We were lucky to catch up with David Essel recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, David thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

In 1990, I had a failed suicide attempt, and it radically changed my life forever! At that time I was already a counselor, executive coach, am I doing the work that I love so much… But I had denied the underlying depression and anxiety that I had for years, and had been covering it up with alcohol.

I got to the point where I didn’t feel I could handle life anymore, but on that day, when I failed, it forced me to get the help that I needed years before!

And through that help we did discover that I had undiagnosed clinical depression undiagnosed general anxiety disorder as well as ADD and ADHD, and so then I had to learn how to live Life without a substance I had leaned on for years, and then I had to learn how to deal with all these mental challenges within.

Bad experience, allowed me to commit the rest of my life to helping people with addictions, mental health challenges, business challenges relationship challenges and more.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My work continues as a counselor, number one best-selling author, executive coach, minister, speaker, radio and TV host.

I love everything I do, and I’ve been blessed to have opportunity as a professional speaker to talk like companies Discover card, Nestlé and more. Just a few years ago, I was invited to do the commencement address at Syracuse University, my alma mater, where I played basketball for two years and that was an incredible highlight of my life!

I work with executives helping them to learn more about work life balance, overcoming procrastination, dealing with the changes in the workforce, dealing with inflation, dealing with marriages that are on the edge of destruction…

we work with basically every type of individual from around the world regardless of what their struggles are addictions, anxiety, finances, depression, PTSD, sleep issues, relationship challenges… The list goes on and on the only thing we do not cover is politics.

I started out in the world of sports psychology in 1980, then went into the world heavily of health and fitness and then in 1990 we brought in the region started working with people with all kinds of challenges that I mentioned to Bob.

We have 13 books out, number 14 is almost to be released, “Permanent and Alcohol and life recovery… For executives, entrepreneurs and small business owners.”

We believe this book will be a game changer! Our approach to permanent addiction recovery is exactly at odds with very popular programs like, “one day at a time”, which we really do not feel, and we prove this in the bud, that is much of a commitment at all.

We have stories up on stories of people that never thought they could get sober, including myself, I started out in the world of sports psychology in 1980, then went into the world heavily of health and fitness and then in 1990 we brought in the region started working with people with all kinds of challenges that I mentioned to Bob.

We have stories up on stories of people that never thought they could get sober, including myself, that did get completely sober.

We have programs basically for everyone in the world that’s looking to change their life, deal with the insanity in the world right now as well.

Our last number one best selling book, “Helping Americans heal, the ultimate guide to healing during these challenging times“, has over 90 writings to help people deal with everything we are going through right now and it has been called, “the Bible of the pandemic era.“

If anyone needs help, you can reach out to me at www.davidessel.com and we will do everything in our power to help you get from where you are to the next level.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Probably one of the greatest lessons that I had to reverse, was the concept of asking others for help.

Throughout my whole life, as a type of alpha male, I’ve always felt the need to be in charge, always felt the need to have answers, and whenever I got myself into a tough situation I would say “you’re smart enough, my Lord look at all of your education look at all of your experience you should be able to figure this out.”

We need to learn how to be humble how to be vulnerable…When we see a pattern repeating itself how to instantly ask for guidance, so that we don’t go down the roadway that so many of us do, repeating old unhealthy patterns and habits instead of taking care of them shortly after they happen.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Coming back from my failed suicide attempt was probably one of the greatest examples of resilience in my life.

I had to return with an “unstoppable attitude“, and go down as many rabbit holes as possible with professional psychiatrists and therapists to find out, why I had delayed asking for help for so long.

And once I learned the answers, I decided to dedicate the rest of my life to helping people who are challenged by mental health issues, trauma, grief, wounds from childhood possibly, low self-confidence, low self-esteem, and addiction… it took immense resilience on my part to come back from that failed suicide attempt, and I’ve used that resilience in many other aspects of my existence, and one of the major tools I bring to the table when I’m working with people who are struggling, is to teach them how to become more resilient… How to become more secure… How to become more effective in the way they work… And how to overcome life hurdles with the many tools that we have in psychotherapy.

Resilience, especially in these days, is one of the most important characteristics that we could all improve upon.

Whether were talking about resilience in a relationship, or the workplace, or resilience from bouncing back from Covid, or Financial loss… Resilience is key!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.DavidEssel.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/david_essel/
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/davidessel
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidEsselNOW/