Rise Above with Kevin Lanning
Join Kevin Lanning, a former Google executive in sobriety, as he shares inspiring stories of resilience. Each episode features individuals who have faced life’s toughest challenges—addiction, trauma, anxiety, and more—and emerged stronger. These conversations aren’t just about survival; they’re about thriving and finding practical solutions to rise above adversity. Kevin’s own journey through addiction and childhood trauma fuels his passion for sharing stories that uplift, educate, and inspire.
Episodes
I Shot Fentanyl Until I Was Completely Unconscious | Jail, Losing My Daughter & How I Finally Got Sober
Brittany Ellis grew up in a small town in South Georgia watching her parents drink & party. It wasn't until her oldest brother poured gasoline on a bonfire at 14 and burned his entire arm that everything changed. The doctors loaded him up with OxyContin. He brought it home. Her parents got hooked. And then Brittany did too.
What followed was 15 years of addiction that took her from pills to heroi
I Shot Heroin With USB Cords Tied To My Arm After 2 Tours In Afghanistan | 7 Years Sober
Johnny Schrey grew up in West Boca watching his two older brothers destroy their lives with drugs. He told himself he would never be like them. By 25 he was splitting Roxy 30s with his best friend because they couldn't scrape together $10 for one pill between them. So they joined the Marine Corps..
He detoxed off opioids in boot camp. Got a DUI his first night back from engineering school. Deploy
I Found Out I Was Adopted At 13, Got My First DUI At 18 & Did 4 Months In Jail | 3.5 Years Sober
Rise Above | Adam Vohra's Story
Adam Vohra grew up in Connecticut ....a kid of color in a Jewish day school who always felt different. At 13 he found out why. He and his sister had been adopted. Nobody had told them. And six months later he had his first drink.
What followed was 15 years of DUIs, gambling debts with drug dealers, dropping out of college, four months in a Connecticut jail, and re
I Blacked Out Every Night While Running The San Francisco Bureau of HuffPost | Highrise Suicide Attempt and How I Got Sober
Carly Schwartz had a career most journalists only dream about. Running the San Francisco Bureau of HuffPost at 26. On the leadership team of one of the biggest news organizations in the world. Blogging for a governor who became California's Governor. Expense accounts, concerts, restaurant openings and a life that looked absolutely electric from the outside.
And she was going to bed every night wi
I Drank A Bottle Of Scotch Every Night | From Alcoholic Depression to 39 Years Sober | Suebelle Robbins
Suebelle Robbins had a life that looked like a movie. Playboy Bunny by night, first grade teacher by day. Travel escort taking groups to Hawaii and Switzerland. Corporate wife living on Gulfstream jets. Beautiful homes, European vacations and everything money could buy.
And she was miserable every single minute of it.
Every morning started with a bong. Every afternoon she switched to Scotch. She
Inside A Chicago Street Junkie's 20-Year Spiral | 3 DUIs, Heroin, Cook County Jail & Finding God
Mike Supak was a Division 1 track athlete. He never touched a drop of alcohol in four years of high school. He was structured, dedicated, trustworthy — the model kid.
Then he discovered alcohol the summer before college and everything changed immediately.
What followed was 20 years of cocaine, heroin, DUIs, overdoses, jail, and a slow death that nobody around him could stop. He got his second an
I Was Taking 10 Xanax Bars A Night At 17, Stabbed A Woman At 37 Weeks Pregnant & Sat On A Sidewalk Ready To Die | 11 Years Sober
Crystal Meliea grew up alone on 183 acres of North Carolina mountain property with a narcissist mother who left her unsupervised with music industry men in Los Angeles at 16. No protection. No parents. Just a bottle of Xanax she found in her mother's purse that made everything quiet for the first time in her life.
By 19 she was running marijuana from Mexico to Texas to North Carolina on a massive
I Made My First Million On Wall Street At 28 & Was Broke & Addicted To Opiates By 30
TJ DelVecchio was a Division 1 baseball player at Providence College who walked onto Wall Street during the dot-com boom and made his first million dollars by 28. By 30 he was broke, $300,000 in debt, unloading boxes at FedEx in the middle of the night just to keep health insurance for his kids — and quietly becoming addicted to opioids.
For years he held it all together on the outside. Wall Stre
Inside A Functioning Mom's Secret Alcoholism | My 30-Year Battle With Alcoholism
Kyle Garges had everything — a loving husband, a beautiful daughter, a career in advertising sales, and a life that looked perfectly put together from the outside.
But behind closed doors she was hiding alcohol in her daughter's Stanley Cup. She was drinking through blackouts, through rehab, through aversion therapy in Seattle where they made her chug vodka until she vomited. She drank through he
7-OH Pills Destroyed My Life | The SHOCKING Truth About 7-Hydroxymitragynine Addiction
You can buy it at a gas station. It's sold next to energy drinks and lottery tickets. And it almost destroyed Matt Dean's life.
Matt Dean had already been through the pill mill era in Florida, cold turkey detoxed off 50-60 Percocet a day, built a career in real estate, and gotten sober from alcohol — twice. Then his little brother died of an overdose. And a well-meaning smoke shop employee handed
I Was Held Hostage By The Cartel In Mexico | Inside A College Addict's Spiral
John Luedke had it all on paper — a scholarship to Michigan State, a successful father, a big house, and every material thing a kid could want. But underneath it all, he was drowning. His parents' affair and messy seven-year divorce left him as the emotional middleman between two broken people. He got cut from the basketball team. He lost his identity. And he spent the next decade eating, drinking
I Was A Teacher With Two DUIs | 30 Years of Alcoholism & Finding Sobriety
Elisa Nicole Saunders was a Palm Beach County schoolteacher, standing in front of classrooms every day — and quietly drinking and drugging her way through 30 years of addiction. Two DUIs. A five-car pile-up. Crashing drunk into a tow truck while two people had to run for their lives. Sitting in a jail cell staring at her wrist, wondering how it got this bad.
She never wanted to get sober. A judge
I Was Ordering Fentanyl Off The Dark Web In College | Gambling, Xanax & How I Got Sober
Jordan Freeman had everything going for him — loving parents, a spot at one of the top business schools in the country, varsity baseball, and a bright future. But behind closed doors, he was ordering Xanax off the dark web, gambling with money he didn't have, blacking out and not remembering a single thing from the night before — and calling it normal.
By his sophomore year at Indiana University,
I Did Neurofeedback for Anxiety, Stress & PTSD — Here's What Happened | Compassion Behavioral Health
I went inside Compassion Behavioral Health (CBH) headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida to experience neurofeedback firsthand — and I vlogged the whole thing.
In this episode, I go through my first two sessions:
🧠 Session 1 — Brain Mapping: Reading my actual brainwave patterns, identifying high-stress areas, mood fluctuations, and self-regulation challenges.
⚡ Session 2 — Brain Training: Wearin
He Overdosed, Died 3 Times & Woke Up an Amputee | Now He Has 14 Years Sober
Kevin Parker had everything stripped from him — his health, his freedom, his leg, and nearly his life. After a night that started with a family intervention and ended with him face-down in his own vomit, Kevin flatlined three times, spent three weeks in a coma, developed sepsis, gangrene in all four limbs, multi-organ failure, and woke up an amputee.
The doctors said he'd be brain dead. They said
From Eating Disorder to 30 Years in Recovery: Trauma, EMDR & Healing
In this powerful episode, I sit down with Rachel Pappert Docekal, a recovery advocate and executive at the Hanley Center in West Palm Beach. Rachel opens up about her own 30-year recovery journey — starting with an eating disorder in college, the friends who loved her enough to intervene, and the layers of childhood trauma she's worked through over decades of therapy, including EMDR.
We also get
She Married a Drug Dealer in Vegas While Running From Cops | Cocaine Addiction, a Federal Raid & Getting Sober
Courtney Janssen grew up in a farm town outside Chicago watching domestic abuse and drinking become "normal." By 12 she had her first drink. By her twenties she was doing cocaine daily to survive double shifts bartending in Nashville. Then she impulsively married a man she barely knew — in Vegas, hours after he fled an undercover detective — and woke up pregnant, broke, and trapped in a verbally a
Throwing Up Blood & Still Drinking | Stage 4 Cirrhosis, Liver Transplant & 19 Months Sober
Chelsea Garber was diagnosed with Stage 4 cirrhosis of the liver — and kept drinking for nine more months.
After losing her son, battling drug addiction, surviving 50+ hospital admissions, and being given just three months to live, Chelsea made the hardest decision of her life: she poured out her last drink on September 29th, 2024.
Just 80 days after a life-saving liver transplant, she sat d
I Survived Iraq…Then Crystal Meth Nearly Destroyed My Life | 5 Felonies, Combat Trauma & Finding Sobriety
Marine Corps veteran Spencer Jones opens up about surviving combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, battling trauma after leaving the military, and falling into a devastating crystal meth addiction that led to five felonies and complete chaos.
After serving over 20 years in the Marines, Spencer struggled with the loss of structure, identity, and purpose once civilian life began. What started
Inside a Heroin Addict’s BRUTAL Lifestyle | Joining a Gang, Attempted Murder, Prison & Sobriety
Robert Cruz shares his unbelievable story of addiction, gang violence, prison, armed robbery, and ultimately redemption. After losing his brother at 13, Robert turned to drugs and alcohol to numb the pain. What started with marijuana eventually spiraled into heroin addiction, gang life, violent crime, prison sentences, and multiple arrests.
Robert opens up about being charged with attempted murde
I Was Drinking a Bottle of Vodka a Day at 20 | Inside a Young Alcoholic’s DOUBLE Life
Alkhuzama Zaini shares her powerful story of alcoholism, blackouts, college addiction, mental health struggles, and finding sobriety at a young age. From moving to America from Saudi Arabia, to drinking a bottle of vodka a day at ASU, hiding her addiction from family, terrifying withdrawals, and ultimately rebuilding her life through recovery, this is a raw and honest conversation about Gen Z addi
I Was an IV Fentanyl Addict | Heroin, Felonies & How I Finally Got Clean
Kyle Caughman grew up in a small town with a great family, played sports, and had no trauma… but one decision changed everything.
What started with pain pills quickly spiraled into shooting heroin, driving hours to buy drugs, and selling it back in his hometown. As addiction took over, Kyle lost control of his life, faced multiple felonies, lost custody of his son, and found himself trapped in th
I Was Binge Drinking & Doing Coke… But Was High Functioning | Getting Sober Without a Rock Bottom
Rachel Hechtman opens up about her journey from binge drinking, cocaine use, and crippling anxiety to nearly 5 years of sobriety. Unlike many addiction stories, Rachel never had a dramatic rock bottom—but what she did experience was just as powerful: years of guilt, shame, and mental health struggles that slowly became unbearable.
From waking up on bathroom floors to battling paranoia and depress
Addiction Q&A: Rock Bottom, Relapse, Triggers & Sobriety Truths
In this episode, I sit down with Karina Miesner for a raw Q&A covering the most asked questions around addiction, relapse, and sobriety.
We break down real experiences from both sides of recovery including rock bottom moments, near relapses, triggers, relationships, trauma, and what actually works when it comes to staying sober.
Karina opens up about hitting rock bottom in the ICU with liver dis
Shooting Heroin in Kensington | I Took a Bus 5 Hours a Day to Get High… From a Normal Childhood
Lauren Gaffney shares her raw, unfiltered story of addiction, trauma, and recovery. From a “normal” childhood in the suburbs to taking 5-hour bus rides into Kensington to score drugs, her life spiraled into heroin use, crack addiction, arrests, and years of chaos.
After multiple run-ins with the law and waking up to sheriffs at her door, Lauren finally hit a breaking point. This is the story of h
Addicted at 11: Crack Took Everything From Me | Robbing Dealers, Prison & Finding Sobriety
Chris Stroud started using drugs at just 11 years old… and by 17, he was hooked on crack cocaine.
What followed was decades of chaos — robbing drug dealers, running from gangs, getting arrested, and eventually facing federal prison.
From living a double life to losing everything, Chris takes us inside the brutal reality of addiction and the moments that nearly cost him his life.
After years of
A Hollywood Producer’s SHOCKING Addiction to Xanax & Oxycodone
Tyler Ramsey had it all… working on Baywatch, MTV, Survivor, and building a career in Hollywood.
But behind the scenes, he was spiraling.
What started with alcohol turned into Adderall, Xanax, and opiates… leading to blackouts, chaos, and near-death situations.
The moment everything changed?
His young daughter found his drugs.
That was the line.
In this episode, Tyler breaks down:
Growi
I Stole an Entire Pharmacy for Drugs | How Heroin Took Over My Life
Ryan Moyer had a key to a pharmacy… and one night, he used it to steal the entire narcotics closet.
What started with prescription pills turned into a full-blown heroin addiction, multiple arrests, federal charges, and living in trap houses just to survive. He was running scams, stealing cars, and doing whatever it took to get his next fix.
But that wasn’t the end of his story.
After hitting ro
I Thought Prison Was My Only Way Out | How Addiction Led Me to 15 Years in Prison
Jason Brewer’s story is one of the darkest we’ve ever shared.
After experiencing severe trauma as a child, Jason spiraled into addiction, violence, and eventually a life of crime. What started as drinking and drugs quickly escalated into armed robberies, crack addiction, and a path that led him to serve over a decade in prison.
In this interview, Jason opens up about:
The childhood trauma t
Navy SEAL to Fentanyl Addict | K9 Attack, Tased, Lost Everything… Then Got Sober
Taylor Cavanough was living the dream.
A Navy SEAL. Deployed overseas. High performer.
But behind the discipline… was chaos.
After a violent arrest where he was tased and attacked by a police K9, everything collapsed.
His career. His identity. His future.
What started as alcohol and Adderall turned into Percocet… then fentanyl.
He lost control of his life.
In this episode, Taylor shares:
I Couldn't Stop Using… Even When I Knew It Would Kill Me | Fentanyl Addiction
Graham Reid was living a double life.
What started with pills and partying quickly turned into a full-blown opiate addiction — smoking 30s, chasing dealers, and doing whatever it took to not get sick.
At his lowest point, he burned his dealer with fake money and lost everything.
From fentanyl and heroin to brutal detox and multiple failed attempts at getting clean, Graham shares what addiction
I Hid a 10-Year Drug Addiction From My Wife | Blackout, Lies & How I Finally Got Sober
Matt Robinson lived a double life for over a decade.
Behind the scenes, he was battling a severe drug addiction… while his wife had no idea.
It started with a prescription after an injury at just 11 years old. What followed was years of lies, hiding money, and chasing pills—until everything came crashing down during a blackout in Las Vegas, where he emptied his bank account overnight.
That mome
I Was Drinking Vodka All Day | Car Crash, Hidden Addiction & How I Finally Got Sober
Megan’s addiction didn’t look obvious at first.
She had a job, a family, and a life that seemed “normal” on the outside… but behind the scenes, she was drinking vodka all day, hiding bottles, and slowly losing control.
After a near-fatal car crash, showing up drunk to work, and hitting a breaking point as a mother, everything came crashing down.
In this episode, Megan shares:
The moment he
My Son Was Doing Fentanyl at 16… I Had to Let Him Go to Save His Life
Brenda Zane was a successful advertising executive living what looked like a normal life—until her son’s addiction turned everything upside down.
From early warning signs to marijuana at 13… to running away, arrests, and eventually fentanyl use—this is the raw, unfiltered reality of what families go through when addiction takes over.
In this episode, Brenda shares:
The moment she realized h
Heroin Was Killing Me | I Smuggled Drugs into Rikers Island & Nearly Died
John Rokee’s story is a terrifying look at the lengths an addict will go to maintain a "perfect" life. By day, he was a high-earning union steamfitter. By night, he was a "chameleon" trapped in a $1.2 million downward spiral, snorting up to 200 bags of heroin a week.
In this raw and "brutal" interview on Rise Above with Kevin Lanning, John details the physical and financial devastation of his add
Inside A 14-Year-Old Stripper’s Brutal Addiction | Meth, Overcoming Cancer & Sobriety
Kim House’s life story sounds like a movie script, but the trauma was all too real.
After fleeing an abusive home at just 14 years old, Kim found herself winning bikini contests and dancing in clubs just to survive. By her early 20s, she was diagnosed with a rare, "terminal" bone marrow cancer—but instead of getting sober, she ramped up her drug use, even attempting to balance chemotherapy with m
I Blacked Out at 16… Then Tried to End It All | How I Rebuilt My Life in Sobriety
Molly Haneke opens up about her journey from early self-harm and blackout drinking at just 16, to hitting a breaking point that landed her in a mental hospital at 22. What started as insecurity and isolation quickly spiraled into daily drinking, drugs, and destructive coping mechanisms.
After a life-threatening moment forced everything to stop, Molly entered treatment and completely rebuilt her l
From Combat Hero to Homeless Addict: An Unbelievable True Story
Sean Young survived three deployments to Afghanistan, saw his brothers-in-arms blown up in front of him, and lived through a childhood that sounds like a horror movie. In this raw and unfiltered interview on Rise Above with Kevin Lanning, Sean reveals the most salacious details of his past—including the infamous day he finalized a divorce at noon and was remarried to another woman by 3:00 PM.
Fro
Fentanyl Nightmare in Kensington | I Witnessed Hell
Cassidy’s story is one of the darkest I’ve ever heard.
She grew up in a good home, loving parents, big family… and still addiction found a way in. One pill turned into daily use… then heroin… then fentanyl… then she ended up in the most dangerous open-air drug market in America — Kensington.
What she experienced there is not normal addiction.
It’s human trafficking. Violence. Rape. Murder. Bodie
"I Didn’t Want to Exist Anymore" | She was the #1 European Tennis Pro But Her Mental Health was Secretly Unraveling
Ema Burgic was the #1 ranked junior in Europe, a standout star at Baylor, and a professional tennis powerhouse. On the outside, her life looked perfect: a successful career, a "perfect" husband, and a beautiful home. But inside, Ema was fighting a silent battle with major depression and a loss of identity that nearly cost her everything.
In this episode of Rise Above, Ema gets vulnerable about th
Inside a Rockstar's BRUTAL Addiction to Fentanyl | The Miracle Call That Saved My Life
Justin Clancy was a rising star in the music industry, but behind the scenes, he was battling a soul-crushing addiction to opiates. In this episode of Rise Above, Justin gets incredibly vulnerable about the "white light" moment that saved his life—literally seconds away from ending it all.
If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction or mental health, you don't have to do it alone. Compas
The Day I Lost Everything | My Battle With Alcohol & The Truth About My Struggle
Chris was a high school football coach on top of the world—winning state championships, raising two kids, and leading one of Georgia’s most promising teams. But behind the success was a man silently battling addiction. After a devastating DUI, Chris lost everything—his job, his reputation, and his sense of self.In this raw and emotional interview, Chris opens up about childhood trauma, pressure to
I Was Held Hostage by a Biker Gang | Shooting Heroin at 15 Nearly Killed Me
"I knew the moment I did it, this will ruin my life—and I’m going to keep doing it."
In this raw and unfiltered episode of Rise Above, Kevin Lanning sits down with Alyx Gold for a follow-up to her viral interview. Alyx takes us deeper into the "underworld" of her addiction—a journey that started with shooting heroin and meth at just 15 years old.
Alyx reveals the terrifying details of being held
"I Wanted The Batch That Killed 5 People" | Inside A Brutal Fentanyl Addiction
In this episode of Rise Above, I sit down with Anthony Wilson, a top 1% real estate agent whose journey to the top started at the absolute bottom. Born addicted to methadone and raised in the chaos of a "trap house" family environment, Anthony’s life was a cycle of high-stakes sales and low-bottom addiction.
Anthony gets brutally honest about:
The "Eddie Haskell" Charm: How he used his innat
I Made $1.2 Million Selling Sneakers While High on Lean & Percocet
Arthur Favors joins the podcast for an unfiltered look at the cost of success. From selling peanut brittle in the 8th grade to generating $1.2 million in sneaker sales, Arthur has always had the "hustler" spirit. But behind the scenes of his successful Atlanta storefront, a deadly addiction to Lean, Percocet, and Xanax was spiraling out of control.In this episode, Arthur opens up about:The "backdo
Inside a Heroin Addict's SHOCKING Addiction | How I Lost Everything and Now 12 Years Sober
Mike Boyer had the "Hallmark" childhood: two loving parents, a stable home, and a dream career as a sports broadcaster. But behind the scenes, a secret OxyContin habit spiraled into a daily heroin addiction that turned him into a "slave" to the substance while he was traveling with sports teams and working for the State Capitol.
In this raw and revealing interview, Mike discusses:
The "Twin
Overcoming a 300mg/Day Adderall Habit | 8 Years Sober
"Getting through the day without a substance was enough to make you feel decent, but it wasn't enough to live a life."
Today, Anthony Scamardella joins the show to share his incredible story of overcoming a massive Adderall addiction. From his roots as a perfectionist student in New Jersey to managing high-stakes healthcare audits while secretly maintaining multiple prescriptions, Anthony reveals
The "Perfect" Mom's Secret: Breaking the Cycle of Addiction
In this deeply personal episode, we sit down with Paula to discuss the hidden reality of "mummy wine culture" and the terrifying moment she realized her drinking was costing her a relationship with her children. From being a scholarship athlete and a successful professional in the liquor industry to finding her true purpose as a recovery coach, Paula shares the raw truth about emotional sobriety.
Addicted to Heroin: Inside an Escort's Life of Chaos and Survival
In this episode of Rise Above, we sit down with Glynis Franz, whose story sounds like something out of a Hollywood movie—except she lived it. From growing up in a chaotic household in New England to becoming a high-end escort, smuggling people across the border in her trunk, and eventually landing in federal prison, Glynis’s life was defined by the "brutal lifestyle" of addiction and meth psychosi
Inside a Xanax & Alcohol Addict's Brutal Blackouts | I Was "The Devil"
In this raw and unfiltered interview, Rachel Sereni pulls back the curtain on a seven-year descent into Xanax and alcohol-fueled blackouts. Rachel doesn't hold back, taking full accountability for the "Ratchet Rachel" alter ego that emerged—a persona defined by physical and mental abuse toward her loved ones and the terrifying reality of drinking and driving with her young son in the car.
Rachel
I Overdosed 9 Times in One Month on Fentanyl | Oxy, Meth Psychosis, Jail & How I Finally Got Sober
In this episode of Rise Above, Ali Zansberg shares one of the most intense addiction stories we’ve ever featured on the podcast.
After surviving stage-four liver failure as a teenager, Ali was prescribed opioids — which quickly spiraled into doctor shopping, oxy addiction, meth use, psychosis, and repeated overdoses. At her lowest point, she overdosed nine times in a single month, experienced sev
I Started Drugs at 6 & Became a Heroin Addict | Armed Robberies, Overdose & Recovery
Ryan Yonkers grew up in a seemingly normal household outside Chicago. But behind the scenes, childhood trauma, addiction, and a chaotic home life pushed him down a dangerous path.
Ryan started experimenting with substances at just six years old, eventually falling deep into drug culture. By his late teens he was selling drugs, running with dangerous people, and chasing a rap career that briefly p
Inside a Ketamine Addict’s Brutal Lifestyle | The Crash That Left Me Blind in One Eye
If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, mental health, or both, Compassion Behavioral Health offers individualized treatment designed to address the root causes — not just the symptoms.
Compassion Behavioral Health is intentionally boutique-sized, allowing clients to receive personalized care rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. They provide a full continuum of care includin
Inside A Heroin Addicts Brutal Lifestyle | Shooting During Pregnancy, Human Trafficked & Sobriety
If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or mental health, Compassion Behavioral Health offers personalized treatment and a full continuum of care, including detox, residential, and outpatient services. Their team is available 24/7 and works with most major insurance providers. Call or text 844-443-5566 or visit https://compassionbehavioralhealth.com/?utm_source=rise%20above%20with%
I Couldn’t Stop Drinking Once I Started… I Blacked Out Every Time
This episode is sponsored by Compassion Behavioral Health.
Compassion Behavioral Health is a boutique mental health treatment center that focuses on the deeper issues driving addiction, anxiety, depression, and unresolved trauma. Their intentionally small program allows for highly individualized care rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
They offer a full continuum of care including detox, r
I Was Drinking at 12 and Doing LSD by 15 | Drugs, Modeling Party Culture & 11 Years Sober
Ava Fox opens up about the dark reality behind the modeling industry and the pressure to drink, party, and use drugs just to survive in the entertainment world.
In this episode of Rise Above with Kevin Lanning, Ava shares how she grew up largely on her own, started drinking at just 12 years old, and fell into a lifestyle surrounded by drugs, older crowds, and a reckless party culture. As she ente
“I Shot Heroin Until I Flatlined” | Rikers Island to 10 Years Sober
Nicky Santora grew up in Staten Island surrounded by addiction, chaos, and loss. When he was just 15 years old, he found his mother dead after an overdose from Percocet and OxyContin.
What followed was years of destruction.
He started with weed and cocaine as a kid… then moved to Roxy blues, Xanax, and eventually heroin. Within months he was shooting heroin, robbing houses, stealing air conditio
I Tried Heroin at 16… and Everything Went Downhill From There
Kira looked like the “good kid.”
3.8 GPA. Band. Job. Involved in everything.
Behind the scenes, she was self-harming at 12, drinking at 12, snorting ketamine in the school bathroom, selling alcohol through her locker, and attempting suicide multiple times.
At 18, she shaved her head, stopped showering, lived with strangers, and drove 12 hours to Georgia to move in with a man she met online… befo
I Was Drinking Every Day at 16… Flipped My Jeep Drunk at 17 | Then Gambled $3.7 MILLION in Sobriety
Logan Houle looked like he had it all.
Triple-A hockey. A long-term girlfriend. Good grades. No major trauma. A “normal” life.
But behind closed doors, he was blacking out daily by 16… flipping his Jeep while drunk at 17… and later—after getting sober—developing a hidden gambling addiction that led him to wager over $3.7 million in just four months.
From stealing from family, draining paychecks
I Was Having Cocaine-Induced Seizures 5x a Day | Gang Life, Trauma & Redemption
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Fausto grew up in fear. A narcissistic, abusive father. Sexual abuse at 7 years old. Bullying. Codependency. Addiction to validation.
By 14, he was faking his own death on MySpace, getting 5150’d into a psych ward, drinking Jack
I Had No Veins Left… Fentanyl Was Eating My Body | Dr. Phil, Grand Theft Auto & Sobriety
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At 23, Jordan Lexell was exposed on national television after appearing on Dr. Phil in an episode titled “Young, Reckless & Enabled.”
By 35, she was shooting heroin on the South Side of Chicago, addicted to fentanyl, arrested ne
Alcohol Was Killing Me | Hallucinations, Severe Esophagitis and How I Found Sobriety
Spencer Forester had the dream résumé.
CPA. 4.0 student. Six-figure career. Big firm promotions.
But behind closed doors? He was drinking at 6:30 AM just to steady his hands.
What started as weekend partying turned into round-the-clock alcohol dependence. Hallucinations. Severe esophagitis. Resting heart rate over 150. Doctors debated ICU. One doctor told him directly:
“Rehab is going to save y
I Fought in the UFC on LSD | Cartel Arrest, Ayahuasca in Peru & Getting Sober
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Blake Bilder went from a small-town kid in Minnesota to signing with the UFC… but behind the fights was chaos no one saw.
Blackout drinking. Adderall and cocaine. Microdosing mushrooms every day. Taking LSD before a UFC fight. S
A Heroin Addict’s Brutal Double Life | 18 Arrests, Federal Prison & a Multi-Million Dollar Fraud Ring
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Evan grew up in a good Italian family on Long Island. Loving parents. Sunday dinners. Sports. No trauma to blame.
By 12, he was smoking weed.
By high school, he was selling cocaine.
By his early 20s, he was running mortgage frau
Addiction Sent Me to Federal Prison | Drug Trafficking, Sobriety & Managing Surf Legend Andy Irons
Steven Clark was living two lives.
From delivering cocaine between California and Hawaii and serving over five years in federal prison… to managing some of the biggest names in professional surfing — including world champions during the height of the Andy Irons and Kelly Slater era.
On paper, he had it all. Global travel. Elite athletes. Money. Status.
Behind the scenes? Alcohol. Drugs. Ego. Emp
Kidney Failure at 21 from Alcohol & Drugs | I Was Hours From Death
Landon Finn had everything going for him.
Good grades. Fraternity president. Bright future.
But behind closed doors he was drinking at 7AM, tripping on LSD four times a week, blacking out in a Bugs Bunny costume, and hearing voices that weren’t there.
He lied to his parents.
He lied to his sponsor.
He lied to himself.
After passing out behind the wheel and landing in acute kidney failure at 21
From A Bronx Tale to Prison & Redemption | Lillo Brancato on Heroin, Rikers Island & 20 Years Sober
From Hollywood stardom to rock bottom—and everything in between.
In this raw and emotional conversation, Lillo Brancato opens up like never before about his rise to fame in A Bronx Tale, early success alongside legends like Robert De Niro, and how addiction quietly took over his life.
Lillo shares the brutal reality of heroin addiction, overdosing while incarcerated at Rikers Island, surviving p
I Married A Junkie | Trauma, Detox, Narcissism & Real Recovery
Dr. Cali Estes returns for a raw continuation of her first appearance on Rise Above — this time diving even deeper into the realities of addiction, trauma, detox, and what’s broken in the recovery system.
In this episode, we unpack why addiction is often mislabeled as the problem, how trauma and body chemistry drive destructive behavior, and why many traditional treatment models fail to address t
“I Lost My Business, My Identity, and Myself to Addiction” | An Executive’s Fall & Recovery
She was a high-powered executive, running multimillion-dollar businesses, praised for her hustle and feared in boardrooms — until addiction took over.
In this raw and unfiltered conversation, Margo Siewert opens up about a life fueled by alcohol, cocaine, ego, and control… and the devastating collapse that followed. From growing up as the daughter of a high-functioning alcoholic, to surviving div
Abandoned as a Child, Foster Care, Strip Clubs & Addiction Nearly Killed Me
In this raw and powerful episode, Lindsey Schaefer shares her story of growing up in a broken home, being abandoned by her mother, and entering foster care at a young age. From childhood trauma and instability to addiction, strip club life, and nearly losing everything, Lindsey walks us through the moments that shaped her—and the turning point that led her to sobriety.
Lindsey opens up about bein
Fentanyl Addiction Nearly Killed Me | Overdose, Relapse & How I Got Sober
In this deeply honest episode of Rise Above, Brianna Sirlin shares her unfiltered journey through addiction, relapse, and recovery during the height of the opioid epidemic.
Growing up on Long Island, Brianna’s story didn’t start with trauma on the surface — it started with insecurity, anxiety, and the need to feel “enough.” What began with alcohol, weed, Xanax, and Adderall quickly escalated into
Addiction Recovery: How to Get Sober, Avoid Relapse, Handle Cravings & Stay Sober Long-Term
In this special Q&A episode, Kevin Lanning from Rise Above with Kevin Lanning sits down with Louis Ruggiero from Nothing’s Off the Table with Louis Ruggiero for an honest, unscripted conversation answering the most common addiction and sobriety questions from both of our audiences.
These questions were pulled directly from comments and DMs across both podcasts — real questions from real people na
After Hours with Kevin & LJ | What You Don’t See on the Podcast, Addiction Recovery Uncut
For the first time, Kevin Lanning and Louis Ruggiero pull the curtain back.
After Hours with Kevin & LJ is a new mini-series created because you asked for it — a real, unfiltered, behind-the-scenes look at our lives, conversations, and perspectives when the cameras aren’t “on.”
This series isn’t about perfectly structured interviews or polished narratives.
It’s about real talk, recovery, friends
From Executive Bodyguard to Homeless Alcoholic | Jail, Alcoholism, Oxy Addiction & Getting Sober
Mike Shooty had it all on the outside — a successful career in high-level security, executive protection, and international risk mitigation. On the inside, he was quietly losing everything.
In this raw and unfiltered conversation, Mike opens up about growing up in a stable home, starting to drink at 14, binge drinking through college, and how alcohol slowly took control of his life. After multipl
A Heroin Addict’s Brutal Life in Kensington | Jail Withdrawals, My Mom Taught Me to Shoot, Sobriety
Dave Marquess grew up in chaos—raised by addict parents, hustling for survival as a child, and spiraling into drugs by his early teens. By his twenties, Dave was deep in PCP, oxy, heroin, and cocaine, running the streets of Kensington, in and out of jail, and living in full-blown addiction and psychosis.
In this raw conversation, Dave opens up about:
Growing up with parents addicted to meth
“I Died for 10 Minutes” | Fentanyl Overdose, Crack Addiction & How I Got Sober
Crystal Ambroselli’s story is raw, heartbreaking, and ultimately life-saving.
Raised in a home shaped by alcoholism, chaos, and secrecy, Crystal was exposed to addiction at a young age. By 12, she was in treatment. By 15, she was a pregnant teen mom. By 17, she was smoking crack. At 19, she overdosed on fentanyl-laced cocaine and was clinically dead for 10 minutes.
This episode dives deep into:
Bath Salt Overdose, Crack Addiction & Kratom Relapse After 7 Years Sober | I Lost Everything
Austin’s story is one of the most intense, raw, and honest recovery journeys ever shared on Rise Above.
After 7 years sober, Austin relapsed—triggered by success, ego, and untreated trauma. What followed was a devastating downward spiral:
🔹 Crack, benzos, kratom, and gambling addiction
🔹 A near-fatal overdose at the Hard Rock Hotel
🔹 20 months running from his life in Mexico, embedded in cartel t
The Dark Side of Alcoholism | I Was Slowly Dying From Alcohol
Amy Simmonds had everything from the outside — a thriving real estate career, a family, success — but inside she was slowly being destroyed by alcohol.
In this raw and powerful conversation, Amy opens up about her childhood wounds, blackouts, relapse after years sober, and the moment she finally surrendered. She shares how grief — especially the sudden loss of her mother — became the catalyst for
My Son Was Murdered… and the Man Who Killed Him Walked Free | A Father’s Unthinkable Nightmare
Romaine Campbell is a police officer, husband, father, and a man of unshakable faith — but in 2019, his life was shattered forever.
Romaine’s two-year-old son, Hayden Campbell, was rushed to the hospital brain-dead, with a fractured skull and signs of blunt force trauma. The explanation given?
“They said he fell out of a bed.”
Medical evidence told a different story.
In this raw and heartbreaki
Addiction Destroys Families | The Truth About Loving Someone With Mental Illness & Addiction
When someone you love is struggling with mental illness or addiction, the pain doesn’t stop with them — the family feels it too.
In this powerful and eye-opening conversation, I sit down with Brittany Bennett, a licensed mental health counselor specializing in supporting families who love someone diagnosed with conditions like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, ADHD, and substance use disorders.
W
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