I Wish Someone Told Me This About Leadership

I Wish Someone Told Me This About Leadership

Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This instalment of The REBOOT Recovery Show’s Weekly Reboot zooms in on leadership, healing and faith, with Brian Flannery unpacking "things I wish someone told me" before he started leading and healing. Brian speaks straight to anyone who thinks they’re "too broken" or "not qualified" to help others.

His central message is clear: "You don't have to be completely healed, perfectly trained, or exactly like someone else to be used by God." He shares how, early on, he tried to imitate host Evan Owens’ calm, notebook-driven style, before realising that his own more theatrical, energetic approach was just as valid. The big point? Someone else’s personality isn’t your standard. You’ll hear Brian challenge the idea that leaders need to be at the finish line of healing.

Instead, he paints leadership as "wounded people trying to heal" who may just be a few steps ahead, turning back to help others move from where they’ve been to where they are now. Scars, he says, are "beautiful reminders" of past pain that God has healed, not reasons to sit out. A major thread is healthy vulnerability.

Brian warns against trauma-dumping or trying to outdo others’ pain, and suggests a simple test: "Will sharing this serve the person in front of me?" He urges leaders to be honest, present, and willing to say "I don’t know" while still staying by someone’s side. There’s also encouragement for those who feel too old, too inexperienced, or too unsure to step up.

Stories of people leading in their "golden years" and volunteers who never expected to lead show how serving others can become part of their own ongoing healing. If you’ve ever thought, "I’m not healed enough" or "I’m not like that leader," this episode might leave you wondering: what if you’re already exactly the kind of leader someone needs right now?