It's Bizzy

Send us Fan Mail At just 14 years old, my guest, Sam West, was abandoned by his parents on the side of a country road. What happened next is nothing short of extraordinary. In this episode of It's Bizzy , Sam shares how a ranch family took him in, how he found Jesus, built a career in law enforcement, and ultimately made the courageous decision to forgive the very parents who abandoned him. H...

Send us Fan Mail This special Fourth of July episode of It's Bizzy celebrates the spirit of the American Dream with one of my oldest friends and one of the most successful female entrepreneurs I know, Lisi Lerch. For more than 25 years, Lisi has built a nationally recognized accessories brand from the ground up—starting with affordable Kentucky Derby hats and growing into a thriving business...

Send us Fan Mail As America celebrates its 250th birthday , I found myself asking a difficult but important question: Can I allow this moment to be exactly as it is, even if I wish it were different? In this deeply personal solo episode of It's Bizzy , I reflect on acceptance, faith, forgiveness, family, recovery, and learning to love imperfect things—including ourselves. From my own experien...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 652 of It's Bizzy, I sit down with author Elli Rose Cikovic to discuss her memoir, The Diary of a Twenty-Five-Year-Old Alcoholic , and her powerful journey through addiction, recovery, and self-discovery. Elli shares how she began drinking at 13, experienced blackouts by 14, and spent years navigating family dysfunction, divorce, shame, and the emotional challenges...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or like you've been waiting for someone else to change before you could move forward? In this honest and personal episode of It's Bizzy, Elizabeth Chance shares her journey through a difficult year of uncertainty, sleepless nights, self-reflection, and the realization that lasting change begins within. She discusses the importance o...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 650 of It's Bizzy, I sit down with Chris Pondoff, founder and host of Pondoff's Anonymous, Recovery Pastor at Underground Recovery Community in St. Louis, and a man whose life is a testament to the power of faith, recovery, and second chances. Chris shares his journey from growing up in a culture where alcohol was everywhere to losing his father, hitting rock...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever noticed that when life gets uncomfortable, it's easier to stay busy than it is to sit still and feel? In this solo episode, I'm sharing something I've been learning while writing my book. After reaching more than 45,000 words, I've spent a lot of time looking back on my life, and I've realized that for years, busyness was my way of avoiding d...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 646, I sit down with Lane Kennedy , a woman with 29 years of continuous sobriety and someone whose work deeply resonates with where so many of us are today. Lane is a Calm Living Docent who guides people toward optimal health through a powerful blend of DNA wisdom, meditation, mindfulness, and personalized nutrition . She’s also a mindfulness and nervous system regulati...

Send us Fan Mail In this solo episode, I talk about a shocking conversation with an old friend whose relapse—and the way he was treated in the rooms—left me stunned. From “California sober” to being kicked out of a meeting, I unpack what’s changed in recovery culture, what hasn’t, and why honesty about sobriety still matters. I also dive into the bigger picture: how our world has become more fluid...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 646, I sit down with Anita Ondine Smith , a writer, lawyer, and sports agent whose work blends deep personal experience with compassionate, practical guidance for families impacted by gambling addiction. Anita writes from the perspective of someone who has lived through the ripple effects of addiction, offering tools people can use immediately to support a loved one wit...

Send us Fan Mail This weekend I watched Crash on Netflix and the new Michael Jackson movie , and I was struck by how dramatically our world has changed. These two films — one about a teenage girl spiraling through social media, weed culture, and zero boundaries, and the other about Michael Jackson’s discipline, creativity, and complicated childhood — reveal the massive cultural shift we’re living...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Johann D’Souza, a clinical psychologist, Harvard Human Flourishing Program research affiliate, national speaker, and the author of Saving Teens from Toxic Screens . Johann has spent more than 15 years mentoring young people and thousands of hours working directly with families who are struggling with the impact of smartphones, social media, and...

Send us Fan Mail In this Memorial Day episode, I take a moment to reflect on the meaning of the day and the deep gratitude I feel for the soldiers who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom. I share a personal story from when I was twenty‑two, escorting the families of fallen Desert Storm soldiers in Washington, D.C.—an experience that changed me and has stayed with me ever since. From there,...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 642, I sit down with Salima Adelstein , the only female Shadhili Sufi guide in the United States, whose life’s work is helping people heal wounded hearts, dissolve inner barriers, and reconnect with the Divine through unconditional love. Raised in a tight‑knit Jewish immigrant family, Salima’s journey took her from special education, hospice work, and alternative healin...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s solo episode, I’m sharing the real story behind my 47‑color hair disaster — and how it cracked open something much deeper inside me. What looked like frustration about my hair was actually old shame, old wounds, and old stories bubbling up in ways I didn’t expect. I talk about the shame I’ve carried from my past, the “sins” I replay in my mind, and the Catholic guilt th...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 640, I sit down with nationally recognized psychic medium and spiritual teacher Drew Cali , whose journey from a fast‑paced business life to evidential mediumship began only after profound loss, trauma, and the decision to get sober. Drew opens up about his early struggles with addiction, serving in Iraq, losing his mother to cancer, the stillbirth of his daughter, and...

Send us Fan Mail In this deeply honest solo episode, I open up about that surprising moment when spiritual growth meets real life — and old patterns start creeping back in. After coming home from a transformative retreat, I could feel myself slipping into familiar routines, self‑judgment, and autopilot living. Instead of hiding it, I share what it really feels like to lose that euphoric clarity an...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I sit down with Jay Sapovits, someone whose honesty, humility, and long‑term recovery truly moved me. Jay shares his journey through compulsive gambling, emotional relapse, ego, identity, and nearly 30 years of recovery , and I found myself relating to so much of what he said. Jay and I talk about: ·      the first time he gambled at 13 and the rush that changed e...

Send us Fan Mail I’m back home in Florida after weeks of walking, writing, and reflecting, and today I’m talking about something that has been sitting on my heart: living with grace and accepting your story exactly as it is. Writing my book has brought up memories I wanted to bury forever — the shame, the regret, the “I wish I had done it differently.” But grace asks us to look honestly at our pas...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of It’s Bizzy Podcast / Busy Living Sober , I sit down with Morgan Smith , CEO of Kalm with Kava , for a fascinating conversation about kava, anxiety relief, alcohol alternatives, recovery, and the difference between kava and kratom . If you’ve ever wondered what kava is , whether it’s safe for people in recovery, or how it compares to substances like kratom, marij...

Send us Fan Mail In this deeply personal solo episode from Porto, Portugal, I share a revelation that hit me harder than I expected: my lifelong obsession with money. Not the amount of money — but the constant mental tallying, the fear, the scarcity mindset, the spinning thoughts that never seem to stop. Being alone in a foreign country with no distractions made something painfully clear: I’ve rep...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Busy Living Sober , I sit down with Anne Karber — entrepreneur, author of The Life Hack Playbook , and host of the Let’s Get Naked Podcast — for an honest conversation about addiction recovery, burnout, overgiving, emotional sobriety, and what it really means to stop living on autopilot . Anne shares her powerful story of leaving home at 16, becoming a young mot...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 633 comes to you from my window overlooking the Douro River in Porto. After days of walking, writing, and facing some heavy chapters of my past, I finally understood what “not regretting the past nor wishing to shut the door on it” really means. In this episode, I talk about shame, forgiveness, sobriety, and why we must stop carrying stories that no longer serve us. If you...

Send us Fan Mail What if the hardest substance to quit isn’t alcohol… but sugar? In this eye-opening conversation, I sit down with Mike Collins — known as the “Sugar Free Man” — who has over 40 years in recovery from substance use disorder and decades living sugar-free. After noticing how sugar affected him and others in early sobriety, Mike began researching the powerful connection between sugar,...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I share the story of my transformative solo trip to Amsterdam and how it pushed me to tap into deeper emotional resilience , practice intentional self‑care , and lean into the power of gratitude when things didn’t go as planned. Traveling alone challenged me, grounded me, and ultimately helped me reconnect with myself in ways I didn’t expect. From navigating unexp...