Successful Life Podcast

Send us Fan Mail After moving from Raleigh to Wilmington, I expected a change of scenery. What I didn’t expect was questioning my identity all over again. In this episode of The Successful Life Podcast , I share what it’s been like starting over in a new city, building new relationships in recovery, and realizing how easy it is to define ourselves by our careers, accomplishments, or the roles we p...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Successful Life Podcast , Corey Berrier sits down with Stephanie Nicholson to discuss recovery, accountability, legal consequences, honesty, and rebuilding life after a felony conviction. Stephanie shares the story of a drinking-and-driving incident that resulted in the death of another person, the legal process that followed, and the long road through proba...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Successful Life Podcast , Corey Berrier sits down with Chris Budnick, Executive Director of Healing Transitions, to discuss addiction recovery, homelessness, detox services, peer-led recovery, and rebuilding lives through community support. Chris shares the story behind Healing Transitions, formerly The Healing Place of Wake County, and explains how the orga...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Successful Life Podcast , Corey Berrier sits down with longtime friend and entrepreneur Nick Jones for a direct conversation about addiction recovery, entrepreneurship, personal responsibility, faith, leadership, and building a life after prison. Nick shares his journey from addiction, drug dealing, and multiple prison sentences to long-term sobriety, busine...

Send us Fan Mail  In this episode of The Successful Life Podcast , Corey Berrier sits down with chef and restaurateur Scott Crawford for a direct conversation about recovery, leadership, and building a business with real standards. Scott shares how addiction nearly cost him his life, what finally pushed him to get sober, and how that decision changed everything from his creativity to his career tr...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Successful Life Podcast, host Corey Berrier sits down with Brian Burton—general manager at Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, founder of Blue Collar Closer, and host of the Waste No Day Podcast. Brian shares his journey from a struggling technician to becoming a high-level communicator and sales leader in the home services industry. This conversation dives deep int...

Send us Fan Mail After a five-month break, Corey is back with B Reeves from New Waters Recovery for a conversation on sobriety, mental health, treatment, meditation, and purpose-driven work. B shares what New Waters Recovery actually does, from detox and residential treatment to psychological assessments, and explains why separating your job from your personal recovery is critical for long-term so...

Send us Fan Mail Ever notice how hard you grip outcomes when you’re nervous—then watch everything slip anyway? We dig into a counterintuitive truth that changed our lives: releasing control doesn’t make you careless, it makes you effective. From sobriety to sales calls, first dates to job interviews, we connect the dots between patience, presence, and authenticity—and why expectations so often bec...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Successful Life Podcast, host Corey Berrier dives into the importance of gratitude, empathy, and human connection. Reflecting on the busiest plumbing day of the year, he shares personal anecdotes about reconnecting with old friends and the transformative power of gratitude. Corey explains how daily gratitude lists have shaped his positive outlook and enhance...

Send us Fan Mail Fear of rejection can run your day without saying a word. I’ve felt it in rehab bunkhouses, in church pews that taught guilt over growth, and across kitchen tables where a homeowner just wanted their AC to work and their evening back. That same fear fuels the masks we wear, the discounts we offer too soon, and the way we beat ourselves up on the drive home. So I pulled the thread...

Send us Fan Mail What if the confidence you’ve been chasing is really a mask that’s wearing you down? I open up about imposter syndrome, fear of rejection, and the years I used alcohol and drugs to feel like I belonged. The stories aren’t pretty—Vegas couches, dangerous company, and the slow erosion of self-worth—but they’re true, and they explain why shortcuts to confidence always collapse. Sobri...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Successful Life Podcast, host Corey Berrier takes a deep dive into the challenging topic of relapse and addiction, sharing his personal journey and insights. Corey discusses the struggles of maintaining sobriety, the pitfalls of relapse, and the exhausting cycle of addiction. He highlights the illusion of alcohol as a friend, the consequences of addiction on...

Send us Fan Mail Ever notice how the same habits that stabilize recovery also stabilize your pipeline? We dig into the leadership mindset that sits beneath selling, sobriety, and self-mastery, and why the strongest credibility comes from consistency, not a job title. From the first minute, we challenge the blame game and replace it with ownership—controlling the process in sales and our actions in...

Send us Fan Mail What if your job title isn’t who you are, and the real proof of character shows up in the choices you make when no one is watching? We dig into that question through the lens of recovery, responsibility, and the everyday habits that either build integrity or break it down. From asking for help to making amends, we unpack how sober clarity turns micro resentments into momentum and...

Send us Fan Mail Ready for a reality check that actually sticks? I walked into a firefighter tryout convinced I’d breeze through on grit and lifting strength—and nearly blacked out during the PACER test. That moment of shock became a catalyst: exposing my cardio blind spot, deflating my ego, and forcing a return to fundamentals that real performance demands. We unpack how a strict carnivore diet k...

Send us Fan Mail The hardest truth we learned in recovery wasn’t about alcohol—it was about control. For years we tried to push, persuade, and rescue our way into peace, only to end up exhausted and resentful. Then two small words flipped everything: let them. Let them choose. Let them stay. Let them go. Let them misunderstand. And let us choose our peace, our boundaries, and our focus. We explore...

Send us Fan Mail What if the most radical form of freedom is simply waking up clear—and staying that way? Corey opens up about life on both sides of the bottle and what changed when he traded chaos for consistency: mornings that don’t start in shame, a mind that doesn’t spin stories, and relationships built on truth instead of excuses. It’s a candid walk through the quiet wins that stack into a di...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wonder why you keep falling into the same relationship patterns? Or why certain childhood memories still sting decades later? The truth might be uncomfortable: you're living out scripts handed down by your parents—scripts they inherited from their parents before them. This episode dives deep into the generational patterns that shape our lives without our permission or aw...

Send us Fan Mail Ever caught yourself saying "I'm responsible" while your life crumbles around you? That's what I call the illusion of responsibility—looking put-together while avoiding ownership of the chaos within. As a recovering alcoholic, I've mastered the art of deflection, blaming everyone from my boss to my spouse for my drinking, never stopping to ask: "What&...

Send us Fan Mail What if the patterns keeping you stuck aren't even yours to begin with? From our earliest moments, our minds absorb everything around us like wet cement—every word, every glance, every reaction forming the foundation of how we see ourselves and the world. The most profound revelation in understanding our patterns is recognizing that many weren't chosen but inherited. You...

Send us Fan Mail Freedom awaits beyond the grip of control. Drawing from raw personal experience, I explore how the desperate need to control our circumstances, relationships, and even our pain becomes the very prison that holds us captive. Control is seductive because it promises safety in an uncertain world. We believe if we push hard enough, manipulate the right people, or fight the right battl...

Send us Fan Mail Could the opioid crisis be solved through genetic testing? What if doctors could identify your addiction risk before prescribing pain medication? These questions drive the innovative work at Thrive Genetics, where personalized medicine is revolutionizing how we approach pain management and addiction prevention. James Piacentino shares his journey from tech executive to healthcare...

Send us Fan Mail What version of yourself do you bring to work? To family gatherings? To your closest relationships? For many of us, these questions reveal uncomfortable truths about the different masks we wear throughout our lives. We don't put on these masks with malicious intent. They emerge from our deepest fears—fear of rejection, fear of inadequacy, fear that our authentic selves simply...

Send us Fan Mail What are you truly hungry for? That's the question that drives this deeply introspective exploration of how our brains become trapped in cycles of avoidance and momentary pleasure.  Your brain doesn't distinguish between sources of dopamine—whether from sugar, alcohol, or avoiding difficult sales conversations. The glass of wine wasn't about the taste; it was about...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever caught yourself mindlessly scrolling your phone, finishing an entire bag of chips without noticing, or having "just one more" drink that turned into several? You're not alone, and it's not entirely your fault. Our brains are wired for reward, and modern life is designed to exploit this vulnerability. Whether it's sugar, alcohol, social media,...