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Welcome to the Hopeaholics Podcast, where we tackle addiction and mental illness through sharing real life experiences, honesty and hope! Hosted by Chad Carlsen, who knows firsthand the destruction that these issues can cause, we're here to offer listeners a much-needed source of inspiration and understanding that will carry them through tough times. Through powerful, honest, and unfiltered interviews, The Hopeaholics provides a beacon of hope for listeners facing similar issues, banishing stigma in the process. If you're looking for an authentic podcast that'll motivate you to overcome hard times and live well, look no further. To get help for yourself or someone you love, call 949-989-6550
270 Episodes
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Being a Hope Dealer w/Christin Day | The Hopeaholics Podcast In this episode of the Hopeaholics Podcast, Christin Day shares a raw and emotional account of her journey through addiction, trauma, and recovery. She opens up about becoming a teen mom, experiencing multiple pregnancies and losses, and entering into an early marriage that quickly unraveled amid infidelity and violence. Her story follows a spiral into meth use, arrests, and jail time even while pregnant, leading to the painful dec...
Awakening The Warrior with J.R. Hutter | The Hopeaholics Podcast In this episode, J.R. Hutter shares his raw and transformative life story, opening up about his upbringing, his father’s struggles with alcoholism, and how his own battles with PTSD, bipolar disorder, and addiction spiraled after serving in Iraq. He recounts years of heavy drinking, cocaine use, and the chaos of life as a DJ in South Florida, describing the cycle of self-destruction that left him suicidal, ashamed, and on the v...
Staying Sober Strong with Chris Cohen | The Hopeaholics Podcast In this episode of The Hopeaholics Podcast, the hosts welcome Chris Cohen, founder of Sober Strong, a sobriety-inspired apparel brand that’s more than just clothing—it’s a movement. Chris shares his powerful story of addiction, hitting rock bottom, and the life-changing car accident that led to major back surgery and ultimately a new perspective on life. He opens up about the struggles of early recovery, battling depressio...
Barbell Saves Project with David Perez & Robert Best | The Hopeaholics Podcast In this inspiring episode of the Hopeaholics Podcast, Robert Best and David Perez share their powerful journeys through addiction and recovery, and how those experiences fueled their mission to create the Barbell Saves Project—a nonprofit fitness-based recovery community that’s changing lives. What started as free community workouts in a small CrossFit gym has grown into a 7,000 sq ft facility where peop...
Recovering Through Stem Cells w/ Mike O'Hearn & John Merola | The Hopeaholics Podcast In this episode of the Hopeaholics Podcast, Mike O’Hearn and John Merola join the hosts to share powerful stories of resilience, discipline, and recovery, offering a rare look into the mindset it takes to overcome life’s greatest challenges. From the opening minutes, John reflects on his early struggles with addiction and recovery, while Mike talks about the discipline of bodybuilding, longevity in fitn...
BECOMING A MONSTER TO FACE LIFE w/ Michael "Multifaceted Monster"| The Hopeaholics Podcast In this episode of the Hopeaholics Podcast, we sit down with Michael, also known as Multifaceted Monster, to hear his raw and powerful journey through addiction, heartbreak, and redemption. Michael opens up about his struggles with alcoholism, codependent relationships, and the chaos of blackout drinking that led to multiple 5150 holds, near-death moments, and broken relationships. He shares how losing...
"BLAMING GOD FOR MY ADDICTION": Vaughn Von Lewis | The Hopeaholics Podcast In this episode of the Hopeaholics Podcast, Vaughn Von Lewis opens up about his remarkable journey of survival, struggle, and transformation. His life was shaped by a childhood of abuse, abandonment, and the devastating loss of his mother when he was just 17 years old. He began using drugs as early as eight years old, which set him on a path of addiction that would follow him through his teens and into adulthood. Vaug...
Chasing Euphoria & Finding Faith with Kat Sorensen | The Hopeaholics Podcast In this compelling episode of The Hopeaholics Podcast, Kat Sorensen, a recovering alcoholic and rehab center owner, who shares her powerful journey of overcoming addiction and finding purpose through faith and service. Kat candidly recounts her childhood in Denver, marked by feelings of alienation and sensitivity, which led to her discovery of alcohol at 13, sparking a 20-year struggle as she chased the initial ...
Wendy Grijalva: How Victim Shaming Changed Everything | The Hopeaholics Podcast Wendy Grijalva delivers a raw and inspiring exploration of her journey through addiction, trauma, and recovery. Wendy, celebrated for her impactful presence at a "Recover Out Loud" event, shares her story with vulnerability, detailing a childhood marked by feeling like the "black sheep" in a stable middle-class family, early physical development at age 9 that led to harassment, and a traumatic incident at 11 wher...
Wade Muhlhauser: Plugged INTO Recovery | The Hopeaholics Podcast In this gripping episode of The Hopeaholics Podcast, the CEO of Plugged In Recovery, Wade Muhlhauser, shares his remarkable journey from homelessness and a 20-year struggle with opioid addiction to founding a network of 14 sober living homes and a treatment center in Arizona. Wade candidly discusses his chaotic childhood in foster care, shaped by his father’s meth addiction, and his own spiral into alcoholism and OxyContin depe...
Phil "Wildcard" Andrade: Spitting Truth After Rock Bottom | The Hopeaholics Podcast #264 Phil Andrade, known as Wildcard, for a raw and inspiring conversation about his journey from addiction to artistic triumph! A rapper and filmmaker with a 20-year career, Phil shares how his love for music was ignited by influences like Oingo Boingo, Black Sabbath, and Guns N’ Roses, shaped by his creative upbringing and his grandfather’s encouragement to write poetry and stories. From his turbulent teen...
Adam Larkin: Taking the Sober Risk | The Hopeaholics Podcast In this inspiring episode of The Hopeaholics Podcast, hosts Natalie and Chad welcome back Adam Larkin, a recovering addict turned entrepreneur, who shares his transformative journey from a 17-year struggle with opioid and benzodiazepine addiction to building a thriving life of sobriety and purpose. Adam details his pivotal "God thing" moment in Kentucky, where he discarded drugs and committed to recovery, leading to detox, sober li...
Richard Macias: The Warpath to Redemption | The Hopeaholics Podcast Growing up in San Bernardino County, Richard was exposed to alcohol as early as five years old, leading to years of substance abuse, run-ins with the law, and a lifestyle that strained his marriage and family. His breaking point came the day he returned home to find his wife and children gone—a moment that drove him to his knees in desperate prayer and sparked his complete surrender to sobriety. From there, he channeled his ...
Gabe Cohen: Creating a Legacy Through Lived Experience | The Hopeaholics Podcast Gabe, a former convict turned recovery warrior whose unrelenting passion to save lives has transformed communities and inspired his powerful book, a guide for building recovery organizations from the ground up. Starting with no experience, no money, and no building, Gabe’s journey from addiction’s grip to founding a thriving nonprofit in Colorado is a testament to resilience, faith, and the belief that helping j...
Kristen Domke: Military Mental Health is Broken | The Hopeaholics Podcast In this deeply emotional and brutally honest episode of the Hopeaholics Podcast, we sit down with Kristen Domke—an Air Force veteran, personal trainer, and survivor—whose life story is nothing short of extraordinary. Kristen opens up about the emotional toll of serving in the military, including multiple deployments, witnessing unimaginable trauma, surviving military sexual assault, and battling intense mental he...
Michael Henderson: Cultivating The Wolfpak Mentality | The Hopeaholics Podcast Dive into the awe-inspiring journey of Michael Henderson, a true titan of resilience who turned life’s darkest moments into a blazing legacy. Once a powerhouse automotive executive commanding ten collision centers and millions in revenue, Michael faced a seismic stage three testicular cancer diagnosis that shook his world. Undaunted, he battled excruciating pain, grueling five-hour daily chemo sessions, and a life...
Paul Hutchinson: How Do We END Child Trafficking? | The Hopeaholics Podcast Paul Hutchinson, a former real estate tycoon turned global anti-child trafficking advocate whose courageous journey inspired the hit film Sound of Freedom. Once a billionaire managing over $20 billion in assets with a lavish lifestyle marked by ego, greed, and addiction, Paul’s life took a dramatic turn when he was recruited to fund and lead a historic child rescue mission in Colombia, saving 124 children in a single...
Dr. Sayeh Beheshti: Unveiling the Conscious Feminine | The Hopeaholics Podcast Sit down with Dr. Sayeh Beheshti, a psychiatrist whose extraordinary path from Silicon Valley software engineer to mental health advocate will inspire and uplift. Born in Iran, she immigrated to the U.S. at 16 after the Iranian Revolution and war closed universities, forcing her family to seek educational opportunities abroad. Facing cultural shock and emotional struggles, she leaned on her family’s resilience, la...
Patrick Belliveau & Ryan Burgio: Gambit's AI Tool to Fight Addiction | The Hopeaholics Podcast Dive into a powerful episode of The Hopeaholics Podcast with Pat and Ryan, the visionary founders of Gambit, a company revolutionizing conversational AI to tackle real-world challenges like addiction and mental health support. This episode explores their journey of building the world’s first AI tool designed to provide 24/7, non-judgmental guidance for those battling addiction, their loved ones...
Stephen "Riggy Marz" Melnick: The Medicine of Music | The Hopeaholics Podcast From a privileged upbringing in a musical, artsy family in Pasadena to a decades-long battle with addiction, Stephen shares his harrowing journey through heroin, meth, and fentanyl, surviving over 50 overdoses, including a devastating one on his son’s birthday that left him confronting the profound impact of his actions on his family. Now, at 38, with three months sober as of April 2025, Stephen opens up about the ...
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