Pondoff's Anonymous by Chris Pondoff, Jeff Allen, Jakob Miller

July 14, 2025 S2 E24 Kelly Burton and Kevin Saak

🚨 Trigger Warning:

This episode includes frank and emotional discussion of childhood sexual abuse, addiction, relapse, hospitalization, and incarceration. It’s raw, real, and may be triggering for listeners with past trauma. We don’t hold back—because healing doesn’t either. Listener discretion is strongly advised.

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Who this episode is for:

– Anyone who’s ever looked in the mirror and thought, “What the actual f*ck am I doing with my life?”

– People buried in addiction or dragging themselves out of it with broken fingernails.

– Survivors of trauma who are sick of pretending they’re fine.

– The families still standing by, hoping for a miracle that doesn’t come in a straight line.

– And those not in recovery who can’t look away from a comeback story that punches you in the gut and somehow still makes you laugh.

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🎙️ Episode Title: Kelly, Kevin & the Magic of Mayhem

Chris and Jakob sit down with Kelly and Kevin—two beautifully wrecked humans with a love story that starts in relapse, crashes through jail cells and hospital beds, and somehow circles back to spiritual magic.

Kelly was 9 years sober… and then wasn’t. Kevin was the “do-not-call” guy she called anyway. There’s vape smoke, ER visits, dead grandmas, addiction-fueled lies, and somehow, still… hope. This one’s rawer than a sunburn, funnier than it should be, and way too real to be fiction.

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⏱️ Timestamp Breakdown:

0:00 – 5:27

Chris kicks it off with a warning: this one’s gonna hit hard. Jakob’s smiling like he knows we’re all about to cry. Kelly and Kevin introduce themselves and the chaos begins.

5:28 – 14:12

Kelly talks about relapsing after nearly a decade sober. Kevin’s the guy from her past who walks right into the storm. Jakob asks the questions we’re all too afraid to ask.

14:13 – 24:37

Hospitalizations. Jail. A Vegas wedding that shouldn't have worked but somehow did. Kevin shows up when Kelly’s at rock bottom, and the story shifts.

24:38 – 32:00

Grandma’s jewelry box becomes a full-blown spiritual metaphor. Chris gets choked up. Kevin didn’t plan on being anyone’s savior—he just wanted to get laid.

32:01 – 44:55

Vape pens and half-truths. Jakob introduces the word “magic.” Everyone tries to laugh through the pain. Kelly's in and out of consciousness. Kevin’s showing up even though he’s not all there himself.

44:56 – 1:00:33

Kelly wakes up in the hospital and Kevin is by her side. Jakob calls it divine. Chris just yells “That’s God!” a few times. Everyone agrees it’s something.

1:00:34 – 1:19:45

Kevin talks about his past—dealing, stealing, manipulating—and how recovery didn’t start until the lies stopped. Kelly opens up about the real reason she relapsed: buried trauma, including childhood sexual abuse, that she had never fully faced.

1:19:46 – 1:34:10

They break the cycle. Or try to. Kevin starts meditating. Kelly glows. Chris throws down a sermon about grace. Jakob drops mystical wisdom bombs.

1:34:11 – 1:52:18

Listener questions come in hot. Kelly: “I thought if I got sober again, I’d have to feel.” Kevin talks about rebuilding trust brick by painful brick.

1:52:19 – END (2:13:45)

Final reflections. Jakob says something that makes everyone pause. Kelly and Kevin are raw, redeemed, and still healing. The room is wrecked. But nobody’s alone.

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🎤 Guest Titles:

Kelly – Recovery Queen with Battle Scars & Spiritual Bling

Kevin – Ex-Dealer Turned Meditating Miracle-Man with Vape Breath

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📌 Mentioned in the Episode:

📚 Magic Is Real – Jakob’s spiritual holy grail, a book that dives into spirituality through the lens of addiction and mental illness:

https://www.amazon.com/Magic-is-Real-1-book-series/dp/B087JM8W38

💰 Sponsored by:

🛏️ Illinois Recovery Center – https://illinoisrecoverycenter.com/

🛡️ McKelvey Insurance – http://mckelveyins.com/

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