The Suffering Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Nick Ricciotti is a former law enforcement officer and served in the state of NJ for 6 years. After losing his job to substance abuse, he became an advocate for mental health and substance abuse awareness within the first responder community. Nick holds a masters degree in mental health and is a Licensed Associate Counselor (LAC). He is also a Behavioral Change Specialist and is c...

Send us Fan Mail As we travel along this journey to find stories of strength and resilience, it’s easy to get caught up in the sad sadness. Every once in a while, we need to bring ourselves back and show that life is beautiful and full of joy. There are no better people on the planet that exemplify the meaning of friendship then Mike DePalma, and Tom Flynn.   On this episode, we gather together ju...

Send us Fan Mail It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.  In this opening line from the classic Charles Dickens novel a A Tale Of Two Cities, never has a...

Send us Fan Mail David Berez is a retired Police Officer and Drug Recognition Expert, having served more than 20 years with the East Windsor Police Department and a total of 33 years in Emergency Services, including EMS and OEM. Following his retirement, Mr. Berez is now the President and Founder of Six4 Consultants, a Public Safety Consulting Firm. Mr. Berez is also the author of A Resilient Life...

Send us Fan Mail Shane Crudele is a student athlete at North Arlington HS in lower Bergen County. He is a sophomore varsity QB1 and he also plays Safety! He also is a varsity boys volleyball player as a freshman and will entering his sophomore year in volleyball this spring. Shane maintains a high grade point average and is very academic. Shane has been playing  quarterback since he was 6 and has...

Send us Fan Mail Corporal Detective Steven Byrne, shield 271, of the City of Chester (PA) Police Department has endured a 22+ year career in law enforcement. Cpl. Byrne comes from Ridley Park, a small borough within Delco, Delaware County PA, south of Philadelphia, where his father, Thomas J Byrne Sr retired as the Police Chief in 2012, and two brothers serve as professional firefighter and police...

Send us Fan Mail Ana Pais is a dedicated and compassionate mental health professional who specializes in supporting first responders and their families. She earned her Master’s in Forensic Psychology in 2010 and went on to obtain a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in 2014. As a Board Certified Licensed Professional Counselor and a Certified First Responder Counselor, she is deeply com...

Send us Fan Mail Ketamine is emerging as one of the new break through medical treatments for a variety of ailment from Depression and Anxiety to Post Traumatic Stress.  On this episode we feature two board certified doctors who administer these treatment and are here to bear witness to the benefits. Dr. Joseph Affortunato: Joseph Affortunato, DO, is a board-certified Emergency Medicine physician w...

Send us Fan Mail Dave Fischer and Jeff Golden are committed to developing the minds of parents alienated from their children which happens all too often when divorce is the end result.  Both men are members of FACE (Fathers' and Children's Equality).  A membership organization that  educates parents as to their parental rights and custody rights. FACE is not a legal team and does not act as a cour...

Send us Fan Mail Anthony is an individual driven by passion and discipline. His relationship with God comes first and foremost to everything. His wife is second future children would be third and then country. He’s a product of a single parent home however, father was involved attended sports games has always been there for him and currently is still a huge impact for him. His relationship with hi...

Send us Fan Mail Matthew Patunas is a 53 years old retired corrections officer roaming the halls of Rahway State Prison.  Matt grew up in the  small town of Moonachie located in Bergen county NJ.  Growing up in a middle-class family Matt’s father Gene was a union ironworker that owned his own company, while his mother Ann was a stay at home mom. Family was always present having his grandparents li...

Send us Fan Mail MR. WALTER HENRY NOLTING, Mr. Nolting has a military career serving both the United States Army & Merchant Marines. He enlisted in 1942 he was only 17 years old. Walter was Honorably Discharged in 1946.  Listed below are more details.  Stationed: Fort Devons, MA & Utah, France Wars & Military operations & Deployments: WWII Utah France Military Awards & Decorations: American Servic...

Send us Fan Mail Part 2 John Collins is a Navy SEAL veteran. He was born and raised in Sykesville MD. The oldest of 3. Growing up, he played football, lacrosse and he was a wrestler. He graduated from Glenelg High School in 2003 and joined the Navy on October 31, 2006. He served for 12 years. He was in 6 BUD/S classes. He went through first phase 4 times and has been through 2 1/2 hell weeks. He g...

Send us Fan Mail Part 1 John Collins is a Navy SEAL veteran. He was born and raised in Sykesville MD. The oldest of 3. Growing up, he played football, lacrosse and he was a wrestler. He graduated from Glenelg High School in 2003 and joined the Navy on October 31, 2006. He served for 12 years. He was in 6 BUD/S classes. He went through first phase 4 times and has been through 2 1/2 hell weeks. He g...

Send us Fan Mail Stuart Chirachella and Jason Antonette join in on this amazing episode.  Edward Bullock was born and raised in Jersey City New Jersey,  his family quickly moved to Bayonne for a better life, but tragedy struck when his mother was Murdered by a Bayonne Police officer. After suffering this emotional trauma Ed went to Virginia to live with his dad, where he discovered alcohol. Ed cam...

Send us Fan Mail Kathryn Dixon is a second generation social worker who has experienced the positive impact of Social Work first hand. She was adopted as an infant by a foster care social worker and an accountant. Kathryn received her Bachelor's in social work with a minor In justice studies at the University of New Hampshire and afterwards she worked in the New York City child welfare system. Kat...

Send us Fan Mail Take a step back in time and see where it all began for The Suffering Podcast.  Episode 9 was the first time that Mike and Kevin appeared together in front of the microphone.  Only on audio at the time, this animated and re-cut version of the original podcast airing on February 14th, 2021 is the beginnings of a partnership that lasted until Mike could no longer out run his demons...

Send us Fan Mail Chasya was born the 4th out of 8 children. It would have been 13 children had her mother not have 5 miscarriages that spared an additional 5 innocent children being born to a cult-like life.  Growing up Chasya right away didn’t fit in. There are no exceptions when born into the ultra religious sect. She was expected to follow her traditions, and the 613 commandments that come with...

Send us Fan Mail Dejah-Maia’s story is one of incredible resilience and inspiring transformation. Born in San Diego and raised in the vibrant neighborhoods of Spanish Harlem, New York, and Maplewood, New Jersey, Dejah-Maia now calls Maplewood her home. She is the second eldest of four siblings, each of whom shares a bond strengthened by their shared trials and triumphs. At the age of two, Dejah-Ma...

Send us Fan Mail From July 2014 through 2022, Keith covered Rutgers athletics for NJ Advance Media, the content company for NJ.com and The Star-Ledger. The dean of the Rutgers football beat, Keith covered thousands of games and big-picture topics surrounding the state university’s athletics program since 2000. Keith recently garnered two national awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors for...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. JC Doornick “The Dragon” comes from a fascinating life and family history full of pioneers in the entertainment industry and professional athletes. Later in life becoming a servant to the people as a Doctor of Chiropractic and Cofounder of a worldwide Humanitarian relief organization serving the third world with health, education, housing and food. Receiving awards such as the...

Send us Fan Mail You can take the girl outta Texas, but you can’t take Texas outta the girl.  Despite some hardships, the Texas grit has re-emerged in Yvonne, along with the fight and warrior spirit engrained into her from her hardworking and moral parents.  Yvonne Rogers was born February 2, 1968 at Reese AFB, Texas, in Lubbock County.  She is the youngest and only girl of three children.  Her fa...

Send us Fan Mail One of the best Police Officers to ever take the oath of office in recent years has chosen to pull the plug and finally retire.  On this Episode, Bobby Crudele comes in to talk about his career and next phase in life.  His unique perspective on the Job and leaving it behind will bring laughs and introspection as we dive deep into his upcoming departure from a job that he loved and...

Send us Fan Mail Brian Reyngoudt is the Vice President /Co-Founder of Operation K9 Beethoven.  He was born and raised in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey.  As the son of a 3 time purple heart Vietnam veteran it has been his purpose in his life to always to help our veteran’s and active members of our military. It has been such a great honor and experience for him to help veteran’s and their family me...

Send us Fan Mail On the date of this recording, July 10th 2013, Kevin’s life changed forever.  On this episode, Mike Depalma and Tom Flynn are in the studio to reveal details that can only be replayed amongst good friend and confidants. Find Mike Depalma https://www.instagram.com/mdepalma20/ Find Tom Flynn https://www.instagram.com/thetomflynn/ Find The Suffering Podcast The Suffering Podcast Inst...