The Coach Who Did It Before Steven Bartlett: I Had Everything On Paper — Then I Broke Down At 25

At 25, Alex Manzi had the job, the salary, the life that looks correct on paper — and he had a breakdown. The question he asked himself on the other side of it ("surely this can't be it") sent him into psychology books, meditation, and eventually a microphone. Twelve years and roughly 500 episodes later, he's still asking it.Alex started what became the first UK podcast focused on self-development, mental health and personal growth — a full year before Steven Bartlett launched Diary of a CEO. It hit the top three on Apple and got him messages from strangers asking for help, which is how he stumbled into coaching without knowing coaching was a thing. He now writes books, is finishing a graphic novel, and runs a six-month program that ends with six days in France he describes as two years of transformation compressed into a week.This conversation goes somewhere unexpected. It's less about strategy and more about who you're being while you execute it.Inside this episode:— Why your life will only ever make sense in the rear view mirror, and what to do in the meantime— The difference between your "default being" and your "created being" — and why most people never meet the second one— What a coach asked Alex that reframed every decision he's made since— Why you can't "get" energy, and the one Sunday-morning distinction that changes how it feels— The singer who said she wasn't good enough for the stage — and what happened in a bar in France— The empty page exercise Alex gives anyone who doesn't know what they want— Why consuming other people's version of success quietly deletes your ownFind Alex: https://www.instagram.com/iamalexmanzi/no distraction:Get weekly anti-letters: https://abbidogan.substack.com/Abbi's world: https://abdulkadirdogan.com/