Mike Sciandra didn’t fall into gambling — he was brought up in it. He placed his first bet at 9 years old, growing up in a family marked by addiction, chaos, and incarceration. What felt normal as a kid turned into decades of hustling, secrecy, and living a double life through his 20's and 30's. Keno bars. Casino nights. Pull Tabs. Whatever he could find. Today, Mike hasn’t placed a bet since December 2020, and he now serves as the Executive Director of the Nebraska Council on Problem Gamblin...
Adam has his work cut out for him at his new job. Adam sits down with Janice Pierce, a financial planner who specializes in helping people rebuild their relationship with money — especially after chaos, addiction, and life transitions. Janice breaks down the behavioral side of finances: why we spend the way we do, how old habits follow us into recovery, and what it really takes to create a healthy plan that lasts. She also answers common questions about budgeting, debt, savings, and financial...
Adam settles in to another new place. In Part 2 of the conversation with Brian Hatch, he talks about how he continued to battle with his gambling addiction. Suffering from relapse, loss, and the chaos that followed him across state lines, Brian eventually found a path that allowed him to rebuild his life, his recovery, and his purpose. Brian shares how his story became a lifeline as he launched the first podcast of its kind, and why he feels a responsibility to speak up for people still suffe...
Adam does a live Cold Open with his Cousin Casie. Adam sits down with Brian Hatch, host of All In: The Addicted Gambler’s Podcast — one of the original voices in the gambling recovery space. In Part 1 of a 2-Part conversation, Brian opens up about his first experiences gambling in college, the early warning signs he didn't take seriously, and how the cycle of relapse and recovery defined much of his twenties. The Modern Meeting is supported by Evive! Evive meets you exactly where you ar...
Deanna grew up in a strict religious home, under the weight of a tough mother and a childhood that she spent in isolation in her room. Decades later, while raising her daughter with her husband, she experienced loss and she found gambling. She never set foot in a casino, yet she lost millions. All in truck stops, bars, and restaurants. What started as a distraction became destruction. Deanna began borrowing and eventually embezzling from her husband’s business. When he passed away suddenly, t...
Adam accepts the job at MGM National Harbor. Saul Malek’s gambling story is short in years — but deep in impact. What began as casual sports betting in college quickly turned into chaos. In less than two years, Saul was juggling debt, hiding lies, and chasing losses through every bailout and bookie he could find. But after hitting his breaking point after a year of GA meetings while still gambling, Saul found hope and with the help of his sponsor, he rebuilt his life from the ground up. Today...
Adam and TMM Field Correspondent Alex, discuss the recent allegations surrounding NBA players and coaches involved in gambling scandals. They explore the implications of legalized sports betting, the historical context of gambling in sports, and the impact of gambling addiction on athletes. They also touch on media coverage, the NBA's struggle to maintain integrity while profiting from gambling, and the need for greater awareness and regulation in the industry. The Modern Meeting is sup...
In Part 2, I pick up where I left off on October 4, 2020. After a couple wins and being "up" early, the night turned into the kind of long and quiet downfall that defined so much of my gambling. Most of the footage is silent. Just me, a slot machine, and the delusion that this night was going to be different. As I watched it back five years later, I tried to put words to what was happening inside my head during those stretches of silence — the hope, the denial, the self-talk that kept me chas...
On October 4 2020, during my last few weeks living in Las Vegas, I decided to record myself on what I planned to be my last night gambling. I wanted to capture what one of my typical nights in the casino really looked like. I filmed everything from start to finish — rambling to the camera about betting strategies, chasing losses, and dying a slow death at the Keno Slots. Five years later, in 2025, I’m watching the footage -- some of which I am seeing for the first time. Nothing is edited or ...
Adam is planning his exit strategy in Vegas. Jenn returns to discuss the differences between her first and second year in recovery as she's celebrating 2 years away from a bet. Adam and Jenn reflect on how their recovery has evolved, how to avoid "binge-recovery", and continuing to find balance in their lives. Adam recaps his time at the CCPG Conference in Hartford. The Modern Meeting is supported by Evive! Evive meets you exactly where you are. Download Evive today or visit www.g...
Adam and Noah land in Las Vegas. Adam sits down with Tana Russell, Deputy Director of the Evergreen Council on Problem Gambling in Washington State — one of the most forward-thinking organizations in the country when it comes to awareness, training, and prevention. Tana shares how she entered the world of problem gambling support and she breaks down Evergreen’s approach to training clinicians, collaborating with casinos, and creating community programs that actually make an impact. The Mode...
In this week’s episode, it's all things Ellie. Adam sits down with his Mom to do a deep dive into his own and their family's history with addiction and gambling. Ellie didn’t grow up surrounded by gambling — but when the casino doors opened in Connecticut in the early ’90s, things changed. Gambling ran in her family, even if she didn’t gamble much herself. It was in her blood. She saw the patterns, the pull, the danger — and she’s the first to admit that if it weren’t for Adam’s dad keeping h...
Robert G joined Gamblers Anonymous in 1993, buried under a million dollars in debt and determined to turn his life around. Over three decades later, he’s still showing up — not just for himself, but for others. But Robert’s story isn’t one of perfection. It’s a story about what happens when life catches you off guard, when honesty slips, and when you’re forced to start over even after years of recovery. The Modern Meeting is supported by Evive! Evive meets you exactly where you are. Dow...
Out of Breath heads back East. Representing a growing wave of young men being pulled into gambling at an alarming rate, Adam sits down with Jon. A recently graduated D-1 college athlete, Jon placed his first bets in high school. Betting sports through bookies, playing online blackjack during school, and checking the lines before and after soccer practice -- John was developing a problem. When COVID hit, stimulus checks and unemployment money gave him more ammo, and he lost it all within month...
The Casinos open back up and Adam has a rough weekend. Brian Ward is an International Gambling Recovery Specialist, IGCCB Board Approved Recovery Advisor, Certified Gambling Recovery Mentor, and SMART facilitator. He is also someone with lived experience. Growing up around gambling, it wasn’t until age 21 that a big win on Oregon’s VLTs set him on a dangerous path. What began as “easy money” became an escape from unresolved trauma and inner chaos. His rock bottom came when he stole to fund hi...
Adam and Eric are Out of Breath. Adam sits down with Abdullah Mahmood, the Administrative Coordinator of the gambling program at Maryhaven. Abdullah shares what inspired him to enter the field, how he moved from chemical dependency into gambling disorders, and why he takes pride in educating himself to connect with those he serves—even without lived experience of gambling. The conversation explores the changing landscape of gambling treatment, where funding comes from, and why more research a...
Adam starts playing online poker again. Gail F sits down with Adam to tell her story. A compulsive gambler in recovery who for nearly two decades, she truly lived a double life. Gail started gambling in her late 30s, chasing escape through online casinos that were legal in Canada long before the U.S. What began as a way to numb stress quickly grew into a secret addiction that consumed everything. When she finally came clean to her family at 56 years old, she had nothing but the wreckage of he...
The world shuts down and Adam shaves his head. Adam sits down with his cousin Matt to talk about a bond that’s been tested by time, addiction, and recovery. As kids, they only saw each other a few times a year — but when they both dropped out of college around the same time, their lives collided. For five wild years, gambling consumed everything: late night trips to the casino, sports bets they couldn’t afford, even running poker tournaments just to stay in the action. Eventually, Matt met hi...
Adam previews the beginning of the end with some clips from his past. With addiction and recovery in her family, Jodie Nealley had her own struggles with alcohol until her late 30's. She stopped drinking and had years sober when she developed a gambling problem at the age of 50. This led to a two-year spiral that cost her hundreds of thousands of dollars, her relationships, and eventually her freedom. From that rockiest of rock bottoms, she found recovery. Now 17 years from her last be...
Adam and Hillary drive cross country. Adam sits down with Odessa Dwarika, Chief Programs Officer for the Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Health. Drawing from more than 30 years in public health and seven years at MCGH, Odessa shares insights on why gambling often goes underfunded compared to drugs and alcohol, the overlooked links between gambling and domestic violence, and the role organizations like MCGH play in prevention and recovery. Together, they discuss what it will take — from in...