What does it actually look like when the identity you’ve built your whole life around stops working?

Not gradually. Not with warning. Just — stops.

In this episode, Winston Faircloth goes to the specific anatomy of his own identity collapse — October 2019, the crickets, the 401k, the coping mechanism that finally failed. This is not a pivot story. It is an identity story. And it is the most honest account yet of what the Remember movement of the journey actually requires.

Episode Two opens with a poem from Winston’s My Reflections archive — Tour Day 982: Shift — and closes with Tour Day 861: Unfolding. In between, Winston traces the arc from the vow that built the suit to the silence that finally invited it to be taken off.

IN THIS EPISODE

• The identity that worked — and why it worked so well for so long

• October 2019: what happened when the golden touch went quiet

• Why the collapse wasn’t a business problem — it was an identity problem

• The unconscious vow: what it was, when it formed, what it built, and what it cost

• What a prison looks like when it has a great track record on the wall

• The question that cracked everything open: Who are you when the title falls away?

• The gift no one wants — and why it may be the most important gift you’ll ever receive

• Two poems: Tour Day 982: Shift (opening) and Tour Day 861: Unfolding (closing)

FEATURED POEMS

Tour Day 982: Shift — Opening poem
Written on Day 982 of Winston’s daily practice. Five stanzas moving from the hollow pursuit of achievement to the crash of the ladder — and ending on a single word that names the only way forward: a downward Shift.

Tour Day 861: Unfolding — Closing poem
Written on Day 861. A poem of open hands and surrender — the posture the entire episode has been building toward. Closes on the word Unfolding: not an ending, but a becoming.

Both from Winston’s My Reflections archive — nearly 1,000 daily poems written alongside personal photos, chronicling a transformation he didn’t choose but came to receive. Read them at https://myreuniontour.com/my-reflections.

A CLOSING WORD FROM THIS EPISODE
Openhanded, expectant.
Trusting, awaiting.
In darkest valleys, mountain peaks alike.
I will surrender and
Pursue what You desire in the
Unfolding.
— Tour Day 861

RESOURCES & LINKS

• My Reunion Tour program (forming fall 2026) → https://myreuniontour.com/the-journey

• Schedule a conversation with Winston → https://meetings-na2.hubspot.com/winston-faircloth
• My Reflections (poems + photos) → https://myreuniontour.com/my-reflections

• Subscribe to Begin Again → Apple Podcasts • Spotify • Your favorite podcast app

IF THIS EPISODE RESONATED

If something in today’s episode named what you’ve been carrying — if the suit you’ve been wearing has started to feel wrong and you’re not sure what to do with that — visit https://myreuniontour.com/the-journey. Schedule a conversation with Winston at https://meetings-na2.hubspot.com/winston-faircloth. Or share this episode with someone you love who might recognize themselves in it.

You’re right where you’re supposed to be.

Begin Again is back. And Winston Faircloth isn’t the same person who recorded that last episode.

After a season away — five years of honest reckoning, spiritual formation, and the slow daily writing of nearly 1,000 poems — Winston returns with a relaunch that is less a resumption and more a homecoming.

This episode is his most personal yet: the story of what broke at 59, what the silence held, and what he found on the other side of it.

Episode One opens with a poem from Winston’s My Reflections archive — Tour Day 984: Home — and closes with a second: Tour Day 773: Begin.

In between, Winston shares what he has never said quite this directly before.

IN THIS EPISODE
• Why Winston is back — and what changed in the years between seasons

• The identity that collapsed at 59, and what it cost to lose it

• The Loyal Soldier: the part of you that protected you, and now stands guard at a door you need to walk through

• What a ceremonial discharge actually looked like — a speech written for no audience, then read aloud to the people he loves most

• What Begin Again, Season Two is: a companion to the Remember, Recognize, Release, and Reunion journey of My Reunion Tour

• Who this season is for — and the question at the heart of it all

• Two poems: Tour Day 984: Home (opening) and Tour Day 773: Begin (closing)

FEATURED POEMS

Tour Day 984: Home — Opening poem

The poem that opens the episode and the season. Seven stanzas tracing the arc from restlessness and hollow pursuit to the quiet turn toward what truly matters. Written on Day 984 of Winston’s daily writing practice.

Tour Day 773: Begin — Closing poem

The closing poem and the season’s recurring benediction. Four stanzas that arrive at a single word, set alone on its own line: Begin. Written on Day 773.

Both poems are from Winston’s My Reflections archive — nearly 1,000 daily poems written alongside personal photos, chronicling a transformation he didn’t choose but came to receive. Read them at https://myreuniontour.com/my-reflections.

A CLOSING WORD FROM THIS EPISODE

Today in this moment

With Trust and Surrender

We decide to Follow

In a first step of Faith.

This is how we

Begin.
— Tour Day 773

RESOURCES & LINKS

• My Reunion Tour program (forming fall 2026) → https://myreuniontour.com/the-journey
• Schedule a conversation with Winston → book a call with Winston
• My Reflections (poems + photos) → https://myreuniontour.com/my-reflections
• Subscribe to Begin Again → Apple Podcasts • Spotify • Your favorite podcast app

IF THIS EPISODE RESONATED
If something in today’s episode landed for you — if you’ve been carrying an identity that no longer fits, or feeling a restlessness you can’t quite name — visit myreuniontour.com. Schedule a conversation. Or simply share this episode with someone you love who might be standing at the same threshold. You’re right where you’re supposed to be.

ABOUT WINSTON FAIRCLOTH
Winston Faircloth is a spiritual director, guide, and companion for people navigating the second half of life. He is not a theorist. He is a fellow traveler who happens to have five years of unfolding to share — and nearly 1,000 poems to prove it. He works from Tampa, Florida, and online. More at myreuniontour.com.

ABOUT BEGIN AGAIN PODCAST

Begin Again is a companion to the My Reunion Tour program — a faith-based journey for people in midlife and the second half of life who sense that the identity they’ve been carrying no longer fits. Each episode moves through one of four movements of the soul: Remember. Recognize. Release. Reunion. Season One’s sixty stories of perseverance and starting over remain available in the feed. Season Two goes deeper — into the identity work itself. There is no wrong place to start.

Welcome to Begin Again. This is Episode Zero — a brief introduction to the show, to host Winston Faircloth, and to what’s waiting for you in both seasons.

It opens with a poem: “Tour Day 713. Reunion.” Sixty episodes of perseverance and starting over live in Season One.

The deeper identity journey — Remember, Recognize, Release, Reunion — lives in Season Two.

Start wherever you are. There is no wrong door. myreuniontour.com

As our final episode of Season One of the Begin Again Leadership podcast, we've saved our BEST begin again story for last.

A second chance. Three of the most beautiful, hopeful words ever spoken.

Victoria Mininger never set out to write a book, much less a book about depression. In fact, she didn’t really even aspire to be an author. Yet, after a season when overwhelm turned to darkness, Victoria dared to fight. Her second chance not only helped herself, it's now helping thousands.

Writing is hard work. A book always seemed like a daunting task. And it is. And yet, when the need outweighs the excuses, somehow a book is what you get. And WHAT a book! Daring to Fight: When Grit, Grace & Faith Take Depression Head-On is now available on Victoria's website and on Amazon.

I LOVE this book so much that I've already given away copies to friends who need a word of inspiration during a very challenging time.

Victoria is a wife, mom of four, Owner, CEO and Integrator of Bear Creek Outdoor Living ( a Residential Construction Firm), Writer, Author, Speaker, hands in the dirt gardner & farm girl. And a great friend from a faith and business Mastermind we've been part of for several years.

Links from the Show
Bear Creek Outdoor Living (company website)
Daring to Fight: When Grit, Grace and Determination Take Depression Head On (Amazon)
Daring to Fight book trailer (YouTube)
VictoriaMininger. com (speaker website)

Perhaps you are feeling overwhelmed, lost or just worn out. You’re missing that spark, that fire you had at the beginning of the year. I definitely hit that wall myself just a few months ago and ReFIREment is the process I used to help me rediscover my passion and my fire and today, others tell me how peaceful, surrendered and relaxed I look.

If you’ve never heard of the term ReFIREment, this is the last of a four part series, helping you gain your passion back after a season of setbacks. The four steps are:

Unplug: disconnecting from external resources temporarily
Unlearn: reevaluating & challenging existing ideas, beliefs and concepts
Rest: experimenting with and understanding ways to deepen your rest
Relearn: incorporating new practices and beliefs to set you on a new path

Today, let’s go deeper into step three: RELEARN.

And as I’m recording this in early November 2020, it’s seven plus months since I made the decision to unplug to begin this journey. What are my results so far?

1. My life is very satisfying. I have more discernment and boundaries around what is most important in my life. I no longer drift along with the waves of circumstances. I now bless and release negative people from my list of acquaintances. And for a recovering people pleaser, that is a huge improvement in the quality of my life.
2. I have rediscovered my passion for teamwork and collaboration, which have been the hallmark of my career. I’ve realized that I’m not as effective as a lone wolf and how much I love helping others grow and prosper within the context of a TEAM you LOVE.
3. Our monthly business income is now 4x what it was before I stopped working in April. And we’re only scratching the surface of what is possible.
4. This morning as an example, I set a personal record for the amount of deep sleep in a night, beyond anything I thought possible a few months ago. And my body has already released 22 inches of girth during this lengthy process of unlearning. As I enter this season of relearning, I’m excited about what’s to come.

***
Other practical resources to help you ReFIRE mentioned in this series:

• Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep & Dreams by Matthew Walker
• The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
• Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Busy World by Cal Newport
• I've Been Thinking...Reflections, Prayers and Meditations for a Meaningful Life by Maria Shriver.

Perhaps you are feeling overwhelmed, lost or just worn out. You’re missing that spark, that fire you had at the beginning of the year. I definitely hit that wall myself just a few months ago and ReFIREment is the process I used to help me rediscover my passion and my fire and today, others tell me how peaceful, surrendered and younger I look. And this journey begins from within.

If you’ve never heard of the term ReFIREment, we’re going to go deeper on this four part series, helping you gain your passion back after a season of setbacks. The four steps are:

Unplug: disconnecting from external resources temporarily
Unlearn: reevaluating & challenging existing ideas, beliefs and concepts
Rest: experimenting with and understanding ways to deepen your rest
Relearn: incorporating new practices and beliefs to set you on a new path

Today, let’s go deeper into step three: REST.

***
Other practical resources to help you REST mentioned in this episode:

• Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep & Dreams by Matthew Walker
• The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
• Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Busy World by Cal Newport

There IS a way out of the darkness of overwhelm and comparison: ReFIREment. This bonus LIVE episode of the Begin Again Leadership podcast builds on last week's UNPLUG with practical ways to UNLEARN. This is step two of four of a process of creating the space to rediscover the passion and flame from within.

Other practical resources to help you UNLEARN mentioned in this bonus episode:

• The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
• Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Busy World by Cal Newport

Perhaps you are feeling overwhelmed, lost or just worn out. You’re missing that spark, that fire you had at the beginning of the year. I definitely hit that wall myself just a few months ago and ReFIREment is the process I used to help me rediscover my passion and my fire and today, others tell me how peaceful, surrendered and younger I look. And this journey begins from within.

If you’ve never heard of the term ReFIREment, we’re going to go deeper on this four part series which began last time, helping you gain your passion back after a season of setbacks. The four steps are:

Unplug: disconnecting from external resources temporarily
Unlearn: reevaluating & challenging existing ideas, beliefs and concepts
Rest: experimenting with and understanding ways to deepen your rest
Relearn: incorporating new practices and beliefs to set you on a new path

Today, let’s go deeper into step two, UNLEARN. As a philosophy student in college, one quote from Plato speaking about his mentor takes my breath away everytime I hear it and seek to apply it in my life. My paraphrase: Wisdom comes from knowing that you know nothing. How counter-cultural and counterintuitive is that statement in today’s world.

And probably the single most important reason to UNPLUG from social media where everyone with an opinion, a conspiracy, or an axe to grind can/will post with absolute conviction and certainty AND which will be shared, reposted, retweeted, and amplified to an increasingly larger yet smaller-minded echo chamber of like-minded followers.

Unlearning what you think you know unlocks new doors of potential in your business and life.