Have you ever felt like you're not what you seem, with a deep, complex backstory hidden behind a seemingly successful exterior? What if the most difficult parts of your past, the ones you tried to escape, are actually the secret ingredients to your greatest triumphs and your most powerful message?
This week on Amplify, Jess sits down with Adam Tanaka, a founder and speaker who has built and sold companies and now teaches others how to unlock their most creative selves through the power of play. Adam's journey is far from linear, and his seemingly picture-perfect success story is built on a childhood marked by trauma and chaos, where a game of hide-and-seek was an act of survival.
He opens up about his "normal," which included a mother struggling with addiction, his heroic act of saving her from a house fire at age 15, and how that trauma unknowingly followed him into adulthood. Adam shares how his success led to one of his darkest moments, what truly saved his life, and the powerful framework he created to ensure he and others always have a community to fall back on.