When Recovery Becomes a Calling with Nick Midgley

TW: Conversation about addiction In this episode of The Business of Being Human, Elle sits down with Nick Midgley, founder of Hope in Health, former professional boxer, addiction-recovery advocate, and entrepreneur.Nick shares his deeply human story of addiction, recovery, shame, rebuilding, fatherhood and purpose. After battling heroin addiction, Nick found his way back to himself through holistic health, emotional work, spirituality, movement, meditation and service.This conversation explores what it means to feel like you do not belong in the world, how pain can become a pathway to purpose, and why real healing needs to be practical, human and grounded.Elle and Nick also talk about entrepreneurship, recovery, the limitations of traditional systems, the courage it takes to follow your intuition, and why being yourself is not a branding exercise. It is the work.Timestamp guide00:00 Welcome to The Business of Being Human 01:20 Elle introduces Nick Midgley and Hope in Health 02:40 Nick reflects on feeling grateful and the winding path that led him here 03:30 Not fitting into school, society or the expected life path 04:20 Early drug use, heroin addiction and feeling like an outsider 06:00 Recovery, self-understanding and learning to process pain 07:00 Fatherhood, emotional safety and breaking cycles 08:00 Elle and Nick discuss purpose, belonging and non-performative healing 09:30 Nick on spiritual ego, men’s work and finding what felt real 11:00 Making meditation and spirituality practical 12:00 Emotional regulation, communication and relationships 13:20 When Nick realised his story could help other people 14:00 Shame, secrecy, and publicly sharing his addiction story 15:30 Recovery as a pathway to purpose, meaning and service 17:20 The business behind Hope in Health 18:00 Why traditional rehab models did not work for Nick 19:00 Moving Hope in Health toward Thailand and making rehab more accessible 20:00 The cost of private rehab and the urgency people face when they need help 21:00 Elle and Nick discuss school, belonging and entrepreneurship 22:00 Nick’s advice: do it, fail, learn and keep going 23:00 Business loss, betrayal, liquidation and rebuilding 24:00 Elle reflects on the non-negotiable choice of entrepreneurship 25:30 Why some people thrive inside structures and others need to create their own path 26:30 Channelling risk-taking into healthy, purposeful work 27:00 Helping people reconnect with purpose and intuition 28:00 Leaving boxing behind and following the call toward rehab work 29:00 Learning to tune into your own guidance 30:00 Elle and Nick explore soul purpose and the question “Am I on the right path?” 31:30 Consciousness, conditioning and returning to yourself 33:00 Finding your unique gifts and expressing them in the world 33:30 Closing reflections and where to find NickConnect with Nick: https://www.instagram.com/nick_midgley01/Hosted by: Elle Steele on https://www.instagram.com/the.goodbusinessproject/Liked this episode? Subscribe and never miss an episode. Share on socials. Connect with Elle SteeleFounder of The Good Business Project, Paralympian, speaker, social entrepreneur, and believer that business can be a force for good.Instagram: @the.goodbusinessprojectSubscribeIf you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs the reminder that being human isn't a weakness.It's the whole point.