Pondoff's Anonymous

• Anyone who thinks addiction can't touch high-achieving professionals 🧠💉
• People who think "functioning alcoholic" is a badge of honor 🥃🏆
• Those stalling on help because \"work is too busy\" 🏃‍♂️📅
• Anyone who's survived a brutal divorce 💔
• Healthcare workers, therapists & rehab skeptics 🩺🧪
• Family members who don’t get why their addicted loved one keeps spiraling 😔👨‍👩‍👧‍👦
• People NOT in recovery but know they’re circling the drain 🚨🌀

Dr. Chris Schenewerk is in the building. And if you think doctors are immune to the wreckage addiction brings, buckle the hell up. Chris, Jakob & (a Jeff-less) Pondoff dive into a no-holds-barred convo with the Medical Director of Illinois Recovery Center—who also happens to be a recovering alcoholic with one hell of a story.

From vodka before work & blacking out mid-interviews to meeting his now-wife in rehab & launching a recovery movement across Southern Illinois, Dr. Chris drops wisdom & one-liners like it’s second nature. This episode is raw. It’s real. It’s redemption in action. 🔥

We hit everything: colonoscopy prep as a diet plan, trauma in kids, why "functioning addict" is bullshit, & how the Three Amigos AA group grew from four in the back of a doctor’s office to 50+ strong at Life Community Church in Columbia, IL. Oh, & don’t worry—dude still remembers Halloween riots at Carbondale. 🎃💥

• The look in the mirror that scared him sober 👀
• Checking into rehab instead of waiting for an intervention 🚑
• Why Angela’s 12th rehab stay was the one that stuck 💪
• Letting go of a dream home for an 800 sq ft apartment & a new life 🏚️➡️🏠
• Building a recovery group where loved ones, doctors, students & misfits all get a seat at the table 🪑❤️

Get ready for a mix of heartbreak, laughter, truth bombs & a whole lotta hope. 💣💬✨

• 00:00 - Bertarelli Cutlery shoutout & intro 🔪
• 01:23 - Dr. Chris Schenewerk joins the chaos 👋
• 03:00 - Colonoscopy prep & weight loss dreams 💩💭
• 05:07 - Sober date & first (only) rehab 🗓️🍷
• 06:09 - Meeting Angela in rehab 💞
• 08:40 - War stories vs. character defects 💥⚙️
• 11:38 - His kids were sponges absorbing the wreckage 🧽👶
• 13:42 - The trauma that never leaves kids 😢
• 15:20 - Divorce, drinking & blame 🥃💔
• 19:15 - Functioning alcoholic is a lie 🚫🍻
• 21:50 - Blood alcohol levels & reality checks 🧪🧠
• 26:06 - Interview gone wrong & mirror moment 🪞😨
• 29:30 - Checked in before the intervention could happen 🙏
• 31:36 - Why he refused the \"doctor-only\" rehab 🩺🚷
• 35:26 - Humility is the key to first-time success 🙇‍♂️🔑
• 39:01 - Angela's old bar used to be his watering hole 🍺🏠
• 41:13 - Her blood alcohol was nearly 0.5 before they shocked her back ⚡🩸
• 44:18 - Moved from mansion to minimalism to rebuild life 🏰➡️🛏️
• 47:32 - You won't die without your job, but you might without rehab 🚫💼➡️🏥
• 50:07 - Therapist laid it down: \"You can't fix anyone but yourself\" 🛠️🙅‍♂️
• 54:59 - The birth of the Three Amigos meeting 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦🔥
• 1:01:06 - Why their AA group is different ✨👐
• 1:03:07 - Medical students are now required to attend 🎓📖
• 1:08:47 - If you clown, expect to get called out 🤡🛑
• 1:10:15 - Triggered by truth? Good. Sit with that. 💥🧠
• 1:12:00 - Calling BS in meetings—why coddling doesn't save lives 🚫🍼
• 1:15:33 - Why victim mentality keeps people stuck 🧱😩
• 1:20:10 - Creating recovery community beyond the meeting walls 🏘️🧑‍🤝‍🧑
• 1:24:44 - Getting honest with yourself in step work 🔍🧾
• 1:30:19 - The holy ground of AA: why this stuff works 🙌📿
• 1:37:52 - Final thoughts on service, healing & legacy 💬🕊️
• 1:44:59 - One last bomb from the Doc: stay humble, or get humbled 🔚😤

• The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

Fridays @ 7PM at Life Community Church in Columbia, IL
(Yes, it’s open to the public. Yes, it’s raw & real.)

• Illinois Recovery Center
• Bertarelli Cutlery

Guest: Victory Palmisano-Bruckner – Hollywood Producer, Stunt Industry Survivor, and Daughter of a Vietnam Vet/Addict

Who this episode is for:

• Anyone with an alcoholic parent or a complicated grief story
• Daughters who loved their dads even when it hurt
• Folks haunted by the war they never fought in
• Survivors of church trauma, spiritual abuse, and Hollywood bullshit
• Creatives chasing their own IP dream (and still broke)
• Anyone who’s ever loved someone they couldn’t save
• AND anyone not in recovery who thinks “just stop drinking” is solid advice

This one hits the gut and the funny bone in equal measure.

Victory Palmisano-Bruckner stops by the studio for a raw, hilarious, and soul-punching convo with Chris, Jeff, and Jakob. She may be Hollywood through and through—raised on sets, daughter of a legendary stuntman turned director—but she’s also as grounded as a St. Louis brick house and just as scarred.

Her story is soaked in love and loss. Growing up the daughter of a Vietnam vet and lifelong alcoholic who doubled as a real-life action hero, Victory paints a brutal but beautiful picture of what it means to carry the legacy of a man who could survive car crashes, war, and fire—but not himself.

There’s talk of strip club scouting (for a low-budget film, we swear), the trauma of church camp cults, daddy issues, and how alcoholism shape-shifts through generations. She helped her dad detox in her damn living room, only to watch him go back to the bottle. She buried him a year and a half ago. He was in the In Memoriam at the Oscars. Big time.

You’ll laugh. You’ll ugly cry. You might want to call your dad. Or curse his name. Or both.

Also: Chris drops one-liners like “flop a titty out” that are now canon in the Palmisano family. Jeff nerds out on stunt IMDBs. Jakob gets exposed as ChatGPT-ing guests. And Victory, despite growing up in the biz, reveals her realest role ever—daughter of an addict, and survivor of it all.

Episode Timestamps:

• 00:00 – Intro, sponsor shoutouts
• 01:25 – Victory joins the chaos
• 03:00 – Stunt double stories, Hollywood roots
• 08:00 – Her path into podcasting, NBC Universal
• 10:00 – Church trauma & leaving evangelicalism
• 13:00 – Titty jokes, family legends
• 15:00 – Launching Quantum Spin Studios
• 19:00 – Husband’s script: Sopranos meets This Is Us
• 22:00 – Her dad’s legacy: stunt safety & SAG activism
• 28:00 – Oscar’s stunt category & grief spike
• 33:00 – Vietnam trauma, PTSD, and substance abuse
• 38:00 – Alec Baldwin, stunts, and industry danger
• 41:00 – ACA & Al-Anon, strip club scouting horror
• 46:00 – Making cocktails for dad at age 7
• 52:00 – Detoxing dad at home, COVID chaos
• 56:00 – The rare apology before it was too late
• 1:00:00 – Loving someone who doesn’t love themself
• 1:05:00 – Boundaries, therapy, codependency truth
• 1:10:00 – *World of Vesser* and the loneliness cure
• 1:13:00 – Braves talk, Chipper Jones & Daniel nerd-out
• 1:15:00 – Advice for people with addicted parents
• 1:18:00 – Al-Anon’s power to make you feel less alone
• 1:22:00 – After he died: health crashes, then calm
• 1:23:26 – Naming the episode: Dad’s Club
• 1:27:00 – Weekend at Bernie’s stunt reveal
• 1:28:15 – Gino Lucci black car story, NYC-style sendoff
• 1:30:00 – Viola, Serenity Prayer, and future visits
• 1:31:36 – Game name slip: World of Vesser
• 1:31:59 – Closing gratitude, grief, and fanboy love

Resources Mentioned:

• Adult Children of Alcoholics
• Illinois Recovery Center
• Bertarelli Cutlery

Sponsored by:

• Bertarelli Cutlery
• Illinois Recovery Center

Episode Title: Dead Dad’s Club

Who this episode is for:
Those gutted by playoff heartbreak.
Anyone who’s blacked out and called mom from jail.
Teachers who taught Spanish while sweating out tequila.
The sober curious, the secret drinkers, and the still spiraling.
And anyone who’s ever run from a strip club tab and lived to tell it.

EPISODE 16: “Señor Tequila & the Long Walk Home” (with Kurt Garner)

Chris and Jakob are emotionally wrecked. The Blues blew it with 1.6 seconds left. Enter Kurt Garner—a guy who once taught elementary Spanish still buzzed from the night before.

From blackouts and breakups to a Mexican strip club escape, Kurt’s story is wild, hilarious, and brutally honest. Now four years sober, he’s up at 3 a.m., hitting the gym, and helping others tell their stories through mysoundstory.com.

What’s Inside:
– Blues trauma, 1.6 seconds of hell
– Dating apps, tequila-fueled teaching
– DUI and a jail call to mom
– Mexico, 75 Hard, and recovery
– Finding purpose with SoundStory

Plug:
🎙️ Kurt Garner – Co-host of TMA and contributor at mysoundstory.com

📍 Timestamp Breakdown:
00:00 – Intro – bertarellico.com
01:20 – Blues heartbreak
02:30 – Gretzky & goalie PTSD
05:00 – Meet Kurt
08:00 – Hate-watching hockey
11:00 – Soccer & Cardinals
13:00 – Sober dating
15:50 – Putshack dates
18:00 – Señor Tequila opens up
23:20 – First drink to DUI
30:00 – Jail call & car wreck
33:00 – Tequila Rose chaos
39:00 – Teaching blackout
43:00 – Divorce, denial
47:00 – Mexico escape
53:00 – Spanish saves him
55:00 – 75 Hard begins
58:00 – Gym & routine
01:06:00 – Addiction patterns
01:10:00 – Fired, freed
01:14:00 – Building SoundStory
01:27:00 – Storytelling & legacy
01:36:00 – Radio chaos
01:47:00 – Family purpose
02:00:00 – 4 years sober
02:02:00 – Share your story

Sponsored by:
🔪 bertarellico.com
🏥 illinoisrecoverycenter.com

🎙️ EPISODE 15: Cam Janssen – "Painkillers, Playoffs & Garth Fucking Brooks"

Who this episode is for:

• Anyone who’s ever played hurt, lived high, or faked being fine
• Moms who can smell bullshit before you open your mouth
• Blues fans screaming “LET’S GO!” and flipping off Winnipeg
• Kids who grew up begging to stay on the ice till the Zamboni chased ‘em off
• Those who overdosed in front of their neighbors and somehow kept it moving
• Anyone who’s ever made a mess of their life

Cam Janssen rolls into the studio with a story that’ll punch you right in the soul. What starts off as some rowdy playoff hockey talk turns real fast—like, real real—when Cam dives into the wreckage of his painkiller addiction.

We’re talking overdoses in his driveway while the whole neighborhood watches. We’re talking hiding withdrawal in a pro locker room while pretending to be the funny guy. We’re talking about being a “good” drug user—that dangerous kind who keeps functioning just enough to not get help.

But it ain’t all darkness. There’s a lot of laughs, too—like Garth Brooks accidentally storming the ice during a charity game and nearly getting murdered. And Cam’s dad eating a hot dog thrown by a pissed-off fan, then chucking it back into the crowd like a savage.

There’s locker room stories, childhood fights, recovery truths, and some absolute mayhem from the Blues’ playoff run. Oh, and we get deep into what it means to actually show up—for your teammates, for your city, and for yourself.

And major love to the St. Louis Blues Warriors—a team of badass disabled veterans taking names and scoring goals. Cam drops stories about getting hacked up by those guys and loving every second of it. If you're in STL, support them or just go watch ’em throw down:
👉 www.stlblueswarriorhockey.com

If you’ve ever been addicted, ever been broken, or ever been almost famous while absolutely falling apart inside—this one’s for you.

🕒 TIMESTAMPS:

• 00:00 – Intro & sponsor shoutouts
• 01:08 – Show theme music kicks in
• 01:22 – Cam joins the chaos
• 01:28 – Jersey number talk and mid-convo nonsense
• 01:43 – “Always on hot bitches”—Cam lets loose early
• 02:10 – Law & Order, Dell Guy, and guest rankings
• 03:17 – From podcasting to radio to color commentary
• 04:11 – Garth Brooks walks on the ice mid-play (yes, really)
• 06:36 – Scoring 4 goals instead of throwing fists
• 07:59 – Blues beatdown of the Jets: full breakdown
• 10:29 – “You can’t get traded to Winnipeg”
• 12:47 – Blues defense is buzzing
• 14:02 – Bonuses, the cap, and nerding out on contract math
• 16:19 – Packed barns, playoff energy, and money flying
• 18:30 – Montreal chaos and goaltenders getting trucked
• 20:25 – Goalies are psychos, period.
• 22:43 – Why the Jets’ “park the bus” defense collapsed
• 24:07 – Cam’s dad, a flying hot dog, and Granite City glory
• 27:04 – Why respecting refs lets you get away with murder
• 28:33 – Driving 14 hours to get kicked out in 10 seconds
• 30:13 – Hockey isn’t a sport—it’s a fraternity
• 31:02 – Cam shouts out the Blues Warriors (and gets hacked by a vet)
• 33:03 – Blues alumni locker room = country club for ex-brawlers
• 35:16 – Dwight Schofield, hurricane hero
• 37:57 – The stuff moms carry that dads can’t
• 39:29 – Cam’s full descent into painkillers: how it started
• 42:06 – The yellow Percs. 190 of ‘em. Alone in Jersey.
• 47:12 – Collapse #1: Cam overdoses in his driveway
• 54:45 – Collapse #2: “That was it.”
• 56:25 – “I thought I could beat this on my own”
• 58:05 – Being the functioning addict is the most dangerous kind
• 1:00:02 – Suboxone: the lifesaver that nearly killed his fire
• 1:01:46 – Libido’s gone, energy’s gone, but at least he’s clean
• 1:02:51 – Tapering off, staying off, and keeping the chaos at bay
• 1:04:10 – Why opioids no longer have a grip—but other vices still try
• 1:05:22 – Laughs, love, real talk, and a few final body blows
• 1:06:45 – Fade to black

Sponsored by:
Illinois Recovery Center – www.illinoisrecoverycenter.com
Bertarelli Cutlery – www.bertarellico.com

Who this episode is for:
- Musicians living gig to gig, paycheck to bar tab
- Anyone who ever tried to quit drinking with “just a few more beers”
- People who’ve played on stage… and people who’ve blacked out in the crowd
- Friends who’ve called in a wellness check and hoped to God it worked
- Anyone who’s ever made a mess of their life and thought, “F***, I can’t keep doing this”

Pondoff sits down with Dillon Dunnagan—frontman of The Winks and a dude who played on stage with Green Day at Riverport. Behind the badass moments? Booze, blow, heartbreak, and a third-story balcony. This one’s raw, dark, hilarious, and brutally honest. From the “Piss Palace” to a psych ward, Dillon shares how a wellness check—and saying yes to help—changed everything.

• 1:25 – Irish genes and early gigs
• 10:16 – Playing on stage with Green Day — watch it
• 20:48 – Booze + band life = unraveling
• 33:48 – Fire pits, cops, and “strippers are here!”
• 50:55 – The balcony moment that changed it all
• 1:06:10 – The last drink and the day he chose life
• 1:17:04 – Playing sober—and getting laid again
• 1:45:16 – The Winks and writing through recovery
• 1:56:45 – Episode closes with raw, poetic lyrics

• Green Day moment: https://youtu.be/YwGPboK3OEE
• The Winks: https://linktr.ee/thewinks
• Pop Disaster Tribute – June 28: https://www.ninemilegarden.com

• Illinois Recovery Center: https://illinoisrecoverycenter.com
• Bertarelli Cutlery: https://bertarellico.com

Like what you heard?
Subscribe, rate, and share it with the friend who needs to hear it. This one’s for the fighters and the f***ups still trying.

🎧 WHO THIS EPISODE IS FOR:
If you’re a mom who’s been up all night worrying.
If you’ve lost someone and don’t know how you’re still breathing.
If you’re in recovery or barely hanging on to it.
If you think one more relapse won’t kill you—listen up. This is for you.

We go deep on this one. Becky Evans—our sister, our friend—joins the pod to tell the story of her son Jordan. 18 months sober. Doing the damn thing. Then one relapse. One dose. Gone.

This isn’t some sad PSA. This is a real mom telling the truth about grief, addiction, and the fight to keep her son’s legacy alive. We talk recovery, relapse, family, tavern war stories, and how Jordan’s Jumpstart is giving other addicts a shot he should’ve had.

• 00:00 – Cold open & sponsor shoutouts (Bertarelli Cutlery)
• 02:00 – Becky joins: “big sister who tells you to knock your shit off and still loves you”
• 04:59 – Why the family program at IRC matters
• 06:19 – Drunk tavern tales and how Becky’s mom once fired Chris
• 14:22 – Jordan growing up
• 20:51 – Jordan asks for help
• 23:08 – Alcohol changes everything
• 26:21 – The call to Chris
• 30:32 – COVID delays and CPAP hell
• 34:41 – Oxford House saves the day
• 36:41 – April 1st move out
• 42:49 – August 7th: The call that changed everything
• 48:03 – The full breakdown
• 55:16 – Jordan’s Jumpstart is born
• 58:56 – Becky speaks to families
• 1:04:45 – Relapse shouldn’t mean death
• 1:09:13 – Power of grief groups and community
• 1:14:01 – How Becky changes lives at IRC
• 1:16:50 – Jordan’s light keeps shining

• Jordan’s Jumpstart: https://jordansjumpstarttorecovery.godaddysites.com
• Illinois Recovery Center: https://illinoisrecoverycenter.com
• Bertarelli Cutlery: https://bertarellico.com

💬 REAL SHIT:
Jordan didn’t die because he was weak. He died because fentanyl doesn’t give a damn.
This episode is a gut punch—but also a battle cry.
If you’ve got someone out there using, share this with them.
If you’re using, share it with yourself.
And if you’re listening with tears in your eyes—yeah, us too.

🎧 PONDOFF’S ANONYMOUS – EPISODE 11

Guest: Alex Kaiser | Host of No Lions Here Podcast
🎧 https://www.nolionshere.com/

WHO’S THIS EPISODE FOR?

• The morbidly curious
• Anyone whose secrets are getting heavy
• Partners of sex addicts who want answers
• Folks untangling faith, shame, and identity
• People craving unfiltered recovery talk

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

Chris, Jeff, and Jakob dive in with Alex Kaiser, a man who’s walked through hell and come back with a mic. From childhood trauma to sex addiction, locker room benders to emotional sobriety—this one hits hard.

• 🎧 Alex’s podcast: No Lions Here – https://www.nolionshere.com/
• 💔 Trauma, shame, and the roots of sexual addiction
• 🧠 The Feeling Wheel—emotional sobriety 101
• 🏒 Hockey, blow, and bottoming out in a garage with a glory hole
• 🚫 What sexual sobriety actually means
• 🔥 Why he’s speaking up now—and who it’s for

TIMESTAMPS:

• [00:00] – Bertarelli Cutlery shoutout
• [01:36] – Finger-fucking the mic setup
• [04:00] – Meet Alex: recovering sex addict
• [06:00] – Love addiction & early shame
• [10:11] – Sobriety defined: no porn, no apps, no hookups
• [20:11] – Childhood abuse, church trauma
• [28:15] – Feeling Wheel and emotional sobriety
• [34:55] – Naming emotions, dealing with disappointment
• [37:24] – Arousal templates, secrets, and shame
• [48:27] – Benders, broken trust, and the turning point
• [57:03] – Begin Again Institute: where he got help
• [1:18:00] – Disclosing to a new partner
• [2:00:00] – If you’re struggling, email Alex: [email protected]

LISTEN TO ALEX’S PODCAST:

🦁 No Lions Here – Raw stories of recovery and real connection
🎧 https://www.nolionshere.com/

FINAL TAKE:

Two hours of raw truth, no filter. Alex proves that healing’s possible—even after the kind of shit no one wants to admit out loud.

RESOURCES & LINKS:

• 🎡 Feeling Wheel: https://feelingswheel.com/
• 📧 Email Alex: [email protected]
• 🏥 Begin Again Institute: https://beginagaininstitute.com/
• 🎙️ No Lions Here Podcast: https://www.nolionshere.com/

💥 SPONSORS:

• 🔪 Bertarelli Cutlery – https://bertarellico.com
• 🏥 Illinois Recovery Center – https://illinoisrecoverycenter.com

Back by popular demand (and because we promised), we’re throwing it back to an episode that still slaps five years later. Megan Gehrs sat down with Chris and poured out a jaw-dropping story of addiction, destruction, and one hell of a comeback. From sneaking booze in Catholic school basements to being wheelchair-bound with alcoholic neuropathy, Megan takes us on a brutal, hilarious, and brutally honest ride.

But don’t get it twisted—this isn’t a sob story. It’s a story of survival, faith, and the kind of redemption arc that makes Hollywood scripts look soft.

In this one, we cover:

• 🍻 How Belleville turned weekend benders into lifestyle choices
• 🚫 Why DUIs and losing her license didn’t slow her down—but losing the feeling in her legs did
• 🛏️ Drinking vodka out of water bottles in a hospital bed (yeah… it gets there)
• 🔥 Hitting her spiritual bottom and finally getting her life back
• 🙌 Finding purpose in service and saving lives through lived experience
• 💪 What real recovery looks like—and why Megan’s still out here doing the damn thing

Megan didn’t just get sober. She got loud. And now she’s helping others do the same, one raw truth at a time.

This episode is loaded with laughter, tears, and more Belle-Vegas debauchery than we care to admit. If you missed it the first time (shame on you), don’t miss it now.

📅 Originally recorded FIVE YEARS AGO. And it still bangs.

📺 YouTube version (with the most views in show history): Watch here

Let us pray.

Who It’s For

• The introvert who thinks they can't recover in a loud-ass world
• Anyone clinging to the idea of "high-functioning" addiction
• Parents who think “we raised them right” means addiction-proof
• The one white-knuckling sobriety and thinking it’ll magically stay that way
• Folks who think jail and liver failure are just someone else’s problem—until they’re not

Megan Gehrs is back to defend her YouTube crown, and she brought backup: the fierce, funny, and fearless Bree Badgley. What starts as a roast-fest quickly turns into a raw, riveting convo about what it really takes to crawl out of addiction — and why surviving doesn’t mean staying silent.

We talk childhood trauma, drinking vodka from Sprite bottles, Zoom recovery, liver failure, “terminal uniqueness,” prison visits, and the miracle of showing up for life — even when it’s hard as hell.

Bree gets real about trying to white-knuckle her way to sobriety, the self-loathing of secret drinking, and finally surrendering to something bigger. Megan opens up about hitting literal liver failure and still thinking, “I’ve got this.” Spoiler: she didn’t — but she does now.

🔪 Brutally honest. 🤣 Surprisingly funny.
🙏 Spiritually grounding.
This one’s a damn heater.

🕰 TIMESTAMPS

• 00:00 – Welcome back, Megan & meet Bree Badgley
• 05:50 – Bree’s story: “perfect” family, still an alcoholic
• 08:30 – Catholic guilt, introvert hell, and the terminal uniqueness trap
• 16:00 – Megan’s sobriety inspired Bree (even if Bree ghosted her at first)
• 20:30 – Getting sober during COVID (yes, really)
• 27:00 – IOP, living at home, isolation, & the Zoom detox
• 34:00 – Making amends to her sister: “I was a jerk”
• 36:00 – Megan’s liver says “nope,” and the wake-up call
• 41:00 – Bree joins Megan’s homegroup and hates it (at first)
• 43:00 – Finding God in pancakes & basement meetings
• 47:00 – Spirituality, introverts, and group therapy for the win
• 51:00 – Fireball, yet lists, & prison visits that haunt you
• 58:00 – The power of being seen & surrendering the fight
• 1:03:00 – Cliff at Friday’s & the people who never make it out
• 1:05:00 – “I didn’t get in trouble… but I should’ve.”
• 1:07:00 – Recovery, honesty, and learning to live with yourself

This episode’s for the quiet ones, the ones who “don’t look like” addicts, and anyone who ever told themselves I’m fine. You’re not alone. You never were.

🔥 Powered by our day-ones:
🛏️ Illinois Recovery Center – https://illinoisrecoverycenter.com/
🔪 Bertarelli Cutlery – https://bertarellico.com/

Let’s f’ing go.