Heart of the Matter

This week, we’re re-airing one of our favorite interviews from Heart of the Matter with Elizabeth Vargas , featuring chef Gregory Gourdet. When Gregory was an up-and-coming chef at a top Manhattan restaurant, he found himself spending nights after shifts partying, fueled by alcohol and cocaine. It was only when he moved across the country to Portland, Oregon, and found a community of chefs who had...

This week, we’re re-airing one of our favorite interviews from Heart of the Matter with Elizabeth Vargas , featuring actress and star of 3rd Rock from the Sun Kristen Johnston. When Kristen first started finding success in television, feelings of self-doubt and panic began to overwhelm her. She turned to prescription painkillers, and addiction began to take over her life.    Re-join Elizabeth as s...

A fighter in every sense of the word, boxing champion Mia St. John encountered addiction from a young age, growing up with a father who struggled with drinking and attending her first Alcoholics Anonymous group when she was just twelve years old. Years later, she witnessed her son's struggle with mental illness and a cycle of substance use as self-medication.  Tune in as Mia opens up to Eliza...

Bestselling novelist and essayist Anne Lamott had more than her share of experience with substance use disorders: Growing up with family members with addiction, she also had distinct memories of drinking as a child. Decades later, she watched as her son Sam began struggling with methamphetamines. Today, both mother and son have been in recovery for many years.  Join Elizabeth as she speaks to Anne...

To the fans who watch her on their TV screens, Cheryl Burke leads the picture-perfect life, dancing her way across countless stages and starring on national broadcasts. However, there is more to the “Dancing with the Stars” competitor than may meet the eye: Beneath the impressive veneer is someone who is unafraid to open up about her struggles with alcohol, mental health and abuse.  As a competito...

In the early 2000s, Ryan Hampton was homeless and struggling with an opioid addiction, wondering how he had gone from working as a White House staffer to begging for change on a California street corner. A decade later in recovery, Ryan found himself at the epicenter of Purdue Pharma’s bankruptcy settlement, fighting for justice in a case that gripped a nation in the midst of an overdose crisis. ...

Join us for a bonus episode! Recently, Elizabeth was interviewed by Annie Grace, host of This Naked Mind, a podcast that explores the role alcohol plays in our world and in our lives, with honesty and without judgment. Tune in as Elizabeth shares her story about drinking, working in broadcast television, and now, being a woman in recovery. ----- If you enjoyed this episode, take a moment to subscr...

In this episode of Heart of the Matter, Elizabeth Vargas interviews Emmy Award- winning actress Patricia Heaton. When Patricia was in the middle of it all — working all hours on wildly successful shows like Everybody Loves Raymond, while taking care of her four young children — she kept her drinking at bay. But when these shows ended and her children had left the house, she started looking forward...

In this episode of Heart of the Matter, Elizabeth Vargas is joined by Laura McKowen, author and founder of The Luckiest Club. When Laura first stopped drinking, she thought of it as “the end of all the color” in her life. But after weathering one particularly challenging night, she realized the magic that comes with being in recovery and feeling fully present in her life. Together, Elizabeth and L...

To any outsider in his Massachusetts high school, star basketball player Chris Herren looked on top of the world, with broken records behind him and a promising career ahead of him. But what many did not know was that beneath his physical prowess was someone struggling with mental health challenges and substance use.  In his return to Heart of the Matter, Chris connects with Elizabeth Vargas about...

Former professional skateboarder, TV stuntman, and recovery advocate Brandon Novak joins Elizabeth Vargas to talk about how he went from a skateboarding prodigy and reality star to homeless. He also shares where he is now: celebrating six years of recovery and spreading hope to others who are struggling.  Brandon opens up to Elizabeth about “underestimating” his addiction, and the consequences he...

For the 20th episode of Heart of the Matter, Elizabeth Vargas is joined by her friend, writer and political commentator Molly Jong-Fast. Despite entering recovery almost 24 years ago at the age of 19, Molly still regularly attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings – but her routine was disrupted in the past year due to COVID-19. Together, Elizabeth and Molly discuss how they maintained their mental he...

Congresswoman Madeleine Dean thought she understood addiction – but it wasn’t until her son Harry Cunnane was struggling that she came to truly realize what it means when a loved one has a substance use disorder. Now Harry has been in recovery for more than eight years, and the mother and son have written a joint memoir, titled Under Our Roof: A Son's Battle for Recovery, a Mother's Batt...

In this episode of Heart of the Matter, ElizabethVargas interviews bestselling author and investigative journalist Patrick Radden Keefe about his latest book, Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty. In this book, Patrick tells the story of the family responsible for setting into motion the opioid epidemic.  Following his recent testimony before the House Committee on Oversight a...

As an up-and-coming chef in Manhattan, Gregory Gourdet found himself surrounded by addictive substances. After finishing an arduous shift at one of the city’s top restaurants, he’d frequently spend the rest of the night partying, fueled by alcohol and cocaine. Eventually, his substance use caught up with him, putting at risk the thing he loved doing most: cooking. It wasn’t until he moved to Portl...

This week, we’re re-airing one of our favorite interviews featured on Heart of the Matter with Elizabeth Vargas. In addition to being a chef and TV host, Andrew Zimmern is also in long-term recovery. In this episode, he discusses how the support from family and friends changed his life, the joys of being in recovery for more than 29 years and “writing his own syllabus for life.”  If you liked this...

In this episode of Heart of the Matter , Elizabeth is joined by New York Times best-selling author Jessica Lahey to discuss her latest book, The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence. The pair connects over the advantages and challenges that come with being a parent in recovery, the benefits of family dinners (even with truculent teens!) and why young people are mo...

Despite being the son of an Academy Award-winning actor, Jamie Niven’s life wasn’t all glitz and glamour. At just six months old, Jamie’s mother passed away, leaving Jamie to grow up with an overwhelming feeling of loneliness – a feeling that followed him for his entire life.   In the 15th episode of Heart of the Matter , Elizabeth talks with Jamie, who is also the chair of Partnership to End Addi...

For the 14th episode of Heart of the Matter , Elizabeth Vargas is joined by one of the nation’s leading addiction experts: Michael Botticelli. As the first person in recovery from addiction to serve as the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, Michael has faced his fair share of challenges. Even before his confirmation, colleagues doubted that Michael would be fit for the role be...

Before he could start his incredibly popular shoe empire, Steve Madden needed to overcome his own struggles with addiction. Inspired by the principles that guided his recovery – showing up, doing the next thing, acknowledging his mistakes - Steve built a business that would become known worldwide. Throughout his life and career, Steve has recovered, relapsed, and recovered again; gone to prison; a...

As parents, Mary and Admiral James “Sandy” Winnefeld just wanted to protect their son, Jonathan. This was a job Sandy felt he should have been well equipped for as the United States’ number two ranking military officer. Yet, Jonathan’s struggles with anxiety led him to start drinking alcohol and misusing prescription medications as a teen. Sandy and Mary did everything they could to find appropria...

Just as Kristen Johnston started finding success as an actress starring in the Emmy-award winning sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun, feelings of self-doubt and panic began overtaking her life. In an unfamiliar city, without her support system nearby, Kristen found comfort in prescription painkillers – initially prescribed to her to treat migraines. Over the years her addiction worsened, turning Kristen...

He was a highly celebrated student athlete with a promising professional career ahead of him. Yet, due to his struggles with addiction, Montee Ball found himself sitting in a jail cell while his former teammates won the Super Bowl. Now in recovery, Montee has walked away from the NFL and committed himself to breaking down barriers that prevent Black and Brown people from accessing help for mental...

Before Zac Clark was introduced to television viewers on The Bachelorette, he was considered the "life of the party" and willing to go to great lengths to achieve his “next high.” In his twenties, his addiction escalated to the point where his marriage crumbled and his friendships dissipated. His relationship with his parents was holding on by a thread. But they never gave up on him, and...

When he was 14 years old, Jeremiah Fraites of The Lumineers lost his older brother, Joshua, to a heroin overdose. He describes it as the worst thing to have happened to his family. Years later, Jeremiah is still reflecting on the monumental impact drugs and alcohol have on music, culture, families and relationships. This topic even served as inspiration behind the latest album from his band, title...