Meet Dr Cali Estes

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dr Cali Estes a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr Cali , appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

I get my resilience from the parts of my life that didn’t break me — even when they easily could have. I started two companies with just $300 in my bank account, and I’ve been homeless twice, rebuilding my life and career from scratch more times than most people even attempt. Those chapters taught me that grit isn’t a personality trait — it’s a decision.

My resilience comes from choosing to stand back up every time life knocked me sideways — not because I wanted to, but because I refused to let the story end there. It comes from growing through grief, from losing my husband and rebuilding a life with meaning, and from learning that healing is not linear, but it is always possible.

It also comes from the people I serve. Working with clients in their darkest moments has shown me again and again that humans have an incredible ability to rise. Witnessing their courage has fueled my own.

And ultimately, my resilience comes from a mix of stubborn determination, a wicked sense of humor, and an unshakable belief that your past doesn’t get to dictate your future. You do.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’m Dr. Cali Estes, The Battery Recharger™, and I help people reset, rebuild, and rise — mentally, emotionally, and professionally. My work sits at the intersection of neuroscience, resilience, performance psychology, and real-life grit. I lead several powerful brands that each serve a different part of the transformation journey:

• Sober On Demand® – a luxury, concierge-style addiction, detox, and mental health service that brings the entire treatment team directly to the client. We offer mobile medical detox, sober companions, the 5-Day Executive Reset, trauma work, Memory Reconstruction Therapy, and discreet wraparound care for clients who need results without entering a traditional facility.

• The Addictions Academy – the world’s largest online addiction and mental health training school. Since 2012, we’ve trained over 60,000 professionals in 40 countries and more than 400 treatment centers. With 45+ certifications and CEU programs, we continue to raise the global standard for education in this field.

• Unpause Your Life™ – my high-performance and mindset coaching brand focused on burnout recovery, emotional regulation, nervous system balance, and helping high achievers step back into alignment and peak performance. This is where personal reinvention becomes reality.

• Cali Estes Speaking – my keynote speaker platform where I teach audiences how to break emotional addiction, overcome burnout, rebuild after trauma, and tap into neuroscience-backed strategies to level up their lives. My story — starting two companies with $300, surviving homelessness twice, and transforming adversity into purpose — is the fuel I bring to every stage.

I’m also a partner in The Superhero System, a fitness, nutrition, and lifestyle brand helping people optimize strength, discipline, and longevity.

One of the most exciting developments right now is the release of my newest book, Airport Antics, which is officially out and already connecting with readers who love humor, travel chaos, and sharp observational storytelling.

Across all of my brands, the mission is simple:
I recharge people’s mental, emotional, and physical batteries so they can become the strongest version of themselves — and stay there.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Looking back, what were the three qualities or skills that were most impactful in your journey? What advice would you give others who are just starting out?

Looking back, the three qualities that shaped my entire journey were resilience, intuition, and relentless self-education. They weren’t just skills — they were survival tools that became superpowers.

1. Resilience
Resilience came from lived experience: starting two companies with $300 in my bank account, surviving homelessness twice, losing my husband, and rebuilding everything from the ground up. What made it impactful wasn’t the hardship itself — it was refusing to stay down.
Advice: Resilience grows through action. Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Take the next step even when you have no evidence you’ll succeed. Momentum builds confidence.

2. Intuition
My intuition has saved me more times than any textbook. It guided me through building global brands, choosing the right clients, hiring the right team members, and knowing when to pivot.
Advice: Intuition gets stronger when you stop abandoning yourself. Spend time alone. Meditate. Journal. Learn the difference between fear and instinct — one keeps you stuck, the other moves you forward.

3. Relentless Self-Education
I’ve always believed that knowledge is your insurance policy. I dove into neuroscience, psychology, addiction studies, business, biohacking — anything that could help me serve better and build smarter.
Advice: Become obsessed with learning. Take courses, read books, find mentors, and stay curious. The more you know, the more confident you become, and the more options you create for yourself.

If I could give one overarching piece of advice for people early in their journey, it’s this:
Don’t wait to feel ready. Start messy, stay curious, and trust that you can figure anything out.

Everything I’ve built — my companies, my mission, my impact — came from a willingness to begin before I had it all figured out. And that’s where the magic always begins.

How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?

If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?

If I knew I only had a decade left, I would spend it exactly the way I teach others to live: fully, intentionally, unapologetically, and with a level of joy that leaves a dent in the world.

I would pour my time into experiences, people, and impact, not things.
I’d keep traveling — not to collect passport stamps, but to collect moments that expand my soul. Laguna Beach sunsets, Rome’s electric energy, the Scottish highlands, quiet mornings in a café somewhere I’ve never been… that’s the version of living I’d prioritize.

I’d deepen my work, not to build bigger empires, but to leave better humans behind. I’d spend my years teaching people how to regulate their emotions, break emotional addiction, recover from burnout, and step into the best version of themselves. That’s the legacy that matters.

I’d spend more time with my family — my sister, my nieces, the people who have been my anchors through every storm. I’d create memories with them that outlive me.

I’d love harder and more openly.
I’d find the man who matches my energy — the one who is emotionally and financially secure, who travels, who lives passionately, who loves deeply — and I’d build a decade of adventures with him.

And I’d write.
Books, stories, lessons, humor, chaos, and grace — everything I’ve lived and everything I’ve learned. I’d leave a blueprint for the next generation of healers, leaders, disruptors, and misfits who refuse to settle.

Most of all, I’d spend that decade living wide awake — not waiting, not hesitating, not shrinking — but showing up fully charged, fully aligned, and fully myself.

Because if a decade is all we get, then every minute should matter.

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