Get a Grip Podcast

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast , Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Gage Bobo for an emotional and brutally honest conversation about growing up around addiction, a father spending years in prison, cocaine, Xanax, Percocet 30s, homelessness, crime, relapse, and ultimately finding a reason to change. Gage opens up about his childhood and what it was like having his dad spend six year...

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast , Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Zach Henry for an intense and deeply honest conversation about addiction, trauma, fentanyl, xylazine, family, and the devastating consequences of losing control. Zach grew up with alcoholic parents and was exposed to substance abuse and chaos at an early age. At just 14 years old, he was prescribed Xanax by a doctor...

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast , Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Ted Beauchaine for one of the most unbelievable addiction and recovery stories we've ever heard. Ted takes us back to a childhood spent moving around the country, attending nine different schools before reaching high school, and eventually discovering alcohol. His first experience with drinking quickly spiraled when...

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Nick Newman for an incredibly raw and personal conversation about addiction, IV drug use, sexuality, relapse, recovery, and the moment he finally stopped hiding who he was. Nick starts by taking us back to his childhood and high school years, eventually discovering his parents' stash of opiates. What began with party...

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Nick Newman for an incredible story that spans childhood addiction, the U.S. Army, combat deployments, prescription drugs, kratom, 7OH, and the long road toward recovery. Nick opens up about a childhood that quickly went off the rails. By third grade, he had already been suspended twice, and by the age of 10 he was s...

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig sits down with Tony Newton for a raw and honest conversation about childhood trauma, addiction, crime, relationships, and the journey from fentanyl and heroin addiction into recovery. Tony opens up about a difficult childhood, including being sexually assaulted and being exposed to drug use by his own parents. He also talks about having aspiration...

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig and Aaron Garne's sit down for a raw conversation about growing up around addiction, crack cocaine, prison, gambling, and finding a new way to live. Their guest shares how his life spiraled from cocaine and crack addiction into a criminal lifestyle that eventually led to 78 felony convictions and a seven-year prison sentence. He opens up about get...

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Briana Noda for a raw and deeply personal conversation about growing up around addiction, becoming a mother, fentanyl and heroin addiction, xylazine, incarceration, and finding a way into recovery. Briana opens up about her childhood and what it was like growing up with addiction in her family. She shares how both of...

In this heartbreaking and powerful episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Tina Lester for an incredibly honest conversation about addiction, prostitution, incarceration, recovery, and unimaginable loss. Tina's story takes us back to her childhood and the beginning of her addiction to crack cocaine. She opens up about using crack while pregnant with her son, event...

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig sits down with Victoria Lombardo for an incredibly raw and emotional conversation about childhood trauma, addiction, family dysfunction, abusive relationships, and finding a way forward after unimaginable loss. Victoria's story begins with a childhood surrounded by addiction and abuse. She opens up about growing up while her mother was involved in...

In this powerful and deeply personal episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Aaron Garnes turns the microphone around and interviews co-host Louis Essig about a chapter of his life he never expected to experience. After years of sobriety from heroin addiction, Louis thought he had put his darkest days behind him. Then he landed what he considered his dream job and was prescribed benzodiazepines (benzos). W...

In this episode of  Get a Grip Podcast , Louis Essig sits down with Catherine White for a raw and unfiltered conversation about meth addiction, life on the streets, crime, homelessness, and the difficult journey toward recovery. Catherine opens up about her childhood and the experiences that eventually led her toward substance use. When meth entered her life, things quickly began to change. She sh...

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Andrew Robbins for a raw conversation about growing up in crime, meth addiction, multiple prison sentences, and what it takes to finally break free from a life on the streets. Andrew's struggles began at an early age. By just 14 years old, he was sentenced to juvenile detention for aggravated robbery, setting him on...

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Army veteran Andrew Robbins for a heartbreaking conversation about military service, family loss, addiction, and finding hope through faith and recovery. Andrew's journey began with a childhood that led him to enlist in the U.S. Army, where he hoped to build a meaningful future. During his service, a parachuting acci...

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Kimberly Ferrizzi for an incredibly honest conversation about addiction, faith, betrayal, and finding lasting recovery after losing everything. Kimberly's story begins with what appeared to be a picture-perfect life. She married her grade-school sweetheart, who went on to become a minister, and together they built a...

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig sits down with Quan White for an unbelievable conversation about violence, addiction, incarceration, and finding purpose after surviving experiences that most people could never imagine. Quan;s story begins with unimaginable childhood trauma. At just a young age, he witnessed his mother shoot his father multiple times—an event that forever changed...

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig sits down with Kaylee Ferren for one of the most heartbreaking and inspiring stories ever shared on the show. From being born addicted to crack cocaine to surviving years of severe abuse, exploitation, addiction, and trafficking, Kaylee's journey is a testament to the strength of the human spirit. Kaylee and her twin brother entered the world alre...

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig sits down with Troy Sierer for a remarkable story of addiction, family, redemption, and long-term recovery. Troy's addiction began during his junior year of high school when he was introduced to Quaaludes, a drug that quickly took control of his life. What started as experimenting with pills soon spiraled into a pattern of reckless behavior, inclu...

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Chris Tudor for an incredible story of addiction, world travel, relapse, and the realization that no matter where you run, you can't outrun yourself. Chris' struggles began early with juvenile detention and behavioral issues that hinted at a lifetime of chasing the next escape. After spending time at a recovery cente...

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Rachid Yatkin for an unforgettable conversation about childhood trauma, incarceration, addiction, and the fight to rebuild a life after years of destructive choices. Rachid's story begins with a turbulent childhood marked by conflict at home. He opens up about his complicated relationship with his father, enduring ab...

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig sits down with Shawn Mims for a powerful conversation about childhood trauma, addiction, homelessness, and the journey toward lasting recovery. Shawn's story begins with a difficult childhood that set the stage for years of destructive choices. He shares how he started smoking cigarettes at just nine years old, long before he understood the conseq...

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig sits down with T.Y. Brooks for a raw and honest conversation about growing up in the streets, juvenile detention, addiction, and finding a new path through recovery. T.Y.'s struggles began at an early age. After getting into trouble as a kid, he spent two and a half years in the Ohio Department of Youth Services (DYS), an experience that shaped mu...

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Aaron Garnes and Louis Essig sit down with Eddie Pennington for a gripping conversation about growing up in addiction, surviving the streets, and finding hope after years of substance abuse and legal trouble. Eddie's story begins in a home where addiction was already a part of everyday life. Raised by an alcoholic father and a mother battling crack cocaine ad...

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Aaron Garnes sits down with Lynn Vetum for a powerful conversation about addiction, incarceration, relapse, and the long journey to lasting recovery. Lynn's story begins with what appeared to be a normal childhood, but everything started to change after leaving private school and entering a new environment. Like many people, her first experiences with alcohol...

In this episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Aaron Garnes sits down with Lauren Shoemaker for a powerful conversation about addiction, loss, recovery, and finding hope after years of chaos. Lauren's story begins with a difficult childhood before addiction slowly took hold during her late teens and early twenties. What started with cocaine quickly escalated, leading to intravenous drug use and a lifestyl...