There was a point in Hip's life where he was certain his only contribution to the world would be a cautionary tale — a story other people would tell their kids to scare them straight. Today he's a renowned tattoo artist, nine years in recovery, a husband, and a stepfather to two kids who asked him to adopt them.

In this conversation, James and Hip go deep into that journey — childhood trauma, addiction, incarceration — and what it actually took to come back from it. Hip talks about the curiosity that cracked the door open to recovery even when none of it made sense yet, the spiritual principles he now applies in his business the same way he applies them in his life, and what it's like to sit with a client for hours, tattooing over scars they're finally ready to let go of.

They also talk about fear as a liar, why every failure is just  ...