do you ever feel like everyone else got a head start on life except you? in this solo episode, i unpack why “i’m falling behind” hits so hard in your body, how comparison turns into a threat response and how an invisible rule book silently rushes you into paths that aren’t yours. i share my own seasons of feeling behind, uni and the medicine path, losing my job after a dark chapter and later pivoting after shutting down a business model to show you this is a pattern - not a personal failure. you’ll learn how to spot the script, regulate the urgency, zoom out to decades and take one aligned action without chasing someone else’s pace. enjoy 💙

chapters

00:00 welcome welcome!

01:46 feeling behind & the pressure of comparison

04:27 my personal stories of falling behind

08:21 the invisible rulebook

11:32 the neuroscience of social comparison and social rank

15:11 the cost of believing you’re behind

17:59 how to let go of illusory timelines

19:48 the seasons of life!

21:39 practical steps to break the urgency loop

26:03 embracing your unique journey and timing

some takeaways

feeling behind is rarely about facts, it’s a nervous system state

your brain reads comparison as social danger, so urgency spikes and clarity drops

you’re measuring yourself against a script, not reality

social media feeds availability bias, so your brain builds a fake baseline

the real cost of “i’m behind” is rushed decisions and chasing what looks impressive

regulation comes first bc clarity returns when your body feels safe

zoom out to decades, your life is chapters, not a single scene

progress is alignment, not speed

ask: whose timeline is this, and is it even mine?

ask: what season am i in, sowing or reaping?

one aligned action beats ten frantic ones

connect with me

👉secure your free breakthrough call

a free, focused 1:1 call to help you clarify your direction, identify the unconscious patterns holding you back and walk away with grounded next steps to move into 2026 with more confidence, calm and intention.

👉free resources

practical tools, guided practices and resources to help you create more clarity, confidence and alignment - all 100% free. no catch - just high-impact support for high performers & purpose-driven humans ready to grow. enjoy!

👉need more support?

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lots of love,

david 💙

Alex Horton is an entrepreneur, learning designer, and creative operator working at the intersection of climate transition, workforce development, and culture. He is the founder of econome and its flagship platform Brightline, which partners with industry, government, and communities to design practical pathways from legacy sectors into clean energy, renewables, and emerging climate-tech roles.

Alongside his work in workforce transition, Alex is the creator of The Big BBQ, a large-scale cultural project using food, events, and storytelling to bring people together around shared Australian identity, creativity, and community impact.

Alex also develops social-first creative projects exploring the modern creator economy, brand collaboration, and the realities of “the come-up,” blending storytelling with commercial strategy. He is known for translating complex systems into clear, actionable frameworks that span skills pipelines, partnerships, and cultural narratives with a focus on relevance, scale, and long-term impact.

connect with Alex

instagram: www.instagram.com/alexanderjhorton

linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/alexanderhorton94

~

📺watch and subscribe on youtube

in this episode, Alex Horton and i go from college boot-scootin’ to climate action, and somehow it all makes perfect sense. we talk about how he fell into entrepreneurship by accident, why the lack of a “set path” messes with your head and how comparison can quietly poison your confidence when your mates are stacking milestones. we get into purpose without the cringe, intuition without the fluff and why self-expression (through rapping) can be one of the fastest ways to find your tribe and integrate your shadow. we also go deep into carl jung, leadership under pressure and the real work behind building something that serves community - not ego. if you’ve been trying to “figure it out” while feeling behind, this episode will ground you and light a fire at the same time. enjoy 💙

what we explored this episode

00:00 from college to climate action

04:04 the accidental entrepreneur

09:55 no set path, no structure and a lot of identity pressure

15:44 finding your north star and why meaning beats security

21:56 connecting to intuition and treating your work like a craft

32:58 the power of self-expression through music

36:50 “to be cringe is to be free”

43:22 carl jung and why patterns run your life until you see them

47:26 leadership and self-awareness in business

55:32 climate action and reskilling at scale

58:28 what “liberated” means to Al

some takeaways

entrepreneurship often starts as a “follow the thread” moment, not a master plan

comparison is human, but it can turn into a quiet threat response in your body

purpose is built through action, conversations, and repetition, not one lightning bolt moment

your intuition gets sharper the more you practice listening to it

journaling helps you separate your voice from everyone else’s noise

treat your professional skill as a craft, not a ladder

self-expression is not a hobby, it’s a pathway to integration

putting work out early helps you grow faster and find your people faster

making the unconscious conscious changes how you lead, decide and respond under pressure

liberation is waking up excited, even when the day includes hard problems

connect with me

👉free resources

practical tools, guided practices and resources to help you create more clarity, confidence and alignment - all 100% free. no catch - just high-impact support for high performers & purpose-driven humans ready to grow. enjoy!

👉need more support?

if you’re interested in coaching programs and more support.

👉linkedin

👉facebook

👉instagram

👉tiktok

👉youtube

👉website

lots of love,

david 💙

in this episode, we unpack the quiet fear that you’re running out of time. you look around and see friends settling down, moving overseas, building careers and something in your body tightens. even when nothing is wrong, you feel urgency. you feel behind. we explore why this fear hits thoughtful high performers so hard and why it has less to do with time and more to do with safety, belonging and identity. i share personal stories, client patterns and the science behind why your brain manufactures the feeling of time pressure. we go into physics, neuroscience and the belief loops that keep you stuck in urgency. then we bring it back to the real work. safety in the body and presence in the day. aligned action instead of panic action. if you’ve been rushing, comparing or feeling like life is closing in, this one will help you breathe again. enjoy 💙

what we explored this episode

01:47 the quiet fear of running out of time and why it feels so real

02:57 two friend stories of urgency and the pressure to keep moving

04:07 my own comparison spiral and how urgency interfered with decisions

05:27 this fear isn’t about time, it’s about safety

06:12 physics of time, relativity and quantum tension

07:53 how the brain constructs time

09:52 comparison, stress hormones and why urgency narrows clarity

11:17 belief creates the experience of running out of time

13:47 why safety expands your sense of time

16:07 reframes, journaling prompts and choosing action from alignment

some takeaways

feeling behind is often a safety signal, not a timing problem

comparison activates threat circuits in the brain

urgency narrows perception and kills creativity

you don’t lose clarity because you’re behind, you lose it because you feel unsafe

time pressure changes how you think, feel and act

beliefs about time shape your decisions and outcomes

presence and regulation expand your sense of time

flow reduces time anxiety and restores direction

stillness protects clarity and better decisions

you are not late, you are unfolding

act from alignment, not panic

time feels abundant when the body feels safe

connect with me

👉secure your free breakthrough call

a free, focused 1:1 call to help you clarify your direction, identify the unconscious patterns holding you back and walk away with grounded next steps to move into 2026 with more confidence, calm and intention.

👉free resources

practical tools, guided practices and resources to help you create more clarity, confidence and alignment - all 100% free. no catch - just high-impact support for high performers & purpose-driven humans ready to grow. enjoy!

👉need more support?

if you’re interested in coaching programs and more support.

👉linkedin

👉facebook

👉instagram

👉tiktok

👉youtube

👉website

lots of love,

david 💙