He was drinking by age five, shuffled through ten foster homes, and emotionally shut down by the time most kids are starting kindergarten — yet Rob Henderson clawed his way from chaos to Cambridge.

In this powerful episode, Rob, author of Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class, shares his incredible journey from trauma and addiction to earning a PhD from Cambridge University. He opens up about childhood instability, military discipline, elite university culture, and his groundbreaking concept of “luxury beliefs”—status-signaling values held by the privileged that often harm the poor. This conversation is raw, eye-opening, and packed with insights about resilience, class, and what truly shapes success.

Check out Rob's Substack: https://www.robkhenderson.com/

Read Paul's Subtack: http://words.paulollinger.com

Follow Paul on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paul_ollinger

From Chaos to Cambridge - Rob Henderson