There are people who have dramatic stories of recovery and then there’s Sabyn Mayfield. Do you know anyone else who showed up at a rehab and, a few years later, ended up as that rehab’s CEO? Well, now you do because Mayfield is the CEO of The Bridge to Recovery—a rehab where he was a client in 2022.
A Nashville native, filmmaker, musician and nephew of Dolly Parton, Mayfield spent years in the entertainment business while struggling with addiction, low self-esteem and the belief that becoming rich and famous would finally make him feel like somebody. What he eventually realized was that he didn't particularly want fame or fortune as much as he wanted to feel seen, safe and worthy (we couldn’t have said it better ourselves).
We talk about the strange transition from freelance artist to businessperson, why Mayfield prefers the word "woundedness" to "trauma" and how drinking and using can become a survival strategy when being sober feels unbearable. We also get into the voice in our heads that can make us feel worthless even after decades of sobriety, the freedom of creating art without depending on it to pay the bills and how a three-day silent retreat at a monastery inspired his song "Worthy," featuring Callie Twisselman.
Along the way, Mayfield offers one of the better descriptions we've heard of addiction: most people who burn their hand on a stove run it under cold water, while someone struggling with addiction may put their hand right back on the stove in an attempt to relieve the pain.
In this episode:
· How Mayfield went from receiving treatment at The Bridge to Recovery to running the place
· Why his dreams of becoming rich and famous were rooted in wanting to feel safe and worthy
· The surprising similarities between struggling artists, entrepreneurs and people in recovery
· Why getting sober doesn't automatically silence the vicious voice in your head
· What three days of silence with a group of monks taught him about spirituality, creativity and not overthinking everything
· Why Mayfield believes the deeper work of recovery involves much more than putting down the drink or drug
