The Journey with Mark Astor

What does it look like to build a thriving mental health training empire from a council estate with no money, no entrepreneurial family, and a dyslexia diagnosis that made school feel impossible? Dawn Evans, founder of Ajuda and a force in the UK mental health and wellness space, answers that question through a life story that is equal parts raw honesty and quiet determination. Her journey winds t...

Lisa Smith spent 12 years climbing the ranks of one of New York's most prestigious international law firms while quietly drowning in alcohol and cocaine addiction. A former corporate finance attorney turned recovery advocate and author, Lisa opens up about the moment she walked out of her apartment hallway convinced she was either having a heart attack or had finally overdosed - and how that...

What does addiction look like when it hides behind a successful career, a loving family, and a life that appears perfectly intact from the outside? Marci Hopkins spent years as a functioning alcoholic, navigating childhood trauma, sexual abuse, and the quiet devastation of mom wine culture while building an award-winning television career and raising a family. Her story challenges every assumption...

What happens when someone you love is physically present but emotionally absent, lost to a screen addiction that's rewiring their brain? Dr. Wanda Synstelien lived this reality for 20 years, watching her marriage slowly unravel as her husband's compulsive behavior escalated from office firings to secret affairs. As a professor with multiple advanced degrees, she thought she understood hu...

What would you do if you discovered that modern slavery affects nearly 50 million people worldwide, with the vast majority being exploited right here in America? Daniel Emr faced this exact question when he first learned about human trafficking, and his response changed everything. As the founder of worthwhile.org, Daniel has spent 14 years building comprehensive services for trafficking survivors...

What if everything you believe about your limitations is actually just outdated programming running in the background of your mind? Chris M King discovered this truth the hard way-after losing his job, apartment, and girlfriend all within 10 days, he made a decision that would change everything. Instead of scrambling for another paycheck, he chose to live out of his beaten-up sedan and build somet...

What if the thing you think you hate about your career is actually your greatest calling? Lesa Koski spent 25 years as an attorney before a cancer diagnosis at stage one completely shattered her understanding of control, purpose, and what it means to truly help others. She was white-knuckling her way through life, believing she could fix everything through sheer determination, until her body force...

What happens when the worst moment of your life becomes the catalyst for helping millions? Justin Schenck's story defies every expectation - from a 1.7 GPA kid voted least likely to succeed to hosting over 600 podcast episodes that have literally saved lives. Six months before launching his podcast, Justin lost his mother to a 20-year battle with opioid addiction that began when she was caugh...

A five-year-old boy disappears with his father to Canada under fake identities. Decades later, that same person becomes the interventionist celebrities call when their families are falling apart. Evan Jarschauer's story reads like fiction, but his approach to mental health interventions is grounded in hard-won expertise and genuine compassion. In this raw conversation, he reveals why waiting...

What drives someone to trade NBA championship tickets for cocaine? Brian Cuban, attorney and recovery advocate, shares the raw reality of his 20-year battle with addiction that nearly destroyed his legal career and family relationships. From doing cocaine in federal courthouses to showing up to hearings under the influence, Brian's story reveals how addiction doesn't discriminate based o...

What if the criminal justice system has been approaching rehabilitation completely backwards? Shannon Roy, a seasoned criminal defense attorney with over 15 years of experience, shares a powerful analogy that reframes how we think about mental health and substance abuse in criminal cases. She reveals that at least 80% of her cases involve underlying mental health or substance abuse issues, yet the...

What happens when a top pharma salesman with a 95% close rate loses everything to addiction and has to move back in with his parents at age 50? Jake Stahl's story isn't just about falling down-it's about the strategic comeback that led him to create Orchestrate, a revolutionary sales psychology platform. After collapsing at home during opioid withdrawal and spending five horrifying...

What happens when childhood trauma manifests as mysterious physical symptoms that doctors can't explain? Kayla Myers was pulled out of school for nearly two years with debilitating stomach aches and fatigue that left her barely able to walk. After hundreds of medical visits, one holistic doctor finally recommended something revolutionary: counseling. The moment she started voicing her trauma...

What happens when a law firm stops operating like chaos and starts running like a sophisticated business? Jessica Douglas, Chief Operating Officer at Mark Astor's mental health and addiction law firm, reveals the transformation that's helping hundreds of families navigate their most challenging moments. After working with over 100 law firms as a fractional COO, Jessica made the rare deci...

What would you do if you lost your law license for three years after becoming the victim of a financial crime? Blanca Perper faced this exact nightmare scenario, spending nearly a million dollars to prove her innocence and fight for her professional life. Instead of letting this devastating blow destroy her, she transformed those dark years into something extraordinary. As the daughter of the late...

How does someone go from selling drugs on the streets of Charlestown to becoming the person families call when everything falls apart? Jimmy Kane's transformation story will challenge everything you think you know about addiction, recovery, and second chances. Of the eleven men in his 1979 wedding party, only two are still alive-the rest lost to addiction and violence in a neighborhood where...

What would you do if your child looked perfectly healthy but was secretly hiding bags of vomit around the house? Dr. Laura Ellick, a licensed psychologist specializing in eating disorders and addiction, reveals the shocking reality that families face when mental health issues hide behind baggy clothes and false reassurances. She shares why the average recovery time for eating disorders is seven ye...

What if everything you thought you knew about psychosis was wrong? Kayla Fenty, a licensed clinical social worker and addiction specialist, breaks down the dangerous misconceptions surrounding mental health terms that get thrown around in crime stories and casual conversation. When someone acts impulsively or irrationally, they're often labeled as "psychotic" - but Kayla explains wh...

What happens when an attorney realizes the system he's working within is actually making people sicker? Michael Mackniak was watching the same individuals cycle through psychiatric units twice a month, trapped in a revolving door that seemed designed to fail them. His brutal honesty about the ethical dilemma facing every advocate-'Are we helping this person or are we just prolonging thei...

What happens when lawyers start relying on AI to do their thinking for them? Austin Bonderer has spent 25 years protecting intellectual property and has seen firsthand how artificial intelligence is changing the legal landscape in ways that should concern us all. As a patent attorney who's listed on over 390 issued US patents and worked inside the US Patent and Trademark Office, Austin brings...

What happens when someone you love disappears into addiction while you're still living in the same house? Becky Ogden thought she could save her marriage by loving her husband harder, giving him more understanding, and believing that connection was the cure for addiction. For over two decades, she watched the man she married slowly transform into someone she didn't recognize, finding hid...

What's the difference between being humble and being humiliated in recovery? Dr. Robert Sanchez, a certified intervention professional with 18 years of sobriety and over 31 years in behavioral healthcare, reveals the daily reality of maintaining long-term recovery that most people never see. After more than 20 treatment episodes across three decades, Robert discovered the profound truth that...

What would it be like to remember every single day of your life for the past 60 years? Frank Healy, one of only 20 people in the world with hyperthymesia, doesn't just remember every date since he was six years old-he remembers the weather, the day of the week, what he wore, and most importantly, how he felt. This rare neurological gift has shaped his entire career as a licensed professional...

What happens when you score 139 on the LSAT three times and everyone tells you law school isn't for you? Kristen Goss proves that hard work beats talent every single time. As the founder of KWG Family Law and Mediation Services, Kristen's journey from struggling test-taker to successful attorney challenges everything we think we know about academic achievement and professional success. H...

What would you do if gunfire erupted around you and your family was running for safety? Todd Blyleven faced that exact moment at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, and his split-second decision changed everything. Instead of running with his wife and family to safety, Todd kissed his wife goodbye and ran back into the chaos - not once, but dozens of times over eight grueling hours. His ac...