Navigating a New Season: Awareness, Anchors, and Expansion

Damon shares a short, reflective solo episode about moving to Fort Lauderdale and living in a liminal season—when the past is behind you and the future is still unclear. He walks through three practical ideas for staying grounded and growing through uncertainty: awareness, anchors, and expansion.This conversation is for anyone feeling out of alignment, stuck in a box, or unsure of what comes next. Damon’s core message is that alignment is not always comfort, and growth often starts by noticing where you are and allowing your identity to stretch.

Key Topics

• Moving from Georgia to Fort Lauderdale and entering a new season
• Understanding the experience of living in a liminal space
• Why awareness is the first step toward realignment
• Avoiding autopilot by practicing intentional noticing
• Identifying personal anchors that help you feel grounded
• Expanding your identity beyond fixed labels
• Being introverted without being limited by that identity
• Using the word “yet” to create room for growth
• Trying new experiences outside your usual patterns
• Accepting that alignment can feel like a stretch

Timestamps

00:00 — Moving to Fort Lauderdale and entering a new season
00:34 — What it means to live in a liminal space
01:00 — A conversation about feeling out of alignment
01:28 — The first step: awareness
02:15 — Noticing instead of living on autopilot
02:39 — Finding personal anchors
03:06 — What makes you uniquely you
03:33 — Expanding beyond a fixed identity
04:01 — Being introverted without being limited by the label
04:29 — Using “yet” to redefine what is possible
04:58 — Why people are more than one thing
05:28 — Trying new things without overthinking others’ opinions
06:22 — Expanding your identity during a new season
06:51 — Alignment can feel like a stretch
07:21 — Closing encouragement

Notable Quotes

• “The moment that you can even be aware that you’re not in alignment, you’re not where you need to be, that is a big thing.”
• “Just because I haven’t done it doesn’t mean that I’m not capable of doing it.”
• “Alignment is not necessarily comfort. Sometimes it can feel like a stretch.”

Doug Ward spent 24 years at Comcast, ending as VP of Support Excellence. In this episode he tells on himself. He shares the project where his intent was to help and the signal he left behind was "put your car on my track."

What you'll learn:
• Why people judge you on behavior while you judge yourself on intent
• The one question that would have saved his project
• How to find out what people say when you leave the room
• How to ask for real feedback from someone who does not want to give it
• When a team member has a voice and when they have a vote

Chapters
0:00 Who are you outside your job
2:18 From a call center job to leading 4,000 people
5:06 The gap between intent and behavior
6:36 The story: balloons, t-shirts, and broken trust
10:19 What he would do differently
11:18 How to learn someone else's intent
12:38 Every interaction leaves a trace
14:48 Your reputation is your brand
15:22 What do people say when you are not in the room
17:06 Honest does not mean pleasing
18:05 The questions that close the gap
19:48 Everyone has a voice. Not everyone has a vote.
21:48 One thing you can do this week

Connect with Doug
Website: elevatingeveryone.com
Free one-sheeter from this episode: https://elevatingeveryone.com/soul-sessions

High-achieving men, leaders, pro athletes, and founders often look great on the outside. But at home, many are struggling in silence. Therapist and coach Sulonda Smith joins the show to talk about the real cost of provider pressure, why men have a hard time asking for what they need, and how to build better communication without feeling weak. This one is for the man who wants peace at home as much as he wants success at work.