My guest today is Sarah – a creative genius who pursues artwork in all forms, including comedy, acting, modeling, painting, podcasting, and writing.

Sarah has appeared on MTV’s Punk’d and Mad TV. She hosts the Not Cool podcast, performs stand-up regularly at the World Famous Comedy Store in West Hollywood, has opened for Margaret Cho and The Kims of Comedy with Bobby Lee, and continues to perform all over Los Angeles and the country.

Sarah grew up creating and performing to uplift others, but also as a means of escaping an unbearable and chaotic internal and external reality.

Sarah got sober in her early twenties, nine months after moving to Los Angeles. During those first nine months in Los Angeles, she hit multiple rock bottom moments - she was “living” out of her car, got a DUI, could count her ribs, lost everyone - and got sober when she was out of all options.

Sarah walks us through the aches of early sobriety, perspective shifts, tools to manage fear, self-sabotage, and the inherent difficulties of human life, as well as how she continues to stay driven and motivated - personally, professionally, and soberly.

I have tremendous admiration for Sarah, and frankly for any person who courageously puts a piece of themselves out there with their art, who can stand alone on stage and make complete strangers laugh. It’s a unique skill set I will never possess.

Outside of her many accomplishments and the advocacy work she’s done to humanize and amplify the voices of people who are not being heard, Sarah approaches life with a beautiful, contagious curiosity and open mind.

What if, instead of seeking oblivion by escaping from the world, we take a page from Sarah and turn toward it? What if instead of leaving the world behind, we immerse ourselves in it?

This podcast traverses difficult emotional terrain. If you are struggling, you are not alone. Please reach out for help and call ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SAMHSA’s National Helpline⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). If you are experiencing suicidal ideation, I encourage you to call the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ at 988.

Am I too young to get sober?

Getting sober is difficult at any age, but young adults certainly face a unique set of challenges. That was certainly the case for today’s guest, Keri Ann, who got sober at nineteen.

After a rebellious streak – stealing prescription medications from her father, binge drinking, reckless driving, black outs, petty theft, and an abusive relationship - she went to the Caron Foundation in Pennsylvania for substance use. Despite having zero intention of getting sober, Keri Ann quickly learned that she was powerless over drugs and alcohol.

Keri Ann attributes much of her current success in life to 30 years of continuous sobriety. She is the CEO and Founder of KIMBALL ENTERTAINMENT a Management and Production company for Film, Television & New Media and the founder of K-STAR PR, a celebrity and brand public relations agency. She's also heavily involved in supporting the causes of several non-profits, including The Artist Project, Beauty Gives Back, and Rock to Recovery (to name a few) .

Keri Ann has maintained and sustained success across all segments of media and entertainment, with over 20 years of experience producing, working closely with actors, directors, writers, artists, musicians, and production companies.

Growing up, drugs and alcohol were her primary focus ... Today, Keri Ann provides us with valuable insight on what it was like to get sober at such a young age: (1) the challenges she faced while navigating the path to recovery during adolescence, (2) the benefits of growing up in AA and getting sober early in life, (3) the tools she used and continues to use to maintain her sobriety, (4) and the ways in which the benefits of recovery have permeated her entire life.

There is no perfect age to get sober. You’re never too young or too old to get sober. Embracing sobriety can be a challenging journey for youth and young adults, but it’s a rewarding path that leads to a healthier, more fulfilling life.

This podcast traverses difficult emotional terrain. If you are struggling, you are not alone. Please reach out for help and call ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SAMHSA’s National Helpline⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). If you are experiencing suicidal ideation, I encourage you to call the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ at 988.

My guest today is Charlie. Charlie works as a commercial airline pilot (First Officer) and today he is almost 4.5 years sober.

Today’s conversation is about Charlie’s journey into the depths of alcohol addiction despair – what happened, what it was like, and how he ultimately found a way out. Charlie walks us through his experience getting a DUI and trudging through the unbelievably arduous airline program of recovery (HIMS program). Fear, just wanting to be accepted. Alcohol works, until it doesn’t. We cover the low lows – hitting rock bottom. And exactly how Charlie was able to conquer his demons, put the past in the rear view, and become a better pilot – a better man.

It’s about the power of surrender, humility, compassion, and purpose in sobriety. Leaning on mentors and community. Empowering individuals dealing with addiction – particularly those in high-stakes careers that require some sort of licensure. How holding compassion for himself and others and how putting service first, changed his life. 

Across the world, untold millions fall prey to some form of addiction. Addiction doesn’t discriminate. It affects all people, even those who have lofty job titles or those tasked with protecting the lives of others: CEOs, doctors, lawyers, and pilots. These professionals are regular people, too. Yet, the disease of addiction is incongruent with that image. For people whose identity is closely tied to their career and where they work, admitting that they have an addiction - and seeking help - doesn’t come easy.

Addiction, regardless of one’s life circumstances, is almost always incredibly devastating. For an airline pilot, the disease of addiction can jeopardize not just a career they have worked so hard to achieve, but also the safety and trust of hundreds of people. Thankfully, most airlines have programs that get pilots the treatment they need to get their lives back on track and, possibly, back into the cockpit. 

Through these individuals – individuals working in occupations that modern society tends to hold in the highest regard, individuals we place our total and complete trust in, who we often (incorrectly) view as immune to this problem of addition – I think we are better able to see ourselves. Their weaknesses, struggles, and strengths mirror our own. Their relatability uniquely qualifies them to reflect back upon us our shared, collective humanity. In their victories, we can connect more viscerally with our own inner power and potential.

I applaud the dedication Charlie undertook to overhaul his life. All told, it’s a story of redemption full stop – and I’m honored to tell it.

https://himsprogram.com/

https://www.boaf.org/

https://www.aa.org/find-aa

This podcast traverses difficult emotional terrain. If you are struggling, you are not alone. Please reach out for help and call ⁠⁠⁠⁠SAMHSA’s National Helpline⁠⁠⁠⁠ at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). If you are experiencing suicidal ideation, I encourage you to call the ⁠⁠⁠⁠988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline⁠⁠⁠⁠ at 988.

Modern Prophets Season 2 premiere: an interview with artificial intelligence (AI).

My word for the new year is "curiosity." In the upcoming year, I aim to intentionally lean into uncertainty and discomfort by maintaining a sense of curiosity. Curiosity (with grace) about myself, about others, and about the world we live in.

AI continues to evolve rapidly and has applications in numerous fields. AI is based on a large language model - NOT a "modern prophet," yet holds great promise in the healthcare and behavioral healthcare fields.

As AI becomes more integrated into our daily lives, we must carefully address several ethical considerations/concerns.

Reflect. Pros and cons of any technological advancement? What kind of relationship do we want to have with technology? Do we want to spend our time in a Metaverse?

Who is ultimately responsible for implementing a collaborative, multi-faceted approach to develop robust regulations that promote transparency and foster a responsible and ethical approach to tech development & implementation?

Folks, meet AI. I invite you to stay curious; the one who listens understands.

0:15 - Welcome to Season 2

1:40 - Dopamine, Pain & Pleasure, Drug of Choice

3:32 - Modern Drugs: Quantity, Access, Potency, Novelty

5:16 - Heroin vs. Social Media: Degree, Reward Pathway

6:50 - Metaverse?

7:59 - Curiosity, Discomfort, AI

9:09 - Structure of Today's Interview with AI

9:50 - What is AI?

10:22 - Consequences of AI in healthcare

11:15 - AI is NOT a modern prophet; Relationship between addiction and trauma

15:33 - Different types of trauma, influence on addiction

16:50 - Addiction can be a primary, progressive disease

18:25 - Relief sought in addictive substances/behaviors

19:23 - Evolution of our world and compulsive overconsumption

20:28 - Are individuals with addiction who have found recovery modern prophets?

22:14 - Recognition, Heroin (substance) vs. Sex/Work (behavior)

24:55 - How to recognize an addiction or compulsive overconsumption when it won't derail one's life?

26:50 - Obstacles

29:01 - Sober shift in perspective

30:00 - Why is it so difficult to remain present and lean into discomfort?

31:42 - Tips to engage in a mindfulness practice

33:48 - Are we living a meaningful life?

35:09 - What support is AI unable to provide?

36:35 - What would you tell someone currently suffering from addiction?

37:39 - Tangible tools

38:39 - Final Question, Ethical considerations of AI

This podcast traverses difficult emotional terrain. If you are struggling, you are not alone. Please reach out for help and call ⁠⁠⁠⁠SAMHSA’s National Helpline⁠⁠⁠⁠ at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). If you are experiencing suicidal ideation, I encourage you to call the ⁠⁠⁠⁠988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline⁠⁠⁠⁠ at 988.

My guest today is Ali. Ali wears several hats on a daily basis, managing a variety of roles, including those of a wife, mother, Grammy-nominated and multi-Platinum-selling songwriter, philanthropist, and beloved member of the 12-Step community with 8 years of sobriety.

Ali began writing songs at age 14, and she’s written for some of the greatest singers, DJs, and pop stars of our generation: Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera, Demi Lovato, John Legend, Ozzy Osbourne; DJ Snake, Kygo; Justin Bieber, Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendes, Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, Dua Lipa, and many others. Ali grew up in South Florida, but she moved to Los Angeles at 20-years-old to pursue her dream of becoming an artist, a dream which later evolved into a prolific career as a songwriter.

In our conversation today, Ali gives us an intimate window into her life, into the roller coaster of the music industry, as she recounts both the apex of her success as a songwriter and the nadir of her alcohol use. From co-writing her first big hit, Kelly Clarkson’s 3-time Grammy-nominated “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)," the stress to craft a sustainable career soon morphed into a dependence on alcohol for confidence and relief. That slippery slope soon evolved into waking up and needing a drink, sneaking alcohol into studio sessions, and eventually driving home drunk, not knowing if she’d come out the other side alive, with a DUI, or in the rooms of AA. Ali talks about the industry’s glamorized dark side, the pain of writing without alcohol or stimulants, what her first year of sobriety looked like, relearning how to do the things that once brought her joy, to not be stimulated all the time, and ultimately finding more balance.

Her first hit after getting sober was DJ Snake and Justin Bieber’s “Let me Love You,” and others soon followed; all of which contain lyrics and melodies that reflect many of the personal experiences she opens up about in our conversation today. Ali credits much of the success experienced in her career and personal life to the clarity and self-awareness that came through sobriety and working a 12-step program.

There’s so much value in this episode – whether you’re struggling with alcohol or relentlessly pursuing dopamine and distraction through your phone or work to avoid any sense of discomfort – I promise you will walk away from this conversation having learned something. And, for all that Ali has accomplished in just 33 years of life, she’s a remarkably humble, beautiful, down-to-earth woman, who’s also gone on to launch the Creative Waves Foundation with her mom, a non-profit that provides musical equipment and after-school programs to kids in underserved communities. Her perspective on life continues to shift, but remains so powerful. Her story is nothing short of extraordinary.    

This podcast traverses difficult emotional terrain. If you are struggling, you are not alone. Please reach out for help and call ⁠⁠⁠SAMHSA’s National Helpline⁠⁠⁠ at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). If you are experiencing suicidal ideation, I encourage you to call the ⁠⁠⁠988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline⁠⁠⁠ at 988.

My guest today is Gregg. After nearly ruining his life with drugs and alcohol, Gregg’s been sober for more than 28 years. Amongst many things, he’s a seasoned recovery professional, branding expert, author, TEDx speaker, and co-founder of Start Up Recovery, a sober transitional living center that uses his proprietary “life reset” curriculum, aptly coined “The Recovery Playbook,” to help individuals suffering recover, build richer, more meaning lives, and shift their addiction into passion and purpose. Gregg has helped hundreds globally, and he’s since gone on to make waves in the recovery and wellness spheres through his newest venture, Start Up Wellness – a program designed to maximize mental, spiritual, and physical well-being.

Gregg is an entrepreneur through and through, always striving to be the best at everything he does – even when, at his darkest hour, that meant being able to chug the most beers or deal the most drugs. It took a DUI the night before his college graduation, 8 arrests in the span of 2 years from the ages of 22 to 24, getting busted in the airport after attempting to transport 50 pounds of marijuana across the East Coast, and a whole lot of self-awareness and "willingness" for Gregg to finally get sober and into recovery for over a quarter of a century.

This notion of addiction lives on a much broader spectrum than I think many of us might realize. When we think of addiction, we think of the junkie shooting up in a dark alley or the gutter drunk wreaking havoc in the streets. But in between that polarity, there’s a whole spectrum of addictive substances and behaviors. We live in this world, seizing moments or opportunities through behavior or substance because to distract ourselves because we are experiencing discomfort, and it’s easier to divert to something that will give us a sense of ease or distraction than to sit with that sense of discomfort. We’re living in a world that increasingly primes us all for the problem of addiction, and it is my hope that through these stories, people are able to see themselves, connect, relate, and perhaps find a modicum of peace with the compulsive overconsumption that afflicts many, if not all, of us. I hope that individuals currently suffering are inspired by a story of courage and hope that resonates so deeply, perhaps it even motivates them to stop using and finally seek help.

There is so much value in this episode – whether you identify as an alcoholic in the rooms of AA or with the relentless pursuit of distraction on social media – I

This podcast traverses difficult emotional terrain. If you are struggling, you are not alone. Please reach out for help and call ⁠⁠SAMHSA’s National Helpline⁠⁠ at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). If you are experiencing suicidal ideation, I encourage you to call the ⁠⁠988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline⁠⁠ at 988.

Today I give you the story of Celine, a young female actress who - by a power greater than herself - found a way into recovery from complex, co-occurring disorders: borderline personality disorder, addiction, bulimia, and ADHD. Celine fell in love with weed, but it was alcohol that got her into trouble. No stranger to the dark side of addiction, Celine had a few wake up calls – stormy relationships, DUIs, suicide attempts, jails, hospitals, and psych wards – none of which were enough to convince her she had a problem with drugs or alcohol. Now at 31-years-old, with almost 6 years of sobriety, Celine recollects the vivid details of her experience and chronicles everything it took to pull back from the brink of an addiction that nearly eroded her life.

In today’s hyper-medicated, overstimulated, pleasure-saturated world, I believe that individuals like Celine, individuals with addiction who have found recovery, are modern-day prophets that we ignore to our own demise.

Celine’s descent into the throes of addiction and ultimate tale of redemption is a must-listen. We live in a time of unprecedented access to high-reward, high-dopamine stimuli – drugs, sex, news, food, shopping, gambling, social media, the list is endless – everything has been "drugified:" made more potent, more novel, more abundant, more reinforcing. We’re living in a world that increasingly primes us all for the problem of addiction, and it is my hope that through these stories, people are able to see themselves, connect, relate, and perhaps find a modicum of peace with the compulsive overconsumption that afflicts many, if not all, of us. I hope that individuals currently suffering are inspired by a story of courage and hope that resonates so deeply, perhaps it even motivates them to stop using and finally seek help.

This podcast traverses difficult emotional terrain. If you are struggling, you are not alone. Please reach out for help and call ⁠⁠SAMHSA’s National Helpline⁠⁠ at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). If you are experiencing suicidal ideation, I encourage you to call the ⁠⁠988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline⁠⁠ at 988.

John (age 29) is a founder and primary recovery guide at Eric’s House Recovery, an all-male sober living home. John spent 6 years working across the substance use disorder continuum of care at numerous treatment facilities in the Los Angeles area, including Transcend, Authentic Recovery, and START UP RECOVERY. He’s completed his California Alcohol and Drug Counselor coursework (CADC), and he uses his profound knowledge to help individuals rebuild themselves, build meaningful foundations in recovery, and ultimately lives they are excited to live.

In Part I with John – a must listen if you’re new to the show – it’s a conversation about the perils of addiction. In John’s case, it took heroin, car chases, being arrested, having seizures, selling everything in his apartment (numerous times), and being sent to 4 residential addiction treatment centers before turning 21 to finally get the 8.5 years of sobriety John has today.

Today, in Part II with John – it’s a conversation about the reality and joys of sobriety. It’s about how spirituality, working a 12-step program, finding community, and new perspective can pave the road to redemption. It’s about finding strength, courage, and hope. A reminder that you can still experience true laughter, the kind you might not have experienced since childhood, and thought you’d lost forever. In this episode, John shares the humility, redemption, strength, and wisdom he has gleaned by virtue of his recovery. His is a story of suffering and redemption, and it is my hope that his narrative illuminates allows us to delve more deeply into the fundamental mystery of our own existence, and that the rest of us, living in a dopamine-saturated world can look at his experience, relate to it, and learn from it.

There are incredibly profound lessons and insights we can learn from John, and I hope that in hearing his story, we are able to see ourselves, to connect, relate, and perhaps find a modicum of peace. I hope that individuals currently suffering are inspired by a story of courage and hope that resonates so deeply, perhaps it even motivates them to stop using and finally seek help. And, if nothing else, I hope that in seeking a greater understanding of the human condition by listening to John’s experience, we help create greater empathy.

This podcast traverses difficult emotional terrain. If you are struggling, you are not alone. Please reach out for help and call ⁠⁠SAMHSA’s National Helpline⁠⁠ at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). If you are experiencing suicidal ideation, I encourage you to call the ⁠⁠988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline⁠⁠ at 988.

John is a founder and primary recovery guide at Eric’s House Recovery, an all-male sober living home. John spent 6 years working across the substance use disorder continuum of care at numerous treatment facilities in the Los Angeles area, including Transcend, Authentic Recovery, and START UP RECOVERY. He’s completed his California Alcohol and Drug Counselor coursework (CADC), and he uses his profound knowledge to help individuals rebuild themselves, build meaningful foundations in recovery, and ultimately lives they are excited to live.

In this episode, John shares his harrowing story of addiction, as well as the humility, redemption, strength, and wisdom he has gleaned by virtue of his recovery. His is a story of suffering and redemption, and it is my hope that his narrative illuminates allows us to delve more deeply into the fundamental mystery of our own existence, and that the rest of us, living in a dopamine-saturated world can look at his experience, relate to it, and learn from it.

John tried everything to avoid the inevitability of recovery; he explored every avenue to no avail, until he came to that place of understanding that treatment and sobriety were what it was going to take. There are incredibly profound lessons and insights we can learn from John, and I hope that in hearing his story, we are able to see ourselves, to connect, relate, and perhaps find a modicum of peace. I hope that individuals currently suffering are inspired by a story of courage and hope that resonates so deeply, perhaps it even motivates them to stop using and finally seek help. And, if nothing else, I hope that in seeking a greater understanding of the human condition by listening to John’s experience, we help create greater empathy.

This podcast traverses difficult emotional terrain. If you are struggling, you are not alone. Please reach out for help and call ⁠SAMHSA’s National Helpline⁠ at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). If you are experiencing suicidal ideation, I encourage you to call the ⁠988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline⁠ at 988.