Chris Van Vliet: Stop Doing This If You Want to Succeed | The Hopeaholics Podcast

In this episode of the The Hopeaholics Podcast, we sit down with Chris Van Vliet to talk about the mindset, discipline, and persistence it takes to build a successful career in media and content creation. Chris shares his journey from getting started in broadcasting to landing major opportunities, navigating career setbacks, and ultimately creating one of the most recognized interview platforms in his space. The conversation dives into confidence on camera, personal branding, consistency, taking professional risks, and the habits that separate people who succeed from those who quit. Whether you’re a creator, entrepreneur, or someone chasing a big goal, this episode is packed with practical insights, motivation, and real-world lessons on resilience, growth, and defining success on your own terms.

Check out Chris Van Vliet's Episode with Natalie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6mq0W7yAVA

#thehopeaholics #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie

Join our patreon to get access to an EXTRA EPISODE every week of ‘Off the Record’, exclusive content, a thriving recovery community, and opportunities to be featured on the podcast. https://patreon.com/TheHopeaholics

Go to www.Wolfpak.com today and support our sponsors. Don't forget to use code: HOPEAHOLICSPODCAST for 10% off!

Follow the Hopeaholics on our Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/thehopeaholics
https://linktr.ee/thehopeaholics

Buy Merch:
https://thehopeaholics.myshopify.com

Visit our Treatment Centers: https://www.hopebythesea.com
If you or a loved one needs help, please call or text 949-615-8588. We have the resources to treat mental health and addiction.

Sponsored by the Infiniti Group LLC:
https://www.infinitigroupllc.com

Timestamps:
00:01:42 — Getting Started in Broadcasting
00:05:18 — The First Big Career Break
00:09:47 — Learning Confidence on Camera
00:14:03 — Moving Cities for Opportunity
00:18:29 — Early Career Struggles
00:23:11 — Interviewing Celebrities for the First Time
00:28:56 — Building a Personal Brand
00:34:40 — Taking Risks Professionally
00:40:12 — Mindset and Self-Improvement
00:47:05 — Transitioning Into Podcasting
00:53:27 — Consistency and Discipline
01:00:44 — Career Setbacks and Resilience
01:08:19 — Advice for Content Creators
01:15:33 — Defining Success Personally
01:23:58 — Gratitude and Perspective

1 Billion Hugs with Reed Byers | The Hopeaholics Podcast

In this powerful episode of the The Hopeaholics Podcast, we sit down with Reed Byers to share his raw and inspiring journey through addiction, consequences, recovery, and purpose. Reed opens up about how substance use gradually took control of his life, the painful turning points that forced him to confront reality, and the mindset shifts that helped him rebuild from the ground up. He talks honestly about accountability, faith, repairing relationships, and the difficult process of learning how to live again without substances. One of the most moving parts of the conversation is his mission behind “1 Billion Hugs,” a reminder of the power of human connection, compassion, and showing people they are not alone in their struggles. This episode is filled with hope, hard truths, and practical encouragement for anyone battling addiction or loving someone who is, proving that no matter how far someone falls, purpose and healing are still possible.

Check out the 1 Billion Hugs Mission:
https://www.1billionhugs.com

#thehopeaholics #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie

Join our patreon to get access to an EXTRA EPISODE every week of ‘Off the Record’, exclusive content, a thriving recovery community, and opportunities to be featured on the podcast. https://patreon.com/TheHopeaholics

Go to www.Wolfpak.com today and support our sponsors. Don't forget to use code: HOPEAHOLICSPODCAST for 10% off!

Follow the Hopeaholics on our Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/thehopeaholics
https://linktr.ee/thehopeaholics

Buy Merch:
https://thehopeaholics.myshopify.com

Visit our Treatment Centers: https://www.hopebythesea.com
If you or a loved one needs help, please call or text 949-615-8588. We have the resources to treat mental health and addiction.

Sponsored by the Infiniti Group LLC:
https://www.infinitigroupllc.com

Timestamps:
00:02:11 — Early Life and Background
00:06:48 — First Exposure to Addiction
00:11:35 — Escalation Into Substance Use
00:18:02 — Consequences and Legal Trouble
00:24:19 — Hitting a Personal Low Point
00:31:07 — The Turning Point Decision
00:38:44 — Entering Recovery
00:46:10 — Struggles in Early Sobriety
00:52:58 — Faith and Perspective Shift
01:00:26 — Rebuilding Relationships
01:08:13 — Lessons Learned Through Recovery
01:15:47 — Accountability and Ownership
01:22:05 — Helping Others Find Recovery
01:27:54 — The “1 Billion Hugs” Mission
01:30:41 — Purpose After Addiction
01:38:59 — Message of Hope

What It Really Takes to Get Clean and Stay Clean w/ David Gates | The Hopeaholics Podcast


In this powerful episode of the The Hopeaholics Podcast, we sit down with David Gates to talk about addiction, recovery, faith, and the realities families face when a loved one is struggling. David shares his personal journey through loss, survival, and transformation, opening up about the friends he’s lost, the moments that forced him to change direction, and the purpose he found in helping others escape the cycle of addiction. The conversation dives into the emotional toll on parents living in constant fear, the difficult balance between tough love and support, and the importance of having trusted people in your life who can speak truth when you need it most. Through raw honesty and hard-earned wisdom, this episode offers hope to anyone battling addiction or loving someone who is — reminding listeners that recovery is possible, purpose can be rebuilt, and no story is ever truly over.


#thehopeaholics #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie




Join our patreon to get access to an EXTRA EPISODE every week of ‘Off the Record’, exclusive content, a thriving recovery community, and opportunities to be featured on the podcast. https://patreon.com/TheHopeaholics




Go to www.Wolfpak.com today and support our sponsors. Don't forget to use code: HOPEAHOLICSPODCAST for 10% off!




Follow the Hopeaholics on our Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/thehopeaholics
https://linktr.ee/thehopeaholics




Buy Merch:
https://thehopeaholics.myshopify.com




Visit our Treatment Centers: https://www.hopebythesea.com
If you or a loved one needs help, please call or text 949-615-8588. We have the resources to treat mental health and addiction.




Sponsored by the Infiniti Group LLC:
https://www.infinitigroupllc.com




Timestamps:
00:04:57 — Turning Pain Into Purpose
00:07:41 — Early Recovery Realizations
00:12:18 — Identity Beyond Addiction
00:18:09 — Faith Entering the Story
00:23:55 — Personal Responsibility Shift
00:29:44 — The Reality of Street Outreach
00:35:22 — Parents Living in Constant Fear
00:36:03 — There’s Only One David Gates
00:40:53 — Dropping Everything to Help
00:48:16 — Seeing Addiction Differently
00:55:02 — Hope for Families
01:05:13 — Tough Love vs Support
01:12:27 — Long-Term Recovery Perspective
01:20:10 — The Importance of Trusted People
01:28:34 — Purpose After Survival

Five Years Trapped With Her Cocaine Dealer with Gladys Seisay | The Hopeaholics Podcast


In this powerful episode of the Hopeaholics Podcast, Gladys Seisay shares her raw and unfiltered journey from growing up in Sierra Leone to navigating trauma, addiction, domestic violence, jail, and ultimately fighting her way back to freedom. What started as teenage rebellion turned into alcohol abuse, cocaine addiction, and a five-year abusive relationship that nearly cost her everything. Gladys opens up about losing her eyesight at seven, surviving sexual assault, being arrested instead of her abuser, and the spiritual moments that kept her alive in her darkest hours. This episode is a testament to resilience, faith, and the reality of how trauma and addiction intertwine. If you or someone you love is struggling, this conversation is proof that no matter how far you fall, recovery is possible. Her story highlights how unhealed pain can manifest in destructive cycles, but also how courage and self-awareness can break them. The vulnerability she brings to this conversation sheds light on the hidden layers of shame, manipulation, and trauma bonding that many people silently endure. Through honesty and reflection, Gladys shows what it truly takes to reclaim your voice and your power. This is more than a story about addiction — it’s a story about survival, accountability, and hope.


#thehopeaholics #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie


Join our patreon to get access to an EXTRA EPISODE every week of ‘Off the Record’, exclusive content, a thriving recovery community, and opportunities to be featured on the podcast. https://patreon.com/TheHopeaholics


Go to www.Wolfpak.com today and support our sponsors. Don't forget to use code: HOPEAHOLICSPODCAST for 10% off!


Follow the Hopeaholics on our Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/thehopeaholics
https://linktr.ee/thehopeaholics


Buy Merch:
https://thehopeaholics.myshopify.com


Visit our Treatment Centers: https://www.hopebythesea.com
If you or a loved one needs help, please call or text 949-615-8588. We have the resources to treat mental health and addiction.


Sponsored by the Infiniti Group LLC:
https://www.infinitigroupllc.com


Timestamps:
00:02:26 - Born in Sierra Leone
00:04:54 - The Tennis Ball Accident (Loss of Sight)
00:09:54 - Discovering Hidden Siblings
00:12:38 - Crashing Her Mom’s Car at 18
00:13:02 - Sexual Assault During Blackout
00:16:59 - Quitting Weed Cold Turkey
00:19:59 - “Electric Cain” Alter Ego
00:23:19 - Cocaine Changes Everything
00:27:11 - Slapped in the Uber
00:28:20 - Arrested Instead of Him
00:29:58 - 40 Women in the Tank
00:31:27 - Bible in Jail Moment
00:34:43 - 52 Weeks of Domestic Violence Classes
00:41:30 - Confessing Relapse on Final Class
00:42:31 - Becoming “Crazier” to Escape

The 12th Arrest That Changed Everything with Samantha Jurado | The Hopeaholics Podcast

In this deeply emotional episode of The Hopeaholics Podcast, Samantha Jurado shares her unfiltered story of trauma, addiction, loss, and long-term recovery—from surviving childhood abuse, early suicide attempts, and meth addiction, to becoming a young mother, experiencing homelessness, incarceration, and the devastating loss of her daughter in a car accident that changed the course of her life forever. Samantha opens up about the years of self-destruction that followed, the spiritual awakening that finally broke through after her 12th arrest, and how sobriety became possible when she chose to fully show up as a mother to her son. She also speaks candidly about navigating grief in recovery after losing her son years later, enduring divorce and isolation during COVID, and rediscovering her identity beyond trauma, labels, and addiction. This episode is a raw testament to resilience, accountability, faith, and what it truly means to survive the unimaginable and still choose to live, heal, and recover out loud.

#thehopeaholics #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie

Join our patreon to get access to an EXTRA EPISODE every week of ‘Off the Record’, exclusive content, a thriving recovery community, and opportunities to be featured on the podcast. https://patreon.com/TheHopeaholics

Go to www.Wolfpak.com today and support our sponsors. Don't forget to use code: HOPEAHOLICSPODCAST for 10% off!

Follow the Hopeaholics on our Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/thehopeaholics
https://linktr.ee/thehopeaholics

Buy Merch:
https://thehopeaholics.myshopify.com

Visit our Treatment Centers: https://www.hopebythesea.com
If you or a loved one needs help, please call or text 949-615-8588. We have the resources to treat mental health and addiction.

Sponsored by the Infiniti Group LLC:
https://www.infinitigroupllc.com

Timestamps:
00:02:32 - Growing Up Moving State to State
00:04:15 - First Blackout and Suicide Attempt at 14
00:06:08 - Childhood Sexual Abuse Revealed
00:07:49 - Abuser Sent to Prison
00:09:34 - Abuse in Father’s Home
00:11:44 - Safety and Stability With Grandmother
00:13:10 - First Time Using Meth
00:13:54 - Leaving Home and Addiction Escalates
00:14:33 - Becoming a Mother at 20
00:18:23 - CPS Knocking and Losing Stability
00:19:26 - Homelessness and Active Addiction
00:21:50 - Last Meth Use and 12th Arrest
00:23:14 - Mistaking AA for a Club
00:24:46 - Choosing Sobriety to Be a Mom
00:26:45 - Daughter’s Fatal Car Accident
00:28:31 - Charged in Daughter’s Death
00:30:03 - Years of Destruction and Incarceration
00:35:41 - Spiritual Awakening in Jail
00:38:19 - Deciding to Stop Drinking Completely
00:39:03 - Getting Sober for Her Son
00:45:48 - Long-Term Recovery and Family Healing
00:50:05 - Son’s Death During Recovery
00:51:19 - Grief, Divorce, and COVID
00:52:44 - Rediscovering Identity in Recovery

How Addiction Nearly Killed Three Sisters w/ Amanda Crossley | The Hopeaholics Podcast

In this powerful episode of The Hopeaholics Podcast, Amanda Crossley shares her raw and unforgettable story of addiction, survival, and recovery—from growing up in New Jersey, stealing pills while working in a pharmacy, and descending into heroin use alongside her two sisters, to writing a desperate letter to Doctor Phil that ultimately changed all of their lives. Amanda opens up about the chaos of addiction, the pain her family endured, being exposed on national television, and how that moment became the turning point that led her to long-term sobriety, rebuilding relationships, and finding purpose by recovering out loud. This episode is an honest, emotional look at addiction as a family disease and a testament to what’s possible when secrets end and recovery begins. Amanda also reflects on early sobriety, facing legal consequences, and learning how to build a new life from the ground up. Her story highlights the power of community, accountability, and saying yes to help even when it’s uncomfortable. If you or someone you love is struggling, this episode is a reminder that recovery is possible and hope is never out of reach.

#thehopeaholics #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #addictionrecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie

Join our patreon to get access to an EXTRA EPISODE every week of ‘Off the Record’, exclusive content, a thriving recovery community, and opportunities to be featured on the podcast. https://patreon.com/TheHopeaholics

Go to www.Wolfpak.com today and support our sponsors. Don't forget to use code: HOPEAHOLICSPODCAST for 10% off!

Follow the Hopeaholics on our Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/thehopeaholics
https://linktr.ee/thehopeaholics

Buy Merch:
https://thehopeaholics.myshopify.com

Visit our Treatment Centers: https://www.hopebythesea.com
If you or a loved one needs help, please call or text 949-615-8588. We have the resources to treat mental health and addiction.

Sponsored by the Infiniti Group LLC:
https://www.infinitigroupllc.com

Timestamps:
00:03:20 - Growing Up in New Jersey and East Coast Mentality
00:05:00 - Family Background and Sisters’ Addiction
00:06:54 - First Experience With OxyContin
00:07:35 - Stealing and Selling Pills While Working in a Pharmacy
00:11:54 - First Time Using Heroin After Being Caught
00:14:43 - First Treatment Experience at Age 22
00:16:12 - Moving to Florida With Her Sister and Rapid Decline
00:18:21 - All Three Sisters Using Under Parents’ Roof
00:21:31 - Writing the Letter to Doctor Phil
00:22:32 - Doctor Phil Producers Call Two Years Later
00:24:27 - Filming Doctor Phil and Parents Seeing Everything
00:25:56 - Sent to Treatment and Sobriety Begins
00:28:01 - Sisters’ Sobriety and Family Today
00:34:31 - Life After Treatment and Commitment to Recovery

Facing a Life Sentence After Getting Sober w/ Vinsent Franke | The Hopeaholics Podcast

In this intense and deeply emotional episode of the Hopeaholics Podcast, Vinsent Franke shares a raw, unfiltered account of trauma, addiction, crime, faith, and recovery that spans decades. He opens up about early childhood exposure to drugs and alcohol, severe abuse that shattered trust, and a life split between discipline and chaos that fueled addiction from a young age. Vinsent details his descent into drug dealing, violence, incarceration, and psychosis, alongside moments of extreme loss, including the addiction and struggles of his son and the unbearable weight of parental guilt. The conversation takes a powerful turn as he recounts a profound spiritual experience that ended his addiction overnight while facing a potential life sentence just days into sobriety. From navigating insanity defenses and jail time to becoming a therapist, pastor, and recovery leader, this episode explores the intersection of trauma, spirituality, accountability, and grace. It’s a gripping story about surviving the darkest corners of addiction, confronting generational pain, and finding purpose through recovery, service, and faith.
#thehopeaholics #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie

Join our patreon to get access to an EXTRA EPISODE every week of ‘Off the Record’, exclusive content, a thriving recovery community, and opportunities to be featured on the podcast. https://patreon.com/TheHopeaholics

Go to www.Wolfpak.com today and support our sponsors. Don't forget to use code: HOPEAHOLICSPODCAST for 10% off!

Follow the Hopeaholics on our Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/thehopeaholics
https://linktr.ee/thehopeaholics

Buy Merch:
https://thehopeaholics.myshopify.com

Visit our Treatment Centers: https://www.hopebythesea.com
If you or a loved one needs help, please call or text 949-615-8588. We have the resources to treat mental health and addiction.

Sponsored by the Infiniti Group LLC:
https://www.infinitigroupllc.com

Timestamps:
00:03:31 - Clean and sober since 2004
00:04:55 - First drink at nine years old
00:05:52 - First time getting high as a child
00:09:56 - Childhood abuse and betrayal by a stepfather
00:11:20 - Discovering his mother married another abuser
00:14:45 - Finding Charles Manson letters in his mother’s possession
00:18:09 - Starting drug distribution to survive
00:19:20 - Being told to grow his own weed at thirteen
00:20:30 - Paying for an abortion and emotional collapse
00:23:12 - First time smoking cocaine
00:26:48 - Meeting his son for the first time in prison
00:28:42 - Abandoning his son while deep in addiction
00:31:31 - Prescription pills leading to heroin
00:33:21 - Refusing to force his son into treatment
00:34:53 - Son in psychosis calling from the hospital
00:35:46 - Spiritual experience that ended his addiction
00:39:08 - Facing a life sentence days into sobriety
00:39:57 - Acquitted after insanity and diminished capacity defense
00:41:23 - Realizing recovery is spiritual warfare
00:44:18 - Becoming a pastor after addiction and prison
00:48:26 - Discovering sober living operators using drugs
00:49:05 - Starting and running sober living homes

Why Money, Power, and Women Didn’t Fix the Pain with Michael Lynch | The Hopeaholics Podcast

In this raw and powerful episode of the Hopeaholics Podcast, Michael Lynch sits down to share an unfiltered story of survival, addiction, crime, success, and redemption. From growing up in foster care and running the streets, to building a viral underground fight empire funded by prison hustles, Michael opens up about the rise that came with money, fame, and excess—and the quiet collapse that followed through alcoholism, isolation, and the brink of suicide. He speaks candidly about manipulation, power, broken relationships, and how alcohol nearly destroyed everything drugs never could. The conversation takes a dramatic turn as Michael recounts being raided just days after deciding to end his life, leading to jail, a fight for freedom, and an unexpected introduction to recovery that ultimately saved him. This episode dives deep into the psychology of addiction, the illusion of success, prison life, spiritual awakening, and what real transformation looks like after hitting bottom. It’s an intense, honest, and inspiring story about losing everything, surrendering control, and finding purpose in helping others find their way out.

#thehopeaholics #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie

Join our patreon to get access to an EXTRA EPISODE every week of ‘Off the Record’, exclusive content, a thriving recovery community, and opportunities to be featured on the podcast. https://patreon.com/TheHopeaholics

Go to www.Wolfpak.com today and support our sponsors. Don't forget to use code: HOPEAHOLICSPODCAST for 10% off!

Follow the Hopeaholics on our Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/thehopeaholics
https://linktr.ee/thehopeaholics

Buy Merch:
https://thehopeaholics.myshopify.com

Visit our Treatment Centers: https://www.hopebythesea.com
If you or a loved one needs help, please call or text 949-615-8588. We have the resources to treat mental health and addiction.

Sponsored by the Infiniti Group LLC:
https://www.infinitigroupllc.com

Timestamps:
00:01:30 - Foster care and growing up in the system
00:02:41 - First hustle at ten years old
00:03:24 - Felony Fights origins
00:04:13 - Felony Fights explodes worldwide
00:08:23 - Addiction taking over during success
00:09:27 - Drug money funding Felony Fights
00:10:28 - Discovering he was about to be a father in prison
00:12:44 - Going from prison to best-selling DVDs
00:14:04 - Alcohol becoming the real downfall
00:19:20 - Realizing money and power were fools gold
00:22:03 - Why recovery was harder than prison
00:23:49 - Choosing to help addicts instead of hustling
00:24:37 - Facing a life sentence as the three-strikes poster boy
00:25:13 - Planning to commit suicide at the height of success
00:26:17 - Being raided instead of killing himself
00:28:16 - Clean date and sobriety begins
00:30:28 - Denial and watching life collapse
00:31:49 - Sabotaging love and pushing everyone away
00:34:20 - Finding recovery while fighting a life sentence
00:38:24 - Impact jail program saves his life
00:41:58 - Learning the steps and surrendering control
00:42:52 - Belief that the darkest stories do the most good