CROSSTALK PODCASTS

This episode of the Crosstalk Podcast features a raw, unforgettable conversation about growing up in Compton, surviving street violence, and finding freedom from addiction through faith and personal transformation. Alex Johnson shares his early life experiences in gang heavy neighborhoods, exposure to trauma at a young age, and how normalized violence shaped his worldview while growing up in South...

In this deeply human episode of CrossTalk Podcast, we sit down with Mike to explore a lifetime shaped by addiction, recovery, service, and conscious choice. Mike opens up about a tragic accident that altered his life forever and the hard-earned wisdom that followed. From early struggles with alcoholism to finding stability through sobriety and the 12-step program, this conversation is a raw reflec...

In this powerful episode of Crosstalk Podcast, we sit down with Mike, a longtime member of the recovery community whose life story spans early exposure to substances, generational sobriety, devastating trauma, and ultimately, long-term recovery. Growing up around Alcoholics Anonymous through his father’s sobriety, Mike’s relationship with alcohol and drugs began young and escalated quickly fueled...

In this thought-provoking episode of Crosstalk Podcasts, we welcome Dr. Jeff from PCH (Psychological Care and Healing) for a deep dive into the flaws of our current mental health system. Challenging the very foundation of psychiatric diagnosis, Dr. argues that the DSM manual often creates more problems than it solves, turning adaptive survival responses into lifelong "disorders." He reveals how th...

In this powerful episode of Cross Talk Podcast, we sit down with Jenna to explore the profound impact of growing up with a mother struggling with alcoholism. From the age of six, Jenna learned to disconnect from her body and her feelings, a coping mechanism that later manifested in disordered eating and complex relationships. She opens up about her journey of reclaiming those lost emotions, the st...

In Part 2 of our extraordinary conversation with music icon Dion and his protégé Adam, we dive deeper into the wisdom gathered from 57 years of sobriety and a legendary life in rock & roll. They discuss their new book, “The Rock & Roll Philosopher,” a collection of stories that blend music history with profound life lessons—from dealing with lawsuits and managers to finding spiritual freed...

In an unprecedented episode, we sit down with music legend Dion (of “The Wanderer” and “Runaround Sue” fame) and his spiritual protégé, Adam. Dion opens up with staggering humility about getting sober on April 1st, 1968—57 years ago—after his father-in-law took him to a meeting and told him, “A sick mind can’t cure a sick mind.” Adam shares his harrowing entry into recovery, including a profound s...

Kiefer, a director at Clear Behavioral Health, joins us for a raw and hopeful episode. With a seemingly ideal suburban upbringing, he traces his path from a 3.9 GPA high school student to a college dropout with a 0.9, all while his addiction to alcohol, benzos, and cocaine progressed from age 14. He shares the terrifying reality of his blackouts, the family interventions he missed, and the moment...

In this powerful second part of our conversation with trauma therapist Laura Sorte, we dive into the brutal reality of her active addiction. Laura recounts the dangerous "disguises" of being a "wine connoisseur," the horrifying blackouts that led to her being found unconscious on NYC streets and strapped to a hospital bed, and the family intervention that was called off when they collectively deci...

Laura Sorte, a therapist and expert in recovery, joins us for a profound and vulnerable conversation. She takes a retrospective look at her seemingly happy childhood to uncover the subtle moments of heartbreak and unmet emotional needs that contributed to her journey with substance use. Laura discusses the impact of learning disabilities, growing up as a twin under constant comparison, and how the...

Dr. Jeffrey Katzman, Director of the Academy for Research and Education at Silver Hill Hospital, joins Cross Talk to discuss one of the most pressing yet stigmatized issues of our time: the loneliness epidemic. He reveals startling data, including that loneliness is as deadly as smoking 14 cigarettes a day and contributes to a death every three minutes. Dr. Katzman explains how this crisis is deep...

Wendy, a licensed therapist, international speaker, and author, shares her profound 28-year recovery journey that began with a desperate look in the Yellow Pages. She recounts her early life as "Wild Wendy," her codependent family dynamic, and a marriage based on the wrong values. Wendy opens up about the moment her drinking became undeniable in front of her children and the immediate surrender th...

Kenny Lansing shares his journey from a successful Wall Street career to a devastating addiction that required five separate rehab attempts. He describes his early days as the "mayor" of the party, the car crash that failed to be a wake-up call, and how losing his job unleashed a two-month spiral that shocked his family. Kenny details the cycle of failed treatments, the lies that piled up, and his...

April shares her powerful and raw journey into recovery, which began at 61 years old after a successful career and a life that looked put-together from the outside. She opens up about the insidious nature of her "high-functioning" addiction, describing it as a disease that constantly told her she didn't have one. April details the devastating consequences, including damaging her relationship with...

In this powerful episode of the Cross Talk Podcast, we sit down with Richard and John, two men with profound recovery journeys. Richard shares his harrowing path from smoking pot at 12 and shooting heroin as a teenager to finding a moment of clarity that led to 43.5 years of continuous sobriety. He opens up about the "gift of desperation," losing nine of his thirteen childhood friends, and how he...

Sean, a successful artist manager from a bicultural and entrepreneurial family, seemed to have it all together. With an MBA and a thriving career in the music industry, he was the picture of a high-achiever. But beneath the surface was a 20-year struggle with addiction, using substances from ecstasy to ketamine as "performance enhancers" to manage crippling anxiety and fit in. He details how his h...

Jesse Money, daughter of rock icon Eddie Money, opens up about the immense pressure of growing up in the shadow of a legend and how that environment fueled a deep struggle with addiction. She shares the raw reality of touring life, the identity crisis of being "Eddie Money's daughter," and how she used alcohol and drugs to embody a rock star persona she thought she needed to be. The conversation d...

Mike's life looked successful from the outside—a high-paying job, a family, and a profitable business branch he single-handedly turned around. But beneath the surface was a crippling alcohol addiction that led to a DUI, a lost license, and an employee who acted as his chauffeur. The turning point came in 1978 when his boss delivered a shocking ultimatum: check into rehab in three days or be fired....

Veteran counselor Faust Ruggiero, with over four decades of experience, joins Crosstalk Podcast to dismantle the myths of addiction recovery. He explains why simply removing the substance is just the first step, and why the real work begins with confronting the "undercurrents"—the personality traits and unresolved traumas that fuel addiction. Faust provides a raw look at the challenges of early re...

Duran was living the rock star dream. Signed to a label by his early 20s after a youth spent touring in bands, he was on a fast track to success. But when the music stopped, the party didn't. What began as straight-edge pride crumbled into a chaotic addiction to alcohol, pills, and psychedelics, fueled by the high-stakes environment of the music industry and a toxic relationship in the Las Vegas d...

Doug Tieman had achieved the American dream: from a humble pig farm in rural Missouri to the President and CEO of Caron Treatment Centers, one of the most renowned rehab facilities in the world. From the outside, he was a successful executive, a dedicated family man, and a pillar of his community. But behind this perfect picture, Doug was living a double life, trapped in a cycle of alcoholism and...

Billy G. grew up in a classic Irish family in 1980s South Florida, where he and his siblings were drawn into a high-stakes world of drug smuggling. By his teens, he was running surveillance for a multi-boat operation moving thousands of pounds of marijuana and hashish from Colombia into the state. Living a double life with Porsches and boats, he was a high-functioning criminal until his addiction...

Tanner Strickland's life was on a celebrated path: a star football recruit for the University of Georgia by age 16, a talented musician, and a young man from a tight-knit South Georgia community. But beneath the surface of this all-American success story, a struggle with addiction was brewing, starting with a prescription for Percocet at 14. Tanner opens up about how the pressure to maintain an im...

Mark's life looked good on the outside—a privileged upbringing, a supportive family, and a fit physique. But beneath that pretty picture was a war ship on a path of destruction, fueled by a secret triple threat: a raging eating disorder, severe non-compliance with his Type 1 diabetes, and a deep addiction to drugs and alcohol. From discovering a dangerous weight-loss method as a teen to navigating...

Louis Essig grew up in an idyllic "white picket fence" community in Columbus, Ohio, with a loving family and every opportunity. He was a D.A.R.E. kid who believed drugs would immediately ruin his life. But a desire to fit in led him to try alcohol and marijuana in high school, and he discovered the "missing piece" that made him feel cool and accepted. What started as weekend partying quickly escal...