A Conversation with Gordon Lownds

Michael Peres with Gordon Lownds — co-founder and former CEO of Sleep Country Canada, ex-retail consultant and investment banker — on the hidden slope from high performance to addiction, and the hard road back. Gordon opens up about the unlikely origins of his cocaine dependence at 48, the thousand-day spiral that followed, and the recovery journey chronicled in his memoir Cracking Up. A candid conversation about stigma, leadership, and why “it can happen to anyone.”

In this episode, you’ll learn:
• How a “one-time” try became a rapid descent—from smoking to injecting—within a year.
• The double life of a high-functioning executive and what finally broke the secrecy
• Mechanics of addiction: neurochemistry, compulsion windows, and escalation
• Recovery, rebuilding trust, and lessons for founders and executives under pressure
• Practical guardrails: boundaries, accountability, and when to ask for help

Host: Michael Peres (Mikey Peres)
🌐 http://www.podcast.michaelperes.com
| http://www.michaelperes.com

📸 / / mikeyperes
| 💼 / / mikeyperes

Guest: Gordon Lownds
Website: https://gordonlownds.com/

#GordonLownds #AddictionRecovery #Leadership #FounderLife #MentalHealth #HighPerformance #SleepCountryCanada #Resilience

Видео A Conversation with Gordon Lownds канала Michael Peres (Mikey Peres)