How to build again as a recovering workaholic

A discussion on redefining, creating, and going after success

I’ve been thinking a lot about work lately. I tend to be a workaholic; at least, that’s the only way I know how to get my own business off the ground. When I built the blog Lee From America, I worked on it every day of the week for years on end. I sacrificed so much to make it work. I devoted my life to it, and it paid off. It was my full-time job and reached millions of people.

But it came at such a high cost that I eventually decided to walk away and shut it down. I lost myself in my work. I had 1, maybe 2 friends. Relationships crumbled. My health deteriorated. I burnt myself to the ground.

Now, as I gear up to write a book and devote more time to this newsletter, I am facing new fears as I build again: the fear of losing myself in work, the fear of tying my identity to work, the fear of imbalance, the fear of relapse in an eating disorder, the fear of burnout, the fear of trying and of failing.

I want to open up a discussion today to talk about workaholism and building again. How do you build again, how do you create (or even redefine) success for yourself when you come from a place of workaholism? How do you draw boundaries? How do you work hard at something without it consuming you? I want to hear from you.

There’s also a voice note essay expanding on this theme below the paywall for paid subscribers, which you can listen to here: