In today's episode of The Truth About Addiction, we hear an inspiring story from Mat Steinwede, the number one real estate agent in the McGrath Network across Australia.

Mat's journey from the depths of addiction and homelessness to becoming one of the country's most successful real estate professionals offers valuable insights into resilience, transformation, and the power of support. If you're curious about how one person can turn their life around, this conversation is a must-watch.

He's also an author, a sought-after high-performance speaker, and the founder of the 31 Minute Global Movement.

Find Mat on Instagram @matsteinwede 

Great-grandson of legendary American composer Irving Berlin, classically trained piano prodigy by age 14, and IV fentanyl, heroin, and crack cocaine addict by his early twenties, Benjamin's story is one of identity, purpose, and the remarkable resilience it takes to reclaim a life worth living.

In this powerful conversation, Ron sits down with Benjamin, just a few days away from celebrating his 10-year sober anniversary to unpack the truth behind addiction, recovery, and what it really takes to rebuild from rock bottom.

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What separates the good from the great? Not talent, it's the tiny daily habits and mindset that compound into greatness.

Ron sits down with retired pro soccer star Scotty Neville for an unfiltered chat on discipline, resilience, and self-belief. 

In this episode: 

✅ The "one percenters" mindset, small habits, huge results 

✅ Discipline - to give the best chance to be the best version of yourself

✅ Rejecting toxic influences and societal pressure 

✅ Why talent alone is never enough

A must-watch for young athletes, parents, and coaches.

🎧 Listen now and discover how small habits build big futures.

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This episode is unscripted, raw, and urgent.

Our dear friend Lenny is fighting Stage 3 squamous cell carcinoma, on top of more than a decade battling severe depression and addiction. Since January, he's endured surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation. He hasn't eaten solid food in weeks. He's in constant pain. But he's still here. Still fighting.

His wife Gail and their two children are walking this road with him, carrying enormous emotional and financial weight.

Today, Lenny joins us to share his story in his own words, and we're asking our community to step up and help this beautiful family.

💛 Please donate or share Lenny's GoFundMe: 👉 https://gofund.me/067e5f659

Every dollar, every share, every prayer matters. 🙏

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What if protecting our kids from addiction, depression, and burnout starts long before the warning signs appear?

In this episode of The Truth About Addiction Podcast, Ron sits down with Nick Green of Nick Green Coaching Academy to explore how environments, habits, and mindset shape the mental well-being of young athletes, and how parents, coaches, and educators can be part of the solution. 

🎧 Listen now and join the movement to shape a healthier future, one young person at a time. 

Explore the unseen forces of addiction with Roslyn Saunders, who shares her journey from childhood trauma and codependency to healing. 

We break down the often-misunderstood concept of codependency and its deadly grip beneath the surface of addiction, violence, and broken relationships. Roslyn's story highlights the importance of confronting root causes and embracing spirituality for true healing. Perfect for those feeling trapped in cycles of addiction or parents seeking to break toxic legacies, this episode empowers you to reclaim your life and transform pain into strength.

Roslyn Saunders is an addiction recovery coach and author of Recover From Codependency, with over 20 years’ experience helping individuals break free from the invisible chains of emotional dependency. 

https://www.roslynsaunders.com.au/ 

In this powerful episode with the Founders of Experience Strength, we explore how lived experience can become one of the most impactful tools in addiction recovery.

Join Scott Bellinger and Josh —two advocates who have turned their personal struggles into a movement challenging the stigma around addiction. Together, they unpack the importance of honesty, living principles, and using real-life experience as evidence that recovery is possible. 

https://experiencestrength.com.au/ 

Instagram @experience_strength 

Are poker machines designed to keep you losing?

When Neil Walshe discovered that poker machines are designed without losing sounds, he realised the silence wasn’t accidental — it was engineered. What followed was a radical and eye-opening mission: from purchasing an illegal machine through organised crime channels to experimentally adding a simple losing sound to test how awareness shifts behaviour.

In Australia alone, poker machines drain approximately $16 billion annually — but the real cost is measured in broken relationships, shattered integrity, and lost self-worth.

In this explosive episode of The Truth About Addiction Podcast, Neil reveals:

 • Why poker machines don’t make losing sounds
 • How winning sound conditions players to keep spinning
 • How a simple losing sound could disrupt a billion-dollar system
 • What YOU can do to raise awareness and create change

If you or someone you love is battling gambling addiction, this conversation could change everything.

🔗 Take Action & Sign the Petition:
www.losingsound.com

In this powerful episode with Andrew Carpenter, we dive deep into Australia’s broken systems of child protection and legal reform. Together, we expose the long-standing failures surrounding institutional abuse, the lack of accountability, and the lifelong impact on survivors and their families.

This is a raw, honest conversation about justice, reform, and the courage it takes to speak out.

If you or someone you know has experienced abuse and would like to explore your legal options and trauma-focused support, please reach out.

👉 It’s time to have the difficult conversations. Change starts with truth.

In this episode, Ron sits down with Elliott Hagen — former Australian rugby union player and currently founder of the Mind Your Head podcast.

“The moment I started loving myself truly was the moment I could love others fully as well.”

Elliott opens up about his journey from experimenting with drugs during his sporting career to realising that the answers he was searching for were not external, but within himself. He shares the lightbulb moment that led him to seek help and the importance of normalising conversations about mental health, including seeing a psychologist.

Through his own platform, Mind Your Head, Elliott creates a space where people can speak openly about their struggles and experiences with mental health. 

You can find Elliott’s podcast, Mind Your Head, on all major platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcasts.