From Porn, Debt, and Despair to Faith-Driven Leadership
Every man hits a point where more stops being enough. That’s the beginning of truth.
I recently sat down with a man whose story cracked my heart wide open. Watch the full episode here
His name is Gabriel Basque. And if you’re a high-functioning man feeling quietly lost, you’ll see yourself in him.
On the outside? He had drive. Charisma. The kind of success people post about. But underneath?
He was drowning.
Addicted to porn. Buried in $200K of debt. Numbing himself with sex, money, and performance. And maybe the most dangerous part?
He was still functional.
Because no one checks on the man who looks like he’s “doing fine.”
When the World Applauds the Mask, You Forget Who You Are
At 24, Gabriel found himself living in a stranger’s home—alone in a room that wasn’t his, in a life that didn’t feel like his.
His career hadn’t collapsed. His family hadn’t abandoned him. But his soul had gone quiet.
And in that silence, the real questions rose up:
Is this it?
Is this what I’m here for?
If I die tomorrow, is this the story I’m proud to leave behind?
That was the beginning of what Gabriel now calls his “first awakening.” It wasn’t some euphoric epiphany—it was a jarring confrontation with the truth:
Survival isn’t the same as purpose.
The Turning Point: From Driven to Called
What changed him?
A leadership conference.
But not the way you’d expect.
He didn’t go for God. He didn’t go for growth. He went because something inside him was dying and he couldn’t ignore it anymore.
And what he found wasn’t a formula. It was a feeling.
He saw men who were… free. Not because they were rich or famous. But because they were aligned. Whole. Connected.
He wrote in his notebook that day:
“Bring out the best in you and everyone around you.”
That seed became his compass.
He started waking up early. Writing. Dreaming. Building a vision from the inside out. And most importantly?
He stopped chasing what he wanted—and started following what he was called to.
The Second Awakening: When Performance Crashes into Faith
Years later, Gabriel hit another wall.
More success. More hiding. A new family. A deeper fall.
He had everything he thought he wanted… and still felt empty.
So he searched. Through self-development, spirituality, and material gain. Until March 27, 2018, he stopped searching.
That’s the moment he gave his life to God.
Not as a last resort. But as the only path that had never required performance.
He realized he wasn’t made to earn love—he was made to live from it.
Let that land for a second.
This man, who built his life trying to be enough, finally accepted the truth:
He already was.
Leading with Love Isn’t Soft. It’s Sacrifice.
Since that day, Gabriel hasn’t lived perfectly—but he’s lived differently.
He leads with love now.
And not the sentimental kind. Not the Instagram quote version. But the gritty, grounded kind that makes you wash feet the day before you carry a cross.
Because real leadership isn’t about optics. It’s about obedience. It's about stewardship.
And Gabriel embodies that.
In his business. In his marriage. In his relationships.
He’s not the hero of the story—he’s the vessel.
And that’s the kind of man I trust to lead.
What We Can All Learn From His Journey
If you’re a high-functioning man reading this—still stuck in achievement loops and wondering why the wins don’t feel like wins—let me say this plainly:
You don’t need another strategy.
You need a funeral.
A death to the mask. The striving. The illusion that your worth is earned.
That’s what Gabriel did.
And from that place, he started living.
So I’ll Leave You With This:
What would shift in your life if you truly believed you were already loved?
Not because of what you achieve.
Not because of how you show up.
But simply because you exist.
Because that’s the ground you lead from when you stop performing and start becoming.
