant reaction—this episode is for you. Will breaks down why so many high performers, executives, and entrepreneurs are silently outsourcing their agency, and how to reclaim a deeper sense of internal authorship without adding pressure or burnout.

This episode is about more than personal growth. It’s about learning to lead from the only place that’s truly yours—your inner state.

🧠 What You’ll Learn:

• What it means to suffer from “outsourced agency”
• How to shift from blame language (“They need to level up”) to ownership language
• Why emotional fatigue and constant waiting are symptoms of reactive leadership
• How to lead from clarity and calm—even in chaos
• Why reactivity often shows up as over-functioning, hyper-control, or shame
• The difference between control and authorship—and how to choose the latter
• How to practice radical self-ownership without adding more pressure

🔧 Practices & Frameworks Introduced:

• The Ownership Pause: A simple way to pause, notice the story you’re reacting to, and choose what’s truly yours to own
• Left/Right Column Exercise:
• Left = what’s in your control
• Right = what isn’t
• Ownership = focus on the left
• Three Reflective Questions:
• What part of this problem is mine?
• What would leadership look like if I trusted myself here?
• How can I respond from clarity, not control?

💬 Quotes to Remember:

“Agency isn’t about your org chart. It’s about your internal authorship.”

“You don’t need different circumstances. You need a different sense of ownership.”

“Leadership isn’t about control—it’s about clarity.”

“Radical self-ownership isn’t about doing more. It’s about creating space to breathe.”

✨ Reflection Questions for Listeners:

• Where am I waiting for something outside of me to change before I can move?
• What would shift if I trusted myself in this situation?
• What am I carrying that isn’t mine?

🔗 Next Steps & Resources:

• Subscribe to Mission Driven You on Apple Podcasts & Spotify
• Join the newsletter for deeper dives: drwillsamson.substack.com
• Follow Will on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/willsamson

💡 Final Takeaway:

You can’t lead others well if you haven’t taken back leadership of yourself. Radical self-ownership isn’t a personality trait—it’s a practiced way of being.

Episode Description:

What do we do when the frameworks we’ve used to make sense of life… stop working? When the stories we’ve told ourselves about success, identity, and healing begin to crack? In this powerful and raw episode of Mission Driven You, Will sits down with Alex Myers for an unflinching exploration of consciousness, healing, and what it means to be truly awake.

Alex shares his journey navigating the intersections of psychedelic experiences, trauma integration, AI, culture, and spirituality—and how so many of us are actually responding to the same quiet ache: the longing to come home to ourselves.

⚠️ Content Warning: This episode includes discussion of psychedelic use.

This is not medical advice. Always consult a healthcare provider before making decisions about your mental or physical health.

And as someone in long-term recovery, Will is not promoting anything that might endanger sobriety. This is a conversation—not a recommendation.

🧠 Key Topics Covered:

• Why the hunger for psychedelics is really a hunger for presence
• How trauma, ego, and the nervous system shape our stories
• Why peak experiences aren’t the answer—but they can open a doorway
• The danger of using spiritual tools to bypass emotional healing
• What to do when the "map" of your life no longer fits the terrain
• Why slowing down isn’t just an act of resistance—it’s an act of remembering
• The risks of optimization culture, and how psychedelics are being misused in it
• Navigating grief, masculinity, and emotional depth in a culture addicted to performance

🌀 Memorable Quotes:

“Psychedelics don’t fix anything. But they can show you where the work is.”

“So many people are chasing transcendence, but what they really need is integration.”

“The system we’re living in is sick. And healing often looks like stepping outside of it.”

“The ache you feel isn’t a flaw—it’s feedback. Pay attention.”

🔗 Resources Mentioned:

• The 500-Year Delta and The Fourth Turning (on cultural shifts)
• The concept of the “Hero’s Journey” as a framework for personal evolution
• Somatic experiencing and nervous system regulation
• Works of Charles Eisenstein, Gabor Maté, and other thinkers on healing and culture

✨ Reflection Questions:

• Where in your life are you chasing peak experiences instead of healing old stories?
• Are you using achievement or identity as a shield against discomfort?
• What if the “ache” you’re feeling is trying to guide you home?

📬 Stay Connected:

• Subscribe to Will’s Substack: drwillsamson.substack.com
• Connect with Will on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/willsamson
• Learn more about Alex Myers: [
• Share this episode with someone who’s been questioning everything—and needs to know they’re not alone

💡 Final Takeaway:

“You don’t have to destroy who you are to grow. But you might have to let go of the story you’ve been telling.”

Mentioned in this episode:

Recovery Coaching with Dr. Will Samson

Struggling with...

Episode Description:

You can’t lead well if you’re still running on outdated mental code. In this powerful solo episode of Mission Driven You, Will introduces the first layer of the Resilience Stack: the Mindset Reboot, or what he calls the code rewrite.

Most high-performing leaders are relying on internal scripts written during times of survival—scripts they’ve never questioned, but that are quietly sabotaging their clarity, capacity, and self-trust. This episode walks through how to identify those legacy beliefs, where they came from, and how to consciously replace them with a new, empowering internal operating system.

If your strategy looks great on paper but your soul is exhausted, this episode is your invitation to look beneath the surface—and begin again.

Key Topics Covered:

• Why outdated beliefs are like Y2K code—functional but fragile
• How unconscious stories create chronic burnout, control issues, and reactivity
• Common examples of “legacy code” running in high achievers
• The surprising cost of over-functioning, perfectionism, and people-pleasing
• Four coaching questions to surface hidden stories and rewire your mindset
• How to consciously write new internal scripts that support clarity and calm
• Why presence—not productivity—is your most valuable leadership asset

🔧 Code Rewrite Process (Step-by-Step):

Spot the Script

• Track when you’re over-functioning, reactive, or exhausted
• Ask: What belief is running this behavior?

Trace the Origin

• Whose voice are you hearing? Is it yours, or someone else’s?
• Recognize how family systems, past jobs, and cultural narratives shaped your inner code

Challenge the Logic

• Is this story still true? Is it helpful? What if the opposite were true?

Write New Code

• Examples:
• “I lead best when I am grounded.”
• “My presence is more valuable than my productivity.”
• “I don’t have to earn my right to rest.”

Reinforce the Rewrite

• Say it. Write it. Post it. Repeat it.
• Your nervous system needs repetition to trust the new story.

Quotes to Remember:

“What helped you survive at 25 will sabotage you at 45.”

“Your leadership isn’t failing because of bad strategy—it’s stuck because of bad code.”

“You cannot lead well if you are constantly trying to outrun your origin story.”

“Every new chapter starts with a rewritten line of code.”

Reflection Prompts:

• What do I believe about my worth when I’m not producing?
• Where did that belief come from?
• Who benefits when I keep believing it?
• What would shift if I didn’t?

🔗 Resources & Next Steps:

• Read the full series: drwillsamson.substack.com
• Connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/willsamson
• Subscribe to Mission Driven You on Apple Podcasts & Spotify

💡 Final Takeaway:

“Real leadership transformation begins where most people never look: inside the story running within them.”