Bravo's Southern Hospitality star Maddi Reese joins The Zac Clark Show to share her awesome recovery journey – from drinking at 12 and multiple trips to treatment, to getting sober at 16 and building a successful career as a DJ, reality television personality, and advocate for recovery.

In this conversation, Maddi opens up about anxiety, treatment, AA, sponsorship, dating in recovery, performing in nightlife while sober, navigating reality TV, and why community has been the foundation of her sobriety. She also shares what she'd tell every young person who believes recovery means giving up the best years of their life.

In this episode:

Getting sober at 16 years old

Drinking and addiction as a teenager

Multiple trips to treatment

AA, sponsorship, and long-term recovery

Performing as a sober DJ

Reality TV and sobriety

Anxiety, mental health, and purpose

Family recovery and Al-Anon

Building confidence without alcohol

Why recovery gave her a bigger life – not a smaller one

This conversation is a powerful reminder that sobriety isn't the end of your story – it can be the beginning of your best one.

Follow Maddi Reese:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maddireese/

Connect with Zac:

https://www.instagram.com/zwclark/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/zac-c-746b96254/

https://www.tiktok.com/@zacwclark

https://www.strava.com/athletes/55697553

https://twitter.com/zacwclark

If you or anyone you know is struggling, please do not hesitate to contact Release Recovery:

(914) 588-6564

releaserecovery.com

@releaserecovery

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Joe Chura is the founder of Go Brewing, one of the fastest-growing non-alcoholic breweries in the country, now available in more than 8,000 locations. Before launching Go Brewing, he built and sold a marketing technology company in a deal valued at more than $200 million.

But long before building successful businesses, Joe grew up in a home shaped by alcoholism. He shares the painful reality of living with an alcoholic father, becoming a young parent, struggling with depression and his own relationship to alcohol, and the unexpected experiences that changed the trajectory of his life.

We also dive into the explosive growth of non-alcoholic beer, why more people are choosing to drink less, the stigma surrounding sobriety, and whether NA beer can be a helpful tool for people looking to reduce or eliminate alcohol from their lives.

Whether you're in recovery, sober-curious, or simply rethinking your relationship with alcohol, this conversation offers an honest, nuanced perspective on drinking, but also healing, resilience, entrepreneurship, and what it means to build a healthier life.

In this episode:

Growing up with an alcoholic father

Trauma, mental health, and resilience

Building and selling a successful marketing company

Why Joe founded Go Brewing

The rise of non-alcoholic beer

Sobriety, moderation, and stigma

Entrepreneurship, purpose, and second chances

Follow Joe Chura:

Website: https://gobrewing.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gobrewing/  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joechura/

Connect with Zac

https://www.instagram.com/zwclark/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/zac-c-746b96254/

https://www.tiktok.com/@zacwclark

https://www.strava.com/athletes/55697553

https://twitter.com/zacwclark

If you or anyone you know is struggling, please do not hesitate to contact Release Recovery:

(914) 588-6564

releaserecovery.com

@releaserecovery

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Michael Allio and Jade Chapman join me for a powerful conversation about grief, addiction, recovery, and the unexpected path that brought them together.

Michael is a former contestant on The Bachelorette, author of the children's book Where the Wild Heart Grows, and co-founder of St. James Therapeutics, a company focused on advancing cancer treatment and care. He opens up about losing his wife, Laura, to cancer, raising his son as a single father, and the dependence on painkillers he developed in the aftermath of her death.

Jade is a beauty entrepreneur, educator, and content creator whose work has inspired millions. She shares her journey with alcohol, the impact her sister's decade-long heroin addiction had on her family, and what finally led her to embrace recovery.

Together, they discuss what it means to love someone through struggle, how recovery transformed their relationship, and why honesty, service, and community have become the foundation of their lives.

In this episode, we discuss:

Michael's experience with grief after losing his wife, Laura

The opioid addiction he developed following her death

Jade's journey with alcohol and recovery

Her sister's battle with heroin addiction and long-term recovery

Supporting a partner through sobriety

Love, second chances, and starting over

Raising children through loss, healing, and change

Finding purpose through service and helping others

Whether you've experienced addiction, loss, recovery, or simply the challenges of loving another person through difficult seasons, this conversation is a reminder that our past doesn't disqualify us from love – it often prepares us for it.

Follow Michael Allio:

⁠https://www.instagram.com/michael_alliol4/⁠

⁠https://thewildheartgrows.com/⁠

⁠https://www.stjamestherapeutics.com/⁠

Follow Jade Chapman:⁠https://www.instagram.com/jadeywadey180/⁠

⁠https://www.instagram.com/jadecomplexions/⁠

Connect with Zac

⁠https://www.instagram.com/zwclark/⁠

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/zac-c-746b96254/⁠

⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@zacwclark⁠

⁠https://www.strava.com/athletes/55697553

⁠⁠https://twitter.com/zacwclark⁠

If you or anyone you know is struggling, please do not hesitate to contact Release Recovery:

(914) 588-6564

releaserecovery.com

@releaserecovery

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At 17, Corey Warren was shooting heroin. At 18, he robbed a convenience store to support his addiction and faced up to 30 years in prison.

What followed was a journey through addiction, recovery, success, relapse, and redemption. After more than a decade of sobriety, Corey began drinking again – which nearly cost him everything. Instead, it led to a powerful spiritual awakening, a relationship with God, and a deeper commitment to recovery.

Today, Corey is more than four years sober and has built Rise Recovery into one of Michigan's largest recovery communities, helping thousands of people find freedom from addiction. Through his advocacy, treatment programs, and social media platform that has reached hundreds of millions of people, Corey has become one of the most influential voices in the recovery space.

Corey is unapologetically open about the perils of alcohol and addiction, and why he believes his relationship with God transformed his recovery.  

We also discuss:

Shooting heroin as a teenager and robbing a convenience store at 18

Facing prison and rebuilding his life through recovery

Alcohol addiction, AA, and finding lasting sobriety

Drinking after 10 years sober -- and the profound spiritual experience that followed

Faith, purpose, and spiritual transformation

Building Rise Recovery into one of Michigan's largest recovery communities

Growing a social media platform that reaches millions and inspires people to seek help

Family, fatherhood, and staying grounded through success

Connect with Zac:

https://www.instagram.com/zwclark/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/zac-c-746b96254/

https://www.tiktok.com/@zacwclark

https://www.strava.com/athletes/55697553

https://twitter.com/zacwclark

If you or anyone you know is struggling, please do not hesitate to contact Release Recovery:

(914) 588-6564

releaserecovery.com

@releaserecovery

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What does it take to keep going when a doctor tells you your son has less than a 10% chance of survival?

Vince Benevento is the founder of Causeway Collaborative – a counseling and mentorship organization that has helped over 2,500 young men between the ages of 14 and 30 – and the author of Boys Will Be Men: 8 Lessons for the Lost American Male.

Last July, his 12-year-old son Leo was diagnosed with aplastic anemia — a rare, potentially fatal blood disease. What followed was 150 days in the hospital, emergency surgeries, experimental treatments, and two doctors telling Vince to prepare for the worst. Leo is now back in school and back on the lacrosse field. Against every odd.

In this conversation, Vince opens up about what those 150 days actually looked like – the fear, the sleepless nights, the moments his marriage buckled under the weight of it. He talks about his own bipolar disorder diagnosis, his struggles with addiction and alcohol, and how the mess of his own life became the foundation of his life's work helping young men find their way.

This is one of the most honest conversations we've had on this show. If you're a father, a son, or someone who has ever had to find a reason to keep going – this one is for you.

Connect with Zac

https://www.instagram.com/zwclark/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/zac-c-746b96254/

https://www.tiktok.com/@zacwclark

https://www.strava.com/athletes/55697553https://twitter.com/zacwclark

If you or anyone you know is struggling, please do not hesitate to contact Release Recovery:

(914) 588-6564

releaserecovery.com@releaserecovery

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I'm fired up. New studio, new energy, and a month that reminded me exactly why I do this. In this solo episode – with a surprise appearance from Release Foundation’s own Caitlin Healy – I break down three moments that stopped me cold.

First: how a viral Bravo moment turned into a $25,000 donation to the Release Foundation, and why I had absolutely nothing to do with it. Caitlin takes us behind the scenes of the "Carl's a Mess" moment – the relationships, the hustle, and what it actually takes to capitalize on something like that in 24 hours.

Then I go deep on the London Marathon – not just the race, but what it took to get there. After two brutal years of missed workouts and ego-driven training, I finally let go, listened to my coach, and ran a five-minute PR. The parallel to recovery is impossible to ignore: you get out what you put in, and the moment you think you know better, you don't.

Finally, the Release Foundation Gala. 650 people. A nightclub in lower Manhattan. Questlove on the decks. Sober people, not-sober people, and a dance floor that didn't empty until the lights came up. This is what breaking down stigma actually looks like.

If you've ever wondered what a life in recovery can look like – please give this episode a listen.

Connect with Zac

https://www.instagram.com/zwclark/https://www.linkedin.com/in/zac-c-746b96254/https://www.tiktok.com/@zacwclarkhttps://www.strava.com/athletes/55697553https://twitter.com/zacwclark

If you or anyone you know is struggling, please do not hesitate to contact Release Recovery:

(914) 588-6564

releaserecovery.com

@releaserecovery

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What If Guys Just Said It Out Loud?

Zac Clark goes solo this week and gets honest – uncomfortably, refreshingly honest. It starts with something small: he's losing his hair, and he's embarrassed about it. But that admission opens the door to something much bigger.

If a guy in recovery, with years of hard-won self-awareness, can barely say that out loud – what hope is there for the man who hasn't yet found words for his anxiety, his depression, or his darkest thoughts? Zac connects the dots between the small silences men keep and the devastating ones, and makes the case that permission to be vulnerable starts earlier than we think.

He also reflects on the wave of DMs he received after speaking out about The Bachelorette, the surprising power of Theo Von and Pete Davidson modeling sobriety to millions of young men who don't even realize they're being influenced, and why saying something out loud – even on a microphone, even to strangers – is sometimes the fastest way to take its power away.

Raw, real, and a little bit of a therapy session. The best kind of episode.

Connect with Zac:

https://www.instagram.com/zwclark/https://www.linkedin.com/in/zac-c-746b96254/https://www.tiktok.com/@zacwclarkhttps://www.strava.com/athletes/55697553https://twitter.com/zacwclark

If you or anyone you know is struggling, please do not hesitate to contact Release Recovery:

(914) 588-6564

releaserecovery.com @releaserecovery

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When addiction hits a family, everyone feels it – but recovery can ripple through a family too.

In this powerful episode of The Zac Clark Show, Zac sits down with siblings Sean and Kathleen McGowan, two people whose lives were once consumed by addiction and chaos, and who today both work in the behavioral healthcare field. 

Sean shares the moment that changed his life: waking up in a hotel room after a cross-country road trip, facing the reality of his heroin addiction, and finally surrendering to treatment. Kathleen tells her own devastating story – from drug arrests and life on a California weed farm to a severe nitrous oxide addiction that left her unable to walk.

Their paths diverged for years until a desperate phone call brought their family back together. Today, both siblings are sober, working at High Watch Recovery Center, and using their experiences to help others find hope.

This episode includes:

This is a very honest and raw conversation about family, accountability, second chances, and the power of showing up when someone you love asks for help.

Connect with Zac:

https://www.instagram.com/zwclark/https://www.linkedin.com/in/zac-c-746b96254/https://www.tiktok.com/@zacwclarkhttps://www.strava.com/athletes/55697553https://twitter.com/zacwclark

If you or anyone you know is struggling, please do not hesitate to contact Release Recovery:

(914) 588-6564

releaserecovery.com@releaserecovery

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is kratom safe – or is it quietly becoming the next opioid crisis?

In this quick-hit episode, Zac sits down with recurring medical contributor Dr. Michael McCormick, Chief Medical Officer at Release Recovery, to clear the air on one of the most polarizing substances in America right now: kratom.

Marketed as a natural herbal supplement and sold openly at gas stations and smoke shops, kratom is used by millions for energy, focus, pain relief – and even to help curb opioid withdrawal.

But inside treatment centers, doctors are seeing something very different.

In this episode, we break down:

We’re not here to attack people who use it responsibly. We’re here to speak to the 10–15% of people predisposed to substance use disorder – the ones who may not know the risk until it’s too late.

If you or someone you love is using kratom, this conversation could change how you think about it.

Connect with Zac
https://www.instagram.com/zwclark/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/zac-c-746b96254/
https://www.tiktok.com/@zacwclark
https://www.strava.com/athletes/55697553
https://twitter.com/zacwclark

If you or anyone you know is struggling, please do not hesitate to contact Release Recovery:
(914) 588-6564
http://releaserecovery.com
@‌releaserecovery

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When you look up Ken Rideout, you get a wild list of labels: prison guard. Wall Street trader. Opioid addict. Fastest marathoner in the world over 50.

In this episode, Ken sits down with Zac to talk about reinvention – and what it actually takes to change your life. From crushing opioids and cocaine, and hiding addiction while building a career in finance, to detoxing, rebuilding from the ground up, and eventually becoming a World Champion marathoner, Ken’s story is one of radical ownership.

We talk about:

They also discuss Ken’s new book, The Other Side of Hard, is for anyone standing at the edge of a decision – sobriety, career shift, health reset – wondering if it’s possible.

His message is simple:

No one is coming to save you. You can reinvent yourself. Take the first step.

Connect with Zac

https://www.instagram.com/zwclark/https://www.linkedin.com/in/zac-c-746b96254/https://www.tiktok.com/@zacwclarkhttps://www.strava.com/athletes/55697553https://twitter.com/zacwclark

If you or anyone you know is struggling, please do not hesitate to contact Release Recovery:

(914) 588-6564releaserecovery.com@releaserecovery

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices