Chasing Heroine: Addiction Recovery and Sobriety
Jeannine Coulter 248 episodes Nov 5, 2026
Jeannine Coulter, a former drug addict and alcoholic, shares her journey of recovery and sobriety. After 15 years of addiction leading to arrests, homelessness, and loss, she turned her life around and has been sober since 2015. Now a fitness entrepreneur and public speaker, she interviews guests about their own paths to healing, aiming to inspire others seeking recovery.
Episodes
A 6-Hour SWAT Standoff Changed His Life: Taveuan Williams
Growing up in a gang-heavy neighborhood in Denver, Colorado, Taveaun Williams was exposed to a world of crime and violence at an early age. He became involved in electronics home robberies as a young teenager and began cycling through juvenile prisons by the age of 13.At just 19 years old, Taveaun robbed a RadioShack in 2012, leading to a six-hour standoff inside the store involving a hostage nego
Six Children by 23, Stripping through Eight Months Pregnant, Using While Pregnant, Escorting and Total Demoralization and Desperation becomes Incredible Entrepreneurial Success with Linnsey Dolson
By the age of 23, Linnsey Dolson had six children, an extreme meth addiction, and a life spiraling out of control. Five of her children were removed by CPS and adopted out as her addiction took over. She was stripping while eight months pregnant, later working as an escort, and continuing to use meth while pregnant. Some of her babies were born testing positive for drugs, with police called at the
Growing Up in Foster Care, Injecting Family with Drugs as a Teenager, Living in Trap Houses in High School, a DUI at 20 and More with Karissa Foster
In this episode of Chasing Heroine, Karissa Foster shares a story of survival, resilience, and finding recovery when life has given you every reason to give up.Placed in foster care at just nine years old, Karissa began drinking and using drugs at 13. By her teens, she was living in trap houses and fending for herself in circumstances no child should have to navigate. At just 16, her life had alre
Smuggling Heroin from Mexico, THOROUGH Checks in Secondary, Running from Cops in La Jolla, Using Spray Tan as a Disguise, a Very Tweakery Final Arrest and Exploring Grief with Storywith Story
Story’s addiction took her from drinking and party drugs in Minnesota to heroin, multiple arrests, and running drugs across the U.S.-Mexico border. After moving to San Diego with her longtime boyfriend in hopes of getting clean, the two became entangled with a heroin supplier in Tijuana, and Story found herself running drugs across the border as her life spiraled further into addiction and crime.I
Narcan Nate Stops By for a Visit!! We Discuss the Opioid Epidemic in Appalachia, Adderall in Recovery, Charging Dealers after Overdoses, and another Bizarre Celebrity Encounter Story with Jeannine
Narcan Nate is back!Narcan Nate was the show co-host for a several years until he moved to TN eighteen months ago. We catch up with what he's been up to since he moved and what his goals are for the community with respect to recovery and harm reduction.Jeannine also shares another bizarre celebrity encounter from her days in LA, and they talk about her upcoming trip to NYC for Dopeycon! Let me
From Adolescent 5150s to Ecstasy, Acid, Drinking, Whippets and DUIs to Sobriety, Spirituality, and Being a Guiding Light for Men in Recovery
Jan spent years chasing a good time without much of a direction for his life. Acid, ecstasy, whippets and heavy drinking eventually became multiple DUIs and a growing realization that the life he was living wasn’t sustainable. He moved around, tried to stop, started again, and eventually spent two years using meth before everything finally came crashing down.On June 20, 2016, Jan went to treatment
PART TWO: The Conspiracy to Murder Her Mother with Charlie Wolf (formerly known as Tylar Witt)
TW: suicidal ideation, violence, homicide, overdosePART TWO: On the night of June 11, 2009, Joanne Witt was murdered by her teenage daughter Tylar and Tylar's boyfriend Steven "Boston" Colver, one or both of whom stabbed Witt 20 times on the upper half of her body. I sat down with Tylar (Charlie Wolf), to hear the story in her words. We talk about her childhood, meeting her boyfriend
PART ONE: The Conspiracy to Murder Her Mother with Charlie Wolf (formerly known as Tylar Witt)
TW: suicidal ideation, violence, homicidePART ONE: On the night of June 11, 2009, Joanne Witt was murdered by her teenage daughter Tylar and Tylar's boyfriend Steven "Boston" Colver, one or both of whom stabbed Witt 20 times on the upper half of her body. I sat down with Tylar (Charlie Wolf), to hear the story in her words. We talk about her childhood, meeting her boyfriend, Steve, the escalation
High Functioning: What Actually Makes Rehab Work with Dr. Towers, Clinical Director of Seasons Malibu
What actually makes addiction treatment work?In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Tiffany Towers, Clinical Director at Seasons in Malibu, to go behind the scenes of what it takes to create and maintain a truly high-quality treatment program. We talk about how Seasons builds an incredibly varied team of clinicians, why different perspectives matter, and how they decide which therapeutic modalities
Stoner Surf Culture becomes Hell's Angel's Meth Culture, Arrested Twice in ONE Day, Hallucinating About Rob Dyrdek?? Gunnar's Story Will Entertain and Inspire You
(Encore episode - originally aired November 2025)Gunnar grew up in what looked like the perfect family - until addiction slowly unraveled everything. After his parents fell deeper into their own substance use, his mother disappeared without a word, leaving Gunnar to navigate a childhood suddenly marked by instability and pain.By his teens, he turned to meth and heroin, beginning a long cycle of dr
Check Fraud, Gaming the Probation System, Turning a Boyfriend into an Unknowing Trafficking Partner and a Family Legal Intervention that Saves Her Life with Cheree Ashley of Osier Wellness
Cherie Ashley was arrested for fraud. Arrested for possession. Caught in a cycle of trying to beat drug tests. Heroin had her convinced there was no way out.14 years later, she's the founder and CEO of Osier Skincare and Wellness. She owns treatment centers. She's a certified interventionist who's helped hundreds of people find the same freedom she found.In this episode, Cherie breaks
High Functioning: Why Feeling Like Quitting Means You're Winning
Feeling like a failure right now? Science says that might actually mean you're winning.In this episode, I break down the frog pond effect, a 1966 study that explains why growth feels like falling behind instead of getting ahead. When you level up, your standards change, your environment changes, and suddenly you're comparing yourself to people who are further along than you used to be arou
PART TWO: Prison Terms, Interstate Theft Rings, Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Credit Card Fraud Rings, Prostitution Extortion Scams, Extreme Paranoia and Destroyed Rental Cars with Matt Handy
Today picks up with Matt Handy where we left him at the end of part one...choosing to be homeless and setting up a tent in downtown San Diego.From here, Matt's choices continue to be absolutely insane, eventually culminating a bank robbery with a note claiming to have a bomb in his backpack. Matt ends up in jail on an unrelated charge, but things begin to unravel as various law enforcement agencie
PART ONE: Prison Terms, Interstate Theft Rings, Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Credit Card Fraud Rings, Prostitution Extortion Scams, Extreme Paranoia and Destroyed Rental Cars with Matt Handy
Matt Handy went from heroin addict to convicted felon to tent-dweller on the streets of downtown San Diego. By choice.Assault with a deadly weapon. Narcotics trafficking. A prostitution extortion ring. Matt did it all, and prison became a revolving door he couldn't escape.In part one, Matt takes us through the chaos: the addiction that ran his life, the crimes that landed him behind bars again
High Functioning: Your Body Holds the Answers; Craniosacral Therapy Connects You to Your Inner Knowing
Sunil Kalwani is part of the clinical team at Seasons Malibu. As a craniosacral therapist, his work isn't about fixing people. It's about listening to what the body already knows.Craniosacral therapy works with the subtle rhythms of your nervous system. Sunil believes your body holds everything: every tension, every pattern, every unspoken story. He doesn't see symptoms as problems. He sees them a
Natalie Eva Marie on Soccer, DUIs, Jail, WWE Divas, "Graduating" AA, NEM Fitness, Her Recent Divorce and Starting Over Again
Natalie Eva Marie went from college soccer player to WWE superstar to a trap apartment in Sherman Oaks. This episode is her real story, not the highlight reel.She talks about her childhood, the partying that spiraled into multiple DUIs, and the months she spent in jail because of it. Cocaine took over next, and it nearly took everything with it. Her first shot at sobriety gave her three years clea
Four Felonies, Smuggling Heroin into Jail, "Mooching" Off Family, Volunteering for the Most Intense Behavior Modification Program in California, Finally Landing at Freedom Ranch, Now 14 Years Sober
Luis Romero didn't just try heroin. He fell in love with it. That love affair started in his teens and followed him straight into adulthood, into gang life, and into four felonies.By the time he was sentenced to four years in prison, Luis thought a behavioral modification program was his way out. It wasn't. He got out, relapsed, and ended up at Freedom Ranch in San Diego, the place that finally ga
Child Star to Skid Row...Living in a Car, Trap Motels, Auditioning for 8 Mile on Cocaine, and Being Present for the Fatal OD of a Hollywood Icon: Natanya Ross in Her Own Words
She played Robin Russo on The Secret Life of Alex Mack. Millions of 90s kids knew her face. Nobody knew what was happening behind the scenes.Natanya Ross started using in her teens like a lot of kids in the industry did. Party drugs turned into heroin by her twenties. She had one shot left, an audition for Eight Mile, and she blew it. Showed up high off cocaine and lost her team, her career, every
High Functioning: The OCD Symptoms That Get Overlooked (And How To Spot Them)
Eden Presti wears many hats. Case manager at Seasons Malibu. Brainspotting practitioner. PsyD doctoral student two years out from finishing. But before any of that, she was a young woman trying to figure out why her own brain wouldn't let her rest.In this episode, Eden takes us through her role at Seasons and what brainspotting actually does for trauma and anxiety. Then she gets personal. She walk
Ecstasy, Cocaine, DJing, Broken Relationships and Alcoholism to Sobriety and Connection in the Treatment Community
This episode of Chasing Heroin features John Nettles, host of Recovery Refined and a team member at Refine Recovery in LA. Adopted at four days old and raised in St. Louis, John started using young. Weed at 13, blackout drinking by 15, and a benzo prescription at 16 that fueled an addiction lasting well over a decade. He got into the rave and EDM scene, became a DJ, and started a promotion company
Childhood Trauma Leads to Multiple DUIs...Stopping Drinking Leaves Her Sober but Suicidal Until Working the Steps Finally Changes Her Life
Elisa Saunders looked like she had it all figured out. A successful teacher, put together, dependable. Nobody saw the drinking that started long before she ever stepped into a classroom, rooted in childhood trauma that set the stage for what came next.For years she functioned. She showed up, she performed, she kept the mask on. Until two DUIs threatened the career she'd built her identity around,
High Functioning: Reprogram Your Subconscious Mind and Watch Your Life Change with Barbara Jean Carey, CHT
Barbara Jean Carey is a certified hypnotherapist whose private practice spans both Malibu and Seasons Recovery Center, where she works with everyone from NFL players to CEOs using tools like NLP, guided imagery, past-life regression, and hypnosis. She's been featured on Dr. Phil, TLC, Bravo, Discovery, and The History Channel.In this episode, Barbara breaks down something most of us have never con
Child Star of "Bad News Bears," Dead Kennedy's Frontman and Surfer Brandon Jak Cruz on Studio 54, Wandering the Playboy Mansion at 8 Years Old, Shooting Acid, Smuggling Cocaine & Refuge Recovery
At 8 and 9 years old, Brandon was a fixture on Hollywood sets - a child actor with credits on Bad News Bears and The Courtship of Eddie's Father - and somehow, that was the tame part.What followed was decades of living at full volume. Lead singer of the Dead Kennedys. Smuggling cocaine out of Bali. Shooting acid and landing in a psych ward. A heroin addiction that stretched on for years, fuele
Former Adult Film Star and Model Jenny Leone on the Playboy Mansion, Benzos, Adderall, Opiates, Posing for Penthouse to the Adult Film Awards in Vegas to her Four Pillars of Creating Wealth and Health
Jenny Leone didn't plan any of it.She left Canada at 19 with a TV deal and ended up somewhere she never expected. What started as magazine covers became films. What started as a way to cope became a full-blown addiction to benzos, alcohol, and Norcos. And what started in childhood, when she was three years old, set the stage for all of it.Jenny is a former adult film star who has been sober si
High Functioning: The 3-Letter Formula That Lets You Control the Outcome of Anything
In this episode of High Functioning - an off shoot of the Chasing Heroine podcast, I'm sharing my all-time favorite mindset tool, one that has the power to completely change how you experience everything that happens to you. It's Jack Canfield's E + R = O formula (Event + Response = Outcome), and once you have it, you can't unsee it.The core idea is this: you can't control what happens to you, but
Growing Up In Haunted Houses, "Stealing" Someone's Dad, Ecstasy, Weed, Intentional Unconsciousness, Criminal Activity and then Finally Becoming a Girl Dad Changes HIs Life
What starts as a story about a kid from Utah with a promising football career ends somewhere nobody saw coming — including Chad himself.Growing up in Utah, Chad was the guy with a future. Athletics, ambition, a clear path forward. Then a knee injury in high school changed everything. What started as pain management turned into something much harder to put down. Weed and ecstasy in high school gave
From Working on Wall Street to a Two Month Psychotic Episode...Criminal Trespassing, Abusive Relationships, a Home Made Eye Patch and Finally a "Soft Landing" in Malibu with McKenna
What starts as an Adderall pill shared in a high school hallway on Long Island doesn't look like the beginning of a story about psychosis. But for McKenna, that's exactly what it was.In this episode, we sit down with McKenna Mangan - soon-to-be mom, wife, entrepreneur, and woman with over three years of sobriety — to trace the long and winding road from her ambitious beginnings to her most
High Functioning: From War Zones to Malibu: What 20 Years in Crisis Psychology Taught Dr. Matthew Schumacher About Addiction
What happens when a University of Chicago-trained psychologist spends three years at Stanford's bipolar disorders clinic, deploys to four war zones with the Navy, works counterterrorism intelligence with the LA Sheriff's Department - and then lands in a Malibu addiction treatment center asking patients one simple question: where does it hurt?Dr. Matthew Schumacher joins me for a wide-ranging conve
She Found Out She Was 6 Months Pregnant While Shooting Heroin - Then Couldn't Stop
Dana grew up between New Jersey and New York City with a Vietnam vet father who struggled with heroin addiction. After moving to California, building a career as a celebrity hairstylist, and starting a family, everything fell apart when a back injury led to an opiate prescription. Within months she was buying pills off the street, and eventually that turned into a years-long heroin and meth addict
High Functioning: Beyond Talk Therapy: Dr. Q on Tools for Addiction, Emotional Balance and Recovery
If you’ve ever wondered why you can know exactly what’s ruining your life and still keep going back to it anyway, this episode may completely change the way you understand addiction, anxiety, trauma, and even your own personality.In this deeply eye-opening conversation, Dr. Q explains that addiction is often not about pleasure or self-destruction at all. It’s about survival. More specifically, it’
Smuggling Steroids Out of Mexico, Selling Cocaine, Running an Illegal Bookie Business, Working for the Cartel & Getting 21 Years in Prison on a RICO Kingpin Case, Owen Hansons's Story is Insane
From USC walk-on to cartel middleman to federal inmate rebuilding his life one project at a time, this episode with Owen Hanson feels less like a crime story and more like a masterclass in what happens when ambition runs without guardrails.Known as “The California Kid” and “The Cocaine Quarterback,” Owen shares how a relentless drive for success first showed up on the football field at USC before
High Functioning: Feeling Stuck? This Neuroscience Backed Recipe for Creating Your Own Spiritual Experiences Will Change Your Life
Somewhere between carne asada, french fries, and a paper-wrapped tortilla the size of a newborn meteor ☄️🌯… a spiritual awakening happened.For years, I thought the California burrito that changed my life was just a random late-night meal. But looking back, it became the moment everything cracked open: presence, connection, gratitude, awe. Not because of the burrito itself, but because for a few ra
Early Oxy Leads to Heroin, Robbing Connects at Gun Point, Silkroad, Shooting Ketamine, Rapid Detoxes, Methadone for Years...Drew's Story is Insane
Drew’s story sounds less like a straight line and more like a lit fuse. Raised mostly in Utah, what started as early oxy use quickly escalated into heroin, methadone, benzos, and a life built around the chaos of selling drugs. But selling soon bled into something darker: robbing local heroin dealers at gunpoint, high-speed car chases, police raids, and eventually fleeing to California while living
High Functioning: 3 Self-Esteem HACKS That Will Change Your Life
After addiction, divorce, losing a career, or any season that leaves life looking like a house after a storm, self-esteem can feel less “broken” and more…evaporated. In this episode, I am giving you three free, practical ways to rebuild confidence without needing a total life makeover, a 5 a.m. ice bath, or a personality transplant.We get into why keeping tiny promises to yourself matters more tha
From Overdosing in his Childhood Bedroom to Becoming a Social Club Entrepreneur
After walking away from football, Dan Brody felt like he had lost the identity that had defined him for years. What started as partying and social connection slowly evolved from alcohol and weed into ecstasy, cocaine, and eventually oxy’s. An overdose in his childhood bedroom became the moment that changed everything.In this episode, Dan shares the psychological vacuum that can follow the loss of
High Functioning: Reframing Relapse: Why Addicts Learn What Others Don’t
What if the very thing you’ve been taught to hide is actually your edge?In this episode, we flip the script on addiction and recovery by exploring a counterintuitive idea: addicts often develop strengths that many people never have to learn. One of the biggest? The ability to ask for help. While “normies” can spend years white-knuckling life solo, repeated relapse has a way of humbling us into see
Smoking PCP at Twelve, Kensington Chaos, Driving Escorts, Selling Manhole Covers, an Epiphany in Jail and a Return to Childhood Creativity Gives Dave Marquess a New Start
Dave Marquess grew up inside a reality most people only glimpse in headlines. Raised by a meth cook and heroin addict, his childhood was less about homework and more about survival. By eighth grade, violence had already entered the story. By his teens, he was moving through a world of escorts, hustles, and whatever could be stolen, stripped, and sold. PCP showed up early. Heroin followed. At one p
High Functioning: Forensic Clinical Psychology and Theatre Converge in Dr. Tiffany Towers at Seasons Malibu, Blending Trauma Informed Compassion with Narrative Shifts through Storytelling
Listen ad free on Patreon.In today's episode, I sit down with Dr. Tiffany Towers, Clinical Director and licensed clinical psychologist at Seasons Malibu. Dr. Towers studied psychology and theater at Barnard College at Columbia University and earned her Doctorate in Clinical Forensic Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Her work pairs her strong clinical training with a cr
Shooting Bath Salts, Robbing former Classmates at Gun Point, Kensington and Prison at 20 to Building an Empire from a Craigslist Ad...this is Rob C's Insane Story
What happens when someone everyone counted out becomes the one who builds it all? In this episode, I sit down with Rob C, whose story starts in chaos and lands in clarity. From early drug use and crime to serving time in prison at just 20, Rob’s path didn’t exactly point toward success. But after getting sober in California, everything began to shift.Rob opens up about the real work of rebuilding
High Functioning: The Soul Fix: Audrey Hope’s Radical Tools for Addiction + Trauma
Step into a conversation that feels less like an interview and more like opening a hidden door inside yourself.In this episode, I sit down with Audrey Hope, the renowned “Soul Healer” and Doctor of Divinity at Seasons in Malibu, whose work has quietly transformed the lives of celebrities, CEOs, and individuals searching for something deeper than traditional recovery.For over 15 years, Audrey has b
Fame, Cocaine, and the Crash: How Jennifer Gimenez Found Real Recovery
TRIGGER WARNING: pregnancy loss and sexual assault 4:50:00 - 15:60:00Jennifer Gimenez had the kind of life people dream about. Named one of Maxim’s 100 Hottest Women on Earth, the youngest model to grace the cover of American Elle, and starring in films like Blow, Charlie’s Angels, and The Sweetest Thing - on the outside, it looked like pure glamour.But behind the camera, a very different story wa
NY Teen Behavioral Modification Bootcamp, Chasing Opiates, Surviving a Home Invasion and Falling Asleep UNDERWATER after a Crack Bender & Finally Finding Lasting Sobriety in San Diego with Bryan B
Bryan’s story starts in New York, where skateboards, weed, and the raw energy of rebellion shaped his early identity. But what looked like typical teenage experimentation quickly became something others labeled as “a problem.” In the height of the 90s and early 2000s, Bryan was sent away to behavior-modification boarding programs meant to “fix” kids like him. Instead of changing him, those experie
PART TWO: Methin' Around at It's Finest; Pockets Rifled during an OD, Homemade Rigs, the Most Helpful Cop on Earth, FINALLY Recovery with the Assistance of Suboxone and Therapy
Today is Part Two of our interview with NodPod member, Joey Rakisits. Joey's story is SO inspiring - he did the rounds of alllll the things dope fiend, modifying cars, getting involved in criminal activity, staying in motel rooms, basically running amok in all the ways we addicts can run amok - and now he's CLEAN! Multiple prison terms, county time, again - ALLL the things. Today we pick u
PART ONE: Methin' Around at it's Finest! Copper Wire Hijinks, Making a Civic "Custom," Kidnapped! Fire Camp, Absconding...Joey Rakisits Has Done the "Dope Fiend" Rounds and Lived to Tell the Tale
Today's episode originally aired on August 24, 2023Today Jeannine and Narcan Nate interview Nod Pod member, Joey Rakisits. Joey's story is SO inspiring - he did the rounds of alllll the things dope fiend, modifying cars, getting involved in criminal activity, staying in motel rooms, basically running amok in all the ways we addicts can run amok - and now he's CLEAN! Multiple prison ter
PART TWO: If Turning in Evidence of a Heinous Crime Meant Spending the Rest of Your Life Prison...What Would You Do? The Subsequent Consequences for Matt AND How to Start Over with a Felony Record
**TRIGGER WARNING **todays episode references child abuse, please take care while listening. Today is part two of Jeannine's interview with Matthew Hahn. Matt was a career criminal whose meth addiction and history of residential burglaries earned him three strikes by the age of 18. At 25, Matt was fresh off of parole, and back
PART ONE: If Turning in Evidence of a Heinous Crime Meant Spending the Rest of Your Life Prison...What Would You Do? Matt Hahn Faced that Exact Decision
This is encore presentation of a episode that was first released in November, 2023. All new episodes will return April 2nd, 2026.**TRIGGER WARNING **todays episode references child abuse, please take care while listening. Today Jeannine interviews Matthew Hahn. Matt was a career criminal whose meth addiction and history of reside
The ONE Insane Jail Story I've Never Told, Smuggling a Meth Pipe into Jail, Learning the Jail "Rules" the Hard Way, and is "Rejection Protection?!" A Perspective Shift that Can Change Your LIfe
This is an encore presentation of an episode originally released May, 2024. After today, I will be taking a short break and returning on April 2nd with all new episodes. All Patreon memberships will be paused until we return as well. Thank you!Hey y'all! This is the ONE jail story I have yet to tell anywhere . Literally one of the craziest events of my entire life, and probably the wildest fou
From the Block to the Booth: Oceanside Local and Rising Star Bishop Snow on Music, Oceanside Culture, Gang Banging, Meth and Fatherhood
This week, we sit down with Bishop Snow an emerging hip hop artist whose story moves from police documentation to performance stages.Raised between Oceanside and Long Beach, Bishop grew up surrounded by instability, gang culture, and early exposure to drugs. By 16, he was already documented by the gang suppression unit, immersed in a lifestyle that felt inevitable in his neighborhood. The streets
Meth, Mayhem, and Motherhood: Rio’s Reckoning With Recovery
This week’s episode follows Rio, a woman whose story moves from chaos to clarity with raw honesty and hard-won hope.Rio began using meth in high school, a path that quickly pulled her out of her parents’ home and into the control of an older woman who groomed her and introduced her to a traumatic, dangerous lifestyle. After graduating from an alternative school, Rio became a young mom, but addicti
Surf & Skater Culture Meet Alcohol and Chaos in Oceanside...Calling the Cops on Himself, Arrested at Work, Bar Bike Pub Crawl & Redemption in Jail
Born and raised in South Oceanside, California, Ian G grew up in the shadow of early loss. After his father passed away, Ian made a vow to himself he would never touch narcotics. Life, however, had other plans. After dropping out of high school, that promise slowly unraveled, giving way to years of heavy drinking and drug use marked by multiple DUIs, arrests, and mounting consequences.In October o
Skinny Vinny is in the House! Living in a Porta-Potty, "Training" his Butthole Transport Drugs, Boofing Batteries and Co-Hosting with Steve-O
In this episode, we sit down with Skinny Vinny, comedian, content creator, and podcaster whose journey from idolizing the Jackass crew as a kid to eventually working alongside them is anything but linear.Vinny’s story begins on a skateboard, smoking weed and chasing adrenaline, before escalating into a painkiller addiction and eventually heroin. His use cost him nearly everything, including housin
Breaking Down the Twelve Steps
Today is a little different! I’m sharing a recording from a twelve-step meeting where I gave the lead a few years ago. It’s a simple, honest breakdown of the Twelve Steps and the process of actually working them, not as a rulebook or a rigid formula, but as a deeply personal experience.I’ve always felt that the steps are essentially free, personalized therapy. They ask us to look at our patterns,
My Best Friends of THIRTY Years are On...We Talk Fake Cop Cars, Field Parties, Marriage, Divorce and Supporting a Friend through Addiction
Today, I am joined by my best friends of over thirty years, Keri, Scott “Gumpy” and Barbara. They are not in recovery - which is actually why I wanted them on the show and what hopefully makes this conversation meaningful and different for you guys, too. I wanted to hear from the people who loved me through addiction without ever experiencing it themselves, and to explore what it is like on the ot
Spend Christmas with Us! My Husband and I Talk Sobriety during the Holidays, Using During the Holidays, New Years Resolutions and More!
This episode is a real-time holiday check in with me and my husband as we talk about what sobriety looks like during one of the most emotionally charged seasons of the year. We reflect on past holidays when substances were part of how we coped, numbed, or survived, and how different things look now with intention, communication, and boundaries.We also pause to acknowledge a milestone. My husband s
Social Media Induced Psychosis in SOBRIETY, Using a Grape to Pass a Drug Test? Crashing into a Golf Course, Meth Hallucinations in Night Clubs in South Africa, Eating Disorder Treatment
Y'all, my guest today, Toni Becker is absolutely incredible.Toni lives in South Africa and is a content creator with twelve years sober. Toni was plagued by disordered eating years before her addictions to meth and alcohol began. Years of partying led to homelessness, meth psychosis and severe illness and kidney failure. In sobriety, Toni was still struggling with disordered eating. Treatment in s
Smoking Crack at age 12, Juvie, Opiate Addiction by 18, Stripping, Sex Work, Escaping her Pimp, Prison and finally Redemption through Sobriety, Marriage and Opening a Hollywood Hills Rehab
Glynis’s journey is one of the most intense and transformative we’ve ever shared. She began using drugs at a painfully young age, smoking crack by 12, moving through juvie, and growing up as a ward of the state. By 18 she was stripping to survive, drifting from Massachusetts to Texas in the hope that a new place might quiet her addiction. Instead, she spent years in Dallas working as a prostitute
Growing Up in a Dive Bar, Early No Doze and Booze Becomes Opiates, Methadone and Cocaine, a Life Changing Epsom Salt Bath and the Power of the Sober Community
This week, we sit down with Janice, an author, advocate, and nearly 20 years sober, to unpack a story that begins in a family of dive bar owners and ends in a life built on purpose and spiritual transformation.Raised around alcoholism, Janice picked up drinking and smoking weed in middle and high school before joining the Marine Corps. When an injury derailed her military path, she was prescribed
Jed is BACK! Relapse on Research Chemicals, Gambling, Adderall...Jed Gets Honest about his Recent Relapse and How He's Rebuilding
Jed returns to the show for one of his most honest conversations yet. After years of sharing his growth and wisdom on this podcast, he recently experienced a relapse - and he shows up with raw transparency about what happened. We talk openly about the dishonesty and poor decision-making that comes with using, the shame that follows, and the painful reality of breaking trust with the people who lov
Stoner Surf Culture becomes Hell's Angel's Meth Culture, Arrested Twice in ONE Day, Hallucinating About Rob Dyrdek?? Gunnar's Story Will Entertain and Inspire You
Gunnar grew up in what looked like the perfect family - until addiction slowly unraveled everything. After his parents fell deeper into their own substance use, his mother disappeared without a word, leaving Gunnar to navigate a childhood suddenly marked by instability and pain.By his teens, he turned to meth and heroin, beginning a long cycle of drug court, jail stays, and surviving on the street
Blue Part Two!! Residential Burglary Hijinks, Molotov Cocktails, Prison in New Mexico, a Stamp Hustle?? and finally Recovery
In this explosive conclusion to Blue’s story, the chaos of addiction reaches terrifying new heights. What starts as a wild meth-fueled adventure spirals into a blur of residential burglaries, near-death experiences, and cross-count geographicals between California and New Mexico. Blue narrowly survives a car explosion, brushes with death, and finds herself trapped in the same criminal underworld s
Smoking Crack with Her Mom, Overdosing, Held at Gunpoint by the Cartel, Getting Busted for Selling Oxy 80s, In and Out of Jail and Much More with Blue
PART ONE: Krystin “Blue” grew up in New Mexico, a ballet dancer and promising student. At just 19, she smoked crack for the first time - with her mother. That moment changed everything, pulling her into a world of addiction, chaos, and survival. After an overdose and a terrifying encounter with a cartel boss, Blue was arrested for selling Oxy 80s and eventually found herself in Orange County, chas
Part Three Keta Loren! A Radical Spiritual Experience, New Choices, a Heartbreaking Tragedy and Finally Finding Contentment
In part three of Keta Loren’s powerful story, everything changes. After years of addiction, trauma, and survival on the streets of Los Angeles, Keta has a profound spiritual experience that awakens something deep within her - setting her on a new path of recovery, healing, and purpose. But just as her life begins to transform, tragedy strikes, plunging her into a long season of grief. Through the
Keta Part Two! Busted in a Drug Sting, Dancing, Hot Wiring Utilities, Another Crazy Accident and a Life Changing Mystical Experience
In Part Two of Keta Loren’s powerful story, we pick up in Los Angeles - where her life spirals deeper into addiction, exploitation, and survival. After being trafficked and turning to stripping to get by, Keta becomes trapped in a relentless cycle of meth and heroin use, crime, and chaos. But when she least expects it, a mystical, life-altering experience cracks everything open - ushering in the b
The Power of Harmony: How Melanie Gulde and Trey Anastasio are Redefining Recovery
In this inspiring episode, we sit down with Melanie Gulde, the drug court officer who played a pivotal role in helping Phish frontman Trey Anastasio find sobriety back in 2006. Nearly two decades later, both Melanie and Trey are sober and have joined forces to create something extraordinary - The Divided Sky Foundation in Ludlow, Vermont.Together, they’ve built a recovery program that blends the 1
Part One with Keta Loren: Foster Care, Early Chaos and Dysfunction, First Meth at 11, Trafficking, Tragic Injuries and Incredible Grace
In this powerful first part of Keta Loren’s story, we meet a woman whose voice was forged in the fire of unimaginable hardship. Raised in foster care after chaos with her biological parents, Keta’s adolescence was marked by instability, incarceration, and survival. By 18, she was caught in the grips of meth addiction, hustling to survive while clinging to the one constant in her life—music.From ju
Trading Marijuana for Heroin, Choosing to Sleep in a Tent Instead of his House, Trading Tents for Dope and The Power of the Third Step
Straton’s story is one of grit, chaos, and ultimate redemption. After dropping out of high school in North Carolina, he headed west to Oregon in search of opportunity, finding himself in the marijuana industry. But what started as chasing a lifestyle spiraled into a devastating heroin addiction. At his lowest, Straton chose to live in a tent on the sidewalk - steps away from the dope dealers - des
PART TWO: Selling Crack in Sobriety, Go to Twelve Step...Get a Kidney?! The Wild Life of Harold N. Continues...
In part two of Harold’s story, we pick up in 1998 as he enters sobriety after decades of drinking and crack addiction. His journey through early recovery is anything but simple - Harold finds himself selling crack while sober, and later endures a bizarre tragedy that changes his life forever. Along the way, he receives an incredible gift from a fellow twelve stepper that reshapes the course of his
PART ONE: A Dad at age 14, Football Star Turned Crack Addict, Marine Core Drop Out and Prison Guard...the Wild Story of Harold N
In this first part of a two-part conversation, we sit down with Harold, a beloved figure in the local recovery community who has been sober since 1998. Harold shares the powerful story of how decades of drinking and crack addiction derailed his promising football career and countless other athletic opportunities, and how the devastation of addiction ultimately brought him to the rooms of recovery.
Arrested in Sobriety, Homeless in the SNOW for Years, a Crippling Heroin and Crack Addiction Brought Hanna to Sex Work, Selling Drugs and Chaos
his week’s episode features the powerful story of a woman who endured the darkest depths of heroin and crack addiction—homelessness, sex work, selling drugs, arrests, and violent assaults. After years of chaos, she found her turning point and got sober in 2018. Her journey didn’t stop there. Against all odds, she built a new life as a devoted mother, wife, and homeowner. Today, she works in the tr
Counterfiting Schemes, Cable Installation Hustles, Percs, Heroin, Crack and Religious Trauma...Eric Is One of the Most Insightful and Wise Guests in the History of the Show!
Eric’s journey begins in a small town in Ohio, where he was raised in a strict, religious fundamentalist household. The shift from being homeschooled to suddenly navigating public high school was jarring, and Eric turned to drinking and smoking weed as a way to cope. What started as a teenage escape grew into a cycle of destructive relationships and escalating substance use - Percocets, then heroi
Skid Row Millionaire: Khalil Rafati’s Shocking Transformation
From the depths of Skid Row to the heights of entrepreneurial success, Khalil Rafati’s story is one of the most jaw-dropping transformations you’ll ever hear. Once a homeless heroin addict, Khalil hit rock bottom before rebuilding his life piece by piece. In this episode, he opens up about the brutal reality of addiction, the turning point that sparked his recovery, and how he went on to create Su
BOTH Parents Overdosed within Hours of Each Other...How ESPN Reporter Lauren Sisler Finally Faced the Truth about her Family and Created a Beautiful Life
This week, we sit down with ESPN reporter and former Rutgers gymnast Lauren Sisler, whose story is as heartbreaking as it is inspiring. In 2003, Lauren lost both of her parents within hours of each other to fatal fentanyl overdoses—a devastating truth she was too ashamed to share at the time. For years, she told friends and teammates that her parents had died of heart failure and respiratory issue
Philly Wild Child Turned Sober Advocate, From Chaos to Advocacy: Britt Bernard’s Journey in Sobriety & Autism Awareness
Note from Jeannine: I am so excited for you all to meet another one of my #SGGC girlfriends, Britt! Britt absolutely blew me away with her poise, eloquence and knowledge around recovery and her journey into autism awareness. I love her and I know you will too!This week, we sit down with my friend and fellow Sober Girl Group Chat member, Britt Bernard, to hear her powerful story of transformation.
Sent to Ecuadorean Naval Academy at 13, Replacing Heroin with Alcohol, Chronic Relapsing and the Power of the Eleventh Step
In this raw and unforgettable episode, we sit down with Renzo, a man whose story takes us from the halls of an Ecuadorian naval academy to the darkest corners of addiction — and finally, to redemption and love. Sent away as a teen in hopes of “straightening out,” he returned with more of taste for alcohol than ever. By 21, he was smoking meth. A move to the East Coast meant a fresh start… until he
Finding Sobriety and Gratitude after Becoming Paralyzed...Sex Work at 17, Meth, MCs and Chaos.
At just 24 years old, Ashley’s life changed in an instant. After years of struggling with meth addiction and surviving the brutal realities of sex work at just 17l, a tragic accident left her a quadriplegic. But rather than giving up, Ashley found the strength to do the unimaginable—she got sober. In this raw and deeply inspiring conversation, Ashley shares how she rebuilt her life from rock botto
Pregnant at THIRTEEN, Signed Over to the Army at 17, Now Gabbie Egan is an Incredibly Successful Content Creator, AirBnb Owner, Investor, and SOBER for 10 Months
With over 5 million followers across platforms, content creator and entrepreneur Gabbie Egan built an empire sharing her unfiltered life online—from motherhood and marriage to bold opinions and viral moments. But behind the scenes, alcohol and marijuana were slowly pulling her away from the version of herself she knew she could be.In this raw and inspiring conversation, Gabbie shares how a single
From a Chaotic and Violent Upbringing to Homeless & Smoking Crack on the Streets of San Diego, to Relapsing on Fentanyl after TWELVE Years of Sobriety, Steve is Rebuilding at Sixty
Note from Jeannine:I am so honored to introduce you guys to Steve Ellis, the sober living house manager that saved my life. Many of my stories are about Steve and the wisdom he shared with me in the darkest days of my active addiction and early sobriety. His insight and way of speaking to me was instrumental in my success in sobriety. Please let me know what you think!Episode Description:In this p
Rachel Elizabeth Slocum! Ass-firmations," Using Crack as Harm Reduction for Heroin, Child Wizard in Charge of Gnats, Motherhood, Recovery and Social Media Fame
Note from Jeannine: I am so honored to bring you an encore run of my episode with Rachel, recorded in April 2024. Since this interview, Rachel and I have become great friends, traveling to NYC and LA together. I admire and adore her, and I know you will too - enjoy!Today we have the pleasure. of chatting with Rachel Slocum, aka @rachelelizabethxo on social media. The incredibly popular social medi
Convicted "Bling Ring" Felon and Former Reality TV Star, Alexis Haines, Joins Us to Share about Sobriety After Divorce, Childhood Trauma and Resilience, and How Whippets Finally Got Her Sober
Note from Jeannine: hey, y'all! I was so excited to interview Alexis! I was of course interested in interviewing her as a a participant in The Bling Ring, but as I learned more about her I became even more intrigued about her range of knowledge and experience in therapy and recovery. I learned so much from her, and I know you will, too!Episode description:In this powerful episode, we sit down with
Heartbreaking and Shocking Tragedy on New Years Eve Leads to Life Changing Sobriety and Path for Carrie
**trigger warning: suicideNote from Jeannine: this is going to be one of y'alls favorite episodes of all time. I was blown away by Carrie's vulnerability and resilience. She also shared one of the most profound meditation and prayer practices that I have ever heard - I started it this week, actually. Please let me know your thoughts! On New Year’s Eve, Carrie's life shattered with the
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