On this episode of Shout Out From The Pit, the Old Rucker reflects on the cycle of struggle, relief, and complacency; how we can go from desperate prayers to comfortable ruts faster than we realize. Through stories of addiction, near tragedy, job rejection, and recovery, he explores why motivation fades, why inspiration comes and goes, …

Continue reading "Episode 0056 Just Keep Swimming"

Joel’s story is a blunt reminder that rock bottom doesn’t always involve handcuffs or headlines. In this episode, Joel opens up about childhood trauma, addiction, ego, control, relapse, and the moment his internal voice shifted from self hatred to hope. He shares how detox, honesty, service work, music, and community, especially Bridging the Gap, became …

Continue reading "Episode 0055 Joel B’s Journey – ESH"

In this episode, the women’s round table dives deep into Boundaries and Bedevilments, unpacking what it really means to protect your sobriety while navigating real life. Through candid stories about relationships, trauma responses, money, fear, meditation, and spiritual growth, the panel explores how healthy boundaries are built, why they’re for you, not other people, and …

Continue reading "Episode 0054 Cheri OpenMic"

When Shari received a breast cancer diagnosis, surrender wasn’t an option. In this episode, Shari and her husband Les share the full arc of their cancer journey from early detection through routine mammograms, to an aggressive treatment plan involving chemotherapy and immunotherapy, to the emotional, financial, and relational realities few people talk about out loud. …

Continue reading "Episode 0053 Shari – Cancer"

The tribe sits down with Chris T., a husband, father, tech wirehead, astronomer, and recovering alcoholic with just over 20 years of sobriety. Chris shares a raw, unpolished story of early rebellion, crime, addiction, repeated detox attempts, and the moment he finally asked for help; not because he had a plan, but because he wanted …

Continue reading "Episode 0052 Chris T: From Hellion to Helper – Sobriety, Service, and Second Chances"

In this episode the Old Rucker continues the Therapeutic Writing in Recovery series with guest and author JC Crumpton, a Navy veteran who shares how creative writing became a critical tool in his recovery after surviving a devastating automobile accident that resulted in a traumatic brain injury (TBI). JC reflects on growing up as a …

Continue reading "Episode 0051 JC Crumpton Therapeutic Writing in Recovery"

This episode Team Cheremy opens the new year with a raw, deeply personal conversation about the family disease of alcoholism, focusing on how addiction and recovery ripple across generations. They explore lived experience rather than theory, as Linda and her niece Lauren both sober members of Alcoholics Anonymous share candid stories of growing up around …

Continue reading "Episode 0050 Team Cheremy: The Alcoholic Family"

In this episode of the Old Rucker sits down with Edye and Paul and joined by Mandy, Sherry, Jeremy, Dwight, Joel & Linda for a blunt, experience driven conversation about what it actually means to be a couple in recovery. Drawing from deeply personal histories of addiction, grief, loss, and long term sobriety, Edye and Paul …

Continue reading "Episode 0049 Edye and Paul: Couples in Recovery"

Bob sits down with Lynn Combs an award winning author, speaker, designer, whose journey as a Navy brat, single mother, and late blooming writer embodies the show’s core belief that everyone has a story worth telling and that the telling itself can be transformative. Lynn shares how writing became both a lifeline and a compass …

Continue reading "Episode 0048 Lynn Combs"

In this Ladies Round Table, Cherie and Mandy gather an incredible circle of women to dive into the messy, beautiful realities of Attitude, Acceptance, and Action three deceptively simple words that turn into raw, life altering conversations. From childhood anxiety to lifelong people pleasing, from loss that shatters faith to grief that rewires identity, the …

Continue reading "Episode 0047 Ladies Round Table with Cherie & Mandy"