100. Shattering the Big Delusion: Harold Long on Addiction, Recovery, and the Power of Honest Transformation
What's The Point? - Discover Your Purpose
Release Date: 05/22/2025
120. Building Something That Holds: Loryn and Edo Nalic on Partnership, Perseverance, and Belonging from Balkan Treat Box
What's The Point? - Discover Your Purpose
In this episode of What’s The Point?, I sit down with Loryn Nalic and Edo Nalic, partners in life and work and the force behind Balkan Treat Box, Telva, and the Ridge Room in St. Louis. Their story isn’t just about building award-winning restaurants. It’s about displacement, resilience, trust, and what happens when two people commit to solving problems together instead of letting adversity define them. Edo shares what it was like growing up in Bosnia during war, fleeing to Germany, living with uncertainty, and eventually coming to the United States alone. Loryn reflects on a very...
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119. From Survival to Self-Respect: Jason Van Ruler on Healing Old Patterns
What's The Point? - Discover Your Purpose
In this episode of What’s the Point?, I sit down with Jason Van Ruler for an honest conversation about healing, responsibility, and the quiet work of becoming someone you can respect. Jason shares parts of his story that began in instability—growing up in a chaotic environment, learning early how to survive, and internalizing beliefs about worth that followed him into adulthood. Like many of us, he found himself repeating familiar patterns, even when they no longer served him. We talk about the turning point that came when Jason realized that awareness alone wasn’t enough. Wanting change...
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118. The Secure Leader: How Attachment Shapes Trust, Leadership, and Purpose with Dr. Jaime Goff
What's The Point? - Discover Your Purpose
In this episode of What’s the Point?, host Bill Ellis sits down with Dr. Jaime Goff, founder of The Empathic Leader, LLC and author of The Secure Leader, for a powerful conversation on how our earliest emotional experiences quietly shape the way we lead. Drawing from her background in psychology, higher education leadership, and executive coaching, Dr. Goff explains how attachment patterns formed in childhood influence trust, control, communication, and emotional regulation in adulthood—especially in leadership roles. She shares personal stories from her own journey, including growing up...
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117. From Experiments to Empowering Creatives: Kacper Staniul on Purpose, Curiosity, and Building What Matters
What's The Point? - Discover Your Purpose
In this episode of What’s the Point?, I talk with Kacper Staniul, founder and CEO of MyArchitectAI, about how purpose often reveals itself not through a single calling—but through curiosity, experimentation, and the discipline to keep building. Kacper’s journey began far from startups and artificial intelligence. As a university student in Poland studying materials science, he admits he had little sense of direction. What changed everything was exposure to the internet and the realization that learning wasn’t limited to formal education. That discovery sparked curiosity, and curiosity...
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116. The Fight Within Us: Gavin Lance Topp on Purpose, Sobriety, and Becoming a Man
What's The Point? - Discover Your Purpose
In this episode of What’s the Point?, I sit down with Gavin Lance Topp, a former professional boxer whose life has been shaped as much by the battles outside the ring as the ones inside it. Gavin’s story is a powerful exploration of purpose, identity, and the fight within us all. Growing up in Australia and moving often as a child, Gavin found structure and validation in boxing. What began as an outlet for rage and energy became a disciplined pursuit that carried him from amateur fights to becoming the Australian Junior Middleweight Champion and eventually earning a world ranking. But as...
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115. From Struggle to Sustainability: How Purpose Takes Shape with Vanessa Thompson
What's The Point? - Discover Your Purpose
In this episode of What’s the Point?, I’m joined by Vanessa Thompson, whose story is a clear reminder that purpose doesn’t usually arrive fully formed. More often, it takes shape slowly—through struggle, uncertainty, and hard-earned clarity. Vanessa shares her journey through seasons of instability and questioning, moments where the path forward wasn’t obvious, and how those experiences ultimately reshaped how she thinks about work, success, and sustainability. We talk about how easy it is to chase outcomes without pausing to ask whether the life we’re building is actually...
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114. Painting the World Our Children Will Inherit: Purpose, Art, and Community with Cbabi Bayoc
What's The Point? - Discover Your Purpose
In this episode of What’s the Point, I sit down with artist Cbabi Bayoc, a painter, muralist, illustrator, and author whose work is rooted in one powerful idea: painting the world he wants his children—and all of our children—to thrive in. Cbabi shares how his art has always been about people. Faces. Emotion. Community. From his early days studying at Grambling State University to drawing caricatures at Six Flags, he learned to observe humanity closely, to listen, and to let people teach him through their reactions. What could have been discouraging moments became lessons in humility,...
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113. Grit, Grace, and Becoming: How Tracy Spears Found Strength Through Truth, Belonging & Leadership
What's The Point? - Discover Your Purpose
When you sit down with someone who has lived a big life, you can feel it instantly. That’s exactly what happened in today’s conversation with Tracy Spears—author, speaker, leadership coach, and co-founder of the Exceptional Leaders Lab. Her story is one of grit earned the hard way, grace discovered over time, and the lifelong work of becoming who we actually are. Tracy’s journey begins in a trailer park in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where early messages about work ethic, worthiness, and performing for belonging shaped her worldview. She openly shares how one sentence from her father in third...
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112. Healing Our Relationship With Nature: Purpose, Restoration, and Hope with Tim Christophersen
What's The Point? - Discover Your Purpose
In this episode of What’s the Point, I sit down with Tim Christophersen, one of the world’s leading voices in nature restoration and conservation, to explore what really drives us as humans and how we find meaning in our relationship with the natural world. Tim’s journey is a powerful human story of growth, purpose, and responsibility — and it’s bigger than politics, bigger than hot-button climate debates, and deeper than soundbites. Tim shares how his love of nature began as a young boy walking through forests in Germany with his grandfather, quietly building the foundation for a...
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111. Finding Meaning Through Resilience and Kindness with Noemi Beres
What's The Point? - Discover Your Purpose
In this episode of What’s the Point, I sit down with Noemi Beres, a woman whose life story is a powerful reflection of resilience, kindness, and purpose. From growing up in Hungary in a modest but deeply loving family, to becoming an entrepreneur, connector, and creative force, Noemi shares what keeps her going and how she discovered what truly matters. Noemi opens up about her childhood, shaped by hardworking parents and the strong values of Eastern Europe. She shares how her family’s history — stories of survival, perseverance, and hope — gave her the foundation to keep going, even...
info_outlineA Radical Rethink on Addiction and Healing
In this episode of What’s the Point?, Bill Ellis is joined by Harold Long, a theologian, recovery coach, and author of The Big Delusion: Shattering the Delusions of Alcoholism and Addiction. With over 40 years of experience in recovery, Harold brings a deeply compassionate and honest perspective on what really keeps people trapped in addiction—and what it takes to finally break free.
Drawing from personal experience, decades of volunteer work in the criminal justice system, and countless conversations with those in treatment and recovery, Harold shares the hard truths about addiction. This conversation isn’t just for those struggling with substance abuse—it’s for loved ones, professionals, and anyone ready to better understand the spiritual and psychological grip of addiction.
Episode Highlights & Key Takeaways:
- The Big Delusion: Why most people struggling with addiction never find long-term recovery—and what’s really blocking them.
- Delusion of Inequality: Feeling like a square peg in a round hole—and how that fuels addiction.
- Victimhood and Hopelessness: Why many stuck in addiction believe recovery isn’t possible for them.
- Naming the Problem: “You’ve got to name it before you can climb it.” Harold explains how language and truth are essential to healing.
- Who the Book is For: A resource not just for addicts, but also for families, counselors, recovery groups, faith communities, and skeptics.
- From Denial to Delusion: Understanding why addiction goes far deeper than denial—and why it takes a spiritual shift to recover.
- Taking Ownership: Healing begins when people stop blaming others and start owning their piece of the puzzle.
- Dumping the Puzzle on the Table: Harold’s metaphor for finding freedom—letting go of pride and inviting others to help you rebuild.
Harold Long reminds us that addiction recovery is not about willpower—it’s about truth, connection, and radical honesty. Whether you’re struggling yourself or walking alongside someone who is, this episode is a powerful invitation to step into the light and begin the real work of healing.
Connect with Bill:
- bill@brandingpillars.com
- www.brandingpillars.com
- www.brandingforresults.com
- IG - @wcellis
- Facebook - @CoachBillEllis
- LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/wcellis
- Book: Women Who Won
Links for This Episode:
- Email: haloharoldlong@gmail.com
- Website: https://thebigdelusion.com/
SOCIAL MEDIA INFO:
Facebook:
- https://www.facebook.com/thebigdelusion/
- https://www.facebook.com/haroldelong
- Instagram:@thebigdelusion @haroldelong
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haroldelong/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBigDelusionBook
Book:
- Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Big-Delusion-Shattering-Delusions-Alcoholism/dp/B0DXNBWG8G
- Website: https://thebigdelusion.com
Quick Episode Summary:
- 0:00 Welcome and introduction to Harold Long and The Big Delusion
- 2:00 The 30-year journey that led to writing the book
- 5:00 The roots of addiction and how most people never reach recovery
- 8:00 Who the book is for and why it’s not just another recovery guide
- 10:00 The importance of removing ego and certainty to access transformation
- 14:00 Why spiritual separation and the fractured self are at the heart of addiction
- 18:00 The delusion of inequality and how it drives poor decisions
- 22:00 Denial vs. delusion—why addicts often can’t see the truth
- 28:00 Victimhood and the lie that it’s “not my fault”
- 32:00 Hopelessness and why so many give up before even trying recovery
- 36:00 Finding agency and equality in recovery circles
- 40:00 The power of community and walking shoulder to shoulder
- 43:00 Recovery as a spiritual and emotional transformation
- 46:00 What’s the Point? Harold shares the deeper reason behind recovery work
Don’t miss an episode of What’s the Point?. Subscribe on your favorite platform and share this episode with someone who needs to hear that recovery is possible—and worth the fight.