CROSSTALK PODCASTS

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...

Adam's story begins with the universal feeling of not quite fitting in. Growing up with a significant age gap between his siblings, he felt he had "big shoes to fill" and struggled with deep-seated insecurity and anger. He found a temporary solution in substances—first marijuana at 14, then alcohol and benzos—which quieted the negative voices in his head and gave him a sense of identity and belong...

Ben opens up about a childhood marked by love that shifted to neglect when his brother’s illness pulled his family’s attention away. Seeking belonging, he fell into drugs, dropped out of school, and bounced between toxic relationships and chaotic environments. From living in tents to facing court orders and violent partners, his life was ruled by addiction and instability. But everything began to...

In this powerful episode of CrossTalk Podcast, Correy sits down with Eddie, a fellow attorney whose life spiraled into addiction despite his successful career. Eddie opens up about his reliance on Xanax, the devastating impact of bariatric surgery on his substance use, and the night his 8-year-old son found him unconscious. From the ER to rehab, Eddie shares his raw journey through denial, rock bo...

Teresa lived a double life: a successful Wall Street professional by day, a blackout drinker by night. For 30 years , she maintained the illusion of control—until her addiction cost her marriages, dignity, and nearly her life. In this raw episode, Teresa reveals: The hidden signs of her "high-functioning" alcoholism (even her family didn’t know). Why she kept cheating on every partner and how alco...

Natalie grew up in an affluent Manhattan family with sober parents, but alcoholism "galloped" through her genes. By 12, her first drink sparked an obsession that led to blackouts, Adderall addiction, and a downward spiral, peeing in pots to avoid her roommate and boarding up windows to hide from daylight. In this raw episode of Cross Talk Podcast , Natalie reveals how hitting rock bottom in a Boca...

Heidi’s life spiraled from a "normal" upbringing to stealing from her family, shooting heroin, and surviving homelessness under a bridge. After her father pressed charges, landing her in jail for a year, she hit rock bottom. Then, a miraculous phone call led her to sobriety. In this raw episode of Cross Talk Podcast , Heidi reveals how jail became her turning point, why wilderness bootcamp was wor...

Shai is a musician, creative thinker, and recovery advocate who has lived through the chaos of addiction and emerged with hard-earned wisdom. Raised in Pennsylvania with a unique blend of cultural influences, Shai struggled from a young age with anxiety, self-obsession, and emotional disconnection. His addiction led him to sacrifice his dreams, spiral into legal trouble, and face the darkest parts...

Growing up in a household clouded by addiction, Carrie sought structure and safety in competitive swimming. Her talent took her to the top of the world stage, winning gold at just 16. But underneath the accolades was deep insecurity, a longing to be seen, and emotional wounds that never fully healed. After missing her second Olympic team at 20, Carrie spiraled into alcohol use to numb the pain and...

Peter’s story is one of chaos, loss, and ultimately, redemption. From a childhood marked by trauma and addiction to years of homelessness and intravenous drug use, his life spiraled out of control until a series of devastating events forced him to confront his demons. In this raw and unfiltered conversation, Peter shares the pivotal moments that led him to recovery, the struggles of withdrawal, an...

Andrew Strauss, an Orthodox Jewish man born to Holocaust survivors, traces his alcoholism back to his bris ceremony at just eight days old. This raw confession reveals his double life - from getting expelled from yeshiva for talking to girls, to smuggling drugs across borders, multiple failed marriages, and losing his million-dollar home on a golf course. The story culminates in his 2007 suicide a...

Heidi’s life reads like a thriller: adopted into a troubled family, she took her first drink at 7, nearly died from alcohol at 12, and spent decades chasing "normal" while hiding addiction. From faking moderation as a suburban mom to losing her children after driving them drunk, this episode exposes the lies addicts tell themselves and the moment she hit a bottom so low, only divine intervention c...

Ernie’s journey through addiction and recovery spans decades, from his early days as a bright kid in Queens to his struggles with pills, alcohol, and the illusion of "cool." In this raw and revealing episode of Crosstalk, he shares how he hit multiple rock bottoms, switched addictions, and finally found lasting sobriety. His story is a testament to the power of honesty, community, and the hard wor...

Toni Dreyer grew up in chaos, the eldest of seven, surviving childhood molestation, abuse, and neglect. By her twenties, she was a mother of multiple children, homeless, addicted to crack, and caught in a cycle of trauma and survival. But Toni's story didn’t end there. After prison and years of addiction, a chance meeting with a mental health worker changed her life. Today, she’s a counselor helpi...

In this powerful episode of Cross Talk Podcast, we sit down with Michael Cardinale, a licensed clinical social worker whose journey from reckless college dropout to addiction counselor is as inspiring as it is raw. Growing up in a loud, loving Irish-Italian family, Michael never saw his drinking as a problem, until it nearly destroyed his life. Expelled from two colleges, confronted by a no-nonsen...

In this deeply moving episode of Cross Talk Podcast, we sit down with singer-songwriter Griffin House to explore the real, raw journey of addiction, identity, and recovery. Griffin opens up about growing up in an All-American town, the hidden struggles behind the scenes of success, and how alcohol quietly became his emotional support system. From near-death experiences to moments of clarity in AA...

They say children inherit their parents' struggles, but Lucky Church rewrote his destiny. What began as survival in Bronx crack houses - watching his mother shoot up behind the stove at 5, carrying buckets of his stepfather's overdose blood at 10 - nearly became his own story of addiction. In this visceral Cross Talk episode, Lucky exposes the generational cycle he broke through sheer will and a h...

They say children inherit their parents' struggles, but Lucky Church rewrote his destiny. What began as survival in Bronx crack houses - watching his mother shoot up behind the stove at 5, carrying buckets of his stepfather's overdose blood at 10 - nearly became his own story of addiction. In this visceral Cross Talk episode, Lucky exposes the generational cycle he broke through sheer will and a h...

From surviving the brutal streets of Kensington to being slowly pulled into a hidden prostitution ring, Alison Van Horn’s story takes an even deeper turn in Part 2 of this Crosstalk Podcast episode, recounting the devastating reality of addiction, exploitation, and the underground world she found herself trapped in. But it was getting arrested, not rescued, that finally gave her a way out. Alison...

Meet Alison Van Horn, a driven academic from suburban Philadelphia who grew up in a loving Catholic Italian household, but felt different from the start. Her journey began with stolen candy and cigarettes in grade school and spiraled into a full-blown heroin addiction by her twenties. In this episode, Alison opens up about her descent from a straight-A student with two master’s degrees to a secret...

Meet Jimmy—a man whose early life was scarred by abuse, alcoholism, and abandonment. His father, a traumatized WWII veteran, once told him, “I never loved you.” That moment, and many like it, shaped a young man who would spiral into addiction, bouncing from jails to detox centers, chasing relief and belonging. Jimmy’s story unfolds with raw vulnerability—from his chaotic childhood and dropping out...

Meet Big John—a former football star, loving husband, and father—who seemed to have it all but was silently losing a generational battle with alcohol. In this powerful episode, John shares his raw and honest journey from secret binges to spiritual breakthroughs. John grew up in a home where alcohol quietly haunted every corner. Despite early success in sports and business, his drinking spiraled—st...

Meet Christine — a high-functioning professional, mother of two, and by all external measures, a woman who "had it all." But beneath the surface, she was fighting a war with alcohol that nearly destroyed her family, her career, and her sense of self. Christine opens up about her long, spiraling relationship with alcohol: the hidden drinking, the emotional chaos at home, and the terrifying moments...

Meet Christine — a successful professional, loving mother, and the last person you'd expect to battle addiction. But behind the polished exterior was a woman drowning in alcohol, trauma, and guilt. This is the raw, powerful story of how she found the courage to get sober at 50. Christine grew up surrounded by alcohol, in a culture that normalized overindulgence and blamed victims for their trauma....

Meet Matt Butler—NYC-born singer-songwriter, former Universal-signed artist, and founder of the nonprofit Art That Serves . From music-fueled isolation and addiction to sharing songs in prisons across the country, Matt’s story is a powerful reminder of transformation through honesty, service, and purpose. Matt opens up about his early life in Manhattan, his struggle with abandonment issues, and ho...