Army veteran Nick Gilwich joins The Mark Manderson Show for a powerful conversation about military transition, fatherhood, leadership, mental health, success, and learning how to rebuild purpose after service. After eight years in the Army and two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Nick transitioned into the financial industry, where he now works with veterans, service members, and families. But leaving the military meant leaving behind more than a job — it meant losing the structure, mission, camaraderie, and built-in team that had shaped his life for years. In this episode, Nick opens up about the emotional weight many veterans carry after service, the difficulty of adjusting to civilian life, and how compartmentalizing pain can eventually catch up. He shares how depression, pressure, business stress, perfectionism, and the need to provide for his family pushed him to finally seek help and start doing deeper inner work. Nick and Mark also talk about success feeling empty, the trap of chasing achievement, learning to prioritize family, healing the inner critic, therapy, men's work, leadership, and why helping others reach their potential became more fulfilling than chasing his own accolades. This conversation is for veterans, fathers, entrepreneurs, leaders, and anyone who has ever looked successful on the outside while quietly struggling on the inside. Mark Manderson is a TEDx speaker, author of The Recovery Way, and a nationally recognized mental health and addiction expert with more than 20 years of experience helping people rebuild their lives. His work reaches far beyond recovery—exploring purpose, resilience, identity, leadership, and the mindset required to overcome life's hardest seasons. In his TEDx Talk, "The Myth of the Single Purpose," Mark shares a powerful perspective on why life's transitions aren't setbacks—they're invitations to discover new purpose. Whether you're rebuilding after addiction, trauma, loss, or simply searching for what's next, his message has resonated with audiences around the world. Follow Mark for more conversations on resilience, mental health, recovery, and personal growth: @markcmanderson If this episode impacted you, subscribe, leave a comment, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Every share helps these stories reach people who are searching for hope.

Colton Lewis returns to The Mark Manderson Show for a raw and emotional conversation about relapse, recovery, faith, and the fight to keep going when life feels impossible. After a four-year run that brought him to the darkest point of his addiction, Colton admits he was ready to give up. He opens up about needle use, losing hope, disappointing his family, and the friend who drove him back to treatment when he could not pick himself up. In this episode, Colton shares why this recovery attempt feels deeply personal, especially after losing friends who no longer have the chance to recover. He reflects on the pain of addiction, the importance of reaching out, rebuilding his relationship with his son, finding strength through God, and learning that recovery is not about perfection — it is about refusing to stop trying. This conversation is about second chances, faith, community, accountability, and what happens when someone decides: "I'm not going out like this."

Follow The Mark Manderson Show for more conversations about recovery, resilience, faith, personal growth, and rebuilding your life. Mark Manderson is a TEDx speaker, author of The Recovery Way, and a nationally recognized mental health and addiction expert with more than 20 years of experience helping people rebuild their lives. His work reaches far beyond recovery—exploring purpose, resilience, identity, leadership, and the mindset required to overcome life's hardest seasons. In his TEDx Talk, "The Myth of the Single Purpose," Mark shares a powerful perspective on why life's transitions aren't setbacks—they're invitations to discover new purpose. Whether you're rebuilding after addiction, trauma, loss, or simply searching for what's next, his message has resonated with audiences around the world.

Follow Mark for more conversations on resilience, mental health, recovery, and personal growth: @markcmanderson If this episode impacted you, subscribe, leave a comment, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Every share helps these stories reach people who are searching for hope.

One night changed Darren Jacobs' life forever. For the next 23 years, he tried to outrun it. After a fatal DUI in 1994, Darren carried the weight of guilt, regret, addiction, and consequences that followed him for decades. Drinking continued through arrests, jail, prison, damaged relationships, financial struggles, and repeated attempts to get sober. For years, Darren believed everything around him was the problem—until he finally had to confront himself. In this episode of The Mark Manderson Show, Darren shares what finally changed after decades of drinking and why getting sober required far more than simply putting down alcohol. He opens up about accepting responsibility for his past, letting go of resentment, rebuilding his relationship with his children, and discovering the structure that has kept him sober since October 2016. Darren explains why AA, prayer, meditation, accountability, routine, and helping other people became essential parts of the life he has today. The conversation also explores faith, ego, forgiveness, relationships, financial fear, learning to live in the present, and the difficult realization that you can't change what happened—but you can decide what you do with it. Today, Darren no longer hides from the darkest chapter of his life. He uses it to connect with others who are struggling and give meaning to a tragedy he carried for more than two decades. This is a conversation about what happens when you finally stop running from your past, take ownership of your life, and turn regret into purpose. Follow The Mark Manderson Show for more conversations about recovery, resilience, faith, personal growth, and rebuilding your life.

After 13 overdoses, repeated arrests, and losing custody of her daughter, Shay Thomas reached a point where she had to decide whether she would continue disappearing into addiction—or fight for her life and her family. In this deeply personal episode of The Mark Manderson Show, Shay shares her journey from experimenting with drugs at a young age to surviving an abusive teen treatment facility, years of opioid and heroin addiction, jail, drug court, and the devastating moment her daughter was taken from her. Shay opens up about the shame and self-blame she carried after being sexually harmed as a teenager, the two years she spent inside a punitive wilderness program, and how returning home without the tools to process what happened pushed her deeper into addiction. Follow Shay: @Mrs__Shay Follow Mark Manderson: @markcmanderson

Subscribe to The Mark Manderson Show for honest conversations about recovery, resilience, faith, purpose, and rebuilding after life's hardest moments. #AddictionRecovery #Sobriety #RecoveryStory

Mark Manderson is a TEDx speaker, author of The Recovery Way, and a nationally recognized mental health and addiction expert with more than 20 years of experience helping people rebuild their lives. His work reaches far beyond recovery—exploring purpose, resilience, identity, leadership, and the mindset required to overcome life's hardest seasons. In his TEDx Talk, "The Myth of the Single Purpose," Mark shares a powerful perspective on why life's transitions aren't setbacks—they're invitations to discover new purpose. Whether you're rebuilding after addiction, trauma, loss, or simply searching for what's next, his message has resonated with audiences around the world. Follow Mark for more conversations on resilience, mental health, recovery, and personal growth: @markcmanderson If this episode impacted you, subscribe, leave a comment, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Every share helps these stories reach people who are searching for hope.

One brother made a choice that changed everything. In this powerful episode of The Mark Manderson Show, Kevin Shearer shares the deeply personal story of growing up in a family devastated by addiction, overdoses, and years of heartbreak—and how choosing grace, truth, and healthy boundaries helped break a generational cycle. As the Executive Director of Changes Treatment Center, Kevin has dedicated his life to helping individuals and families find hope in the middle of addiction. But before leading others, he had to navigate his own family's darkest moments. In this conversation, Kevin opens up about: Growing up surrounded by addiction and loss Setting healthy boundaries without giving up on family Breaking generational cycles through grace and accountability

The importance of surrender and faith in healing Why families need recovery too Finding purpose through pain Never giving up on the people you love Whether you've struggled with addiction yourself or have watched someone you love battle it, this conversation offers hope, wisdom, and practical insight into what real healing looks like.

Follow Mark Manderson for more conversations that help people rebuild after life's hardest moments. Instagram: @markcmanderson If this episode encouraged you, like, subscribe, and share it with someone who needs hope today.

Mark Manderson is a TEDx speaker, author of The Recovery Way, and a nationally recognized mental health and addiction expert with more than 20 years of experience helping people rebuild their lives. His work reaches far beyond recovery—exploring purpose, resilience, identity, leadership, and the mindset required to overcome life's hardest seasons. In his TEDx Talk, "The Myth of the Single Purpose," Mark shares a powerful perspective on why life's transitions aren't setbacks—they're invitations to discover new purpose. Whether you're rebuilding after addiction, trauma, loss, or simply searching for what's next, his message has resonated with audiences around the world.

In this episode of The Mark Manderson Show, David Thomas shares the raw truth behind a decade of addiction, multiple arrests, and the long road to rebuilding his life. @Mr_DavidThomas

Raised in Huntington Beach with generational wealth on one side of his family and a father consumed by meth addiction on the other, David found himself chasing success while quietly falling apart. Working as a union crane operator, he cycled through years of sobriety and relapse before finally breaking the pattern for good.

David opens up about: - How addiction nearly cost him everything - The turning point that finally made recovery stick - Walking away from a six-figure career to pursue purpose - The science of dopamine and why discipline matters - Faith, fitness, and accountability in long-term recovery - Marriage, fatherhood, and the pressure of providing for a family - Learning to sit with pain instead of numbing it This isn't just another recovery story. It's a conversation about identity, resilience, breaking generational cycles, and becoming the person you were meant to be.

If you're struggling with addiction, rebuilding after failure, or searching for purpose, this episode is for you. Follow Mark Manderson for more conversations that help people rebuild after life's hardest moments. Instagram: @markcmanderson

If this conversation resonates with you, like, subscribe, and share it with someone who needs hope today. Mark Manderson is a TEDx speaker, author of The Recovery Way, and a nationally recognized mental health and addiction expert with more than 20 years of experience helping people rebuild their lives. His work reaches far beyond recovery—exploring purpose, resilience, identity, leadership, and the mindset required to overcome life's hardest seasons. In his TEDx Talk, "The Myth of the Single Purpose," Mark shares a powerful perspective on why life's transitions aren't setbacks—they're invitations to discover new purpose. Whether you're rebuilding after addiction, trauma, loss, or simply searching for what's next, his message has resonated with audiences around the world.

TEDx speaker and podcast host Lillian Victoria - @LillianVictoriaSpeaks opens up about surviving childhood abandonment, sexual abuse, and a devastating divorce that left her a single mom starting over from nothing. In this raw conversation, Lillian shares how she rebuilt her identity from the ground up — moving from a life driven by fear and approval to one grounded in purpose, faith, and self-worth. She breaks down the "hero moment" framework she now teaches to executives and founders, explains how to challenge false beliefs planted in childhood, and reveals the mindset shifts that took her from an outpatient mental health program to helping leaders navigate change worldwide. If you've ever felt like an imposter, questioned your worth, or wondered how to turn your pain into purpose, this episode is for you.

Mark Manderson is a TEDx speaker, author of The Recovery Way, and a nationally recognized mental health and addiction expert with more than 20 years of experience helping people rebuild their lives. His work reaches far beyond recovery—exploring purpose, resilience, identity, leadership, and the mindset required to overcome life's hardest seasons. In his TEDx Talk, "The Myth of the Single Purpose," Mark shares a powerful perspective on why life's transitions aren't setbacks—they're invitations to discover new purpose. Whether you're rebuilding after addiction, trauma, loss, or simply searching for what's next, his message has resonated with audiences around the world.

Follow Mark for more conversations on resilience, mental health, recovery, and personal growth: @markcmanderson If this episode impacted you, subscribe, leave a comment, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Every share helps these stories reach people who are searching for hope.

Jenny Leone, co-founder of Aloha Recovery California, shares her journey from 20+ years of addiction and childhood trauma to sobriety, purpose, and helping others heal. She opens up about radical honesty, inner child work, letting go of victimhood, and finding true peace.

Mark Manderson is a TEDx speaker, author of The Recovery Way, and a nationally recognized mental health and addiction expert with more than 20 years of experience helping people rebuild their lives. His work reaches far beyond recovery—exploring purpose, resilience, identity, leadership, and the mindset required to overcome life's hardest seasons. In his TEDx Talk, "The Myth of the Single Purpose," Mark shares a powerful perspective on why life's transitions aren't setbacks—they're invitations to discover new purpose. Whether you're rebuilding after addiction, trauma, loss, or simply searching for what's next, his message has resonated with audiences around the world. Follow Mark for more conversations on resilience, mental health, recovery, and personal growth: @markcmanderson If this episode impacted you, subscribe, leave a comment, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Every share helps these stories reach people who are searching for hope.

Amy Jordan — owner and CEO of Wundabar Pilates, Wundacore, and HLNA Home — shares her incredible journey from running marketing at Marvel to building a Pilates empire, surviving a rare and aggressive cervical cancer diagnosis during COVID, and healing childhood trauma through movement. Amy opens up about intuition, resilience, motherhood, compassionate confrontation, and why she believes movement heals both body and mind. A raw, honest conversation about faith, fear, and finding purpose through pain. Follow Amy: @amyjordanofficial

Malcolm King — entrepreneur, fitness influencer, streetwear founder of Dope Sick USA, and harm reduction advocate — sits down to share his unfiltered story. From playing football at Cal State Fullerton with NFL interest from the Giants, Eagles, and Redskins, to battling addiction, serving time, and rebuilding his life with purpose. Malcolm breaks down how the streets, sociology, and faith shaped him into the man he is today — and why he shows up every week to help others do the same.