Explore every episode of the podcast Chasing Heroine: Addiction Recovery and Sobriety
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A 6-Hour SWAT Standoff Changed His Life: Taveuan Williams | 05 nov. 2026 | 01:39:46 | |
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 negotiation team and SWAT officers trying to convince him to surrender. He ultimately received a 30-year prison sentence. But what happened behind bars would change the trajectory of his life. Rather than allowing his circumstances to define him, Taveaun embarked on an incredible journey of reading, education, self-reflection, and personal growth. Over time, the young man who entered prison became someone entirely different. Released in February 2026, Taveaun is now stepping into a new chapter of life with a perspective shaped by years of hard lessons and transformation. It was great getting to sit down with Taveaun and hear his story firsthand. This is a conversation about the consequences of our choices, the power of education, and what can happen when someone decides that their past doesn't have to determine their future. Connect with Taveaun on Instagram DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok | |||
| 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 | 29 oct. 2026 | 01:16:40 | |
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 hospital. Her addiction even became something she shared with her own father. But Linnsey’s story didn’t end there. In 2015, she got sober and began rebuilding her life from the ground up. What started as a home cleaning business grew into a multimillion-dollar company. She went on to establish a treatment center in San Diego, where she remains personally involved in the day-to-day lives of the clients she serves. In this episode of Chasing Heroine, Linnsey shares the devastating consequences of her addiction, what it took to turn her life around, and how she transformed the pain of her past into a mission to help others recover. Connect with Linnsey on Instagram Connect with Sacred Journey Treatment Center on Instagram DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok | |||
| 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 | 22 oct. 2026 | 01:16:13 | |
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 already taken her places most people could never imagine, including injecting her own aunt with cocaine. At 20, a DUI led Karissa to AA, where she slowly began to hear a message that would eventually change her life. It took time for the words of recovery to sink in, but at 22, Karissa finally got sober and began building a life beyond the chaos she had always known. Today, Karissa is a mother to twin boys and a powerful example of what resilience, willingness, and recovery can make possible. Her story is a reminder that our beginnings do not have to determine our endings, and that even after years of surviving, it is possible to learn how to truly live. Tune in for an honest conversation about childhood trauma, addiction, finding sobriety, and discovering that a different future is possible. Today's episode is brought to you by Sacred Journey Recovery in San Diego, CA. Sacred Journey is a mens only treatment center that blends modern clinical care with immersive outdoor therapy for men facing addiction. Each part of treatment is structured, supervised, and tied to a clear clinical goal, then reinforced through real-life application. Experiential & Outdoor Adventure Therapy: Climbing, hiking, jiu-jitsu, archery, yoga, and other structured challenges help men build confidence, discipline, and follow-through. Evidenced Based Counseling: CBT, ACT, DBT, and narrative therapy help men work through cravings, stress, trauma, and emotional regulation. Peer Support & Brotherhood: Men-only treatment creates a stronger environment for honesty, accountability, and real connection. Sacred Journey accepts most insurance and will work with you or your loved one. Call 760-214-9727 for a more information or a confidential assessment. Connect with Karissa on Instagram Connect with Sacred Journey Treatment Center on Instagram DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok | |||
| 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 | 15 oct. 2026 | 02:31:19 | |
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. In 2022, Story finally got sober. But while in residential treatment later that year, she received news that would change her life forever: her husband had died of an overdose. In this episode of Chasing Heroine, Story shares what it took to survive addiction, find sobriety, and face the unimaginable loss of her husband without returning to drugs. She also talks about rebuilding her life and creating The Upside to Grief, a podcast designed to help people navigate loss through community, connection, and practical tools. Story’s life has taken some unimaginable turns, and her story is a powerful look at what recovery can make possible, even when life doesn't turn out the way you planned. Today's episode is brought to you by Sacred Journey Recovery in San Diego, CA. Sacred Journey is a mens only treatment center that blends modern clinical care with immersive outdoor therapy for men facing addiction. Each part of treatment is structured, supervised, and tied to a clear clinical goal, then reinforced through real-life application. Experiential & Outdoor Adventure Therapy: Climbing, hiking, jiu-jitsu, archery, yoga, and other structured challenges help men build confidence, discipline, and follow-through. Evidenced Based Counseling: CBT, ACT, DBT, and narrative therapy help men work through cravings, stress, trauma, and emotional regulation. Peer Support & Brotherhood: Men-only treatment creates a stronger environment for honesty, accountability, and real connection. Sacred Journey accepts most insurance and will work with you or your loved one. Call 760-214-9727 for a more information or a confidential assesment. Connect with Story on Instagram Connect with Sacred Journey Treatment Center on Instagram DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok | |||
| 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 | 24 sept. 2026 | 00:53:23 | |
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 know what y'all think! Connect with Narcan Nate on Instagram DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! | |||
| From Adolescent 5150s to Ecstasy, Acid, Drinking, Whippets and DUIs to Sobriety, Spirituality, and Being a Guiding Light for Men in Recovery | 17 sept. 2026 | 02:18:00 | |
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 in Canada. He has not used drugs or alcohol since. After getting sober, Jan moved to San Diego and began building the kind of life he never really had a roadmap for. Today, he works as a clinician and program manager at a treatment center, where he helps men work through addiction, find direction and start creating lives they actually want to live. In this conversation, Jan talks openly about what finally brought him to his knees, what changed once he stopped running, and the spiritual practices that have become an important part of his recovery. He also shares some of the ways he works with men in treatment and the lessons he has learned from watching people rebuild their lives from the ground up. Today's episode is brought to you by Sacred Journey Recovery in San Diego, CA. Sacred Journey is a mens only treatment center that blends modern clinical care with immersive outdoor therapy for men facing addiction. Each part of treatment is structured, supervised, and tied to a clear clinical goal, then reinforced through real-life application. Experiential & Outdoor Adventure Therapy: Climbing, hiking, jiu-jitsu, archery, yoga, and other structured challenges help men build confidence, discipline, and follow-through. Evidenced Based Counseling: CBT, ACT, DBT, and narrative therapy help men work through cravings, stress, trauma, and emotional regulation. Peer Support & Brotherhood: Men-only treatment creates a stronger environment for honesty, accountability, and real connection. Sacred Journey accepts most insurance and will work with you or your loved one. Call 760-214-9727 for a more information or a confidential assesment. Connect with Sacred Journey Treatment Center on Instagram DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! | |||
| PART TWO: The Conspiracy to Murder Her Mother with Charlie Wolf (formerly known as Tylar Witt) | 10 sept. 2026 | 01:51:05 | |
TW: suicidal ideation, violence, homicide, overdose PART 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, Steve, the escalation of that romance and how it began to clash with the escalation of her mother's alcoholism. Charlie was sentenced to 15 years to life and Steven is currently serving life without parole. Charlie was released on parole in 2023. After her release, she remarried but her husband tragically overdosed on fentanyl last year. Charlie goes through her whole story, no holds barred, detailing her relationship and rationale behind her decision to murder her mother. We discuss life in prison and ultimately how she came to terms with what happened, her role in what happened and her journey of rehabiltation in prison. Today's episode is brought to you by Sacred Journey Recovery in San Diego, CA. Sacred Journey is a mens only treatment center that blends modern clinical care with immersive outdoor therapy for men facing addiction. Each part of treatment is structured, supervised, and tied to a clear clinical goal, then reinforced through real-life application. Experiential & Outdoor Adventure Therapy: Climbing, hiking, jiu-jitsu, archery, yoga, and other structured challenges help men build confidence, discipline, and follow-through. Evidenced Based Counseling: CBT, ACT, DBT, and narrative therapy help men work through cravings, stress, trauma, and emotional regulation. Peer Support & Brotherhood: Men-only treatment creates a stronger environment for honesty, accountability, and real connection. Sacred Journey accepts most insurance and will work with you or your loved one. Call 760-214-9727 for a more information or a confidential assesment. Connect with Sacred Journey Treatment Center on Instagram DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! | |||
| PART ONE: The Conspiracy to Murder Her Mother with Charlie Wolf (formerly known as Tylar Witt) | 03 sept. 2026 | 01:20:09 | |
TW: suicidal ideation, violence, homicide PART 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 of that romance and how it began to clash with the escalation of her mother's alcoholism. Charlie was sentenced to 15 years to life and Steven is currently serving life without parole. Charlie was released on parole in 2023. After her release, she remarried but her husband tragically overdosed on fentanyl last year. Charlie goes through her whole story, no holds barred, detailing her relationship and rationale behind her decision to murder her mother. We discuss life in prison and ultimately how she came to terms with what happened, her role in what happened and her journey of rehabiltation in prison. Today's episode is brought to you by Sacred Journey Recovery in San Diego, CA. Sacred Journey is a mens only treatment center that blends modern clinical care with immersive outdoor therapy for men facing addiction. Each part of treatment is structured, supervised, and tied to a clear clinical goal, then reinforced through real-life application. Experiential & Outdoor Adventure Therapy: Climbing, hiking, jiu-jitsu, archery, yoga, and other structured challenges help men build confidence, discipline, and follow-through. Evidenced Based Counseling: CBT, ACT, DBT, and narrative therapy help men work through cravings, stress, trauma, and emotional regulation. Peer Support & Brotherhood: Men-only treatment creates a stronger environment for honesty, accountability, and real connection. Sacred Journey accepts most insurance and will work with you or your loved one. Call 760-214-9727 for a more information or a confidential assesment. Connect with Sacred Journey Treatment Center on Instagram DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! | |||
| High Functioning: What Actually Makes Rehab Work with Dr. Towers, Clinical Director of Seasons Malibu | 01 sept. 2026 | 00:50:23 | |
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 are worth bringing into the program. We also get into some of the questions people often have about treatment but don't always get to ask: What role should Twelve Step play in recovery? Can the beach actually be therapeutic? What happens when someone relapses while they're in treatment? And what are clinicians seeing as new substances and patterns of use emerge? Dr. Towers also shares what she's seeing with the growing number of people coming into treatment for kratom detox, and how increasing regulations in California are changing the treatment landscape. This conversation isn't just for people considering rehab. It's for anyone interested in addiction, recovery, therapy, or becoming a better-informed participant in their own personal growth. The more we understand about how treatment decisions are made, the better equipped we are to ask questions, advocate for ourselves, and choose the approaches that actually make sense for us. Today's episode is brought to you by Seasons in Malibu. For over 18 years, Seasons has been a sanctuary for individuals seeking to reclaim their lives from addiction and mental health challenges. Our story began with a simple but profound vision: To create a luxurious sanctuary for individuals struggling with addiction or mental health issues, where they can receive the finest, evidence-based treatment in the world. Built on Compassion, Driven by Excellence What started as a small number of compassionate professionals has grown into one of the nation’s most respected luxury treatment centers. But growth has never meant losing sight of what matters most—the individual engaging with our therapists, one-on-one, taking the courageous first step toward healing.From the beginning, we understood that truly transformative treatment requires more than clinical protocols. It demands a personalized approach, led by the most qualified professionals, in an environment that nurtures the whole person. That’s why we’ve assembled a team where every primary therapist holds a Doctorate in Psychology - a distinction virtually unmatched in our field. Check out Seasons Malibu online or call 1-866-314-5160 for more information. Connect with Seasons on Instagram DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com | |||
| 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 | 28 août 2026 | 01:28:06 | |
(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 drug court, jail stays, and surviving on the streets of downtown San Diego. But Gunnar’s story didn’t end there. Through grit, recovery, and a community that believed in him, he rebuilt his life from the ground up. Now three years sober, Gunnar has graduated college and applied to graduate school with a mission: to advocate for the homeless community he once belonged to and push for real policy change. This episode is a powerful testament to resilience, redemption, and the impact of turning lived experience into purpose. Episode sponsored by Worthy Wellness Center Worthy Wellness Center is nestled within the charming village of Carlsbad, in North County, San Diego, less than half a mile from the tranquil local beaches. Worthy stands as a sanctuary wholly devoted to nurturing the healing and well-being of those in recovery. Committed to addressing the holistic needs of individuals navigating through life’s challenges, whether related to substance abuse, alcohol addiction, or mental and mood disorders, Worthy Wellness Center takes a comprehensive approach to healing the body, mind, and spirit. DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! | |||
| 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 | 20 août 2026 | 01:28:04 | |
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 down the skill she used to survive her addiction and the exact same skill she used to build a business empire in recovery. The hustle that kept her using is the same hustle that built her life back. She didn't have to unlearn it. She had to redirect it. We talk about what it actually takes to go from arrest records to running multiple facilities. Why the traits that make addiction so hard to escape are the same traits that make recovery entrepreneurs so hard to stop. And why Osier exists to put money back into the hands of people just like her. If you've ever felt like your past disqualifies you from your future, this episode will change your mind. Connect with Cheree on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com | |||
| High Functioning: Why Feeling Like Quitting Means You're Winning | 17 août 2026 | 00:10:19 | |
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 around. That feeling of not measuring up isn't proof you're failing. It's proof you're in a bigger pond. And here's the part most people miss. Addicts already understand this better than anyone. We know what it feels like to have 30 days in a small meeting and 30 days in a big meeting. Same 30 days. Same objective progress. But that big meeting feels scary to claim, feels smaller, feels like it doesn't count as much even though it's the exact same milestone. We've already lived that gap between what's true and what it feels like. We know how to sit in that discomfort and internalize the win anyway, because we've done it in the rooms. If you've ever felt like giving up right when things started getting hard, this episode is going to change how you see that moment completely. DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com | |||
| 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 | 13 août 2026 | 01:16:27 | |
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 agencies start to communicate and suspect Matt for the robbery. This ultimately leads to Matt's recovery journey. After a stop at the infamous LA treatment center, Delancey Street, Matt begins to find his way. Now with years sober and a treatment center owner, Matt has reconstructed his life and reunited with his family. Connect with Matt on Instagram DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com | |||
| 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 | 06 août 2026 | 01:22:40 | |
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 and again, and the moment he walked away from every safety net he had left. This is not a redemption story yet. This is the bottom before the climb. Part two drops next week: how Matt built a treatment center, a marriage, and a family from the wreckage. Connect with Matt on Instagram DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com | |||
| High Functioning: Your Body Holds the Answers; Craniosacral Therapy Connects You to Your Inner Knowing | 03 août 2026 | 00:53:11 | |
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 as communication. In this episode we talk about what craniosacral therapy actually is, how the nervous system remembers what the mind forgets, and why the goal was never to solve you. You were never broken to begin with. Today's episode is brought to you by Seasons in Malibu. For over 18 years, Seasons has been a sanctuary for individuals seeking to reclaim their lives from addiction and mental health challenges. Our story began with a simple but profound vision: To create a luxurious sanctuary for individuals struggling with addiction or mental health issues, where they can receive the finest, evidence-based treatment in the world. Built on Compassion, Driven by Excellence What started as a small number of compassionate professionals has grown into one of the nation’s most respected luxury treatment centers. But growth has never meant losing sight of what matters most—the individual engaging with our therapists, one-on-one, taking the courageous first step toward healing.From the beginning, we understood that truly transformative treatment requires more than clinical protocols. It demands a personalized approach, led by the most qualified professionals, in an environment that nurtures the whole person. That’s why we’ve assembled a team where every primary therapist holds a Doctorate in Psychology - a distinction virtually unmatched in our field.Check out Seasons Malibu online or call 1-866-314-5160 for more information. Learn more about Sunil Kalwani Connect with Seasons on Instagram DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com | |||
| Natalie Eva Marie on Soccer, DUIs, Jail, WWE Divas, "Graduating" AA, NEM Fitness, Her Recent Divorce and Starting Over Again | 30 juil. 2026 | 02:01:54 | |
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 clean. Then she decided she'd "graduated" AA and walked back out on purpose. That decision cost her three months, gone, holed up in a trap house before she landed at Dr. Drew's center in Pasadena. She got sober in name only. Then WWE called. She landed the audition, got cast on Total Divas, and married the man she thought was forever. From the outside, she had it all. Years into that marriage, she realized she wanted something completely different. An invitation to co-host the Hopeaholics and open her own treatment center brought her to Orange County, and that move became the beginning of the end of her marriage. Natalie gets honest about where she is right now: a woman at a turning point, leaning hard into the program to get through it. This isn't a comeback story wrapped in a bow. It's what actually staying sober looks like when life keeps changing underneath you. Today's episode is brought to you by Seasons in Malibu. For over 18 years, Seasons has been a sanctuary for individuals seeking to reclaim their lives from addiction and mental health challenges. Our story began with a simple but profound vision: To create a luxurious sanctuary for individuals struggling with addiction or mental health issues, where they can receive the finest, evidence-based treatment in the world. Built on Compassion, Driven by Excellence What started as a small number of compassionate professionals has grown into one of the nation’s most respected luxury treatment centers. But growth has never meant losing sight of what matters most—the individual engaging with our therapists, one-on-one, taking the courageous first step toward healing.From the beginning, we understood that truly transformative treatment requires more than clinical protocols. It demands a personalized approach, led by the most qualified professionals, in an environment that nurtures the whole person. That’s why we’ve assembled a team where every primary therapist holds a Doctorate in Psychology - a distinction virtually unmatched in our field.Check out Seasons Malibu online or call 1-866-314-5160 for more information. Connect with Natalie on Instagram Connect with Seasons on Instagram DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com | |||
| 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 | 23 juil. 2026 | 01:42:29 | |
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 gave him a program that stuck. He started over with nothing. Dishwashing shifts. Three years riding the bus because he couldn't afford a car. No shortcuts, just the slow work of rebuilding a life from scratch. Fourteen years later, Luis hosts the Fuck Fentanyl podcast and works at the same Freedom Ranch that gave him his start. This episode is proof that where you begin has nothing to do with where you end up. Connect with Luis on Instagram DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com | |||
| 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 | 16 juil. 2026 | 02:07:53 | |
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, everything that took her childhood to build. She ended up living in her car on Skid Row. In and out of treatment more times than she can count. She was there the night someone she loved, a well known name in Hollywood, died of an overdose right in front of her. Now 44 and sober, Natanya works in treatment helping people who are exactly where she used to be. She just launched her own podcast to tell the stories nobody wants to talk about out loud. Today's episode is brought to you by Seasons in Malibu. For over 18 years, Seasons has been a sanctuary for individuals seeking to reclaim their lives from addiction and mental health challenges. Our story began with a simple but profound vision: To create a luxurious sanctuary for individuals struggling with addiction or mental health issues, where they can receive the finest, evidence-based treatment in the world. Built on Compassion, Driven by Excellence What started as a small number of compassionate professionals has grown into one of the nation’s most respected luxury treatment centers. But growth has never meant losing sight of what matters most—the individual engaging with our therapists, one-on-one, taking the courageous first step toward healing.From the beginning, we understood that truly transformative treatment requires more than clinical protocols. It demands a personalized approach, led by the most qualified professionals, in an environment that nurtures the whole person. That’s why we’ve assembled a team where every primary therapist holds a Doctorate in Psychology - a distinction virtually unmatched in our field.Check out Seasons Malibu online or call 1-866-314-5160 for more information. Connect with Natanya on Instagram Connect with Seasons on Instagram DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com | |||
| High Functioning: The OCD Symptoms That Get Overlooked (And How To Spot Them) | 13 juil. 2026 | 00:59:32 | |
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 walks us through her history with OCD, and it's not the version most people picture. Her symptoms built slowly, then all at once. She saw therapist after therapist. Nobody connected the dots. So she started researching on her own, piecing together a picture of her own mind that the professionals around her kept missing. Things got bad enough that she had to leave school. That's when she landed on her own diagnosis, before any doctor confirmed it. She also talks about leaving a relationship that wasn't serving her, and how untangling that was its own kind of clarity. Medication and therapy came next, but real management came from Eden learning her own patterns better than anyone else could. If you have ever been curious about OCD or wondered about it's larger role in addiction and/or mental health, this episode is for you. Today's episode is brought to you by Seasons in Malibu. For over 18 years, Seasons has been a sanctuary for individuals seeking to reclaim their lives from addiction and mental health challenges. Our story began with a simple but profound vision: To create a luxurious sanctuary for individuals struggling with addiction or mental health issues, where they can receive the finest, evidence-based treatment in the world. Built on Compassion, Driven by Excellence What started as a small number of compassionate professionals has grown into one of the nation’s most respected luxury treatment centers. But growth has never meant losing sight of what matters most—the individual engaging with our therapists, one-on-one, taking the courageous first step toward healing.From the beginning, we understood that truly transformative treatment requires more than clinical protocols. It demands a personalized approach, led by the most qualified professionals, in an environment that nurtures the whole person. That’s why we’ve assembled a team where every primary therapist holds a Doctorate in Psychology - a distinction virtually unmatched in our field.Check out Seasons Malibu online or call 1-866-314-5160 for more information. Connect with Seasons on Instagram DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com | |||
| Ecstasy, Cocaine, DJing, Broken Relationships and Alcoholism to Sobriety and Connection in the Treatment Community | 09 juil. 2026 | 01:51:26 | |
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, all while his drug use kept escalating into cocaine, Xanax, and eventually a move to Chico, CA to grow weed and "start over," which didn't work. He cycled through multiple treatment stints starting at 24, including two trips to Sierra Tucson, each one followed by a relapse. A DUI, other legal trouble, and a series of increasingly dangerous blackouts (including one at his grandmother's house in Rhode Island) finally pushed him to call a sober coach who leveled with him bluntly: he'd never actually been sober, only abstinent. That call led him to Refine Recovery at 29, where, for the first time, treatment stuck. He talks candidly about getting a sponsor, doing the steps, and rebuilding his life from the ground up, plus how he stumbled into working in treatment and later launching his own podcast. He also opens up about finding his birth mother through an AncestryDNA test in his mid twenties, and the surprisingly close relationship they've built since, including meeting his half brother and starting a new family Thanksgiving tradition. Today's episode is brought to you by Seasons in Malibu. For over 18 years, Seasons has been a sanctuary for individuals seeking to reclaim their lives from addiction and mental health challenges. Our story began with a simple but profound vision: To create a luxurious sanctuary for individuals struggling with addiction or mental health issues, where they can receive the finest, evidence-based treatment in the world. Built on Compassion, Driven by Excellence What started as a small number of compassionate professionals has grown into one of the nation’s most respected luxury treatment centers. But growth has never meant losing sight of what matters most—the individual engaging with our therapists, one-on-one, taking the courageous first step toward healing.From the beginning, we understood that truly transformative treatment requires more than clinical protocols. It demands a personalized approach, led by the most qualified professionals, in an environment that nurtures the whole person. That’s why we’ve assembled a team where every primary therapist holds a Doctorate in Psychology - a distinction virtually unmatched in our field.Check out Seasons Malibu online or call 1-866-314-5160 for more information. Connect with Seasons on Instagram Connect with John on Instagram DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com | |||
| Childhood Trauma Leads to Multiple DUIs...Stopping Drinking Leaves Her Sober but Suicidal Until Working the Steps Finally Changes Her Life | 01 juil. 2026 | 01:22:13 | |
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, and the gap between who she appeared to be and who she actually was became impossible to ignore. Getting sober wasn't the fix she thought it would be. She quit drinking but didn't work a program, and ended up suicidal while dry, proof that just removing the alcohol isn't the same as recovery. It wasn't until she started working the steps that things actually changed. In this episode, Elisa talks about that turning point, and the deeper work that came after: learning to reparent herself and give herself the love she never got as a kid. She now works in treatment, helping others find their way through the same wreckage she climbed out of. This is a conversation about the distance between appearing fine and actually being fine, and what it takes to close that gap for good. Today's episode is brought to you by Seasons in Malibu. For over 18 years, Seasons has been a sanctuary for individuals seeking to reclaim their lives from addiction and mental health challenges. Our story began with a simple but profound vision: To create a luxurious sanctuary for individuals struggling with addiction or mental health issues, where they can receive the finest, evidence-based treatment in the world. Built on Compassion, Driven by Excellence What started as a small number of compassionate professionals has grown into one of the nation’s most respected luxury treatment centers. But growth has never meant losing sight of what matters most—the individual engaging with our therapists, one-on-one, taking the courageous first step toward healing.From the beginning, we understood that truly transformative treatment requires more than clinical protocols. It demands a personalized approach, led by the most qualified professionals, in an environment that nurtures the whole person. That’s why we’ve assembled a team where every primary therapist holds a Doctorate in Psychology - a distinction virtually unmatched in our field.Check out Seasons Malibu online or call 1-866-314-5160 for more information. Connect with Seasons on Instagram Connect with Elisa on Instagram DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! | |||
| High Functioning: Reprogram Your Subconscious Mind and Watch Your Life Change with Barbara Jean Carey, CHT | 29 juin 2026 | 00:48:47 | |
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 considered. The age we are when we experience something determines what level of consciousness we're operating from, and the programming we pick up in childhood doesn't just fade. It runs in the background, quietly directing choices we think we're making freely. We get into what maladaptive programming actually is, how it gets installed when we're young, and more importantly how to recognize it in your own life. Barbara also walks us through exactly how she guides clients through a hypnotherapy session to locate what's holding them back at the subconscious level and replace it with something that actually serves them. If you've ever wondered why you keep repeating the same patterns no matter how hard you try, this one's worth a listen. Today's episode is brought to you by Seasons in Malibu. For over 18 years, Seasons has been a sanctuary for individuals seeking to reclaim their lives from addiction and mental health challenges. Our story began with a simple but profound vision: To create a luxurious sanctuary for individuals struggling with addiction or mental health issues, where they can receive the finest, evidence-based treatment in the world. Built on Compassion, Driven by Excellence What started as a small number of compassionate professionals has grown into one of the nation’s most respected luxury treatment centers. But growth has never meant losing sight of what matters most—the individual engaging with our therapists, one-on-one, taking the courageous first step toward healing.From the beginning, we understood that truly transformative treatment requires more than clinical protocols. It demands a personalized approach, led by the most qualified professionals, in an environment that nurtures the whole person. That’s why we’ve assembled a team where every primary therapist holds a Doctorate in Psychology - a distinction virtually unmatched in our field.Check out Seasons Malibu online or call 1-866-314-5160 for more information. Connect with Seasons on Instagram Connect with Barbara Carey DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! | |||
| 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 | 24 juin 2026 | 01:57:02 | |
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, fueled by a life that had never once asked him to slow down. The moment that finally cracked him open wasn't a near-death experience or a legal consequence. It was a letter. His wife left it in a hotel room in Santa Barbara. Simple message: get sober, or lose his son. He got sober. Nearly 30 years later, Brandon has surfed the world clean, worked as a sober companion, and spent years as an editor for South Park. He came up in Twelve Step and eventually added Refuge Recovery.to his program. Connect with Brandon on Instagram DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! | |||
| 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 | 18 juin 2026 | 01:21:30 | |
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 since 2016. In this episode, she talks openly about the sexual abuse she survived from age three to twelve, how substances became her way of managing pain she had no other language for, and how the adult industry didn't create her addiction but absolutely accelerated it. At 27, an assault in Las Vegas became a turning point she couldn't ignore. She stepped back from films after that, continuing to model while slowly distancing herself from that world. When her son was born in 2009, she retired completely. But the addiction didn't retire with her. She continued using for seven more years before finally getting sober in 2016. She had a son. She had a life she wanted to actually be present for. Getting sober wasn't a straight line, but she got there. Jenny now works in treatment, helping people who are sitting in the same darkness she once lived in. She built something real on the other side. This conversation is proof that it's possible. Today's episode is brought to you by Seasons in Malibu. For over 18 years, Seasons has been a sanctuary for individuals seeking to reclaim their lives from addiction and mental health challenges. Our story began with a simple but profound vision: To create a luxurious sanctuary for individuals struggling with addiction or mental health issues, where they can receive the finest, evidence-based treatment in the world. Built on Compassion, Driven by Excellence What started as a small number of compassionate professionals has grown into one of the nation’s most respected luxury treatment centers. But growth has never meant losing sight of what matters most—the individual engaging with our therapists, one-on-one, taking the courageous first step toward healing.From the beginning, we understood that truly transformative treatment requires more than clinical protocols. It demands a personalized approach, led by the most qualified professionals, in an environment that nurtures the whole person. That’s why we’ve assembled a team where every primary therapist holds a Doctorate in Psychology - a distinction virtually unmatched in our field.Check out Seasons Malibu online or call 1-866-314-5160 for more information. Connect with Seasons on Instagram Connect with Jenny on Instagram DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! | |||
| High Functioning: The 3-Letter Formula That Lets You Control the Outcome of Anything | 15 juin 2026 | 00:12:43 | |
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 your response is where all of your power lives, and that response is what determines your outcome. This means that no matter what life throws at you, you have more control than you think. I walk you through four stories from my own life so you can see exactly how this plays out in real time:
By the end, you'll be looking back at your own life and spotting every moment you already did this without realizing it, and more importantly, you'll know how to start doing it on purpose. DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! | |||
| 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 | 11 juin 2026 | 01:56:06 | |
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 way to pain pills after the injury, and once that door opened, Chad walked through it fast. He dropped out of high school. Got into door to door sales. Found ways to fund a life that was quietly unraveling. The escalating drug use brought escalating problems, including criminal activity that started stacking consequences he couldn't outrun. A move to California was supposed to be the reset. It didn't quite work out that way, but it did lead him to the woman who would become the mother of his child. They moved back to Utah together, and Chad kept trying to get it together. He couldn't. The relationship didn't survive it. And then came the moment that actually broke through. Separation from his daughter. That was the thing that reached him where nothing else could. Chad made the decision to move back to California, and this time something was different. He found lasting sobriety in 2024 and hasn't looked back. Today he works alongside his brother at Sacred Journey Men's Recovery Center, turning everything he lived through into something that helps other men find their way out. Connect with Sacred Journey Treatment Center on Instagram DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! | |||
| 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 | 04 juin 2026 | 01:10:09 | |
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 devastating lows, and ultimately to a life she never could have imagined for herself. McKenna was doing everything "right." She graduated from Fordham University, landed a coveted finance role on Wall Street, and had every box checked on paper. But underneath the success, what had started as casual Adderall use in high school had quietly grown into a full-blown dependency — one that Wall Street's pressure-cooker culture only accelerated. When the jobs disappeared, McKenna found herself back on Long Island with her addiction running the show, cycling through toxic and abusive relationships, and spiraling further from the woman she once was. The turning point came in the form of a two-month psychosis — a terrifying rock bottom that finally opened the door to real change. Now on the other side, McKenna shares how treatment didn't just save her life — it completely redirected it. Through connections made in recovery, she discovered a surprising new career path she never saw coming, one that lights her up in ways Wall Street never did. Today, she's building a business, a marriage, and a family, all rooted in the clarity that only sobriety can bring. Today's episode is brought to you by Seasons in Malibu. For over 18 years, Seasons has been a sanctuary for individuals seeking to reclaim their lives from addiction and mental health challenges. Our story began with a simple but profound vision: To create a luxurious sanctuary for individuals struggling with addiction or mental health issues, where they can receive the finest, evidence-based treatment in the world. Built on Compassion, Driven by Excellence What started as a small number of compassionate professionals has grown into one of the nation’s most respected luxury treatment centers. But growth has never meant losing sight of what matters most—the individual engaging with our therapists, one-on-one, taking the courageous first step toward healing.From the beginning, we understood that truly transformative treatment requires more than clinical protocols. It demands a personalized approach, led by the most qualified professionals, in an environment that nurtures the whole person. That’s why we’ve assembled a team where every primary therapist holds a Doctorate in Psychology - a distinction virtually unmatched in our field.Check out Seasons Malibu online or call 1-866-314-5160 for more information. Connect with Seasons on InstagramDM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me at chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! | |||
| High Functioning: From War Zones to Malibu: What 20 Years in Crisis Psychology Taught Dr. Matthew Schumacher About Addiction | 01 juin 2026 | 01:10:34 | |
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 conversation about the science of addiction, the biology of balance, and why some of the most powerful tools for recovery are also the oldest ones. From dopamine fasting to behavioral activation to the underrated magic of a social routine, Dr. Schumacher breaks down what actually moves the needle - whether you're in a luxury treatment center in Malibu or sitting at home trying to figure out your next step. Reasons You Need to Hear This:
Today's episode is brought to you by Seasons in Malibu. For over 18 years, Seasons has been a sanctuary for individuals seeking to reclaim their lives from addiction and mental health challenges. Our story began with a simple but profound vision: To create a luxurious sanctuary for individuals struggling with addiction or mental health issues, where they can receive the finest, evidence-based treatment in the world. Built on Compassion, Driven by Excellence What started as a small number of compassionate professionals has grown into one of the nation’s most respected luxury treatment centers. But growth has never meant losing sight of what matters most—the individual engaging with our therapists, one-on-one, taking the courageous first step toward healing.From the beginning, we understood that truly transformative treatment requires more than clinical protocols. It demands a personalized approach, led by the most qualified professionals, in an environment that nurtures the whole person. That’s why we’ve assembled a team where every primary therapist holds a Doctorate in Psychology - a distinction virtually unmatched in our field.Check out Seasons Malibu online or call 1-866-314-5160 for more information. Connect with Seasons on InstagramDM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok | |||
| She Found Out She Was 6 Months Pregnant While Shooting Heroin - Then Couldn't Stop | 28 mai 2026 | 01:26:56 | |
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 addiction that cost her her marriage, her career, and nearly her children. In this episode Dana talks about using while pregnant, discovering she was six months along in an emergency room, losing custody of her youngest son to CPS, and spending years cycling through rehabs while still finding ways to get high inside them. She also shares what it took to finally get sober, the three-year legal battle to get her son back, and how she rebuilt her life, her relationships with her kids, and her own business from nothing. Eight years later, she credits her faith as the thing that carried her through all of it. DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! | |||
| High Functioning: Beyond Talk Therapy: Dr. Q on Tools for Addiction, Emotional Balance and Recovery | 25 mai 2026 | 01:01:11 | |
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’s about a nervous system trying desperately to regulate itself. Drawing from her experience working in methadone clinics, her doctoral research, and polyvagal theory, Dr. Q breaks down how different substances can serve different emotional and neurological functions. Why some people are drawn to stimulants like cocaine or meth, why others gravitate toward heroin or alcohol, and why many people cycle between uppers and downers depending on what emotional state they’re trying to escape, numb, or control. Most importantly, this episode gives listeners practical, actionable tools to start regulating their nervous system without substances: Dr. Quenicka, better known as “Dr. Q,” is a clinical psychologist specializing in addiction, trauma, emotional resiliency, and nervous system regulation. Born and raised in Indonesia, Dr. Q moved to the United States as a young adult, went on to graduate with honors from UCLA, earned three master’s degrees, and received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Fielding Graduate University. Her research in neuropsychology has been published in multiple academic journals, and her clinical work focuses on helping people heal through self-compassion, empowerment, cultural understanding, and hope. With experience ranging from severe mental illness and brain injury treatment to women’s intensive outpatient recovery programs, Dr. Q brings both deep expertise and extraordinary warmth to the conversation. Today's episode is brought to you by Seasons in Malibu. For over 18 years, Seasons has been a sanctuary for individuals seeking to reclaim their lives from addiction and mental health challenges. Our story began with a simple but profound vision: To create a luxurious sanctuary for individuals struggling with addiction or mental health issues, where they can receive the finest, evidence-based treatment in the world. Built on Compassion, Driven by Excellence What started as a small number of compassionate professionals has grown into one of the nation’s most respected luxury treatment centers. But growth has never meant losing sight of what matters most—the individual engaging with our therapists, one-on-one, taking the courageous first step toward healing. From the beginning, we understood that truly transformative treatment requires more than clinical protocols. It demands a personalized approach, led by the most qualified professionals, in an environment that nurtures the whole person. That’s why we’ve assembled a team where every primary therapist holds a Doctorate in Psychology - a distinction virtually unmatched in our field. Check out Seasons Malibu online or call 1-866-314-5160 for more information. Connect with Seasons on Instagram DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! | |||
| 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 | 21 mai 2026 | 01:28:01 | |
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 spiraling into steroid use, smuggling, and eventually laundering millions in drug money tied to the cartel. What started with crossing the border to move steroids from Mexico evolved into a world of massive debt, high stakes pressure, and organized crime that ultimately led to a federal RICO indictment and a 21-year prison sentence in 2015. But this conversation isn’t just about the rise and fall. It’s about what happened after the collapse. While incarcerated, Owen refused to let prison become dead time. Instead, he turned it into a strange kind of laboratory for reinvention, earning his master’s degree, writing a book, creating his business, Ice Protein, and even starring in a docuseries produced with Mark Wahlberg. Owen’s story is chaotic, unbelievable, and at times cinematic, but underneath all of it is a deeper message: your lowest point does not have to be wasted time. Sometimes the same intensity that destroys a life can also rebuild one. Connect with Owen on Instagram DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! | |||
| High Functioning: Feeling Stuck? This Neuroscience Backed Recipe for Creating Your Own Spiritual Experiences Will Change Your Life | 18 mai 2026 | 00:22:13 | |
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 rare minutes, my brain stopped fighting reality. In this episode, we unpack the surprisingly deep science behind spiritual experiences through the work of neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Newberg, a pioneer in the field of neurotheology, who studies what actually happens in the brain during prayer, meditation, and moments of transcendence. Dr. Newberg’s brain imaging research on meditating Buddhist monks and praying Franciscan nuns found that spiritual experiences aren’t imaginary or confined to some mythical “God spot” in the brain. Instead, they activate an interconnected network involving emotion, focus, meaning, and even the parts of the brain responsible for our sense of physical boundaries. During deep spiritual states, activity in the parietal lobe decreases, helping explain that feeling of oneness, timelessness, or dissolving into the moment itself. But the real goal of this episode is practical: helping listeners identify the elements of their own past spiritual experiences, whether those moments came through nature, music, heartbreak, recovery, prayer, surfing, love, silence… or even a California burrito. Because Dr. Newberg’s research suggests that intentionally cultivating these experiences can help people become less anxious, less depressed, and ultimately get “unstuck.” This episode is about addiction, neuroscience, transcendence, french fries in burritos, and the possibility that sometimes grace arrives disguised as takeout. DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! | |||
| Early Oxy Leads to Heroin, Robbing Connects at Gun Point, Silkroad, Shooting Ketamine, Rapid Detoxes, Methadone for Years...Drew's Story is Insane | 14 mai 2026 | 02:33:27 | |
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 fully on the run. In California, the hustle only evolved. Pills moved online through Silk Road, bitcoin fortunes disappeared almost as fast as they came, ketamine entered the picture, and rapid detoxes became desperate attempts to outrun addiction without ever truly surrendering to recovery. Through all of it, Drew lived at full speed until a few serious injuries and and dark moments afterward finally forced him to confront what decades of chaos had cost him. Now sober since 2021, Drew has rebuilt his life from the ashes of addiction and violence. Today, he owns a men’s mental health and substance use treatment center Sacred Journey, in San Diego and lives deeply rooted in a program of recovery. In this episode, Drew shares one of the wildest stories we’ve ever had on the podcast, but underneath the insanity is something even more powerful: proof that even the most self-destructive life can be rebuilt into one centered on purpose, service, and freedom. Connect with Sacred Journey Treatment Center on Instagram DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! | |||
| High Functioning: 3 Self-Esteem HACKS That Will Change Your Life | 11 mai 2026 | 00:17:46 | |
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 than giant goals, how helping other people quietly repairs the way you see yourself, and how you can make any environment work for you. Whether you’re newly sober, starting over after heartbreak, or just trying to feel like yourself again, this episode is about rebuilding self-worth brick by brick instead of waiting for lightning to strike. DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! | |||
| From Overdosing in his Childhood Bedroom to Becoming a Social Club Entrepreneur | 07 mai 2026 | 01:23:19 | |
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 purpose, structure, and tribe, especially for athletes and high performers. He opens up about why substances initially felt less like escape and more like belonging, and how recovery in Los Angeles helped him rebuild a life rooted in connection instead of chaos. Today, Dan is the SVP of Membership at The Maze, a membership-based social club in Manhattan designed around a radical idea: people deserve meaningful community that doesn’t revolve around alcohol. From movie nights and live events to notable speakers and a top-tier culinary program, The Maze is creating a social ecosystem where sobriety feels expansive instead of restrictive. This conversation explores identity loss, addiction, recovery, fatherhood, community, and the growing movement toward substance-free connection in a culture that often confuses drinking with living. It’s a story about discovering that the thing many people are actually searching for is not the substance itself, but the feeling of being seen. Today's episode is brought to you by Seasons in Malibu. We are excited to share that graduates of Seasons Malibu will now receive six months of membership to The Maze, Manhattan’s premier sober social club. It’s something we are incredibly proud of because recovery doesn’t end at discharge. Real community, meaningful connection, and having a place to belong matter deeply, especially in early sobriety. The Maze has created a space where people can build friendships, find purpose, and experience New York City without needing to revolve around alcohol or drugs. For over 18 years, Seasons has been a sanctuary for individuals seeking to reclaim their lives from addiction and mental health challenges. Our story began with a simple but profound vision: To create a luxurious sanctuary for individuals struggling with addiction or mental health issues, where they can receive the finest, evidence-based treatment in the world. Built on Compassion, Driven by Excellence What started as a small number of compassionate professionals has grown into one of the nation’s most respected luxury treatment centers. But growth has never meant losing sight of what matters most—the individual engaging with our therapists, one-on-one, taking the courageous first step toward healing. From the beginning, we understood that truly transformative treatment requires more than clinical protocols. It demands a personalized approach, led by the most qualified professionals, in an environment that nurtures the whole person. That’s why we’ve assembled a team where every primary therapist holds a Doctorate in Psychology - a distinction virtually unmatched in our field. Check out Seasons Malibu online or call 1-866-314-5160 for more information. Connect with The Maze on Instagram Connect with Seasons on Instagram DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! | |||
| High Functioning: Reframing Relapse: Why Addicts Learn What Others Don’t | 05 mai 2026 | 00:25:13 | |
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 seeking guidance, mentorship, and connection—and that skill can become a superpower. We unpack the analogy of the golf ball—originally smooth, until its “damage” (those now-famous dimples) made it fly farther and with more control. In the same way, our relapses, mistakes, and perceived failures aren’t just scars…they’re aerodynamic. This episode is about reframing damage as design, and understanding how the very experiences we wish we could erase are often the ones that make us more coachable, more connected, and ultimately more capable of living a directed, intentional life. DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! | |||
| 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 | 30 avr. 2026 | 01:53:05 | |
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 point, he even called his own mother to learn how to shoot it. The crash was inevitable. Jail forced a brutal detox and a confrontation with everything he had been outrunning. What came next was not a clean, cinematic turnaround but something more interesting. He started rebuilding from a place he had abandoned long ago: his childhood creativity. Dave tapped back into his artistic instincts and turned them into something functional, designing a game specifically for people in recovery. Not as a gimmick, but as a tool. A way to engage addicts in their own healing using strategy, storytelling, and choice. The same mind that once engineered survival in the streets now builds systems for growth. This conversation moves through trauma, accountability, and the strange alchemy of turning pain into purpose. It is about what happens when someone stops trying to escape their story and instead rewrites the rules of the game entirely. Check out Dave's games here Connect with Dave on Instagram DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! | |||
| High Functioning: Forensic Clinical Psychology and Theatre Converge in Dr. Tiffany Towers at Seasons Malibu, Blending Trauma Informed Compassion with Narrative Shifts through Storytelling | 28 avr. 2026 | 00:57:17 | |
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 creative, narrative-based approach to therapy. Dr. Towers and I discuss how looking at addiction through the lens of story can help loosen the grip of all-or-nothing thinking. Instead of seeing yourself as permanently defined by past behavior, this approach opens the door to examining patterns, shifting roles, and building a more flexible sense of identity. We also walk through the range of modalities used at Seasons, including EMDR, Brainspotting, somatic work, equine therapy, CBT, and DBT, with a focus on what they actually look like in practice and how to find credible versions of these treatments outside of a residential setting. Dr Towers also emphasizes the value in meeting people where they are, where that is abstinence or harm reduction, and how thoughtful, individualized care can support meaningful progress in either direction. My goal with this episode is to translate high-level clinical insight into something you can use and apply to your own life. Whether you are in recovery, considering change, or working in the field, this conversation offers a grounded, practical way to think about healing and what comes next. Today's episode is brought to you by Seasons in Malibu. For over 18 years, Seasons has been a sanctuary for individuals seeking to reclaim their lives from addiction and mental health challenges. Our story began with a simple but profound vision: To create a luxurious sanctuary for individuals struggling with addiction or mental health issues, where they can receive the finest, evidence-based treatment in the world. Built on Compassion, Driven by Excellence What started as a small number of compassionate professionals has grown into one of the nation’s most respected luxury treatment centers. But growth has never meant losing sight of what matters most—the individual engaging with our therapists, one-on-one, taking the courageous first step toward healing. From the beginning, we understood that truly transformative treatment requires more than clinical protocols. It demands a personalized approach, led by the most qualified professionals, in an environment that nurtures the whole person. That’s why we’ve assembled a team where every primary therapist holds a Doctorate in Psychology - a distinction virtually unmatched in our field. Check out Seasons Malibu online or call 1-866-314-5160 for more information. Connect with Seasons on Instagram DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! | |||
| 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 | 23 avr. 2026 | 01:45:42 | |
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 a life from the ground up, the mindset that carried him through early recovery, and how he went from having very little to building and selling multiple businesses. Along the way, he met his wife Amanda (yes, from the Sober Girl Group Chat 💁♀️), and together they’ve created a life centered around family, purpose, and long-term vision. This episode is about more than redemption, it’s about reinvention. Rob shares the principles that helped him not just stay sober, but scale a life beyond what once felt possible. If you’ve ever wondered how someone actually turns it all around, this is the blueprint. Today's episode is brought to you by Seasons in Malibu. For over 18 years, Seasons has been a sanctuary for individuals seeking to reclaim their lives from addiction and mental health challenges. Our story began with a simple but profound vision: To create a luxurious sanctuary for individuals struggling with addiction or mental health issues, where they can receive the finest, evidence-based treatment in the world. Built on Compassion, Driven by Excellence What started as a small number of compassionate professionals has grown into one of the nation’s most respected luxury treatment centers. But growth has never meant losing sight of what matters most—the individual engaging with our therapists, one-on-one, taking the courageous first step toward healing. From the beginning, we understood that truly transformative treatment requires more than clinical protocols. It demands a personalized approach, led by the most qualified professionals, in an environment that nurtures the whole person. That’s why we’ve assembled a team where every primary therapist holds a Doctorate in Psychology - a distinction virtually unmatched in our field. Check out Seasons Malibu online or call 1-866-314-5160 for more information. Connect with Seasons on Instagram DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! | |||
| High Functioning: The Soul Fix: Audrey Hope’s Radical Tools for Addiction + Trauma | 16 avr. 2026 | 01:01:16 | |
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 blended spiritual intuition with trauma and addiction expertise, creating a healing approach that goes far beyond talk therapy. Her philosophy is simple but striking: “Heal the soul, heal the addiction.” And in this conversation, she challenges everything we think we know about recovery. We explore why insight alone doesn’t always equal healing, how someone can spend years in therapy yet still feel stuck, and what it actually means to “solve the riddle of the soul.” Audrey shares her belief that true transformation doesn’t live in the intellect, it lives in the unseen layers beneath it, where pain, purpose, and identity quietly shape our lives. If you’ve ever asked yourself “Why am I really suffering?” or wondered if freedom is actually possible, this conversation offers a perspective that is both grounding and expansive. This isn’t about fixing yourself. It’s about understanding yourself in a way that finally sets you free. Today's episode is brought to you by Seasons in Malibu. For over 18 years, Seasons in Malibu has been a sanctuary for individuals seeking to reclaim their lives from addiction and mental health challenges. Our story began with a simple but profound vision: To create a luxurious sanctuary for individuals struggling with addiction or mental health issues, where they can receive the finest, evidence-based treatment in the world. Built on Compassion, Driven by Excellence What started as a small number of compassionate professionals has grown into one of the nation’s most respected luxury treatment centers. But growth has never meant losing sight of what matters most—the individual engaging with our therapists, one-on-one, taking the courageous first step toward healing. From the beginning, we understood that truly transformative treatment requires more than clinical protocols. It demands a personalized approach, led by the most qualified professionals, in an environment that nurtures the whole person. That’s why we’ve assembled a team where every primary therapist holds a Doctorate in Psychology - a distinction virtually unmatched in our field. Check out Seasons Malibu online or call 1-866-314-5160 for more information. Connect with Seasons on Instagram DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! | |||
| Fame, Cocaine, and the Crash: How Jennifer Gimenez Found Real Recovery | 09 avr. 2026 | 01:27:23 | |
TRIGGER WARNING: pregnancy loss and sexual assault 4:50:00 - 15:60:00 Jennifer 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 was unfolding. In this episode, Jennifer shares how she fell in love with cocaine at the height of her modeling career, chasing a high that quietly unraveled everything. What started as part of the lifestyle led her into a cycle of addiction, brief moments of sobriety sparked by an accidental NA meeting, and relapses while still showing up on major film sets. Without a real foundation in recovery, the pattern kept repeating. Eventually, everything caught up with her—leading to treatment with Dr. Drew and a breaking point that included a failed suicide attempt. On January 15, 2005, Jennifer made a decision that would change her life forever. Now sober for two decades, she dedicates her life to helping others find recovery alongside her husband, Tim Ryan. This conversation pulls back the curtain on the illusion of “having it all” and explores what it really takes to build a life that looks as good on the inside as it does on the outside. Today's episode is brought to you by Seasons Treatment Center in Malibu. For over 18 years, Seasons in Malibu has been a sanctuary for individuals seeking to reclaim their lives from addiction and mental health challenges. Our story began with a simple but profound vision: To create a luxurious sanctuary for individuals struggling with addiction or mental health issues, where they can receive the finest, evidence-based treatment in the world. Built on Compassion, Driven by Excellence What started as a small number of compassionate professionals has grown into one of the nation’s most respected luxury treatment centers. But growth has never meant losing sight of what matters most—the individual engaging with our therapists, one-on-one, taking the courageous first step toward healing. From the beginning, we understood that truly transformative treatment requires more than clinical protocols. It demands a personalized approach, led by the most qualified professionals, in an environment that nurtures the whole person. That’s why we’ve assembled a team where every primary therapist holds a Doctorate in Psychology—a distinction virtually unmatched in our field. Check out Seasons Malibu online or call 1-866-314-5160 for more information. Connect with Seasons on Instagram DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! | |||
| 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 | 02 avr. 2026 | 02:18:57 | |
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 experiences carved in a deeper belief: something is wrong with me. That belief followed him straight into addiction. Oxy was the first opiate that hooked Bryan, and what came after was years of chasing a feeling he could never quite catch again. Methadone, Suboxone, cross-country moves between New York and San Diego, and eventually crack cocaine all became part of the cycle. There were moments that looked like escape, traveling through national parks, falling in love, even a trip to Italy, but the obsession to use never loosened its grip. After a suicide attempt brought him to his lowest point, Bryan found himself back where it all began: using again. But on April 1, 2022, something shifted. At a long-term medical treatment facility, Bryan finally found the space, structure, and willingness that allowed recovery to take root. Today, he’s an active participant in a twelve-step program and living proof that even the longest detours can still lead you home. This episode is about mislabeling, survival, and what happens when someone finally stops trying to fix themselves and starts learning how to live. DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! | |||
| 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 | 29 mars 2026 | 00:52:09 | |
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 up Joey's story with a near fatal overdose and his ultimate journey to get to a suboxone clinic with two therapists that changed his life. Clean now since September 20, 2021, we hope you enjoy Joey's episode at much as we did! The article about the homicide is HERE DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! | |||
| 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 | 19 mars 2026 | 00:48:11 | |
Today's episode originally aired on August 24, 2023 Today 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 terms, county time, again - ALLL the things. Clean now since September 20, 2021, we hope you enjoy Joey's episode at much as we did! DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! | |||
| 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 | 13 mars 2026 | 01:13:53 | |
**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 in his addiction. Returning to his old methods to support his lifestyle, Matt broke into a house and stole a safe - a choice that would change his life forever. What he discovered in that safe would pose a dilemma of choosing to turn in evidence of a crime - when to do so would cost him his freedom for the rest of his life. Part Two picks up where Part One left off, in 2005 after Matt found evidence of a heinous crime inside a safe that he had stolen from a home. Matt ultimately returns to prison and begins leaning into Buddhism as a vital part of his recovery. Connect with Matt on IG HERE Connect with Matt on TikTok HERE DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! | |||
| 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 | 05 mars 2026 | 00:54:05 | |
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 residential burglaries earned him three strikes by the age of 18. At 25, Matt was fresh off of parole, and back in his addiction. Returning to his old methods to support his lifestyle, Matt broke into a house and stole a safe - a choice that would change his life forever. What he discovered in that safe would pose a dilemma of choosing to turn in evidence of a crime - when to do so would cost him his freedom for the rest of his life. Connect with Matt on TikTok DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! | |||
| 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 | 27 févr. 2026 | 01:14:59 | |
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 four days of my active addiction. As always though, there is purpose in the madness, and this story is no different. A few episodes ago my guest Kevin said that a "miracle" can just be a shift in perspective. I absolutely love that idea and today you and I are going to discuss the perspective shift that "rejection is protection." Typically when we are rejected for anything, or by someone, we feel it is based on our value - that we aren't "good enough." What if we can shift our belief system to believe that rejection is a good thing, and absolutely unrelated to our value? Let's talk about it! Let me know what ya'll think! DM on Instagram or email me chasingheroine@gmail.com - love you guys! Connect with show on Instagram Connect with me on TikTok Connect with me on Facebook | |||
| From the Block to the Booth: Oceanside Local and Rising Star Bishop Snow on Music, Oceanside Culture, Gang Banging, Meth and Fatherhood | 22 févr. 2026 | 01:18:09 | |
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 were loud. The future felt small. But somewhere between the chaos and the consequences, Bishop found a different outlet: music. Writing became his therapy. Recording became his refuge. Even as addiction tightened its grip and his focus on music faded, the spark never fully went out. In 2019, Bishop made the decision to walk away from meth. Recovery didn’t just clear his mind, it reignited his discipline. With clarity came consistency. With consistency came growth. His health improved. His writing sharpened. His sound evolved. Then fatherhood shifted everything. Becoming a dad at 21 forced Bishop to zoom out and get serious about his craft. What started as personal expression turned into professional pursuit, leading to viral moments, studio production, and now a tour kicking off next week. This episode is about transformation in real time. It’s about trading gang files for tour dates, addiction for ambition, and survival for legacy. Bishop Snow’s story is proof that recovery doesn’t just restore what was lost. Sometimes it amplifies what was always there. 🎤🔥 Connect with Bishop on Instagram, TikTok and Spotify DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! | |||
| Meth, Mayhem, and Motherhood: Rio’s Reckoning With Recovery | 05 févr. 2026 | 01:21:48 | |
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 addiction tightened its grip. She walked away from her baby and his father in pursuit of drugs, parties, and a life that only grew more volatile. What followed were years of chaos, including involvement with a motorcycle club and people who kept pushing her further into risk and destruction. Eventually Rio entered treatment, relapsed once more, and then made the decision that changed everything, choosing sobriety for real. Today, she’s married, has regained custody of her son, is working on her degree at UCSD, and is driven by a powerful goal: to one day work with women in prison and help them find the same freedom she did. This is a story about grooming, addiction, motherhood, relapse, resilience, and what’s possible when recovery finally sticks. 🌱 DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! If you or a loved one are struggling with mental health or substances, Worthy Wellnesscan help. Worthy Wellness Center is nestled within the charming village of Carlsbad, in North County, San Diego, less than half a mile from the tranquil local beaches. Worthy stands as a sanctuary wholly devoted to nurturing the healing and well-being of those in recovery. Committed to addressing the holistic needs of individuals navigating through life’s challenges, whether related to substance abuse, alcohol addiction, or mental and mood disorders, Worthy Wellness Center takes a comprehensive approach to healing the body, mind, and spirit. Detox now open as well, 516 Recovery 516 Recovery Center transforms lives through individualized, compassionate care that rejects the “heads and beds” model of traditional treatment. Our licensed clinical team combines evidence-based therapies with holistic wellness approaches to help individuals overcome substance use disorders, mental health challenges, and co-occurring conditions in a welcoming beachside environment where personalized attention and genuine partnership drive lasting change. Located in Carlsbad Village by the beach, we provide comprehensive treatment services, including on-site medical detoxification, making us one of the few Southern California facilities offering the complete continuum of care under one organization. Call today: 442-430-3348 | |||
| Surf & Skater Culture Meet Alcohol and Chaos in Oceanside...Calling the Cops on Himself, Arrested at Work, Bar Bike Pub Crawl & Redemption in Jail | 29 janv. 2026 | 01:45:32 | |
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 of 2017, Ian was arrested for the last time. That moment became a turning point, leading him to his first stretch of sobriety. After one final relapse, Ian made a quiet but decisive choice on January 1st to get sober for good and this time, he stayed. Today, Ian’s life looks radically different. He’s in a committed relationship, helping raise his stepdaughter, and thriving in a career in design. Alongside that, he’s cultivating a deep passion and talent for photography, channeling creativity into a life built on presence and purpose. This episode is a conversation about grief, broken promises, second chances, and what can grow when you finally stop running and start living. DM me on Instagram Message me on Facebook Listen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTok Email me chasingheroine@gmail.com See you next week! If you or a loved one are struggling with mental health or substances, Worthy Wellnesscan help. Worthy Wellness Center is nestled within the charming village of Carlsbad, in North County, San Diego, less than half a mile from the tranquil local beaches. Worthy stands as a sanctuary wholly devoted to nurturing the healing and well-being of those in recovery. Committed to addressing the holistic needs of individuals navigating through life’s challenges, whether related to substance abuse, alcohol addiction, or mental and mood disorders, Worthy Wellness Center takes a comprehensive approach to healing the body, mind, and spirit. Detox now open as well, 516 Recovery 516 Recovery Center transforms lives through individualized, compassionate care that rejects the “heads and beds” model of traditional treatment. Our licensed clinical team combines evidence-based therapies with holistic wellness approaches to help individuals overcome substance use disorders, mental health challenges, and co-occurring conditions in a welcoming beachside environment where personalized attention and genuine partnership drive lasting change. Located in Carlsbad Village by the beach, we provide comprehensive treatment services, including on-site medical detoxification, making us one of the few Southern California facilities offering the complete continuum of care under one organization. Call today: 442-430-3348 | |||