I've Killed a Few Demons but None of Them Stayed Dead.

I've killed a few demons but none of them stayed dead.

Some demons are loud: Alcohol. Drugs. The need to win every room.

Some are quiet: Self-doubt. Anxiety. The 3am question of whether any of it matters.

Here's what I've learned:

You don't slay a demon once. You slay it on a Tuesday. Then again on Thursday.

The ones you name tend to lose power. The ones you hide tend to compound. And nobody does this alone. The strongest people I know have a crew.

The numbers suggest I'm not the only one slaying demons. In 2024, nearly 1 in 4 U.S. adults had a diagnosable mental illness, and about 1 in 6 Americans 12 and older met the criteria for a substance use disorder (SAMHSA). Nobody counts self-doubt.

So the person across the conference table is probably mid-fight. So is the one in the mirror.

Name your demon. Then call your crew.