On this episode of Primary Purpose with Pej, we sit down with Scott Stein — family coach, interventionist, and founder of Capital Companion and Transport — for one of the most honest conversations about addiction, family dynamics, and recovery you’ll hear.

Scott doesn’t teach recovery from theory — he lived it. His addiction spanned opioids, alcohol, weed, benzos, nightlife culture, and the “work hard, party harder” mentality that eventually left him homeless, evicted, and disconnected from reality. While everyone around him saw the problem, Scott couldn’t — until his mother’s growth became the mirror he couldn’t ignore.

Today, Scott works with families and individuals navigating addiction at every stage:

His focus goes beyond sobriety — into executive functioning, boundaries, routines, life skills, accountability, and structure — the areas most people overlook but families desperately need help with.

Scott believes:

You don’t steal someone’s comeback story — you support it

You set boundaries, not band-aids

You offer truth, not rescue

Whether someone lives on Park Avenue or the streets, Scott shows up the same way: direct, practical, and rooted in real love.

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In this powerful episode of Primary Purpose with Pej, Pej sits down with Marco Ferrante — pastor, mentor, nonprofit leader, and founder of Journey to Solutions — to share a raw and deeply moving story of addiction, identity, and spiritual transformation.

Raised in a traditional Sicilian family where reputation meant everything, Marco learned early that admitting addiction was considered weakness. What followed was years of darkness marked by substance abuse, incarceration, homelessness, paranoia, and loss — despite once having scholarships, athletic success, and opportunity at his fingertips. Addiction followed him across borders, from the U.S. to Europe, proving that distance can’t heal what only truth and connection can.

Everything changed when Marco encountered Christ not as religion, but as a personal invitation. What began as desperation turned into freedom through faith, community, discipline, and surrender. Today, Marco serves as the Owner of Journey to Solutions Educational Resource Center, President of Journey to Solutions Recovery Ministry, Vice President of PRP Nonprofit, and host of the Journey 2 Solutions Podcast — all rooted in servant leadership and the belief that lives can be restored and purpose rediscovered.

This episode is about more than recovery. It’s about identity, redemption, and the power of grace to rewrite even the darkest story.

If you’re struggling with addiction, mental health, shame, or feeling too far gone — this conversation is for you.

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Today on Primary Purpose with Pej, we sit down with Allison Smith — a domestic violence survivor, single mother, and woman who has walked the path of sobriety for over 10 years, one day at a time.

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Mike Mramer was just 13 years old when alcohol and drugs entered his life — and changed everything.

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This year on Primary Purpose with Pej, we sat down with some of the most powerful voices in recovery, mental health, performance, leadership, and personal transformation.

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Michael’s life took him across the world — from New Jersey to Puerto Rico to Hong Kong — but addiction followed no matter how far he ran.

Despite a strong upbringing and early success in sports, Michael began drinking at 12 and was addicted to heroin by 18. After leaving college and cycling through rehab, he built a successful career in shipping and logistics. On the outside, life looked stable — but addiction pulled him into street life, homelessness, and a near-fatal overdose.

What followed was a brutal turning point. Michael survived 70 days of drug-induced psychosis, entered sober living, attended 180 meetings in 90 days, completed all 12 steps, and rebuilt his life from the ground up. Starting with nothing — even cleaning toilets just to survive — he slowly reclaimed structure, dignity, and purpose.

Today, Michael is a certified alcohol and drug counselor, the owner of The Hope Experience, LLC, and is opening a sober living home dedicated to helping others find recovery and meaning.

This episode of Primary Purpose with Pej is about humility, perseverance, and the courage it takes to start over — one day at a time.

Subscribe for more real stories of recovery, resilience, and purpose.

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Today on Primary Purpose with Pej, we sit down with a man whose life’s work has quietly transformed tens of thousands of lives — long before addiction medicine was respected, understood, or widely practiced.

Dr. Faried Banihamd began his career in academic emergency medicine, teaching and researching at UCLA/Kern Medical Center and later UC Irvine. But despite a prestigious path, his true calling led him somewhere far more difficult and far more meaningful: directly into the world of addiction. He stepped into methadone clinics, detox centers, outpatient programs, and some of the most underserved and complex cases imaginable — years before harm reduction or medication-assisted treatment were accepted, and long before benzo tapers or polypharmacy management became common practice.

Patients call him a magician — not because he performs miracles, but because he listens, observes, and treats people who have been dismissed elsewhere. Over the course of his career, he has helped more than 80,000 patients navigate addiction, trauma, medication mismanagement, and the long road back to hope.

Today, he runs Zephyr Medical Group in Orange County, continuing his mission to serve the underserved, consult on high-complexity cases, train institutions, work with legal teams, and design private detox and rehabilitation plans for patients around the world. In 2017, he was named one of Orange County’s Top Influencers, recognizing the impact of his work on individuals, families, and systems across the globe.

Guided by the St. Augustine quote he lives by — “Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage” — Dr. Banihamd’s story is one of purpose, compassion, and the courage to fight for a better way forward.

Please welcome to the show: Dr. Faried Banihamd, MD.

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On this episode of Primary Purpose with Pej, licensed psychotherapist Dr. Vicky Truong, LMFT, Ph.D. breaks down what it really looks like to heal generational trauma — not just in her clients, but in her own life.

Based in Tustin, CA, Vicky specializes in trauma and couples therapy for adult children of immigrants, helping people navigate the emotional, cultural, and relational wounds passed down through generations. She’s certified in EMDR for PTSD and acute trauma, works as a 730 child custody evaluator, and serves as a forensic mental health consultant in high-conflict family cases.

Vicky also shares her personal journey:

13 years of sobriety

Raising her 10-year-old daughter

Healing her own childhood wounds

Balancing recovery with a demanding therapy practice

What breaking generational cycles looks like from the inside

This episode is raw, eye-opening, and deeply human — offering real insight into trauma, healing, sobriety, family systems, and the work required to build a new legacy.

👉 Watch now to see what breaking generational trauma truly looks like — in real life.

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This week on Primary Purpose with Pej, we sit down with Freeman Palmore — a man whose life is living proof that redemption is real and recovery is possible.

Once a promising athlete, Freeman’s world was shattered after the sudden loss of his father. What followed was a long descent into addiction, isolation, and self-destruction — until one day, he made the choice that changed everything.

Now, with over 23 years of continuous sobriety, Freeman has turned his pain into purpose, dedicating his life to helping others find healing. From sponsoring men in recovery to guiding families through interventions, his story is a testament to resilience, faith, and the human spirit’s capacity for change.

This episode isn’t just about surviving addiction — it’s about becoming the person you were meant to be after the fall.

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Meet Charlie Engle — the man who ran across the Sahara Desert, climbed ice-covered volcanoes, swam with crocodiles, and even served time in federal prison. But his hardest race isn’t measured in miles — it’s the one he runs every single day.

In this powerful episode of Primary Purpose with Pej, Charlie opens up about the challenges that shaped him, the humor that saved him, and how he turned pain into purpose. From impossible adventures to life-changing lessons, his story reminds us that resilience, laughter, and purpose can carry us through anything.

💬 Charlie says it best:

“I’m an addict who runs. And I’m a runner who writes.”

This conversation dives into:

Finding purpose through endurance and discipline

The mindset behind surviving the impossible

How humor can save you in your darkest moments

Turning an obsessive nature into a superpower for good

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