Yeah, when Judgement shows up as an actual person in readings, they tend to bring out whatever’s been buried in whoever they’re around. Like with your querent’s guy pushing her toward her calling.
These Judgement types are pretty direct about it, too. Not small at all, more like getting hit with a wake-up call. It makes sense that he went through his own transformation first, getting sober.
That seems to be how it works with judgmental people, they go through their own stuff and then end up affecting everyone around them the same way.