Bare Knuckle Recovery

What does addiction look like from a mother’s perspective? In this deeply personal and emotional episode, Zach sits down with his own mom, Melaine Dawson, to have an unfiltered, eye-opening conversation about his journey through addiction - from his earliest struggles with self-esteem to brushes with the law, and how it all impacted their family dynamic. For the first time, they confront hard trut...

What happens when the grip of addiction is stronger than even a mother’s love? In this episode, Hannah Till joins the Bare Knuckle Recovery team to share her raw and unfiltered story - from a seemingly ordinary childhood in Fort Wayne, to the spiral of substance use, abusive relationships, and the powerful, lingering shame that followed her through pregnancy and early motherhood.  Hannah opens up...

This episode of the Bare Knuckle Recovery Podcast features a powerful conversation with Brenda Gerber Vincent, the Chief Growth Officer at Greater Fort Wayne, Inc.  Brenda joins Tommy Streeter and Nate Moellering to pull back the curtain on what it means to lead a high-stakes professional career while maintaining long-term recovery. "It’s my struggles, not my successes, that have made me who...

In this meaningful episode, Zach Dawson and Bob Springer sit down with Becky Savage, a nurse, mother, and the founder of the 525 Foundation. Becky shares the heart-wrenching story of a single night in 2015 that changed her family forever: the loss of her two eldest sons, Nick and Jack, to accidental drug overdoses during graduation party season. Becky describes the harrowing morning she discovered...

In this episode of the Bare Knuckle Recovery Podcast, Zach Dawson and Bob Springer kick Nate and Tommy out of the studio to take over the mics to speak directly to the two groups of people who reach out to them the most: moms and significant others. Zach and Bob dive deep into the wreckage caused by active addiction, sharing vulnerable stories about the manipulation, lies, and fear they inflicted...

💚🎗 Join Tommy Streeter and Nate Moellering for this powerful episode as they sit down with special guests Zach Dawson from the Bare Knuckle Recovery team and Allendale Treatment , along with Jarred White, founder of FW22 , to discuss Mental Health Awareness Month and PTSD Awareness Month (recorded in June). 👀 Note: If you'd prefer to watch this episode, you can find it on YouTube by searchi...

In another powerful episode of the Bare Knuckle Recovery Podcast, hosts Tommy Streeter and Nate Moellering welcome special guest Warren Gumpel, a leading voice and educator on ketamine and psychedelic-assisted therapy. Warren shares his deeply personal journey, including his struggle with depression, anxiety, and substance use issues which eventually led him to a life-saving discovery: ketamine tr...

Episode 33 of the Bare Knuckle Recovery Podcast is one of our most powerful and practical yet. Hosts Tommy Streeter and Nate Moellering are joined again by Mike Sedjo for a raw, unfiltered conversation about relapse, recovery, and what it really takes to build a sustainable sober life. Too often, relapse is seen as the end of the road—but it doesn’t have to be. In this episode, we dive into: → Why...

In this powerful two-part episode of the Bare Knuckle Recovery podcast, co-founders Tommy Streeter and Nate Moellering sit down with Scott Valentic and Bob Springer to share their incredible journeys.  Scott, with a background in the military and as a narcotics detective, and Bob, who experienced life through incarceration and addiction, highlight their vastly different pasts that have surprisingl...

Is addiction tearing your family apart? In Episode 31 of Bare Knuckle Recovery, Tommy Streeter, Nate Moellering, and guests Bob Springer and Emma Rosebrock confront the agonizing challenges of loving someone through active addiction. This powerful two-part discussion unpacks the painful realities of lying and manipulation, revealing the science behind how addiction hijacks the brain and can change...

Scott Valentic joined the Army in 2002 and served time in Iraq. Following active duty, Scott became a police officer, and then ultimately a detective within the drug taskforce. On this episode of the Bare Knuckle Recovery Podcast, Scott shares his perspective on the trauma of working in those environments, how he turned to alcohol to numb that emotional pain, his denial about having a problem with...

Anton Talamantes, MMA Coach & Personal Trainer in the Fort Wayne area, sits down with Nate & Tommy to talk about the parallels between exercise and sobriety. Specifically, as a black belt in wrestling / MMA / grappling, Anton talks about the powers of mixed martial arts, especially in sobriety, and the wide range of spiritual, mental and physical benefits. https://www.bareknucklerecovery.c...

Jarred White, Marine Combat Veteran and Founder of FW22, is back on the show and he's talking in circles. - Jarred talks about being shaped like a circle and making positive life changes - He talks about the importance of the people you surround yourself with and keep in your circle - He shares how these relationships have come full-circle with Nate's involvement in FW22 and the partners...

You know how we often talk about the impacts that addiction can have on family members? Tommy's Aunt Michelle is here to talk about his time in active addiction, and she brought receipts. Watch here or on YouTube, or search your favorite Podcast platform for Bare Knuckle Recovery https://www.bareknucklerecovery.com/ Watch this episode and all past episodes here: https://www.bareknucklerecover...

Nate & Tommy sit down with Ciara and Emma to talk about the greatest lie ever told in recovery: 🤥 "For someone to get help with their addiction, they have to want it." 🤥 "It needs to be their idea, or else it won't work" The truth is - recovery is not for those who want it or those that need it. It's just for those who do it. These 4 people, all now living produ...

Tommy Streeter and Nate Moellering host returning guest, Bob Springer, to talk about reaching out for help when struggling with addiction. Drawing on their own experiences, the three discuss how addicts often don't necessarily know what they are asking for when they reach out for help, and how some who ask for help are not fully accepting of the help that is offered. When you don't fully...

Anthony Ponds faced capital murder charges at age 19.  Today, he is a featured speaker for Remedy Live's 'Get Schooled Tour' and board member at Inspiration Ministry. So how did he get to where he was at age 19? And then how did he get to where he is now, speaking inspiration and knowledge into the kids within our community? Hear Anthony's incredible powerful story, hosted by T...

Ciara grew up in a pretty violent household as a child. By 11-years-old, on a search to find something in her life that she could control, Ciara had developed a serious eating disorder.  If we fast-forward the next parts of her story through the drug and alcohol abuse, more trauma, stints in jail, stints in various treatment facilities, and time on probation, Ciara now lives a full and productive...

As an addict, you cause a lot of damage to your life and to the loved ones around you. When you get sober, mending those relationships and rebuilding trust isn't always easy. It's not just the stuff you stole - like money, clothes, jewelry, etc. It's the time, the joy, the peace... stuff that you can't pay back. Bob Springer is back in the studio with us, this time as an offici...

One of the most common questions we are asked, and maybe one of the most common excuses to avoid getting treatment, is centered around how to balance taking time off of work to seek treatment for addiction and/or mental health. Two of our Bare Knuckle Recovery team members join Tommy and Nate to share their thoughts and experiences from different perspectives. During the first half of this episode...

Mike Sedjo, one of the Bare Knuckle Recovery team members, sits down with Nate & Tommy to share his story of addiction and recovery. Mike, like a lot of families who are affected by addiction, thought that hard drugs and serious drug addiction was just something that you hear about in other areas of the country. "Certainly this doesn't happen in my small town or in my family..."...

In this difficult but important episode, we explore the often-unseen impact of substance abuse – the toll it takes on families who lose loved ones to addiction.  Nate & Tommy are joined by two special guests, Theresa Juillerat and Alice Jordan, who have both experienced the devastating loss of a child to substance abuse. They'll share their powerful stories of grief, resilience, and the c...

ttps://www.bareknucklerecovery.com/ episode-18-drug-court / Tommy and Nate welcome BKR team member, Zach, back to the show along with longtime friend of the show, Dick Boggess. Now working together in the community to help those battling addiction, Zach & Dick's history together started inside of drug court under very different circumstances. Remember, you can watch all of our episodes on...

( Watch this episode here: https://www.bareknucklerecovery.com/ episode-17-felonies-to-recovery / ) Bob Springer from 'Felonies to Recovery' joined Nate and Tommy of Bare Knuckle Recovery to tell his very personal story of addiction. Bob's struggle with drug use began at an early age and led him to crime and imprisonment on several occasions. He shares how he finally overcame the li...

Cody Knuckles and John Humphries make up the duo, Cody & John Speak. Both living in recovery, Cody & John lean on their firsthand experiences to speak to young people at schools about the true dangers of drug and alcohol abuse, to encourage them to understand that they have purpose, and to help them understand the power of their choices and decisions. Cody and John joined Nate and Tommy to...