Claim OwnershipChasing Heroine: Addiction Recovery and Sobriety
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© Jeannine Coulter
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Jeannine was an active drug addict and alcoholic for 15 years - her using led to multiple arrests, homelessness, and the loss of absolutely everything - which she considers to be the best thing that ever happened to her. Sober since January 15, 2015, and now a successful fitness entrepreneur and instructor, content creator and public speaker, she is committed to sharing both her own and her guest’s stories in the hopes that they may help guide and inspire others seeking a similar path of recovery and healing.
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his week’s episode features the powerful story of a woman who endured the darkest depths of heroin and crack addiction—homelessness, sex work, selling drugs, arrests, and violent assaults. After years of chaos, she found her turning point and got sober in 2018. Her journey didn’t stop there. Against all odds, she built a new life as a devoted mother, wife, and homeowner. Today, she works in the treatment field, dedicating her life to helping others heal through trauma therapy. She also shares how an unexpected arrest on her one-year sober anniversary sparked a deeper sense of spirituality that continues to guide her path. This is a raw and inspiring conversation about resilience, redemption, and the power of recovery.DM me on InstagramMessage me on FacebookListen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTokEmail me chasingheroine@gmail.comSee you next week!
Welcome back to another episode of Chasing Heroine! Y'all will love RJ Elizarraz, owner of Oak Forest Recover in Agoura Hills and host of the "Against All Odd's" podcast with Rachel Slocum and Hunter Sheppard.
I may have related more to RJ's story than any other guest. The details of our lives are completely different, but his feelings about not needing traditional recovery because of being so incredibly special :) is exactly how I felt as well.
After finding himself strung out on heroin over and over again, RJ finally found lasting recovery through connection with other men in a truly accidental sober living.
Let me know your favorite part of RJ's story!
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This week, we sit down with Janice, an author, advocate, and nearly 20 years sober, to unpack a story that begins in a family of dive bar owners and ends in a life built on purpose and spiritual transformation.Raised around alcoholism, Janice picked up drinking and smoking weed in middle and high school before joining the Marine Corps. When an injury derailed her military path, she was prescribed pain medications that opened the door to years of dependency. By her mid 30s, she found herself addicted to methadone until she made the terrifying decision to quit cold turkey. What followed was a profound and unexpected spiritual experience that became the turning point of her life.Today, Janice has almost two decades of sobriety, has written two powerful recovery books, and dedicates her time to helping people navigate surgery and pain management without narcotics. Her story is raw, honest, and deeply hopeful, and it serves as a reminder of what is possible on the other side of surrender.Find Janice's books and info about sober surgeries: https://www.sobrietyrocks365.com/DM me on InstagramMessage me on FacebookListen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTokEmail me chasingheroine@gmail.comSee you next week!
Jed returns to the show for one of his most honest conversations yet. After years of sharing his growth and wisdom on this podcast, he recently experienced a relapse - and he shows up with raw transparency about what happened. We talk openly about the dishonesty and poor decision-making that comes with using, the shame that follows, and the painful reality of breaking trust with the people who love us most. Jed reflects on what it takes to rebuild that trust, how he’s finding his footing again, and why this chapter, though difficult, is part of his continued journey in recovery. This is a vulnerable, grounded conversation about being human, starting over, and choosing honesty even when it’s hard.DM me on InstagramMessage me on FacebookListen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTokEmail me chasingheroine@gmail.comSee you next week!
Gunnar grew up in what looked like the perfect family - until addiction slowly unraveled everything. After his parents fell deeper into their own substance use, his mother disappeared without a word, leaving Gunnar to navigate a childhood suddenly marked by instability and pain.By his teens, he turned to meth and heroin, beginning a long cycle of drug court, jail stays, and surviving on the streets of downtown San Diego. But Gunnar’s story didn’t end there. Through grit, recovery, and a community that believed in him, he rebuilt his life from the ground up.Now three years sober, Gunnar has graduated college and applied to graduate school with a mission: to advocate for the homeless community he once belonged to and push for real policy change.This episode is a powerful testament to resilience, redemption, and the impact of turning lived experience into purpose.Episode sponsored by Worthy Wellness CenterWorthy Wellness Center is nestled within the charming village of Carlsbad, in North County, San Diego, less than half a mile from the tranquil local beaches. Worthy stands as a sanctuary wholly devoted to nurturing the healing and well-being of those in recovery. Committed to addressing the holistic needs of individuals navigating through life’s challenges, whether related to substance abuse, alcohol addiction, or mental and mood disorders, Worthy Wellness Center takes a comprehensive approach to healing the body, mind, and spirit.DM me on InstagramMessage me on FacebookListen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTokEmail me chasingheroine@gmail.comSee you next week!
In this explosive conclusion to Blue’s story, the chaos of addiction reaches terrifying new heights. What starts as a wild meth-fueled adventure spirals into a blur of residential burglaries, near-death experiences, and cross-count geographicals between California and New Mexico. Blue narrowly survives a car explosion, brushes with death, and finds herself trapped in the same criminal underworld she once swore she’d escape.After a string of arrests, she lands in a New Mexico prison—this time with a baby in California that she's trying to get back to. Headed back to California, she was determined to find sobriety. Ending up in a federal indictment and facing years in federal prison, Blue is finally forced to confront the wreckage of her past and the possibility of a different future.Check out our sponsor Worthy Wellness CenterConnect with Blue's treatment center OC SafehouseDM me on InstagramMessage me on FacebookListen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTokEmail me chasingheroine@gmail.comSee you next week!
PART ONE: Krystin “Blue” grew up in New Mexico, a ballet dancer and promising student. At just 19, she smoked crack for the first time - with her mother. That moment changed everything, pulling her into a world of addiction, chaos, and survival. After an overdose and a terrifying encounter with a cartel boss, Blue was arrested for selling Oxy 80s and eventually found herself in Orange County, chasing relief in heroin. In Part One of her story, Blue opens up about the pain, love, and deep longing that drove her down this path — and the flicker of hope that would one day lead her toward healing.Check out our sponsor Worthy Wellness Center!Connect with Safehouse OC on InstagramDM me on InstagramMessage me on FacebookListen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTokEmail me chasingheroine@gmail.comSee you next week!
In part three of Keta Loren’s powerful story, everything changes. After years of addiction, trauma, and survival on the streets of Los Angeles, Keta has a profound spiritual experience that awakens something deep within her - setting her on a new path of recovery, healing, and purpose. But just as her life begins to transform, tragedy strikes, plunging her into a long season of grief. Through the pain, Keta finally reaches a point of surrender and begins to seek help for her mental health, opening the door to lasting recovery and self-discovery.Connect with Keta on InstagramDM me on InstagramMessage me on FacebookListen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTokEmail me chasingheroine@gmail.comSee you next week!
In Part Two of Keta Loren’s powerful story, we pick up in Los Angeles - where her life spirals deeper into addiction, exploitation, and survival. After being trafficked and turning to stripping to get by, Keta becomes trapped in a relentless cycle of meth and heroin use, crime, and chaos. But when she least expects it, a mystical, life-altering experience cracks everything open - ushering in the beginning of her transformation. Check out Work It Health hereConnect with Keta on InstagramDM me on InstagramMessage me on FacebookListen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTokEmail me chasingheroine@gmail.comSee you next week!
In this inspiring episode, we sit down with Melanie Gulde, the drug court officer who played a pivotal role in helping Phish frontman Trey Anastasio find sobriety back in 2006. Nearly two decades later, both Melanie and Trey are sober and have joined forces to create something extraordinary - The Divided Sky Foundation in Ludlow, Vermont.Together, they’ve built a recovery program that blends the 12 Steps, emotional sobriety, and Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (M.O.R.E.) into a truly holistic healing experience. Through immersive workshops, music-centered therapy, nature walks, and mindfulness practices, Divided Sky offers a unique space for transformation — one rooted in connection, creativity, and community.Melanie shares her personal journey to sobriety, to getting involved with Drug Court programs, and why she feels so passionate about helping women find treatment.Recently, the Divided Sky Foundation announced the launch of a Women’s Scholarship Fund, created to address the unique barriers women face when seeking treatment for addiction. The Fund provides financial support so that women — regardless of income — can access a dignified and empowering path to recovery. With the assistance of women's rights attorney, Tamara Holder, Melanie and Trey continue to expand their mission of offering hope, healing, and opportunity to all who seek recovery.This episode is a testament to the power of second chances, the strength of community, and the beautiful harmony that can emerge when recovery meets purpose.Check out the website for Divided SkyDM me on InstagramMessage me on FacebookListen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTokEmail me chasingheroine@gmail.comSee you next week!
In this powerful first part of Keta Loren’s story, we meet a woman whose voice was forged in the fire of unimaginable hardship. Raised in foster care after chaos with her biological parents, Keta’s adolescence was marked by instability, incarceration, and survival. By 18, she was caught in the grips of meth addiction, hustling to survive while clinging to the one constant in her life—music.From juvenile institutions to the California Youth Authority, and later being trafficked to Los Angeles for sex work, Keta never let go of her dream to sing. Her resilience and raw talent carried her through darkness most never escape. Now sober for several years, Keta shares the truth behind her journey and the moments that led her to the edge of transformation.Part One ends with Keta in LA, standing at the crossroads between destruction and redemption—just before everything changes.Connect with Keta on InstagramDM me on InstagramMessage me on FacebookListen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTokEmail me chasingheroine@gmail.comSee you next week!
Straton’s story is one of grit, chaos, and ultimate redemption. After dropping out of high school in North Carolina, he headed west to Oregon in search of opportunity, finding himself in the marijuana industry. But what started as chasing a lifestyle spiraled into a devastating heroin addiction. At his lowest, Straton chose to live in a tent on the sidewalk - steps away from the dope dealers - despite still owning a house of his own.Today, sober since 2021, Straton has rebuilt his life from the ground up. He’s thriving as a successful car salesman, grounded in the principles of a twelve-step program, and living proof that recovery is possible no matter how far down the scale you’ve gone.In this episode, Straton shares his raw journey through addiction, the mindset that kept him trapped, and the tools he uses daily to stay connected, accountable, and free.DM me on InstagramMessage me on FacebookListen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTokEmail me chasingheroine@gmail.comSee you next week!
In part two of Harold’s story, we pick up in 1998 as he enters sobriety after decades of drinking and crack addiction. His journey through early recovery is anything but simple - Harold finds himself selling crack while sober, and later endures a bizarre tragedy that changes his life forever. Along the way, he receives an incredible gift from a fellow twelve stepper that reshapes the course of his recovery. Harold’s honesty, wisdom, and depth of experience continue to shine as he shares the lessons that have carried him through more than two decades of sobriety.DM me on InstagramMessage me on FacebookListen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTokEmail me chasingheroine@gmail.comSee you next week!
In this first part of a two-part conversation, we sit down with Harold, a beloved figure in the local recovery community who has been sober since 1998. Harold shares the powerful story of how decades of drinking and crack addiction derailed his promising football career and countless other athletic opportunities, and how the devastation of addiction ultimately brought him to the rooms of recovery. With over two decades of sobriety, Harold has become a walking encyclopedia of Twelve Step wisdom and recovery principles, offering insight, honesty, and hope to everyone he meets. This episode dives into his early life, his struggles, and the path that led him to embrace recovery and begin a journey of transformation.Our episode today ends just before Harold gets sober in 1998.DM me on InstagramMessage me on FacebookListen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTokEmail me chasingheroine@gmail.comSee you next week!
Eric’s journey begins in a small town in Ohio, where he was raised in a strict, religious fundamentalist household. The shift from being homeschooled to suddenly navigating public high school was jarring, and Eric turned to drinking and smoking weed as a way to cope. What started as a teenage escape grew into a cycle of destructive relationships and escalating substance use - Percocets, then heroin.Over the years, Eric’s addiction drove him into schemes to hustle money, from petty hustles to full-blown counterfeiting operations. His criminal activity eventually caught the attention of federal authorities, leading to ten felony charges and even a visit from the Secret Service.But Eric’s story didn’t end there. Clean since 2014, he has become a beacon of hope - showing that it’s possible to find deep spirituality without traditional faith. Today, he owns Sacred Journey Recovery, a men’s treatment center in Vista, California, dedicated to an experiential approach to healing with a strong focus on trauma therapy.In this episode, Eric opens up about the chaos and consequences of his addiction, the unraveling of his life under the weight of heroin and crime, and—most importantly—the path he found to rebuild everything. His story is raw, unfiltered, and a powerful reminder that no matter how deep the hole, recovery and redemption are possible.Check out Sacred Journey RecoveryDM me on InstagramMessage me on FacebookListen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTokEmail me chasingheroine@gmail.comSee you next week!
From the depths of Skid Row to the heights of entrepreneurial success, Khalil Rafati’s story is one of the most jaw-dropping transformations you’ll ever hear. Once a homeless heroin addict, Khalil hit rock bottom before rebuilding his life piece by piece. In this episode, he opens up about the brutal reality of addiction, the turning point that sparked his recovery, and how he went on to create SunLife Organics—a superfood empire with wildly popular health bowls and smoothie shops that have become cultural staples.Khalil doesn’t sugarcoat his past, and he doesn’t pretend his success was easy. He shares how self-reliance, recovery, and an unwavering belief in possibility allowed him to build a life beyond his wildest imagination. Whether you’re struggling to find hope, or simply looking for inspiration to start over, Khalil’s journey proves that no matter how far you’ve fallen, a comeback is always possible.Connect with Khalil on InstagramDM me on InstagramMessage me on FacebookListen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTokEmail me chasingheroine@gmail.comSee you next week!
This week, we sit down with ESPN reporter and former Rutgers gymnast Lauren Sisler, whose story is as heartbreaking as it is inspiring. In 2003, Lauren lost both of her parents within hours of each other to fatal fentanyl overdoses—a devastating truth she was too ashamed to share at the time. For years, she told friends and teammates that her parents had died of heart failure and respiratory issues, hiding from the stigma of addiction. It wasn’t until seven years later that Lauren began to face the truth, and a full decade before she opened their toxicology reports.In this powerful conversation, Lauren shares how she found the courage to peel back the layers of shame and grief and embrace what she now calls the “Shatterproof Mindset.” She opens up about the path to forgiveness, the resilience born from tragedy, and how learning to fall in love with her own story has allowed her to honor her parents’ memory while helping others find healing in theirs.If you’ve ever struggled with grief, shame, or the fear of telling your truth, this episode will show you that even the most shattered stories can become unbreakable.Connect with Lauren on InstagramDM me on InstagramMessage me on FacebookWorkout with me on PatreonConnect with me on TikTokEmail me chasingheroine@gmail.comSee you next week!
Note from Jeannine: I am so excited for you all to meet another one of my #SGGC girlfriends, Britt! Britt absolutely blew me away with her poise, eloquence and knowledge around recovery and her journey into autism awareness. I love her and I know you will too!This week, we sit down with my friend and fellow Sober Girl Group Chat member, Britt Bernard, to hear her powerful story of transformation. Raised in Philadelphia by a police officer father, Britt’s early experimentation with cough medicine spiraled into years of heavy drinking and party drugs—she even managed to get herself banned from the Eagles’ stadium, “The Linc.” With her dad’s badge often shielding her from consequences, the chaos continued until an abusive relationship became the breaking point that pushed Britt to make a change.Sober since 2018, Britt has built a beautiful life alongside her sober partner, Dan, raising their son, Billy. When Billy was diagnosed with autism, Britt leaned into advocacy with the same openness she brings to her recovery—using her voice and her platform to share vulnerable truths, offer advice, and break down stigma for other moms walking a similar path.Britt’s story is one of grit, resilience, and love, and this episode is a reminder that recovery doesn’t just change our lives—it can ripple out and change the lives of everyone around us.Connect with Britt on InstagramJoin the Facebook Private Sober Girl Group ChatDM me on InstagramMessage me on FacebookWorkout with me and get access to private content on PatreonConnect with me on TikTokEmail me chasingheroine@gmail.com
In this raw and unforgettable episode, we sit down with Renzo, a man whose story takes us from the halls of an Ecuadorian naval academy to the darkest corners of addiction — and finally, to redemption and love. Sent away as a teen in hopes of “straightening out,” he returned with more of taste for alcohol than ever. By 21, he was smoking meth. A move to the East Coast meant a fresh start… until heroin took over. His desperation ran so deep he once faked appendicitis — and had a perfectly healthy organ removed — just to score pain meds.After countless relapses, he finally got sober in his forties. The same day we recorded this episode, Renzo proposed to his girlfriend and they are now engaged — a full-circle moment for someone who never thought love or freedom was possible. Now, he works in treatment and shares his story to prove that no matter how far gone you feel, it’s never too late to come back.This one’s wild, honest, and packed with hope. You don’t want to miss it.Can't wait to hear what you guys think!DM me on InstagramMessage me on FacebookListen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTokEmail me chasingheroine@gmail.comSee you next week!
At just 24 years old, Ashley’s life changed in an instant. After years of struggling with meth addiction and surviving the brutal realities of sex work at just 17l, a tragic accident left her a quadriplegic. But rather than giving up, Ashley found the strength to do the unimaginable—she got sober. In this raw and deeply inspiring conversation, Ashley shares how she rebuilt her life from rock bottom, found freedom in sobriety, and now lives independently with a heart full of gratitude—even for the accident that changed everything. This is a story of unimaginable pain, unshakable courage, and the kind of healing that can only come from within.Can't wait to hear what you guys think about this episode!DM me on InstagramMessage me on FacebookListen AD FREE & workout with me on Patreon Connect with me on TikTokEmail me chasingheroine@gmail.comSee you next week!
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