What Is AA’s Secret Sauce?
As a former venture capitalist and now an active business and management consultant, I often find myself applying this lens to organisations and movements outside the commercial world. Recently, I asked myself: What is AA’s secret sauce?
In venture capital, the term “secret sauce” refers to the unique advantage that gives a company its edge—something that can’t be easily replicated. It might be a breakthrough technology, a disruptive business model, or an exceptional team. For example, Google’s early secret sauce was its use of backward links to rank search results and its radically minimalist homepage—starkly different from Yahoo’s cluttered interface of the time.
AA’s secret sauce isn’t a single ingredient—it’s a recipe. One that blends structure with spirituality, wisdom with humility, and community with accountability. And like all great recipes, it’s been passed down, refined, and shared—one meeting at a time.
To me, it comes down to three powerful ingredients:
1. The 12 Steps — A Framework That Inspires Broader Exploration
At the heart of AA is the 12-Step framework. While AA itself doesn’t reinterpret or expand these steps, many members—including myself—find that the steps resonate even more deeply when considered alongside insights from psychology, neuroscience, organisational behaviour, and spiritual traditions.
This isn’t about being smarter or more analytical—it’s just the way my cloth is cut. I’ve spent years working with people who operate outside the usual paradigms: industrial property developers, venture capitalists, risk-taking entrepreneurs. They all do things differently. And so do I. I look to the tracks of others, but I follow my instinct. That’s how I’ve always made sense of the world—and the 12 Steps are no exception. They’ve become more meaningful to me when I explore them through the lens of the life I’ve lived.
2. Not Drinking Is Just the Beginning
From the outside, AA is often seen as a place where people go to “stop drinking.” But speak to anyone who’s been through the program, and they’ll tell you: not drinking is just the beginning. The real transformation comes from sobriety underpinned by spiritual development. It’s this shift—from self-centredness to a broader, more connected way of living—that keeps people from picking up a drink again. It’s also what empowers them to become better partners, parents, colleagues, and citizens.
3. Radical Intimacy Through Peer-Led Sharing
AA meetings offer something that even the most credentialed professionals can’t: peer-led group therapy by and for alcoholics. These sessions are built around shared stories, reflections on AA literature, and honest conversations about the journey—before and after sobriety.
But it’s more than just storytelling. It’s sharing—a word that implies vulnerability, trust, and emotional presence. People in AA often say things like, “I’ve never shared that with another human being—not even my family.” That kind of radical intimacy is rare. And it’s made possible by a deep-rooted empathy that exists between people who’ve faced the same darkness.
What’s even more remarkable is that these moments of profound honesty often happen between people who barely know each other. Of the 60 or so regulars at the Launceston chapter of AA, I know the surnames of maybe 10. And yet, the emotional connection is real. It’s built not on history or credentials, but on presence—on being emotionally available in the moment. No amount of planning or goal-setting can substitute for that.
This is why the phrase “live emotionally one day at a time” has started to resonate more with me. Because when it comes to human connection, that’s where the magic happens—in the now.
AA ORGNIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR
About Jason Bresnehan
Jason is the founder of Evahan, a consultancy dedicated to helping individuals and organizations build both financial and legacy wealth. With over 30 years of leadership across sectors and continents, he brings commercial acumen, strategic insight, and lived experience to every engagement. His work spans business transformation, venture management, and M&A, always grounded in a belief that ideas—shared with clarity, balance, and respect—can improve individuals, families, communities, and society.
A strong advocate for freedom, limited government, and enterprise-driven progress, Jason also draws deeply from his personal recovery journey—an experience that reshaped his life and fuels his commitment to growth, contribution, and principled living. Through writing, speaking, and service, he continues to learn, share, and speak with purpose.
I can be engaged (on a remunerated or volunteer basis) to sit on Boards, Committees, Advisory and Reference Group Panels, and to speak to Business, Community, and Youth groups. I’m also open to providing comment to media on topics where I have relevant experience or insight. Please feel free to make contact.