What if the story you’re living isn’t the one you have to keep repeating? That’s the spark behind this conversation with executive coach, author, and podcaster Mark Silverman—a man who went from living in his truck at 27 to leading complex, multimillion-dollar deals and guiding high achievers into healthy, effective leadership.
We go straight at the stuff most “success” stories skip. Mark talks openly about addiction, undiagnosed ADHD, and the moment a brain scan made decades of chaos make sense. He shares the lifeline of AA and a brother who pulled him into a room where healing started. Then we track the surprising pivot from hospitality to sales in his mid-30s—terrified, introverted, and learning that trust outperforms theatrics. The wins stack quickly, and then everything breaks again: marriage, health, career. That reckoning becomes the gateway to the work that lasts.
Across this episode, we unpack leadership without the myth. No charisma gene. No superhero cape. Just skills you can learn—clarity, agreements, empathy, decisive communication—and the inner work that lets those skills stick. We talk trauma-informed leadership, selling by serving, the cost of cheap dopamine, and why attention is the scarcest executive resource. Mark’s three questions—What do I need to leave behind? Where do I need to level up? Who do I need to be?—become a reliable operating system for growth at work and at home. And we offer a simple test for great leaders: they talk about the privilege of serving people and mission, not just their own wins.
If you’re building a career that looks impressive but feels thin—or you’re ready to lead without burning out—this conversation is a reset. Grab The Rising Leader Handbook on Amazon, download Only Tens free at markjsilverman.com, then hit follow, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a quick review to help more people find the show.

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