The Recovery Expert Who Danced In R. Kelly's Video: 'What If I'd Been Near Him?' | Ep 294 with Amanda Marino Founder of Next Level Recovery Associates
Description
Amanda Marino shares her journey from child runway model and hip hop music video dancer to addiction, recovery, and ultimately founding Next Level Recovery Associates, a global concierge recovery service helping individuals and families navigate addiction, mental health, and trauma with privacy and care.
Key Discussion Points
Amanda Marino reflects on the contrast between early fame in the entertainment industry and the darker realities that followed, including sexualization, childhood trauma, and substance abuse. She shares how becoming a mother forced her to confront addiction, sobriety, and the identity shift that came with recovery, grief, and physical changes. The conversation explores her transition from performer to recovery professional, including her work on Intervention and why authenticity and boundaries matter when helping people in crisis. Amanda also explains how COVID accelerated both mental health challenges globally and the growth of Next Level Recovery Associates, built on customized, private, and service-driven care.
Takeaways
Amanda’s story shows that recovery is not a straight line and success without healing is unsustainable. True resilience comes from sitting with pain rather than bypassing it. Entrepreneurship, especially in service-based businesses, thrives when it solves a real and urgent need rather than a personal desire. Healing personal trauma can unlock the ability to help others at scale, and legacy is built not through fame but through integrity, presence, and impact on family and community.
Closing Thoughts
This episode is a reminder that transformation doesn’t erase the past. It integrates it. Amanda Marino’s journey proves that when healing becomes the mission, business success can follow in ways that are deeper, more meaningful, and far more enduring than fame alone.
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