Confidentiality

Everything shared in a Phoenix Forum meeting stays in that meeting. Member names, business details, financial information, personal struggles, family situations, recovery challenges: none of it leaves the room.

This is not a suggestion. It is the condition that makes honest conversation possible. If a member cannot trust that what they say in the hot seat will not appear in a competitor’s inbox or a LinkedIn post, they will not say what they actually need to say. And if they do not say what they actually need to say, the room cannot help them.

Confidentiality applies to:

• What other members share in meetings, including business information, financial figures, personal details, and recovery status
• The identities of other members (you may say you belong to a peer advisory board for founders in recovery; you may not name other members or describe them in identifying ways)
• The content of Founders’ Compass sessions and any curriculum materials shared within the group
• WhatsApp and any other between-meeting communications within the group

Honesty

The room only works if members show up honestly. This means bringing real problems, not managed versions of problems. It means reporting back on commitments accurately, including when the commitment was not kept. It means giving feedback that is true and useful, not just supportive.

Phoenix Forum is not a performance space. Members do not attend to demonstrate how well things are going. They attend to get real help with real challenges. That requires honesty in both directions: honest about what is actually happening, and honest in the feedback you give others.

Recovery

Phoenix Forum is a peer advisory board for founders in recovery. Members are expected to be in recovery, meaning they are not actively using substances in a way that is creating unmanageability in their business or personal life.

Phoenix Forum is not a recovery program, a treatment provider, or a sponsor. It does not provide recovery support in the clinical sense. It is a peer group where recovery is a shared context, not a background fact. Members are responsible for their own recovery and their own program outside of Phoenix Forum.

If a member’s recovery becomes a concern, the facilitator may have a direct private conversation. Phoenix Forum reserves the right to pause or end a membership if a member’s recovery status creates risk for the group or for the member.

Respect and conduct in the room

Meetings are structured for a reason. The hot seat is not a debate. The person in the seat is presenting a real challenge and asking for input, not defending a position. Members ask questions, share relevant experience, and make recommendations. They do not argue with the presenter or use the hot seat as a platform for their own perspective.

Feedback is direct and specific. Vague encouragement is not useful. Pointed honesty is. The goal is to help the person in the seat make a better decision, not to make them feel good about the decision they have already made.

Members treat each other with respect. Disagreement is expected and healthy. Contempt, dismissal, and grandstanding are not.

Membership expectations

• Attend every monthly meeting. Attendance is the commitment that makes peer accountability possible. Members who consistently miss meetings lose the accountability structure that gives the group its value.
• Arrive prepared. Bring a real question to every meeting, even if you are not the scheduled hot seat presenter. Know what you need from the group.
• Follow through on commitments. When you commit to something in the room, do it. Report back accurately at the next meeting.
• Contribute fully when others are in the seat. The quality of the room depends on the quality of the attention every member brings when someone else is presenting.
• Keep the group at ten. Phoenix Forum groups are capped at ten members. The cap exists to protect the intimacy and accountability that make the format work. Do not bring guests to meetings without prior coordination with the facilitator.

Violations

Violations of confidentiality are the most serious breach. A member who shares another member’s information outside the group, identifies another member publicly without permission, or misuses information learned in the room will be asked to leave immediately.

Other violations, including sustained non-attendance, dishonesty in reporting commitments, or conduct that creates a hostile environment in the group, will be addressed by the facilitator directly. Persistent violations may result in membership being ended.

If you believe a violation has occurred, contact the facilitator directly.