In this week’s Friday Rant, I’m diving into something most people avoid talking about — childhood trauma and how it silently drives the way we lead, work, and interact with others.

I’ve seen it over and over again when I work with clients — CEOs, managers, sales teams. There’s always a recurring problem in the business, a pattern that keeps showing up. But instead of asking why it’s happening, most people just complain about it.We say we care, but we don’t ask the deeper questions. We say we want to grow, but we won’t do the work.

The truth is, until we’re willing to look beneath the surface — at how people were raised, what they’re carrying, what they’ve been taught — we’ll keep repeating the same cycles in our companies, relationships, and lives.I share how my own patterns — including years of drinking — weren’t random choices but the result of unaddressed pain. And once I started asking myself why, everything began to shift.

This episode is a call to slow down, look deeper, and start leading with genuine care and understanding — for yourself and for others.

Key Highlights:

- How your childhood programming shapes your leadership, relationships, and decision-making.

- Why repeating problems at work (or in life) often point to unresolved emotional patterns.

- The difference between caring about your people and truly understanding them.

- Why asking “why?” — to yourself and others — is the most powerful business and personal growth tool there is.

- The three core roots behind most business problems: poor communication, missing information, or lack of training.

- How my personal journey with addiction and self-awareness taught me to look past behavior and seek cause.

- Why real leadership starts with doing the inner work first.

If you really want to build better teams, stronger relationships, and a more aligned life — start asking deeper questions. Stop trying to fix the surface, and start understanding the root.

If this episode hit home, share it with someone who needs to hear it. Let’s start creating more workplaces — and lives — built on awareness, not avoidance.

👉 Stop playing small, book a call! Link in bio 👉 For more information visit https://www.austinlinney.com/ 👉 The @constructyourlifepodcast is available on ALL platforms More Resources: Discover Proactive Operators at https://www.proactiveoperators.com/. We’re not just coaches—we’re operators and investors with real skin in the game. Our battle-tested strategies come straight from our own businesses. No theory, just execution.No theory, just real execution. Book a call and let’s make things happen! #MINDSETPODCAST #BUSINESSPODCAST #REALESTATEPODCAST Powered by https://www.podcastproducer.com/