I want to take a moment to thank this community for your patience over the past several weeks. I’ve been rebuilding and adjusting my prosthetic, which has required more time, energy, and focus than I initially expected. Rather than show up halfway or rushed, I chose to slow down, recalibrate, and do it correctly. That decision matters to me, and I appreciate you giving me the space to do that. Today also marks 9 years sober for me. That milestone wasn’t achieved through motivation or willpower alone. It was built the same way this work is built: through daily accountability, discipline, vision, integrity, communication, and empathy. Not perfectly. Consistently. The same principles that keep me sober are the ones guiding the rebuild of this program. When something is off, you don’t push through it blindly. You stop, assess, correct, and recommit. Thank you for staying present, steady, and respectful of the process. The work continues, and I’m grateful to be doing it alongside people who understand that real progress is built one deliberate day at a time. — Adam

This space is here to track forward movement. Wins don’t need to be dramatic or polished. They don’t need to be finished products or major outcomes. They just need to be real. Use this thread to share progress you’ve made that required effort, presence, or follow-through. That might look like: • completing something you’ve been avoiding • staying regulated in a hard conversation • showing up consistently when it would’ve been easier to disengage • taking a step you’ve been putting off • holding a boundary • finishing a course, certification, or assignment • asking for support instead of isolating Big or small. Personal or professional. If it moved you forward, it belongs here. We’re not measuring ourselves against each other. We’re tracking momentum. Post your wins as they happen. This thread stays open all year.

Check out today's live and be sure to go look at the NEW community page posting "New Year - New Wins" where everyone will have the opportunity to post any new accomplishments or wins all year long. Shout out our first poster @Kathleen Hartzler for the completion and passing of your Peer Specialist Certification!!!! It''s been an honor watching you grow! That certification represents more than coursework or an exam. It reflects lived experience, discipline, accountability, and the decision to turn personal hardship into something that can support others.

everyone keep a look out for what's coming in the new year. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this time.

As this Skool year closes, I want to be clear about what this space is—and what it asks of you moving forward. Defying Despair: The Work was never built for motivation. It was built for maintenance, repair, and leadership under pressure. 2025 was about interruption. Interrupting collapse. Interrupting autopilot. Interrupting the idea that change requires force. Many of you didn’t “transform.” You stabilized. You stayed. You learned how to remain present when old patterns wanted to pull you backward. That matters. This platform exists to support personal development across capacity, not personality: • Entry-level courses to rebuild emotional awareness and self-trust • Intermediate practices to strengthen consistency, discipline, and relational integrity • Advanced work for those ready to lead themselves—and others—without abandoning who they are Nothing here is designed for performance. Everything here is designed for application. As we move into 2026, the focus sharpens. The A.D.V.I.C.E. Leadership Lab is not a mindset course. It is not theory. It is not inspiration. It is a structured leadership system built around: Accountability. Discipline. Vision. Integrity. Communication. Empathy. This is where personal growth becomes behavioral leadership. Where emotional steadiness becomes decision-making capacity. Where insight turns into repeatable action. 2026 is not about becoming someone new. It’s about leading as who you already are—consistently, responsibly, and without collapse. If you’re still here, it means something in you is ready to move forward with intention. Stay present. Choose your tier deliberately. Engage the work honestly. We’re not chasing change. We’re building the capacity to sustain it. — Adam May, MS Founder, Defying Despair: The Work Creator, A.D.V.I.C.E. Leadership Lab