The Harder to Breathe Podcast

Summary In this episode of the Harder To Breathe podcast, hosts Ryan Dusick and Brian "Duck" Maillard reflect on their journey together, discussing the decision to pause the podcast indefinitely. They share personal updates about their lives, including holiday experiences and the challenges of parenting. The conversation delves into the evolution of their friendship and the skills they've develope...

Feeling like the magic of the holidays is slipping away? Or maybe you're just growing up? In our Season 2 finale , Ryan Dusick and co-host Brian "Duck" Maillard sit down for a candid, heartfelt reflection on another year gone by. From the bittersweet reality of aging parents to navigating family triggers during the holidays, this episode is all about finding grace in life's imperfections . 🎙️ In t...

"I'm no good to him if I'm dead." That was the realization Shinedown frontman Brent Smith had when his son was born—a moment that sparked a journey from the depths of addiction to becoming one of rock's most powerful voices for mental health. In this raw and inspiring episode, Ryan Dusick and Co-host Brian "Duck" Maillard sit down with Brent Smith to discuss the evolution of Shinedown, from their...

From "Love Song" to Waitress on Broadway, Sara Bareilles has built a career on vulnerability and taking creative risks. But is she fearless?   "I'm the opposite of fearless," she confesses in this intimate interview.   Host Ryan Dusick sits down with his old friend Sara Bareilles for a deeply personal conversation about navigating the music industry, overcoming anxiety, and finding your authentic...

Is it just a "bad week," or is it something deeper?   In this episode of  Harder To Breathe , we explore the often-confusing line between  sadness and clinical depression , and how to recognize the signs of  anhedonia  (the inability to feel pleasure). Ryan shares a profound experience seeing  Alanis Morissette  live, sparking a conversation about trauma, the #MeToo movement, and shifting from "wr...

On May 7, 2019, Ellie Wyse was a high school freshman with an hour left in her day when a routine drill turned into an active shooter situation. In this powerful and essential conversation, Ellie bravely recounts her experience surviving the STEM School Highlands Ranch shooting and the complex realization that one of the perpetrators was a peer. She shares the aftermath of the trauma, the unexpect...

This is not a conspiracy theory; it's a mental health crisis.   Returning guest Hillary Spiritos joins the hosts for a crucial discussion on the challenges facing young people in the age of AI and pervasive social media. We explore the profound effects of the algorithm—a system so isolating it mirrors the environment of a cult or a totalitarian state—and how it's fueling a loneliness epidemic and...

This is an unvarnished look at the path to recovery. Ryan reconnects with his old friend, musician Davis Rowan , whom he met at the Betty Ford Center. Davis shares his powerful story of how alcohol, which once felt like a "solution" to social anxiety, became a destructive force, culminating in a terrifying diagnosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) during a severe bender. This conversation goes be...

This episode goes beyond the surface to the heart of addiction. We sit down with former tech entrepreneur Curtis Morley, whose life's purpose shifted after the tragic loss of his best friend to suicide. Curtis believes his friend didn't understand the difference between sobriety and recovery, a lesson Curtis now uses to help men combat the epidemic of pornography addiction. Curtis bravely shares h...

In this vital episode, we sit down with Steve Braun, a master mental performance coach and communication consultant (and co-founder of BGB Studios). Drawing on his martial arts discipleship, Steve explains that the core of our modern mental health and societal conflict is a deep imbalance between masculine (Yang) and feminine (Yin) energies.   This conversation offers a profound perspective on how...

"How do you make a total left turn from the music industry to the mental health field?" Ryan Dusick often fields this question, but the reality is that starting over is rarely a clean break—it's usually a long, messy process of grief and self-discovery. In this one-on-one episode, Ryan and Duck dive into the core challenges of major life transitions, from leaving a band at the peak of success to f...

This week, hosts Ryan Dusick and Brian "Duck" Maillard tackle the ultimate double-edged sword: perfectionism . Ryan shares his incredibly vulnerable journey of realizing that his quest for perfection ultimately led to stagnation—a "rock bottom" in his professional life after leaving Maroon 5. Perfectionism, often mistaken for a strength, is revealed as a self-defeating mindset that blocks progress...

Your natural instinct is to fix it, but what if your efforts are making the problem worse? We sit down with Addiction Expert Amber Hollingsworth, founder of the huge "Put the Shovel Down" community, who offers a revolutionary approach to family addiction recovery. Amber specializes in teaching family members how to stop enabling and break the cycle of blame that fuels addiction. This is essential...

In one of our most powerful episodes yet, actress and mental health advocate Sarah Gilman opens up about her deeply personal journey—self-harm, a suicide attempt in college, and the remarkable path that led her to become a voice for suicide prevention. She explains why suicide isn't about wanting to die, but about wanting to escape an intolerable pain. This is a raw and honest conversation that wi...

This episode is for anyone who has ever felt alone in their struggle. We sit down with the incredible Aleksei Archer —comedian, actor, and mental health advocate—who has transformed personal tragedy into a powerful force for healing. Aleksei shares her deeply personal story of losing her father to suicide, and how she uses humor and radical honesty to create safe spaces for grief, connection, and...

🚨 LIFE UPDATE! 🚨 We're diving into YOUR questions in our first-ever mailbag episode! From the heartbreak of an empty nest to the challenge of making friends as an adult, we're tackling the real-life struggles you shared with us.   This isn't just a Q&A—it's a raw, relatable, and honest conversation about navigating life's biggest transitions.   In this episode, we share personal stories and prof...

Join us for a deeply moving and intensely personal conversation with Nicky Byrne, the iconic member of Westlife, as he opens up about the sudden, heartbreaking loss of his father and the profound impact it had on his life. Beyond the dazzling lights of his global pop career, Nicky shares a raw account of navigating immense grief while in the public eye, revealing how his father's enduring lessons...

"My life was sleeping on an air mattress in Boston. Six months later, I'm in the middle of Times Square... I would literally run to the bathroom and dry heave out of anxiety." Damien Fahey gets real about the terrifying reality behind the TRL cameras. He was the face of MTV for years, taking over for Carson Daly on the biggest show in music television. But behind the scenes, Damien Fahey was battl...

The police banged on my door and just said, 'Is this your kid? Go check on her.'" Brandy Vega shares the terrifying story of the night she almost lost her daughter to suicide for the second time, and how it ignited a global movement. In one of our most powerful conversations yet, entrepreneur, advocate, and mother Brandy Vega shares her deeply personal journey with teen suicide. From the shame and...

Actor Erik "Happy" Anderson — known for his unforgettable role as Jerry Brudos in Mindhunter and appearances in The Knick — sits down for a raw, unfiltered conversation about addiction recovery, 21 years of sobriety, and surviving the relentless pressure of Hollywood. By college, he was a "fall down drunk." By 26, he was homeless. In this candid interview on the Harder to Breathe Podcast, Happy sh...

In this deep-dive episode,   Ryan Dusick breaks down the complex family trauma, addiction, and healing portrayed in Season 4 of FX's "The Bear." Is it the most realistic depiction of a dysfunctional family on television?   The kitchen in "The Bear" isn't just about food; it's a metaphor for a chaotic family system. In this one-on-one conversation, hosts Ryan Dusick and Brian "Duck" Maillard explor...

What does it take to be truly unstoppable? In this powerful episode of Harder to Breathe, we sit down with wrestler, Paralympian, skateboarder, musician, and motivational speaker Anthony Ferraro, who has accomplished it all while being blind.     Anthony shares his incredible story, from growing up as a visually impaired kid in a massive family to becoming a champion wrestler who faced constant pr...

How do you turn your deepest pain into your greatest power? In this episode of The Harder to Breathe Podcast, we sit down with the unstoppable X ARI—a bold musical artist, fierce mental health advocate, and a true psychosis survivor whose story will leave you breathless.
 From surviving bipolar disorder, ADHD, PTSD, and multiple hospitalizations, to becoming a globally recognized queer songwriter...

Dive deep with us as we explore the complex relationship between depression, healing, and the controversial world of plant medicine with Kyle Nicolaides, former frontman of Beware of Darkness and author of "Thank God for Depression." From rockstar struggles to spiritual awakenings, this conversation is raw, honest, and thought-provoking. 🌿✨ 🎧 In this episode, we cover: [00:02:17] Thank God for...

😴 Struggling to get good sleep? 💤 Dr. Michael Breus shares actionable hacks to ditch insomnia & quiet your mind! Learn the REAL keys to restful sleep - no matter your schedule. Is it time to get over anxiety? 🎧 In this episode, we cover: [00:20:00] The Sleep Doctor's Serendipitous Journey [00:27:30] Quality VS Quantity - Cracking the Sleep Code [00:28:45] Fear-Based Insomnia [00:40:48] The Trut...