In this raw and powerful episode, Lindsey Schaefer shares her story of growing up in a broken home, being abandoned by her mother, and entering foster care at a young age. From childhood trauma and instability to addiction, strip club life, and nearly losing everything, Lindsey walks us through the moments that shaped her—and the turning point that led her to sobriety.

Lindsey opens up about being removed from her home, bouncing between foster placements, early exposure to alcohol, surviving overdose, and finding her identity in environments fueled by drugs and nightlife. She also shares how the gym, self-discipline, therapy, and purpose helped her rebuild her life and stay sober for over four years.

This is a story about resilience, accountability, and learning how to live life on life’s terms—without numbing the pain.

If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, trauma, or recovery, this episode is for you.

#addictionrecovery #sobrietystory #fostercare #childhoodtrauma #traumarecovery #stripclublife #mentalhealthawareness #recoveryjourney #lifesobriety #healingjourney #riseabovepodcast #recoveryispossible

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In this deeply honest episode of Rise Above, Brianna Sirlin shares her unfiltered journey through addiction, relapse, and recovery during the height of the opioid epidemic.

Growing up on Long Island, Brianna’s story didn’t start with trauma on the surface — it started with insecurity, anxiety, and the need to feel “enough.” What began with alcohol, weed, Xanax, and Adderall quickly escalated into painkillers, oxy, fentanyl, and years of chaos that included drug dealing, being robbed, multiple rehabs, overdoses, and near-death experiences.

In this episode, Brianna opens up about:

Her first exposure to substances in middle school

Boarding schools, wilderness programs, and resentment

Discovering opiates and the moment everything changed

Suboxone withdrawal and repeated relapse cycles

Overdosing, fentanyl use, and isolation in Los Angeles

Finding recovery through AA, faith, and taking suggestions

How sobriety reshaped her identity, career, and purpose

Working in recovery and helping others today

This conversation is raw, emotional, and hopeful — a reminder that no matter how deep addiction goes, recovery is possible.

If you or someone you love is struggling, this episode may help you feel less alone.

#BriannaSirlin #AddictionRecovery #FentanylCrisis #OpiateAddiction #OpioidEpidemic #SobrietyJourney #RecoveryPodcast #RelapseAndRecovery #AARecovery #FaithInRecovery #MentalHealthAwareness #RiseAbovePodcast #LongIsland #WomensRecovery #AddictionAwareness

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In this special Q&A episode, Kevin Lanning from Rise Above with Kevin Lanning sits down with Louis Ruggiero from Nothing’s Off the Table with Louis Ruggiero for an honest, unscripted conversation answering the most common addiction and sobriety questions from both of our audiences.

These questions were pulled directly from comments and DMs across both podcasts — real questions from real people navigating addiction, early sobriety, relapse, recovery, and life after substances.

This episode is for:

Anyone struggling with addiction or alcoholism

People who are sober, newly sober, or thinking about getting sober

Those who’ve relapsed and want to come back

Parents, partners, and loved ones of addicts

Anyone looking for real, experience-based recovery insight

Topics covered include:

How we actually got sober and what finally worked

Cravings vs obsession — what changes over time

Relapse and how to come back without shame

Weed and sobriety

AA, spirituality, and other recovery paths

Dating, weddings, and social life while sober

Parenting, making amends, and rebuilding trust

Trauma, mental health, and emotional sobriety

Tough love vs enabling

What long-term recovery really looks like

No fluff. No preaching. Just two people in recovery answering the questions we get asked every day.

If you or someone you love is struggling, you’re not alone — and recovery is possible.

#AddictionRecovery #HowToGetSober #Sobriety #RecoveryQandA #Alcoholism #DrugAddiction #RelapseRecovery #EarlySobriety #MentalHealth #AARecovery #AddictionHelp #StayingSober #RecoveryCommunity #SoberLife

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For the first time, Kevin Lanning and Louis Ruggiero pull the curtain back.

After Hours with Kevin & LJ is a new mini-series created because you asked for it — a real, unfiltered, behind-the-scenes look at our lives, conversations, and perspectives when the cameras aren’t “on.”

This series isn’t about perfectly structured interviews or polished narratives.

In this first episode, Kevin and Louis sit down without an agenda and share candid thoughts on:

Life behind the podcast

Recovery beyond the microphone

What listeners don’t usually get to hear

The personal side of building platforms, friendships, and purpose

This is raw. This is honest.

If you’ve ever wondered what happens when the show stops recording — this is it.

👇 Let us know in the comments what you want to see more of in this series.

#AfterHours #BehindTheScenes #RealTalk #PodcastLife #RecoveryJourney #SobrietyTalk #MentalHealth #LifeAfterAddiction #UnfilteredConversations #KevinLanning #LouisRuggiero

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Mike Shooty had it all on the outside — a successful career in high-level security, executive protection, and international risk mitigation. On the inside, he was quietly losing everything.

In this raw and unfiltered conversation, Mike opens up about growing up in a stable home, starting to drink at 14, binge drinking through college, and how alcohol slowly took control of his life. After multiple attempts at sobriety, he turned to OxyContin to stop drinking—only to find himself deeper in addiction.

Mike shares the terrifying reality of opioid withdrawal, hiding addiction in plain sight, losing his marriage, multiple DUIs, homelessness, and hitting a point so dark he nearly didn’t survive it. His story also dives into the shame of addiction, missing years of fatherhood, and the long road to rebuilding trust.

Now over 3 years sober, Mike is deeply involved in recovery—speaking publicly, helping other men navigate sobriety, divorce, legal trouble, and life after addiction.

This episode is about surrender, accountability, and what it really takes to change your life when everything has fallen apart.

If you or someone you love is struggling, this conversation could be the one that helps.

#AddictionRecovery #Alcoholism #OpiateAddiction #DUI #SobrietyJourney #ExecutiveBodyguard #FromAddictionToRecovery #RockBottom #RecoveryIsPossible #MentalHealthMatters #RiseAbove #SoberLife #RedemptionStory #OneDayAtATime

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Dave Marquess grew up in chaos—raised by addict parents, hustling for survival as a child, and spiraling into drugs by his early teens. By his twenties, Dave was deep in PCP, oxy, heroin, and cocaine, running the streets of Kensington, in and out of jail, and living in full-blown addiction and psychosis.

In this raw conversation, Dave opens up about:

Growing up with parents addicted to meth and heroin

Juvenile detention at 14 and fighting authority at every turn

Smoking PCP before school and getting expelled

Selling drugs, escort driving, and total moral collapse

Calling his own mother to learn how to shoot heroin

Experiencing brutal jail withdrawals that nearly killed him

The exact moment he said “I’m done”—and meant it

Today, Dave is nearly 10 years sober, living with purpose, creativity, and service. He’s the creator of the recovery-based card game Relapse or Recovery, designed to help people connect, reflect, and heal in sobriety.

This episode is for anyone who thinks they’re too far gone.

#AddictionRecovery #HeroinAddiction #Kensington #RecoveryIsPossible #JailToRecovery #OpiateEpidemic #SobrietyJourney #FromAddictionToRecovery #CleanAndSober #RecoveryPodcast #MentalHealthMatters #12StepRecovery #TraumaHealing #LifeAfterAddiction #RiseAbove #RecoveryStories #HopeAfterAddiction

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Crystal Ambroselli’s story is raw, heartbreaking, and ultimately life-saving.

Raised in a home shaped by alcoholism, chaos, and secrecy, Crystal was exposed to addiction at a young age. By 12, she was in treatment. By 15, she was a pregnant teen mom. By 17, she was smoking crack. At 19, she overdosed on fentanyl-laced cocaine and was clinically dead for 10 minutes.

This episode dives deep into:

Today, Crystal is 18 months sober, rebuilding trust with her family, and doing the hard work to become the healthy mother her daughter deserves.

This isn’t just a sobriety story — it’s about identity, survival, accountability, and choosing life when everything feels broken.

If you’re struggling, feel alone, or think it’s “not that bad yet”… this episode might save your life.

#RiseAbove #AddictionRecovery #OverdoseSurvivor #FentanylCrisis #TeenMom #CrackAddiction #SobrietyJourney #NearDeathExperience #MentalHealthAwareness #RecoveryIsPossible #OneDayAtATime #SoberLife #TraumaHealing #SurvivorStory

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Austin’s story is one of the most intense, raw, and honest recovery journeys ever shared on Rise Above.

After 7 years sober, Austin relapsed—triggered by success, ego, and untreated trauma. What followed was a devastating downward spiral:

But this isn’t just a relapse story. It’s a redemption story.

Austin opens up about trauma, pride, fatherhood, faith vs. spirituality, why kratom nearly destroyed him, and what finally changed after decades of trying to stay sober on his own terms. Today, he’s a present father of five, active in recovery, and the author of One Last Hit.

This episode is a must-watch for anyone struggling with addiction, relapse, ego, success, or the belief that “this time will be different.”

👉 If relapse has ever been part of your story—or someone you love—this one will hit home.

#RiseAbove #AddictionRecovery #RelapseStory #OverdoseSurvivor #HardRockHotel #KratomAwareness #CrackAddiction #SobrietyJourney #RecoveryIsPossible #12StepRecovery #Alcoholism #DrugAddiction #MentalHealthAwareness #TraumaHealing #Fatherhood #SecondChances #RedemptionStory #LifeAfterRelapse

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Amy Simmonds had everything from the outside — a thriving real estate career, a family, success — but inside she was slowly being destroyed by alcohol.

In this raw and powerful conversation, Amy opens up about her childhood wounds, blackouts, relapse after years sober, and the moment she finally surrendered. She shares how grief — especially the sudden loss of her mother — became the catalyst for a deeper calling: a mission to break the stigma around addiction and show others that recovery is not just possible, it’s powerful.

Amy is now 12.5 years sober and launching a new movement rooted in honesty, faith, service, and daily commitment. This episode dives into:

The hidden alcoholism that no one talks about

Relapsing after long-term sobriety

Alcohol as a “solution” that quietly becomes the problem

Grief, pain, and staying sober through unimaginable loss

Why helping others is the key to lasting recovery

Breaking the stigma for professionals who “look put together”

If you or someone you love is struggling, this conversation could be the sign you’ve been waiting for.

📌 Recovery is not about perfection — it’s about connection.

#RiseAbove #Sobriety #Alcoholism #RecoveryJourney #WomensRecovery #BreakingTheStigma #SoberLife #AddictionRecovery #OneDayAtATime #HealingThroughService

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Romaine Campbell is a police officer, husband, father, and a man of unshakable faith — but in 2019, his life was shattered forever.

Romaine’s two-year-old son, Hayden Campbell, was rushed to the hospital brain-dead, with a fractured skull and signs of blunt force trauma. The explanation given?

Medical evidence told a different story.

In this raw and heartbreaking conversation, Romaine opens up about the night he received the phone call no parent should ever get — learning that his son was fighting for his life after being left alone with his mother’s boyfriend. Despite devastating injuries, the man responsible was granted bond and walked free while Romaine buried his child.

This episode goes far beyond the tragedy.

Romaine shares:

The disturbing details surrounding Hayden’s death

What it’s like being a law enforcement officer while your own child’s killer is free

The rage, grief, and temptation for revenge — and why he didn’t act on it

How grief nearly destroyed his marriage

The painful mistakes he made while grieving

How faith, accountability, and humility saved his life

Why “it’s okay to not be okay”

How he turned unimaginable loss into purpose

Romaine is also the author of Rooted in Resilience, a deeply personal book about faith, grief, and rebuilding after loss, and is creating a nonprofit to honor Hayden’s legacy through mental health and domestic violence awareness.

This is not just a story about loss — it’s a story about restraint, resilience, and choosing not to let tragedy create another victim.

⚠️ Viewer discretion advised. This episode contains sensitive material involving child abuse and death.

If this story reaches even one parent, one grieving family, or one person standing at a breaking point — it has done its job.

#TrueCrime #JusticeForHayden #Grief #PoliceOfficer #ChildAbuseAwareness #FaithOverVengeance #MurderCase #LawEnforcementStories #FathersGrief #RiseAbove #HealingAfterLoss #MentalHealthAwareness #DomesticViolenceAwareness #Resilience #UnfilteredTruth

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