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I was in the perfect relationship and had a beautiful home. I was the CEO of a media company that spanned local and national news websites, an entertainment site, several mobile apps, a weekly news broadcast, a book imprint, two licensed self-help brands, a design firm, an office in the Merchandise Mart, and a custom built content delivery platform. We were even in the process of partnering with a real estate developer to open a coworking / incubator space for media startups.But this front was false:
In reality, the business was constantly lurching from one breakdown to the next and took every penny I had to keep it going, sacrificing my family’s wellbeing in the process. I battled severe anxiety and depression for nearly five years, but was adept at putting it in a little box to deal with later. I withdrew from my friends. I didn’t leave the house very often. It all wore on my relationship with my partner, even though he had no idea the magnitude of the situation.On August 13 "everything came crashing down around me."
There was no hiding it anymore. There was no money to pay business bills due the next day, my partner left me, and I lost our home. All before 10 am on my 40th birthday. As the sheriff was parking in front of the house to evict us, I calmly walked down to the basement and hanged myself with an extension cord. Whether you believe in God, luck, or I was just a sucky Boy Scout, the cord slipped down the pipe and I didn’t die.Opus Chicago shut down; Tidwell went into therapy. "I’m not better, but I’m getting there," he said in his post. He'd learned that constant happiness is a pipe dream but that it's possible to achieve contentment. He'd learned that "I deeply enjoy helping people," and that although he grew up a poor farm boy in Oklahoma he’s a "richer person for it" and "wouldn’t change a thing."
Remove the garnish from Adam's paycheck or you will never be licensed to practice in Illinois. I will spend every minute of every day making sure that you will ever want to live in this city. Your debt is with me, and you know that.(Schlageter says both names were on the lease.)
If you don’t stop the garnishment against his check, which you know is wrong, I’ll just have him file for bankruptcy. You’ll never see a penny. Ever. So you can either work with me on this or you can not, and I promise you not working with me is not the right option.I asked both Tidwell and Henderson for comment. Both turned me down, though Tidwell sent me a link to his blog post.
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