He Lost His Sister, His Marriage & His Job—Then Had to Rebuild His Entire Identity | Troy Haslinger

<p>What happens when the life you thought you had built collapses almost all at once?</p><p>For Troy Haslinger, April 2011 became a dividing line. After returning from a trip to the Caribbean, he learned that he was being placed on a performance improvement plan at work. Shortly afterward, he learned that his 38-year-old sister, Holly, had metastatic colon cancer.</p><p>Eighteen months later, Troy had lost Holly, gone through a divorce, and lost his job.</p><p>But that wasn’t the end of the story.</p><p>In this episode of Thought Atlas, Troy opens up about grief, addiction, mental health, identity, failure, recovery, relationships, and the complicated process of rebuilding yourself after life changes direction.</p><p>We discuss why Troy created the charity Life Is Good No Matter What after losing his sister, how the charity eventually became intertwined with his identity, and what happened when he was ultimately fired from the organization he had helped create.</p><p>Troy also shares how hiking, therapy, Alcoholics Anonymous, writing, exercise, and an ultramarathon became part of his journey. He explains why he believes doing difficult things can teach us that we’re capable of more than we think.</p><p>His memoir, <em>Beautifully Dysfunctional</em>, grew out of years of journaling and personal experiences. The central message is one Troy repeatedly returns to throughout the conversation:</p><p>You are not alone.</p><p>This is a conversation about what happens when success doesn’t protect you from loss, why difficult experiences can force us to reconsider who we are, and why Troy believes we should celebrate life today like there is no tomorrow.</p><p><br></p>