He Designed for the World's Biggest Stars and Still Felt Not Good Enough — Then Everything Changed | Dominic Ciambrone

At 24 years old, Dominic Ciambrone was making shoes for Justin Bieber.Twenty pairs. Less than a week. He said yes.What happened next — a manic episode, a window, a hospital bed, a bipolar diagnosis — wasn't the story anyone was telling about the kid who turned a grandmother's sewing machine into one of the most sought-after custom shoe studios on the planet.But it's the story that changed everything.This week Anthony sits down with Dominic Ciambrone — known to the world as The Surgeon, the man who has rebuilt, reimagined and customized for Drake, Bieber, Jake Paul and some of the biggest names alive. But this conversation isn't about the shoes. It's about the man who spent years creating from a place of not good enough. The man who became a father and kept running to work instead of home. The man who had to lose everything familiar before he could finally build something real.In this episode:What it actually felt like to wake up in a hospital at 24 with a bipolar diagnosis — and how that moment cracked open everything that came afterWhy Dom created at the highest level of his craft for years from a place of "not good enough" — and what that actually cost himThe moment alone with his daughter that made the separation finally make senseWhy he never stayed alone with his kids until his daughter was two — and what changed when he didHow he went from never doing school pickup to making it non-negotiable two days a week no matter whatWhat "doing the work" actually looked like beyond the therapy session — the daily habit that rewired his self-talkWhat he says to his kids when he loses his temper — and why apologizing fast is now one of his most powerful parenting toolsWhat he would tell the dad right now who doesn't know if he has the materials to rebuildDom said it plainly: he created from a place of not good enough for years. And if he hadn't been forced to stop — by a hospital bed, by a separation, by a daughter who needed her dad present — he'd probably still be there.This one is for the builder who's been building everything except himself.🔔 Subscribe on Spotify or Apple — two clicks puts this in front of a dad who needs to hear it.📲 Divorced Dads of America on Instagram: https://bit.ly/insta_DDA🏠 Join The Ascent — Free Skool Community for Divorced Dads: https://bit.ly/3Z83e97▶️ New here? Start on YouTube: https://bit.ly/4mrytpE💬 Ready to stop rebuilding alone? Apply for 1-on-1 coaching with Anthony: https://forms.gle/B39jxeMNwfq9ZJqv8Drop a comment on Spotify — what have you been building from a place of not good enough? Anthony reads every one.