Podcast appearances and mentions of Brandon Novak

Support the D.A.W.G.Z. @ patreon.com/MSsecretpod Support Brandon and Buy His New Book @ https://brandonnovak.com/ Go See Matt Live in Irvine CA Next Wknd @ mattmccusker.com/dates Go See Shane Live @ shanemgillis.com - New Tour Just Announced Go See Shawn Gardini Live if you want @ https://www.shawngardini.com/ Heyyy guys. Special bonus ep for you. A TGIF treat. Cusky was blessed by fellow PA (baltimore) dawg Brandon Novak. They talk gettin sober, skating stuff, and more. If you need help getting sobes hit up Novak, he's the man. Please enjoy. God Bless.  ps might have an extra special treat for you guys very soon :) 

SPONSORS: - Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at https://shopify.com/date, all lowercase On this week's episode, Lauren welcomes motivational speaker and addiction advocate, Brandon Novak to the pod. You may know him from Viva La Bam and Jackass, but Brandon has turned his life around to focus on helping addicts with their recovery journey. Brandon shares with Lauren some of his own crazy stories from when he was an addict; one involving a splooge tattoo. Brandon may be emotionally unavailable, but you'll find his love for cats and his mom very charming. First Date Ep. 72 https://www.tiktok.com/@iamlaurencompton https://store.ymhstudios.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text Matthew Perry's Tragic End: Doctors, Fame, and the Battle with Addiction In this episode, the hosts discuss the life and tragic death of Matthew Perry, exploring his early life, career, struggles with addiction, health crises, and the impact of enablers in Hollywood. They reflect on his legacy and the lessons learned from his experiences, emphasizing the importance of mental health and support systems. In this conversation, the speakers delve into the troubling dynamics of the medical field, particularly focusing on the darker aspects of addiction and the role of healthcare professionals. They discuss the ketamine controversy surrounding several doctors, the flaws in the rehab system, and the influence of celebrity culture on addiction. The conversation highlights the need for accountability within the healthcare system and the systemic issues that perpetuate addiction. The conversation shifts to Matthew Perry's tragic death at 54, reportedly due to a ketamine overdose and subsequent drowning. Matthews and the podcast hosts explore the role of celebrity culture and unscrupulous doctors in enabling addiction. Harvey Levin's TMZ Investigates special uncovered that Perry's assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, injected him with ketamine multiple times on the day of his death, and several doctors are under investigation for their involvement in the underground distribution of ketamine.Kelly Osbourne also shares her perspective on addiction, recalling a time when Matthew Perry gave her a recovery chip, telling her, "If you can get through 3 minutes, you can get through anything." Osbourne describes how celebrity status often makes doctors more willing to provide prescriptions, and she recounts her own struggles with addiction to doctor-prescribed medications starting as early as 13 years old.Dr. Drew Pinsky and Dr. Terry Dubrow weigh in on the dangers of doctors who cater to celebrity clients and bend medical ethics for fame or financial gain. Brandon Novak, a former Jackass star and recovery advocate, talks about his own history of trading favors for drugs from doctors. The discussion also touches on Michael Jackson's death, linking it to his own doctor's unethical practices.The podcast closes with reflections on the corrupt nature of some rehab centers, which often enable addicts rather than guide them to true recovery. Matthews emphasizes the need for affordable, authentic treatment, noting that Perry himself highlighted these systemic issues before his death. In this conversation, the speakers discuss the broken rehab system, the intertwining of mental health and addiction, the role of medical professionals in treatment, the financial burden of addiction, the negligence surrounding care, and the stigma associated with addiction. They reflect on the tragic case of Matthew Perry, emphasizing the need for better support and understanding for those struggling with addiction and mental health issues.Support the show

This week on Dopey! On this very special 500th episode of Dopey we celebrate at DopeyCon 500! A Dopey Fan Convention and our 500th episode LIVE!!!!! It featured Jason Biggs and Hank Azaria playing me and Chris! John Joseph telling his truthful trauma! Kimber King and Brace Beldon! Abbey Fickley, Rachel Elizabeth Nicole, Brittany Jade, Handsome Evan, Lenny from the beach and Billy Jenson play the Stash Word! Novak gets honored - Again! Skinny Vinny tells his prison pocket story, Jeremy Turner tells the secret of Whitey Tighties, Bobby Dukes on a Crack house in Philly, Zack on Depression in recovery, Carl on getting sober and dealing with controversy in front of the World, Erin Khar runs Ask Erin, Ray Brown Sings! The Live Dopey debut of John Bukaty painting and talking recovery - and the smokey tones of Jake from West Virginia! It's all here! And more! Plus my dad and Linda making everyone cry and I tell the follow up to stealing a car in Bayport Long Island PLUS Fentanyl Jay and much much on this super long and emotional playback of Dopeycon 500! This is what AI says: keywordsDopey, addiction, recovery, community, DopeyCon, support, mental health, gratitude, storytelling, emotional journey, recovery, addiction, Safe Spot, Dopey Nation, drug use, community support, personal stories, mental health, relationships, Brandon Novak, Dopey, recovery, community, gratitude, storytelling, humor, imposter syndrome, personal growth, addiction, support, addiction, recovery, humor, community, storytelling, x-ray, attention, play, spirituality, DopeyCon summaryThe conversation centers around the 500th episode of the Dopey podcast, celebrating the community built around addiction recovery. The host reflects on personal experiences, gratitude towards supporters, and the emotional weight of sharing stories of addiction. The episode features a dramatic reenactment of past podcast moments and insights from guests about their journeys through recovery. In this segment of the conversation, the speakers share personal stories of survival, recovery, and the impact of community support in overcoming addiction. They discuss the importance of hotlines like Safe Spot, the challenges of navigating relationships in recovery, and the collective strength found within the Dopey Nation. The segment also honors those lost to addiction while celebrating the resilience of individuals in recovery, highlighted by Brandon Novak's inspiring journey. This conversation captures the essence of community, recovery, and personal growth within the Dopey Nation. It features heartfelt stories of gratitude, humorous anecdotes, and reflections on the challenges of sobriety, including imposter syndrome. The participants share their experiences, emphasizing the importance of honesty, vulnerability, and support in the recovery journey. The event is a celebration of resilience and transformation, showcasing the power of connection and shared experiences in overcoming addiction. This conversation explores the humorous yet profound journey of recovery from addiction, highlighting the importance of community, the healing power of play, and the transition from seeking attention through harmful behaviors to finding fulfillment in sobriety. The narrative is punctuated with anecdotes from DopeyCon, showcasing the camaraderie among those in recovery and the celebration of milestones in sobriety. takeaways DopeyCon 500 was a celebration of community and support. Gratitude is essential in the journey of recovery. The emotional weight of addiction stories can be profound. Dramatic reenactments can bring past podcast moments to life. Support from sponsors is crucial for the podcast's success. Personal experiences shared can resonate deeply with listeners. The journey of recovery is filled with ups and downs. Community events like DopeyCon foster connection and healing. Acknowledging past struggles is part of the recovery process. The importance of humor and lightness in discussing serious topics. Surviving on the streets can lead to traumatic experiences. Hotlines like Safe Spot play a crucial role in recovery. Navigating relationships can be challenging for those in recovery. Community support is vital for maintaining sobriety. Personal stories of loss and recovery resonate deeply with others. The landscape of drug use has changed significantly over the years. Honoring those lost to addiction is important for healing. Brandon Novak serves as a beacon of hope for many in recovery. Dopey Nation provides a sense of belonging and support. Celebrating milestones in recovery fosters community and connection. The Dopey Nation provides a vital support system for recovery. Personal stories of gratitude can inspire others in their journey. Humor plays a significant role in coping with addiction. Engaging activities can foster community and connection. Working the steps around joy can enhance personal growth. Imposter syndrome is a common struggle in recovery. Honesty and vulnerability are crucial for healing. Celebrating milestones in recovery strengthens community bonds. Sharing experiences can help others feel less alone. Transformation is possible through support and connection. The experience of putting items up one's butt became a humorous story of addiction. Community plays a crucial role in recovery and healing. Finding clarity often comes from surrendering to a higher power. The healing power of play can help in recovery. Sobriety is a journey that requires cooperation and support from others. Humor can be a powerful tool in discussing serious topics like addiction. Celebrating milestones in recovery fosters a sense of belonging. Acknowledging the darkness is essential for personal growth. The importance of sharing stories to connect with others in recovery. Recovery is an ongoing process that involves continuous self-care and reflection. titles The Role of Humor in Recovery The Power of Community in Healing The Impact of Safe Spot Hotline Brandon Novak: A Beacon of Hope Reflections on Recovery and Joy Humorous and Candid Storytelling The Prison Pocket Chronicles From Addiction to Epic Adventures Sound Bites "Toodles for Chris at Dopey" "Dopey wouldn't exist without Mountainside" "If I die on the table tomorrow" "I was traumatized by Oreo cookies." "I love representing Safe Spot." "Get the fuck out of that relationship." "This is the live podcast portion." "Dopey means Dopey Dave, first and foremost." "I found the Dopey Nation." "I put stuff up my butt because I was addicted to heroin." "I kept the thing up my butt for 24 hours." "I love that reaction every time." Chapters 00:00Introduction to DopeyCon 500 05:30Reflections on Community and Support 12:25The Journey of Recovery and Gratitude 18:32The Emotional Weight of Addiction Stories 31:23Dramatic Reenactment of Dopey Podcast 39:06John Joseph's Journey and Insights 48:08Surviving the Streets: A Personal Tale 54:50The Changing Landscape of Drug Use 01:00:20Navigating Relationships in Recovery 01:06:13Honoring Loss and Celebrating Recovery 01:17:18Brandon Novak: A Beacon of Hope 01:26:41DopeyCon 500: A Celebration of Community 01:31:48Personal Stories of Gratitude and Growth 01:40:26Humorous and Candid Storytelling 01:54:22Navigating Imposter Syndrome in Recovery 02:02:09The Power of Honesty and Vulnerability 02:10:30A Journey of Transformation and Acceptance 02:18:09The Prison Pocket Experience 02:24:55From Addiction to Attention 02:30:12Finding Clarity in Darkness 02:35:50The Healing Power of Play 02:43:42The DopeyCon Finale   

Go to http://www.shopify.com/steveo for a $1 a month trial period Go to http://www.smalls.com/steveo and use promo code steveo for 50% off plus free shipping  Go to http://www.bluechew.com and use promo code steveo for an entire month supply free just $5 in shipping      Brandon Novak is our guest this week for the third time, and we do the unthinkable, We don't talk about sobriety! We get into skateboarding, old CKY videos and his trauma growing up with his father. We love Novak and you should too!

Every athlete dreams of being sponsored by a powerhouse brand like Gatorade, and today's guest, Brandon Novak, achieved this dream by the age of 14. Discovered by the legendary Tony Hawk, Brandon quickly found himself in the pro-skateboarding world, joining the renowned Powell Peralta team and skating along stars like Bucky Lasek and Bam Margera. His career and future seemed…promising.He would have no idea that that bright future and nearly 20 years of his life would be lost to the disease of addiction. In honor of National Recovery Month, Brandon shares the cycles of his journey—from stardom on MTV's ‘Viva la Bam' and ‘Jackass' to fighting for his life while on life support.Tune in to hear how Brandon turned his struggle with addiction into a driving purpose, and get his take on how mental resilience and accountability are key to moving beyond your past.************Make sure to follow Jamie @jamiehess on Instagram for news & updates, and visit our companion Instagram account @gratitudeology for a sneak peek into the personal moments discussed on the show.************Thank you to Brandon Novak for sharing your truth with us today. Follow Brandon on Instagram @brandon_novak.Check out more about Brandon: https://brandonnovak.com/************The Gratitudeology Podcast theme music is by HYLLS, performed by Nadia Ali @nadiaali ************Brandon's Bio: From Baltimore, Maryland, Brandon was a professional skateboarder discovered by Tony Hawk and rose to fame on the hit MTV show Viva la Bam, and the movies Jackass. As a teen, he became addicted to heroin which lasted for 20 years. He wrote the addiction memoir, Dreamseller, and it became a best seller on Amazon. He also penned The Brandon Novak Chronicles and recently, The Streets of Baltimore. Brandon gives back by helping people into treatment celebrating 8 years clean in May 2023 and nearly 5 years tobacco free.He relates to millions of people across the country; 1 in 4 to be exact who are directly affected by addiction in their family. He travels the country as one of the most in-demand addiction keynote speakers, bringing awareness and education to high schools across the nation. Brandon truly embodies someone who can turn their life around. Brandon has impacted hundreds of thousands of lives through his story of sobriety. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

This week on Dopey! We got horrible news that our dear friend, contributor and all around beloved OG favorite Dope - Annie Ellie died this week. We remember her and play her first voicemail which was, tragically and ironically all about a time she overdosed and almost died. We also play her review of DopeyCon 2022 and another thing she had sent in. Then Reno from the 'It's All Bad' podcast came to meet me at Jeremy's house when I was in Los Angeles - ironically for the Rich Roll show which aired last week! Reno tells his gnarly story of addiction and recovery! We hear all about his crazy beginnings in addict life and the hell he went through before it all got pretty good for him. Plus Dopey emails and much more on a brand new super tragic episode of that good old bitter sweet Dopey Show!  FROM AI:  yIn this episode of Dopey, Dave mourns the loss of Annie Ellie, a beloved member of the Dopey Nation who died of an overdose. He shares voicemails and memories of Annie, emphasizing the importance of reaching out for help and support. Dave also interviews Reno from the podcast It's All Bad, discussing their experiences with addiction and the challenges they faced. They talk about their early drug use, encounters with the law, and the journey to recovery. Reno shares his insights on navigating the prison system and finding a path to a better life. David Manheim shares his experiences with addiction and relapse, highlighting the importance of community and connectivity in recovery. He discusses his time in rehab and the intense group therapy sessions that helped him confront his character defects. David also talks about his Neapolitan background and how his natural skills of connecting with people served him both in his addiction and in his recovery. He reflects on the shame and guilt that came with his relapse and the impact it had on his personal and professional life. David emphasizes the importance of sharing stories of addiction and recovery to combat loneliness and provide hope to others. In this final part of the conversation, Reno reviews his drug use experiences, including his encounters with PCP, GHB, DMT, Ibogaine, and ketamine. He also shares a wild story about trying to access his tax refund while in the midst of addiction. Annie, a fan of the show, provides a review of DopeyCon 2022 and expresses her love for Brandon Novak. The episode concludes with Annie's tribute song to Brandon Novak. keywordsaddiction, overdose, mourning, support, recovery, podcast, interview, drug use, law, prison, life, addiction, recovery, community, connectivity, rehab, character defects, Neapolitan, shame, guilt, relapse, personal life, professional life, sharing stories, drug use, PCP, GHB, DMT, Ibogaine, ketamine, tax refund, addiction, DopeyCon, Brandon Novak takeaways The loss of a loved one to addiction is a tragic reminder of the importance of reaching out for help and support. Sharing memories and voicemails can be a way to honor and remember those who have passed away. Early drug use and encounters with the law can be wake-up calls that lead to a desire for change and recovery. Navigating the prison system can be challenging, but finding a community and seeking help can lead to a better life. Recovery is a journey that requires commitment, support, and a willingness to change. Loneliness and disconnection are breeding grounds for addiction, while community and connectivity are essential for recovery. Group therapy sessions in rehab can help individuals confront their character defects and work towards personal growth. Natural skills, such as connecting with people, can serve both in addiction and in recovery. Relapse can be a part of the recovery journey, and it's important to learn from it and seek help. Sharing stories of addiction and recovery can combat loneliness and provide hope to others. Reno reflects on his experiences with various drugs, highlighting the dangers and consequences of addiction. Annie's review of DopeyCon 2022 showcases the sense of community and connection among Dopey fans. The tribute song to Brandon Novak demonstrates the impact and admiration he has among the Dopey Nation. titles Mourning the Loss of Annie Ellie Finding Community and Support in Recovery Confronting Character Defects in Rehab The Role of Community and Connectivity in Recovery A Tribute to Brandon Novak Annie's Review of DopeyCon 2022 Sound Bites "If you're using and you're really, you don't want to die and you don't want to get really hurt, call that number." "I love Annie and I will totally miss her." "Discover Recovery: An Amazing Treatment Facility in the Pacific Northwest" "Addiction is a disease. Loneliness really thrives. Addiction really thrives in loneliness. Connectivity is one of the bigger things that unlocks addiction." "They did this thing called the game where they would circle up chairs in the middle of a room and there were no rules whatsoever, except for no violence." "I'm Neapolitan. And that's one of the characteristics. Is Neapolitan besides chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry?" "Love all the acts, crack, smack, and Brandon Novak." "Oh Mr. Novak, this is Mrs. Novak." "Mr. Novak is good, Mr. Novak is kind, Mr. Novak don't care." Chapters 00:00Mourning the Loss of Annie Ellie 10:48Recovery and Support 19:46Interview with Reno from It's All Bad 32:11Early Drug Use and Encounters with the Law 44:47Finding a Path to Recovery 46:59The Role of Community and Connectivity in Recovery 48:19Confronting Character Defects in Rehab 55:42The Impact of Relapse on Personal and Professional Life 01:14:46The Power of Sharing Stories of Addiction and Recovery 01:32:17Wild Drug Use Experiences 01:57:33Annie's Review of DopeyCon 2022 02:06:14A Tribute to Brandon Novak

This is a highlight of Episode 197 with Brandon Novak.On today's highlight episode, Rich sits down with Brandon Novak – Professional Skateboarder, MTV celebrity, alumnus of the Jackass motion picture series, star of the CKY skateboard video series, and author of the best-selling memoir “Dreamseller.”  Brandon has impacted hundreds of thousands of lives through his story of sobriety.Rich and Brandon share their personal accounts of becoming sober, the benefits they've found in doing so, and how listeners can start their journey. Connect with Brandon on Instagram: @brandon__novakIf you or a loved one are suffering with addiction call or text Brandon at (610) 314-6747--Connect with Rich on Instagram: @rich_somersInterested in investing with Somers Capital? Visit www.somerscapital.com/invest to learn more. Interested in joining our Boutique Hotel Mastermind? Visit www.somerscapital.com/mastermind to book a free call. Interested in STR/Boutique Hotel Management? Visit www.excelsiorstays.com/management to book a free call.

This week on the Studio 22 Podcast, Brock and Will sit down with professional skateboarder, writer, and recovery advocate Brandon Novak. Known for his appearances on Viva La Bam and in the Jackass films, Brandon opens up about his incredible journey from addiction to recovery. He recalls the pivotal moment during his Viva La Bam days when he was given an ultimatum: write a book or face the streets.  In this heartfelt episode, Brandon shares his experiences of finally getting sober after years of living hard. He talks about how his fist job after getting sober gave him the skills to be a successful person in recovery. Today, he owns sever treatment facilities helping people get sober.  You can learn more at https://brandonnovak.com/ To get help, text or call (610) 314-6747

On today's episode, Rich sits down with Brandon Novak – Professional Skateboarder, MTV celebrity, alumnus of the Jackass motion picture series, star of the CKY skateboard video series, and author of the best-selling memoir “Dreamseller.” Brandon gives back by helping people into treatment celebrating 9 years clean and nearly 6 years tobacco free. He relates to millions of people across the US; 1 in 4 to be exact, who are directly affected by addiction in their family. He travels the country as one of the most in-demand addiction keynote speakers, bringing awareness and education to high schools across the nation. Brandon has impacted hundreds of thousands of lives through his story of sobriety.Rich and Brandon start off by discussing Mikey Taylor and Brandon Turner (the skateboarder), the synchronicity of life events and meeting Tony Hawk, Bucky Lasek and growing up in Baltimore, skateboarding and high intensity workouts, Brandon's journey into the Jackass movies, Brandon's worst injury on set, and Brandon share's an anecdote of stealing a doctor's script. They then reflect on Brandon's drug usage, Rich's journey through a Xanax addiction, Benzo addictions, prescribing drugs to children, and muscle memory.Lastly, they talk about happiness in growth and progress, the covid pandemic, Brandon's family history, the power of a smile, Brandon's anecdote about an abandoned house, how the abnormal becomes the normal, their journey to sobriety, full circle moments, being the best version of ourselves, the confidence that sobriety creates, and realistic ways to become sober.Connect with Brandon on Instagram: @brandon__novakIf you or a loved one are suffering with addiction call or text Brandon at (610) 314-6747--Connect with Rich on Instagram: @rich_somersInterested in investing with Somers Capital? Visit www.somerscapital.com/invest to learn more. Interested in joining our Boutique Hotel Mastermind? Visit www.somerscapital.com/mastermind to book a free call. Interested in STR/Boutique Hotel Management? Visit www.excelsiorstays.com/management to book a free call.

Brandon Novak comes to the show to talk about his journey from Jackass, Going Sober & Prison Stories APPLY TO BE ON THE PODCAST: https://forms.gle/D2cLkWfJx46pDK1MA BUSINESS INQUIRIES/SPONSORS: Jenna@DigitalSocialHour.com SPONSORS: Deposyt Payment Processing: https://www.deposyt.com/seankelly LISTEN ON: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/digital-social-hour/id1676846015 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Jn7LXarRlI8Hc0GtTn759 Sean Kelly Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seanmikekelly/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brandon Novak comes to the show to talk about his journey from Jackass, Going Sober & Prison Stories APPLY TO BE ON THE PODCAST: https://forms.gle/D2cLkWfJx46pDK1MA BUSINESS INQUIRIES/SPONSORS: Jenna@DigitalSocialHour.com SPONSORS: Deposyt Payment Processing: https://www.deposyt.com/seankelly LISTEN ON: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/digital-social-hour/id1676846015 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Jn7LXarRlI8Hc0GtTn759 Sean Kelly Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seanmikekelly/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hour 1 It's bring your dog to work today thanks to The Farmer's Dog. Gio's dog, Elvis, is here. Al's dog, Whimsy is here. And Eddie's dog, Cooper, is here. Gio is not going to get worked up about the Knicks right now because it's not the real Knicks with all of the injuries. Jalen Brunson has a cervical issue. Gio thought only women had a cervix. It got confusing. Jerry is here for his first update and said if he got a dog he would get a golden retriever. Mecole Hardman was on The Pivot podcast and talked about how the Jets ran the offense (it was not good). Gio said this is low hanging fruit for Hardman to bring up after catching the game winning TD in the Super Bowl. Jerry has the 60 foot buzzer beater as the Cavaliers beat the Mavericks. Evan and Tiki played a new game show ‘Posted & Toasted'. In the final segment of the hour, Boomer is interviewing Ronda Rousey for his GameTime show. Rumors of Blake Snell to the Yankees are still out there as Juan Soto was asked about it and of course he would love it.  Hour 2 Gio wonders why dogs smell each other's butts. What are they trying to find out? Also how do we know that dogs don't have any concept of time? Jerry returns for an update and starts with the Knicks losing to the Pelicans. The Knicks are all banged up right now. Jerry has the 60 foot buzzer beater as the Cavaliers beat the Mavericks. Giants GM Joe Schoen met the media and talked about Saquon and the franchise tag. Jerry plays ‘what is that sound' from Mets spring training. In the final segment of the hour, we talked about a new reality show coming out called, ‘Stars on Mars' on Fox.  Hour 3 Giants GM Joe Schoen talked to the media at the combine and the topics of Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones. None of this means anything until we see action in free agency and with the draft. Gio thinks they will take a quarterback in the draft. Bill Belichick is still out there so if Schoen and Daboll go down, they are going to go down with a quarterback of their choosing. Boomer expects Jones to have a chip on his shoulder and a lot to play for. What if Saquon ends up on the Cowboys? We talked about free agent RBs like Derrick Henry. Boomer wants Gio to go to Detroit for the NFL draft but Gio has no interest in that city. A kid calls in and he's angry at Evan Roberts for being ‘salty' towards the Rangers. Jerry returns for an update and has audio from Giants GM Joe Schoen from the combine. Nick Sirianni was also there and talked about Jalen Hurts' leadership. The banged up Knicks lost to the Pelicans. Will Ferrell was on a podcast and kinda believes the Cal Ripken/Kevin Costner conspiracy. A pro-bowler was arrested mid-match for child pornography charges. Gio thinks bowlers are weirdos. In the final segment of the hour, Colin Cowherd thought his house was being robbed but now he thinks the girl in the car thought it was Taylor Swift's house.  Hour 4 It's NFL combine week and we're talking about the quarterbacks. Michael Penix seems to be slipping a bit. Some mock drafts JJ McCarthy as a top 10 pick and Gio can't believe it. We talked about the potential of going to the NFL draft in Detroit. Jerry returns for his final update of the day and starts with the Bears and the future of Justin Fields. Jerry has the call on the 60 foot buzzer beater for the Cavs as they beat the Mavs. Shannon Sharpe and Ochocinco talked about a woman wanting to marry an artificial intelligence partner. They also talked about how they like heavier women. Will Ferrell was on a podcast and talked about the Cal Ripken Jr/Kevin Costner conspiracy. The Moment of The Day involves dogs smelling each other's butts. In the final segment of the show, we wrap up bringing your dog to work thanks to The Farmer's Dog. Franchise tagging is going on as we speak and will continue until March 5th.

Giants GM Joe Schoen talked to the media at the combine and the topics of Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones. None of this means anything until we see action in free agency and with the draft. Gio thinks they will take a quarterback in the draft. Bill Belichick is still out there so if Schoen and Daboll go down, they are going to go down with a quarterback of their choosing. Boomer expects Jones to have a chip on his shoulder and a lot to play for. What if Saquon ends up on the Cowboys? We talked about free agent RBs like Derrick Henry. Boomer wants Gio to go to Detroit for the NFL draft but Gio has no interest in that city. A kid calls in and he's angry at Evan Roberts for being ‘salty' towards the Rangers. Jerry returns for an update and has audio from Giants GM Joe Schoen from the combine. Nick Sirianni was also there and talked about Jalen Hurts' leadership. The banged up Knicks lost to the Pelicans. Will Ferrell was on a podcast and kinda believes the Cal Ripken/Kevin Costner conspiracy. A pro-bowler was arrested mid-match for child pornography charges. Gio thinks bowlers are weirdos. In the final segment of the hour, Colin Cowherd thought his house was being robbed but now he thinks the girl in the car thought it was Taylor Swift's house.

Brandon Novack just turned 40, and he completed his 13th attempt at recovery in 2016. He's been sober ever since. At the age of 15, he was a pro skateboarder, endorsed by Gatorade and doing commercials with Michael Jordan. At 17, he was working for his idol, Tony Hawk. That's when he discovered the dark side of substance abuse. This would cause him to lose everything, save for a few personal belongings, and gain a restraining order from his Mom. It's a long road to recovery and one that you for sure want to hear.

Join Teddy Tarantino on the latest episode of "Hell Has an Exit" as he sits down with Brandon Novak. From a prodigious start in skateboarding, where he was discovered by legends Tony Hawk and Bucky Lasek when he was just a teenager, to becoming the world's first skateboarder sponsored by Gatorade at the age of 14. He soon toured the country on the Powell-Peralta team, landing endorsement deals with Gatorade, and even starring in commercials with Michael Jordan at the young age of 15. Beyond skateboarding professionally, Novak ventured into the world of movies and television, making memorable appearances in several of the Jackass movies, Viva la Bam, the CKY series, Bam's Unholy Union, and more. But alongside his glittering career, Novak faced a deeply personal battle with addiction that threatened to overshadow his achievements. His struggles with substance abuse led him down a dark path, marked by rehab stints, brushes with the law, and moments of despair. Yet, against all odds, Novak found the strength to confront his demons and achieve sobriety in 2015. Brandon is not only a survivor but also an advocate for others fighting similar battles. He authored the bestselling book, Dreamseller: An Addiction Memoir, where he candidly shares his journey through addiction and recovery, inspiring countless others along the way. Recognizing the need for comprehensive addiction treatment, Novak has now established his own addiction treatment center, providing individuals with the support and resources they need to overcome addiction and reclaim their lives. Brandon's dedication to helping others has not gone unnoticed. He was recently recognized by the DEA's 360 Strategy Program for his tireless efforts in battling the opioid epidemic in America. Through his work as a Certified Intervention Professional and motivational speaker, Novak continues to spread awareness and offer support to those in need. Tune in to "Hell Has an Exit" as Teddy Tarantino and Brandon Novak delve into the highs and lows of a life lived on the edge, proving that even from the depths of hell, there's always a way out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I'm making friends with Brandon Novak - professional skateboarder and star of the hit show Viva La Bam and the movies Jackass.** (Psst... Before I tell you more about the guest, do you like this show? Please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts — even one sentence helps!

I'm in Las Vegas covering Super Bowl 58. I had a chaotic trip thanks to Denver International Airport. Comedy genius, Larry David, was forced to apologize after “attacking” Elmo on the Today Show. Drama in the bowling world - Brandon Novak… was swarmed by U.S. Marshals and taken into custody. Billionaire Peter Thiel bankrolling ‘Olympics on steroids' event that allows athletes to dope. An influencer got a belly button tattoo in order to look taller. 20% of people snack while in the bathtub or while using the toilet.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Brandon Novak is a professional skateboarder discovered by Tony Hawk and a part of the renowned Powell-Peralta team, an MTV celebrity (Viva La Bam, Bam's Unholy Union), an alumnus of the Jackass motion picture series, a star of the legendary CKY skateboard video series, and author of his best-selling addiction memoir Dreamseller. Brandon is able to relate to ten of millions of people across the country; 1 in 4 to be exact who are directly affected by addiction in their family. Brandon Novak keynotes the National Youth Summit on Opioid Awareness in partnership with the DEA and the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation. The National Youth Summits on Opioid Awareness are a half day school event designed to educate middle and high school students about the dangers of opioid misuse while promoting the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. The Summits take place in several cities across the United States. Through the foundation's partnership with the DEA 360 Events, thousands of high school level children have the ability to attend a very impactful event with speakers, musical entertainment, and engaging discussions.    In this episode, Brandon and Brad discuss Brandon's story and how he came into and out of addiction along with his time skateboarding, in show business, and on two very famous shows, Jackass and Viva La Bam. Support Brandon's cause through venmo @novakshouse or give him a call at 610-314-6747 Follow Brandon @brandon__novak Learn more about what Brandon does https://www.brandonnovak.com  Watch the full video episode on Brad's Rumble here: https://rumble.com/c/c-2544182  Watch the full video episode on Brad's Youtube Here: https://bradlea.tv   

Brandon Novak pro skateboarder, speaker, author, & best friend of Bam Margera. He is known for his appearances on Viva La Bam, Jackass, the CKY series & Haggard. EPISODE LINKS https://brandonnovak.com https://www.instagram.com/brandon__novak Venmo for Novak's scholarship fund - @NovaksHouse SPONSORS: https://ver.so/danny - Use code DANNY to save 15% on your order. https://factormeals.com/DJP50 - Use CODE: DJP50 for 50% off. Weekly bonus episodes: https://patreon.com/dannyjones FOLLOW DANNY JONES https://www.instagram.com/jonesdanny https://twitter.com/jonesdanny OUTLINE 00:00 - Brandon & Bam in the early days 06:00 - How Brandon got into heroin so early? 09:40 - Brandon's memory is shot 12:55 - Ali Boulala & the Piss Drunx crew 20:01 - Avoiding drugs and alcohol 22:14 - Brandon's quest to sobriety 26:08 - Intentionally sabotaging his own success 29:32 - Insane story behind the ALF tattoo 33:02 - Filming Viva La Bam for MTV 37:53 - Putting a rock up his butt for drug money 41:31 - CKY stories 42:50 - Twisted stories trying to score smack 44:37 - Brandons mom prayed for his death 49:45 - Working for the DEA 58:26 - Fentanyl 01:01:57 - What's a "Speed-ball" ? 01:03:51 - Cartel wars 01:06:40 - Disturbing hotel experience in Australia 01:14:43 - Novak's relationship with Bam 01:19:57 - Novak's Houses for the Recovering 01:28:31 - Psychological affect of giving 01:32:47 - Methadone clinics 01:41:49 - Experiments with good vices 01:46:51 - The most FOUL tattoo in history 01:51:44 - Conflict

Join Jack Osbourne and his longtime friend, Brandon Novak, on this week's episode of 'Ghosts and Grit' as they take a trip down memory lane. The duo reminisce about their experience as keynote speakers at a DEA meeting and Brandon shares captivating insights into the opening of his groundbreaking treatment center, Redemption Addiction Treatment Center. In an inspiring and heartfelt conversation, Brandon opens up about his personal mission to help others and discusses the difficult journey to sobriety. He shares fascinating stories about the serendipitous meeting with Bam Margera, which led to his involvement in the CKY Crew and later 'Viva La Bam.' Both Brandon and Jack discuss the challenges they've faced in their sobriety, touching on how addiction has manifested in different areas of life and emphasizing the importance of human connection. Jack and Brandon explore society's current state, delving into topics like instant gratification and whether society is becoming more secular and the impact of COVID-19 on those in recovery. In a light hearted twist, Jack tries to guess the story behind Brandon's tattoo, leading to a fascinating discussion about the only paranormal experience Brandon has ever had—inside Bam Margera's haunted castle. The duo goes further into the unknown, exploring the vast realms of the paranormal. They delve into UFOs, recent UFO disclosures, and delve into the concept of life after death and reincarnation.   

Brandon Novak is a keynote speaker, author, former professional skateboarder/TV star, and intervention specialist who reclaimed his life from addiction in 2015.In this episode, Brandon walks us through his remarkable journey from sleeping in abandoned houses as a homeless heroin addict to owning and operating several sober living facilities and earning widespread respect as a champion for people in recovery. He also speaks about:-How he first got into drugs and alcohol, and his thoughts on "gateway drugs"-The moment when Bam Margera offered help at a critical time-Becoming a famous MTV star on 'Viva La Bam' in the mid-2000s-The story behind his mother buying him a cemetery plot-The epiphany he experienced standing on his mother's doorstep after she kicked him out of her house and put a restraining order on him-Why he recommends a firm approach to dealing with loved ones who are battling addiction-The spiritual element of his recovery-Why he doesn't consider his 12 unsuccessful attempts to get sober, "failures"-Why he's not tempted to consume drugs or alcohol today-How to include friends in recovery in social activities-The business of owning sober living homes and an addiction treatment center -How he scaled his sober living facilities to 65 bedsBrandon's charitable cause:King's Crusade, which helps fund inpatient addiction recovery treatment for people who can't otherwise afford it.Books mentioned in this episode:Streets of Baltimore by Brandon NovakDreamseller by Brandon NovakSupport Brandon's Scholarship Foundation:Donate to provide free beds for individuals transitioning out of treatment (Venmo: @novakshouse).Struggling or need guidance?Contact Brandon directly at 610-314-6747.Connect with Brandon:InstagramWebsiteRedemption Addiction Treatment CenterEnjoyed this episode? Follow A Better Life in your favorite podcast app and share this episode to spread the word.

Brandon Novak is on the show to share his story of skateboarding with Tony Hawk, battles with his own demons, surviving jail and how was able to build a new life for himself. Follow Ian Bick on Instagram: @ian_bick & Snapchat: ianbick Connect with Brandon Novak: https://brandonnovak.com Buy Merch: https://lockedinbrand.com Use code lockedin at checkout to get 20% off your order Connect with Ian Bick: https://www.ianbick.com Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:32 - Surrounding myself with the right people 00:05:01 - Connecting Stories and Creating a Beautiful Sweater 00:07:31 - The Complex Background of a Skateboarder 00:10:15 - The Influence of Parents 00:12:52 - Deflection 00:15:30 - The Influence of Skateboarding and Substance Abuse 00:18:01 - Childhood Skateboarding Memories 00:20:36 - The Influence of Skateboarding and the Misuse of Talent 00:23:10 - The Struggle with Fulfillment 00:25:49 - Skateboarding and Divine Intervention 00:28:32 - Defiance and Reaching Out to Help Others 00:31:23 - Journey to recovery 00:33:45 - From Skateboarding to Jackass 00:36:23 - Skater Fashion Cycles 00:39:09 - The Evolution and Impact of Stunts and Antics 00:41:44 - From Defects to Assets 00:44:30 - Laying it all on the table 00:47:20 - The Impact of my life choices 00:50:11 - Celebrity Status and Controversy in Jail 00:52:52 - Medical Issues from Using 00:55:28 - Finding Fulfillment in the Simple Things 00:58:03 - The Moment of Change 01:00:50 - Accountability and Recovery 01:03:19 - The Difficulty of Helping Someone who doesn't want to be helped 01:06:11 - Helping Other 01:08:48 - The Importance of Accountability 01:11:21 - Overcoming Stigma and Redefining the Future 01:13:59 - Creating an Environment for Recovery 01:16:47 - Finding Understanding Powered by Creative Evolution Studios https://creativeevolutionstudios.com Produced by: https://www.instagram.com/shanedanahy https://www.shanedanahy.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony, Eli Zaret stops by to talk Connor Stalions & Michigan football, Brandon Novak's new book, Corey Feldman's production problems, and a semi-truck police chase. A field hockey team in Massachusetts is DOMINATING with the help of their new star. Eli Zaret stops by to eulogize Matthew Perry, an extra paycheck for Miguel Cabrera, Mark Meadows' book fiasco, the Detroit Lions playoff odds, lackluster MLB World Series ratings, E-Rod opts out of his contract, college football weekend recap, a Connor Stalions cheating discussion, RIP Bobby Knight and more. Drew stumbled upon Steve-O's Wild Ride! podcast. Turns out Brandon Novak was pretty wild in his day. We found more footage of Corey Feldman live shows that are filled with production problems. Donald Trump is leading in the swing states. Sam Bankman-Fried popped some zits on the stand and was found guilty. Books: John Stamos. Britney Spears. Thurston Moore. Teri Copley is breaking her silence. We check out the trailer for Priscilla, the new Elvis movie. Matthew Perry was laid to rest this weekend and Jennifer Aniston arrived first. Stuttering John has gone on the offensive against Karl Hamburger on Twitter. An Alabama Mayor/Pastor commits suicide after his cross-dressing pics were leaked by a website. Daylight Savings is stupid. The Beatles are crushing it with their new song. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame aired and it was full of surprising performances. Semi-truck led a police chase in Texas. Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker had their brat. Girls night for Taylor Swift. One of these things is not like the other. Not-a-Prince Harry and Meghan Markle go to a Katy Perry concert. Marc learns of the passing of René Angélil… gone too soon. Dark Side of Comedy features Joan Rivers. Meg Ryan is still unrecognizable, thus making her recognizable. Check out Jonah Falcon weekend action on Twitter (NSFW). More similar allegations against Russell Brand. Bachelor Nation founding father Chris Harrison got married. Tori Spelling has a new boyfriend and is already buying underwear for him. Dean McDermott is on Cameo phoning it in. Colin Strickland took the stand in the Kaitlin Armstrong trial. Gary Hoey will join us tomorrow to promote his show on December 9th at The Magic Bag. Visit Our Presenting Sponsor Hall Financial – Michigan's highest rated mortgage company If you'd like to help support the show… please consider subscribing to our YouTube Page, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (Drew and Mike Show, Marc Fellhauer, Trudi Daniels, Jim Bentley and BranDon).

http://www.OUTERKNOWN.COM/STEVEO use code STEVEO for 25% OFF http://www.tryfum.com/steveo use code STEVEO for 10% off the Journey pack http://www.bluechew.com use code STEVEO for first month free, just $5 in shipping http://www.harrys.com/steveo to save a few bucks! ***NEW COMEDY SPECIAL! Pre order STEVE-O'S BUCKET LIST at http://steveo.com Brandon Novak is a professional skateboarder, known for Jackass and Viva La Bam. We discuss Novak's dark days in prison, his relationship with Bam Margera, Matthew Perry, Brandon's business running sober living houses and soooo much more! Come see me on tour! http://steveo.com Follow us on social media! @steveo @scottjrandolph @skinnyvinny @paulbrisske Steve-O's Hot Sauce! - https://www.amazon.com/Steve-Os-Sauce-Your-Butthole-Bottle/dp/B08GKXVNSX/ref=sr_1_1?crid=314GTTCX7SAAZ&keywords=butthole&qid=1668129993&sprefix=butthol%2Caps%2C256&sr=8-1 

This week on Dopey! DopeyCon IV!!!! A cavalcade of Dopes! A treasure Trove ofand  Dopey Stories! It's all here! Bobby Dukes burning a dude's dick with a crack pipe in a glory hole to Jessa Reed's Opus Owl Story! Plus great recovery with Hank Azaria, Joe Schrank, Ask Erin Khar! Music by Ray Brown and so very much more on this weeks brand new spanking episode of that good old Dopey Show! DopeyCon IV!!!!! More About Dopey: Dopey Podcast is the world's greatest podcast on drugs, addiction and dumb shit. Chris and I were two IV heroin addicts who loved to talk about all the coke we smoked, snorted and shot, all the pills we ate, smoked, all the weed we smoked and ate, all the booze we consumed and all the consequences we suffered. After making the show for 2 and a half years, Chris tragically relapsed and died from a fentanyl overdose. Dopey continued on, at first to mourn the horrible loss of Chris, but then to continue our mission - which was at its core, to keep addicts and alcoholics company. Whether to laugh at our time in rehab, or cry at the worst missteps we made, Dopey tells the truth about drugs, addiction and recovery. We continually mine the universe for stories rife with debauchery and highlight serious drug taking and alcoholism. We also examine different paths toward addiction recovery. We shine a light on harm reduction and medication assisted treatment. We talk with celebrities and nobodies and stockpile stories to be the greatest one stop shop podcast on all things drugs, addiction, recovery and comedy pathfinding the route to the heart of the opioid epidemic.

Brandon Novak became a household name in the early 2000s after becoming a fixture on the hit shows Jacka$$ and Viva La Bam. But despite the success of fame and professional skateboarding he lived a dark life full of crime and drug addiction. After two decades he's gotten clean and found his calling in life; helping others. Brandon joins the show to tell us all about his life and road to recovery. Support Brandon's Work and Recovery Homes! Website: https://brandonnovak.com/ Novak's House: https://www.instagram.com/novakshouse/?hl=en Support Our Sponsors! Fum: https://tryfum.com/ Promo Code: CONNECT Hello Fresh: https://www.hellofresh.com/connect50 Promo Code: CONNECT50 BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com/ Promo Code: CONNECT PrizePicks: https://www.prizepicks.com/ Promo Code: CONNECT Join The Patreon For Bonus Content! https://www.patreon.com/theconnectshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to the show, author, Jackass, skateboarder, business owner, motivational speaker and friend of the show, Brandon Novak. During this episode we discuss running a race together, his age, what his name almost was, going on the Bertcast, getting recognized, growing up watching Novak, CKY, Jackass, being in a porn, kinks, accepting compliments, the best and worst drugs ever, getting mad at how he was treated when he was an addict, his Audiobook and the infamous plant lady! Follow the Podcast @loveandthenwhatFollow Mr. Everybody @mr.everybodypodsFollow Novak@Brandon_novakFollow Maura@maurbiexoWould you like to be apart of the show, ask us a question or tell us a story? Please email us at LoveandThenWhat@gmail.com or send us a message on Instagram @loveandthenwhatTo see other clips, remember to subscribe to the YouTube channel and go to our website loveandthenwhat.com to see all of our videos, socials and behind the scenes clips.

Today, I sit down with Jackass, CKY & Viva La Bam Alum, Brandon Novak. We talk about his wildest moments, having a hit put out on him, turning to prostitution, his lowest moment, turning his life around, sobriety, and much more!        Follow Brandon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandon__novak  Twitter: https://twitter.com/Brandon_Novak    If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, call/text Brandon Novak at 610-314-6747  My movie "The Machine" is available to buy or rent on demand now! This episode is brought to you by Mad Rabbit Tattoo. Go to http://www.madrabbit.com/bertcast and use the promo code “BERTCAST” for 25% off.    This episode is also brought to you by True Classic. Get 25% off at http://www.trueclassic.com when you use the code “BERT” at checkout.   This episode is also brought to you by Gametime. Go to http://www.gametime.co or download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code “BERTCAST” for $20 off your first purchase.   This episode is also brought to you by Miller High Life. Go to http://www.MillerHighLife.com/BERT to find Miller High Life near you. Celebrate Responsibly. 2023 Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.   This episode is also brought to you by Birddogs. Go to http://www.birddogs.com/bert for a free Yeti style tumbler with your order!   SUBSCRIBE so you never miss a video https://bit.ly/3DC1ICg  For all TOUR DATES: http://www.bertbertbert.com  For Fully Loaded: https://fullyloadedfestival.com/     Get your tickets for the TOPS OFF WORLD TOUR at bertbertbert.com Sign up for the FULLY LOADED AT SEA waitlist at fullyloadedatsea.com    For Something's Burning: https://bertyboyproductions.com/somethings-burning-season-1 For Merch: https://store.bertbertbert.com/    Follow Me! Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/bertkreischer   Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/BertKreischer   Instagram: http://www.Instagram.com/bertkreischer   YouTube: http://www.YouTube.com/user/Akreischer  TikTok: http://www.TikTok.com/@bertkreischer  Text Me: https://my.community.com/bertkreischer 

Today I talk with Dave Manheim from the Dopey Podcast. Dopey podcast is the most popular addiction/recovery podcast and has featured guests like Dr. Drew, Zac Clark, Jason Biggs, Brandon Novak, Jack Osbourne, Jamie Lee Curtis and many more! When Dave isn't working on the podcast, he is a manager at Katz's Delicatessen in NYC. Dopey was created by Dave and his cohost Chris in 2016, they met in rehab in Connecticut in 2011. Chris tragically died in July of 2018, relapsing, and overdosing on cocaine and fentanyl. Dave never stopped making the show and continues to push the Dopey message as far as it possibly can go.   Dopey: https://dopeypodcast.com/   Rebel Rabbit! Use code LIFE20 for 20% off your Rebel Rabbit orders! https://drinkrebelrabbit.com/discount/LLM20   For the best mattresses in the game, Engineered Sleep is your team! Use code LIVE15 to get 15% off your order. https://engineeredsleep.com

On this edition of Clean and Sober Radio host Gary Hendler and cohost Mark Sigmund welcome Brandon Novak, once a nationally ranked professional skateboarder and a star of the hit TV series “Jackass.” With years of incarceration and rehabs, Brandon made a decision to get into recovery in 2015. From a life of fame, destructive behavior, and addiction, Brandon is now a motivational speaker, author, and owner of a rehabilitation center and recovery houses. Yes we do recover and we do give back. An amazing story.

In this episode Toby catches up with Brandon Novak for a part 2! He talks about learning to fail, opening a treatment addiction center, his first real job after getting clean, narrating his book, his tattoos and never before told stories!  Please remember to rate, review and subscribe and visit us at https://www.youtube.com/tobymorseonelifeonechance Please visit our sponsors! Athletic Greens https://athleticgreens.com/oloc Caddis https://caddislife.com/toby10 Removery https://removery.com code TOBYH2O Liquid Death https://liquiddeath.com/toby

Today we were joined by our good friend - the man, the myth, the legend, Brandon Novak! We caught up with him and talked about his new treatment center, growing up skating in Baltimore and even touched on close pal, Bam Margera!

Tim Lodgen grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, where he signed a skateboard contract that had him riding with Bucky Lasek and Brandon Novak. Playing sports kept him away from drugs and alcohol until he enlisted in the Marine Corps as a Senior in High School. He thought he'd let off some steam before he had to enter the highly regimented life of a soldier, and during that time, he did every drug he could get his hands on. Soon he was deployed to Somalia, where massive amounts of alcohol took the place of the drugs. When he finally returned home, he was happy to be out of the military but quickly fell into a deep depression that had him sitting with a gun in his lap and thinking about suicide. He finally admitted his depression and was diagnosed with Bi-Polar disorder. Still, without ever admitting to his drug and alcohol use, he spent the next 20 years with incorrect doses that did little for his mental health. Tim then began a career as an MMA fighter. An eventual injury led him to introduce opiates into his use, which sent his addiction to another level and caused a second suicide attempt. He finally found help 27 years into his addiction after his wife discovered him preparing to take his own life. He has since become the healthiest version of himself, even coming in 3rd place in a Muscle and Fitness bodybuilding contest. Tim now uses his platform to help others by telling his story, working with the homeless, and offering addiction and health advice through his Instagram account. ______________________________________ Resources: // National Suicide Help Line Phone: 988 (new nationwide short-code) URL: www.988lifeline.org Links: // Tim Lodgen: Insta: @tlodgen // Patrick Custer: Insta: @patrick_custer // Rooted Recovery Stories Podcast: Insta: @rootedrecoverystories URL: www.rootedrecoverystories.com // Promises Behavioral Health - Help for addiction, mental health/trauma: Call: (888) 648-4098 URL: www.promisesbehavioralhealth.com Insta: @promises_bh . . . . . #timlodgen #podcast #rootedrecoverystories #addiction #addictionawareness #addictionrecovery #addictiontreatment #alcoholfree #anxiety #cleanandsober #depression #healing #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #mentalillness #odaat #onedayatatime #brandonnovak #promisesbehavioralhealth #recovery #recoveryispossible #recoverywarrior #patrickcuster #sober #soberaf #soberlife #soberliving #sobriety #wedorecover

Welcome to the show skateboarder, Jackass, author, motivation speaker and interventionist, Brandon Novak. On this episode we discuss his days on Jackass and Viva La Bam, becoming homeless, sobriety, going to rehab to prove a point, pets in the bedroom, watching porn, being recognized as an addict, stunts, the warning signs of addiction, how to help those addicted and way more! We also play "Plead the Fifth" and find out who has the smallest D in Jackass. Follow the Podcast @loveandthenwhatFollow Mr. Everybody @mr.everybodypodsFollow Novak@brandon__novakFollow Novak's House@novakshouseFollow our Maura@maurbiexoCheck out Fairy Garden@fairygardenmindset***THIS EPISODE WAS SPONSORED BY EROTIC BOUDOIR. USE PROMO CODE "LOVEANDTHENWHAT" FOR 10% OFF YOUR NEXT ORDER OF $25 OR MORE. USE THE LINK BELOW"https://erotic-boudoir.comWould you like to be apart of the show, ask us a question or tell us a story? Please email us at LoveandThenWhat@gmail.com or send us a message on Instagram @loveandthenwhatTo see other clips, remember to subscribe to the YouTube channel and go to our website loveandthenwhat.com to see all of our videos, socials and behind the scenes clips.

I had the opportunity to meet with Brandon at one of his homes in Wilmington and ever since then he has been open with me (everyone) about his work and he agreed to do a quick sit down for this interview. Find out more about his work at https://brandonnovak.com/   Summary Brandon's introduction. 0:00 What it's like to not have cell phones. 1:09 Skateboarding as a drug addiction. 4:56 Praying to god to end my addiction. 9:12 Being accountable for your actions. 14:14 How to get out of your own way. 18:26 The Novak House and how it started. 23:22 The place where the misfits fit in. 27:39 Do you ever think about spiritual practice? 31:45 Dealing with death and loss. 36:25 Transcript by otter.ai   Intro Guy 0:00 Your journey has been an interesting one up to hear you've questioned so much more than those around you. You've even questioned yourself as to how you could have grown into these thoughts. Am I crazy? When did I begin to think differently? Why do people in general appear so limited in their thought process? Rest assured, you are not alone, the world is slowly waking up to what you already know inside yet can't quite verbalize. Welcome to the spiritual dough podcast, the show that answers the question you never even knew to ask, but knew the answers to questions about you this world, the people in it? Most importantly, how do I proceed? Now moving forward? We don't claim to have all the answers, but we sure do love living in the question. Time for another hit of spiritual Joe with your host, Brandon Handley. Let's get right into today's episode. Brandon Handley 0:42 Right now, when you come to mind, I did a series that was called like, sinners in the saints. Right? And I can't think of a better person, really that, you know, is that a sinner? Like missing the mark on life? Kind of right, you know, and that now you've turned it around and into something else. But let's share your journey. And for the people that don't do my kids don't even know what MTV is. First of all, right? Like, how mind boggling is that? Brandon Novak 1:09 Yeah, yeah, it's it's literally two different worlds, you know, their kids will, will grow up not even knowing or couldn't even imagine what it's like to not have a cell phone, right? Like we went for that. That juxtaposition from no cell phones, like nothing, you know, wireless internet, to literally anything in the blink of an eye at the touch of our fingertips. So it's this, there's quite a transition. That's crazy. But I think we're blessed to have experienced both of those worlds. Brandon Handley 1:47 Well, yeah, I love it. I love where we are, right, having had not had all this technology and stuff where we can just reach out to what we're doing right now to having it like, because we I would say we appreciate it that much more. Right? Brandon Novak 2:01 Absolutely. And you know, we have the ability to shut things off and slow things down, because we remember what it was like to not have these resources so readily available that the 1314 1618 year old kid today couldn't even fathom not living without. That's right. That's right. Well, Brandon Handley 2:24 let's uh, let's jump into it. Man, let's jump into like, I just kind of the addiction part, right, like jumping straight into there. Like, when did you kind of first get involved with any drugs? And when did you realize that you had a problem? Or when did it start taking over your life? Brandon Novak 2:48 I believe I was my story is my story. And we all have our own stories and our own journeys. And although the specifics may vary of each person's story, I think the endings remain the same. And my story is that my mother is not an addict or an alcoholic, my brother or sister who from our by a different man are not an addict or an alcoholic. But my father was an addict. His father was an addict. So I believed that I was genetically predisposed. I didn't really have much of a say so in the matter. And my story I don't think is much different than any others to be honest with you. I was groomed I was raised in the world of a fast life. My father never held a job a day in his life, he taught me one thing if and when I go to prison, how to conduct myself or the Hells Angels, he was a rather unsavory kind of fellow, he is no longer with us. He was diagnosed with a disease of addiction and and ran with it untreated for many years until, you know, I always talk to people when I say this, the issue will be addressed like the issue 100% will be addressed and either you choose to address the issue, you go to treatment, get your life back things that you have no idea that exists in life, or the issue addresses you and I get a phone call from your people saying thanks for trying to help him. But he didn't make it. And my father's issue was addressed, but not on his terms. And he's dead and he's no longer with us. But my mother was very successful. She was a nuclear physicist on the board of Mercy Hospital. My brother's an attorney in the White House practices, benefits. You know, so that's where I believe my, you know, I was groomed I was raised for that world. My father and his biker buddies would come to the house and grow a lot of herbs, smoke, a lot of drugs, sell a lot of drugs, fast play fast women. You know, I kind of absorb that coming up Brandon Handley 4:59 with Yeah, well, I mean, you're a product of your environment. Right? All right. It's really hard to escape that. Being a father and just seeing how much of an impact what I do rubs off on my children. It's like it's mind blowing just the small things that you don't think that their pickup they're picking up every detail all of it. And so, yeah, being being caught up in that and seeing that as you're growing up. That's that's pretty, pretty insane. Do you think? Like, you know, parlaying some of that nuclear physicist some of that success? Like was that like, your skateboarding success? Do you think? Like, Brandon Novak 5:38 Well, I think, you know, thank God for skateboarding, skateboarding raised me and skateboarding made me who I am today, all year in all areas of my life, including recovery? I have because I know then that I know now is that skateboarding weeds out the quitters? Or is that really the kind of guys that will, will go dry, try a trick. And if they don't make it, just say, I didn't really want it anyways. Right? Like, I will try a trick for for hours for days for weeks for months, occasionally years if need be until that one, you know, stroke of, of ingenious alignment, and everything makes sense. And I make the trek and that instant gratification. I'm on to the next. For sure. For sure. And that's where my recovery came from. You know, I refuse to accept failure, no is not an option. And so I was just I believe we all have these God given talents. You the best ping pong player in the world, but God might not see fit to put a paddle in your hand. I was blessed with the ability to have a skateboard, put my hand at the age of seven. And then that boards has my hand. I knew I was going to be a professional skateboarder. Alright, that's awesome. Brandon Handley 6:53 Yeah. That's awesome. I'm still trying to figure out how to get a kickflip to land Brandon. After all these years actually, my son wanted to pick up skateboard. And so we went out and got a board and we went out to the local park. So love that story. You're right, like your you'll never quit that. You know, trying to get that trick and then just keep going for it. And you never quit trying to get sober. Right? Like 13 tries. Brandon Novak 7:21 Yeah, right away many more tries, but 13 attempts at checking myself until facility. But I remember, like, during the era of filming, Viva la bam, right? Like we'd be filming all day. And after we were wrapped the cast and the crew would go to the bar in town and pour I'd go meet them at the pub, I would go to an AAA meeting. And I would end up meeting them at the bar to get fucking annihilated by the band was like, What is wrong with you, you go to these meetings and then you come get loaded with us. Like it makes no sense. But to me, it made a lot of sense because I knew that one day it was going to end one of two ways. Either I was gonna get sober, or I was gonna die in the process of trying. But I was never the kind of guy that that accepted the the outcome to be a forever thing of my addiction that I like, fuck that. Brandon Handley 8:17 What do you mean by that? Like, Brandon Novak 8:19 like, I never was the guy that was like, I'm gonna die with a needle in my arm I inactive addiction. Just leave me be this. All that I want. Brandon Handley 8:28 Yeah, yeah. You always see yourself getting beyond it or getting, that wasn't going to be your story. Brandon Novak 8:36 I didn't know what my story was going to be. I will my story was going to end one of two ways. Either I got sober or I died in the process of trying. Right? Brandon Handley 8:46 And, you know, your journey wasn't like you know, just kind of a backyard addiction. Like I mean, you are you breaking the houses stealing stuff getting caught. I was listening to a podcast earlier about like, people literally putting hits out on you. Right. It's been pretty crazy. What was like, share a story or two about the, you know, your addicted life. Something that gives a glimpse into the seediness of it. Brandon Novak 9:17 Yeah, well, my mother, you know, in the beginning of my alcoholism, she used to pray to god please God, don't let tonight be that night that I received that call that my son has sir came to his addiction and he's no longer with us. She used to pray not to get that call to the end of my addiction praying to God, please let tonight be the night that I find Steve that call just so I can know he's safe once and for all. You know that's kind of depravity in the depth that my addiction took me to my mother who is my number one supporter and would do anything for me the job was to die went from praying to please never receive a call that I had died to at the end. Praying to God pleased Let me get this call already, you know that that I think sums it up in itself man, like, that's the nature of my disease. The progression is fast. It's rapid. And it's very drastic. Brandon Handley 10:15 Would you say like, was that the end her misery or yours? Brandon Novak 10:19 Fuck both. Yeah, as in, you know, after, you know, 22 years of active addiction 13 inpatient treatment centers, lost count of our patients in detox, as my mother had already bought me a plot. People were taking life insurance policies out on me, okay, you have to be in a life support for seven days, at the same hospital on mother's a nuclear physicist at, she sold three homes to pay for two different treatment centers. I was kind of that guy that was deemed unhelpful and uncaring incapable of ever getting sober. Right. Right. So I'm sure both my misery and hers. Brandon Handley 10:54 Oh, no doubt, no doubt, you know, I was able to join you with your sober house and how to say hello to her for a quick moment. And she just mentioned that right now. She's just so happy that you're able to be around for the holidays, right? That you're actually a welcome guest for the holidays. And I thought that that was a pretty cool thing to hear. Brandon Novak 11:19 Give me one second my my iPad was about to charge and Ubers. Well, yeah, that's the end as the funny thing about sobriety is that like, and I tell all the guys that live in Novak's house, and anyone else does early in sobriety for that matter. Be careful what you ask for, cuz sometimes you just might get it. For sure. And now I'm a sober guy, and I'm Coming up on eight years, and that I have a lot of responsibilities. And a lot of people depend and rely on me and, and, and some of those people are my family members. So my mother, God bless her soul is my favorite person in this world. She probably calls me 10 times a day. Here, and, you know, that's, it's a blessing. And sometimes I can perceive it to be a curse. Or sir, but that's, that's all I ever wanted, in the beginning was like to just feel humanized and normalized again. Like a member of society, not an outcast, not a not, you know, not something or someone to be discarded because I had a, I had a deeper seated issue. Because before for a lot of years, when people saw me they would like cross the street, and that they didn't see me or walk the other way, rightfully so. Or if, because if you told me you love me, then I had you. If you told me, you love me, then I equated that to $10. So people had to love me from a distance. So now it's, it's it's really a beautiful thing to be part of my family's life. You know, I wasn't for a long time. And nothing to do with them. It was all me. Right? And I had even when I was around physically, mentally, I had been checked out for so many years. So, you know, it's it's nice, man. It's, I could go on for hours. But Brandon Handley 13:35 yeah, no doubt. Right. Well, let's, let's hop into the one part that I think is a little key to the Novak house and you doing what you're doing right now, let's just tell a quick story of the 13th check in, right, I guess we'll call it when you when you, you know, you go in pocket tripped out, you tell the story. Brandon Novak 13:57 Oh, well, you know, I may 25 2015, I found myself in a position where for the first time in my life, the pain had become so unbearable that I was willing to do anything in order to finally get myself out of the position I had created for myself, right. So all of a sudden I started becoming accountable for my actions, and realizing that my very best thing in place me here, and that I am the common denominator in my problems. And if I get the fuck out of my way, everything was i i And I can no longer deny the severity of my disease, the depravity that it takes me to and every attempt at every one of those 13 facilities prior to or 12 prior to they didn't tell me anything different than the other one missed out on, you know, like 13 was no different than 1211 10 98765432. The only difference was The pain had become so great that I was willing to finally become open minded just long enough to ask for help, and and more importantly, be able to follow through with the suggestions that people like yourself and others gave me and you know. So my thoughts are always ingrained in me and I'm very, I'm not the one people call for sympathy or a lighter, softer way. Because my sponsor always told me you never get between an alcoholic and their bottom. And I don't. And I will not, I believe there has to be repercussions from our actions. By the repercussions from my actions became great enough that again, I was willing to do anything that was suggested I went to that facility number 13. And, and literally, as a sponge absorbed anything that anyone told me to do, you know, I was tired, I was just hired, I was tired, I was bored. All these seeds had been planted unbeknownst to me it each one of those attempts at each facility and, and facility number 13. It's like the skies parted and I walked across the sea and everything just made sense from all previous attempts. You know, not to say things won't change. But to this point today, coming up on a year sober, my sobriety has been fairly simple. Because I've stuck to the basics, they told me the basics, you never have to go back to the basics. Yes, I've had heart aches, I've had deaths, I've had troubled times. But knowing where I came from, and the pain that I felt as a direct result of active addiction, like there's, to me, the allure and the illusion of a drink or a drug being a great time has wore off so fucking long ago. And I adhere to, to the suggestions that my mentors and my sponsors and, and the 12 steps and Alcoholics Anonymous have given to me, you know, and I can honestly say today right now, it is it is physically impossible for me to have a drink. Now, Brandon Handley 17:22 somebody put a drink in front of you just couldn't do it. Brandon Novak 17:24 Oh, it's impossible for me to even put up a ball of heroin in my hand right now. And my very first thought would be like, I need to flush this before my cats get to it. Because I've had that psychic change. Yeah, let's talk about that. Right? Like the definition of a spiritual experience is simply a psychic change. Meaning I've read no back today no longer think how I thought walking into treatment center number 13. Eight years almost. You're able to see things differently. Now. I'm a completely different man. I'm rewired. Yeah, and that but that's because you know I'm not people might listen to this and be like oh that egotistical Fuck no, I have a very very very healthy respect for my disease is I'm well armed with the facts I finally understand the opponent that I'm up against. And and most importantly, I suffer with a disease called alcoholism. Not alcohol wasn't meeting so well yesterday sobriety? Sure. Brandon Handley 18:27 I love that. I love that. Um, so you know, you go in to 13th Place your hot mess. You finally get flipped around. I think what's kind of funny about your story too. You didn't share it here but like I've listened to listen to it plenty of times so like where you go in and they tell you you gotta get a job even though you've got like money coming in right in one way or another. You've got to go you're bussing tables waiting tables here you are Brandon Novak guys got, you know, celebrity. He's got endorsements and all that all this good stick on for him. And you're in there bussing tables and waiting, waiting on tables to make your money. pay your own way out of your pocket. And this was the path that kind of opened up for you. And since you found a way that worked for you, you decided to find a way to share almost that exact same path with others sued Novak house right? Absolutely. Brandon Novak 19:23 You know, it's funny. Yeah, totally. But the funny thing is, is I didn't understand any of the any of the journey that I was on, I never realized along that journey that I was discovering these paths that were on lead to a much broader fucking scope or a grand scheme, you know, or big picture. I simply was just beaten so bad that I got out of my way follow suggestions of people that actually knew what they were talking about. And I always say this thing works when I don't work it right as long as I stay out of it mentally sure your suggestions fit physically, you know, if you continue to bring the body, the mind will follow. Right? If I found myself in a position where the pain was so great that I was just willing to do anything. It's physically it defies logic that I can use that very same brain that thought me into that terrible place to then think me out of it. If I could have done that I wouldn't be in a fucking 12 Step Program wouldn't have ended up in AAA, that's not my lifelong dream or goal, believe it or not. But so I'm a firm believer now because again, I was beaten so bad, I knew that my way no longer worked. I got out of my way, had some great mentors followed their suggestions. They said, Go, I said, Sure. They said, when I said what time, you know. And I just brought the body I brought the body, I brought the body and one day, the mind just followed Brandon Handley 20:51 some of that, would you? Was there ever, like a light clicking on for you a moment that like, I don't know, kind of like when you're first riding a bike, or like, oh, look, I'm doing it. Brandon Novak 21:00 Yeah, like put, but everything I've learned in my life is all in retrospect, my life is it forward and learn backwards. So the very first moment that that took place, when I was in my treatment center for my 90 days, and I had in 90 days, I had made it to my eight step, and not one step made any difference, or any more or less sense than the last one to two, two to three, three to four, four to five, five to six, six to 778. Nothing, I felt nothing, I had no clue what was going on. But I just again, follow suggestions, bringing the body mind will follow. Right. All of a sudden, I have my parole officer who promised to violate me if I lied to him, then as the truth and I lied again, because he just told me violate me while I'm in treatment, I knew things are different. And I, he asked for some evidence about this lie that I had presented. And, and it was impossible to gather evidence about this lie. And I call my sponsor, he said, Well, you've you've worked, you've experienced the third step, right? And I said, yeah, it was the first step for people that don't know, came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us turn our will and our life over to the care of God as we understand it. And, and I said, Yeah, and he goes, Well, here you go, God is everything or is nothing. And he said, Look at it this way. Let's say he does violate you. That means that you're simply meant to take the message inside the walls to someone who can't get out to hear from you directly. For some reason, I just believed him and I got on the phone I called and I let it was, it was on a Friday at like 3:30pm and I left a message on his voicemail admitting that I had lied. And that that was not true. What I told him I had to wait until Tuesday for him to call me back. I meant like 86 days sober, right by and usually would be racing. Sure, I'm going to get violated. I'm going back to prison. After I left that message, I went back down to my my room, and I fell asleep and I slept like a baby. It was a craziest thing ever. And it was right there that I accepted my fate. And, and in telling the truth there. It was like, one through eight hit me like a ton of bricks, like a blink of an eye. It all made sense. It was crazy. And I didn't get violated. School led me you know, like, he promised me that he violate me. And he was a guy that was very serious about that. Brandon Handley 23:34 I've yet to meet a parole officer that's not serious about their job. Brandon Novak 23:38 Well, my other ones, he was my probation officer Michelle ward. God bless her soul, Chester County. She was the one that like, saved my life. nearly enough when she should have violated me by every sense of the word. Unknown Speaker 23:52 Yeah. Brandon Novak 23:54 What happened there? I went in there and she was supposed to violate me. She was. She said, I don't know why I'm not going to violate you. But I'm going to give you one more chance and she sent me back to the rehab that actually works. She called and got them on the phone. Brandon Handley 24:10 Okay. Okay. That's crazy. So, you're taking you're taking this right. And, again, I'm not a stepper Brandon. And this is this. This program isn't about, you know, spiritual dopes kind of its own thing, but it follows. Oddly enough, the 12 step pattern, right, where you get to the 12 step and the 12 step is what for the people that don't know Brandon. Brandon Novak 24:39 Oh, fuck, you make me Brandon Handley 24:42 look there's another there's gonna be a test. Brandon Novak 24:45 He carries a message to addict or alcoholic who still suffers. Brandon Handley 24:48 Right, but you carry the message forward, right? Yeah, yeah. So that's what you're doing right with this with the Novak house. Let's talk about, you know, so let's talk about the Nova Cows, what it is that you're doing, how long it's been an action and what's going on there? Brandon Novak 25:04 Well, I so as I completed that 90 day treatment center, from there, I went to a sober living house, where I live for one year. And the reason why I went there because my sponsor at the time who had 11 years suggested that I go, because he did, and still stayed sober. Right. I wasn't trying to reinvent the wheel here, I knew that my way no longer works in my best thinking place me here, I was getting out of my way. Bringing the body just bringing the body mind has no idea but the body's showing up. And I found a suggestion. Oddly enough, I too, am Coming up on eight years. So like weird, not really. But while I was in that house, me and my best friend George, who is also still sober to this day, we had literally some of the best times of our life in this house. And I've had some amazing times in my life, and I've done really rad shit. I kidding you. I think my favorite Christmas ever was in that house. And we understood the importance and the effect that it had on us. And we always talked and we said that one day when we were in a position that we were financially capable, we were going to recreate that very same house. And also you people from the sober community kept telling me in order for me to keep what I have, I have to give it away. So five years into my journey and his Well, we decided we were going to replicate that Sober Living house. And we did we opened up our very first Novak's house in Wilmington, Delaware with 10 beds, and unfortunately, there was quite a need for those services. And I wish there wasn't in my houses didn't exist, but there are and they do and and we started with one house with 10 beds and today we have four houses with 40 beds. And I run around the nation like an insane maniac. Raising funds charitable donations to provide scholarships for any man seeking a sober living home. What I've found out that my why one of my why's today is I refuse to let funds be a deterrent as to why someone can't find a safe, adequate home to continue their journey and upon completion of a treatment center. Brandon Handley 27:38 I think that's awesome. Right? I think when you give your speech you're taking like at your event you took the this is the place where the misfits fit in right you're taking the people and Brandon Novak 27:53 we take the bottom of the barrel right like our place is not the place that like you come because you want just a weekend getaway now there are beautiful homes, they're amazing, but they're the people that have burned the resources and and kind of the discard it, you know, as I once was for sure. Brandon Handley 28:15 What was it? You know about that house? Can you can you pinpoint anything about that place that you guys wanted to replicate? Just the process? Brandon Novak 28:25 It was the process did you know right that there's a million treatment centers out there there's a million sober houses out there. I'm a firm believer the perfect treatment center or the perfect sober house that you guys sober it is the perfect treatment center is the one that you got sober in, right whichever one that is. I know that what we are intent on doing is creating an environment and to to make it a home not a house and we pride and attention into the homes that we create. Because we want the individuals that reside in them to take pride in their home and where they reside a little bit more than they might find a drink or a drug appealing kind of hoping that the ends justify the means Brandon Handley 29:15 for sure. I was talking who's your carpenter um if you want give him a shout out we Yeah, Brandon Novak 29:21 well we have where I was. Brandon Handley 29:23 So here's the dread hair guy that I met there he did yeah Brandon Novak 29:31 he's the painter Brandon Handley 29:32 is so so so he said you know and i Your sober house is the only one I've ever stopped and right. He said though that your houses are like no. So nice. Yeah, compared to some other places. Do you think that that gives these guys like kind of a feeling of hope as well being like, wow, I can have something like this for my life if I just keep my shit together. Brandon Novak 29:56 That's our hopes. Right? Like there's a lot of different little layers to it. But that's one of them. And it absolutely is it you know that paired with accountability paired with structure? Paired with cleanliness, like it all plays a part. Sure. Kind of like a, you know, one strand isn't more or less important than the other. Brandon Handley 30:18 That's right. That's right. The and one of the things I think we talked in brief at your event, but you'd mentioned like that there is structure, but it's not overly structured. So that gives them enough freedom and space to, I think, be themselves and do what they've got to do without feeling like they're on lockdown. Brandon Novak 30:37 Yeah, because they're not and my house is, aren't that they're not one of which, where, you know, you lose your freedom. Quite the contrary, actually. But the good thing is we do a really good process with assessments. And by beings so blessed with that. We don't run into people coming there and getting high smoke so much as we run into people coming there and don't want to follow all the rules. So we really let people know. Like, if you're not serious about staying sober, this isn't the house for you. You can't get lost in it. There's cheaper houses you can go with with less rules, right? Like, we'll give you an address. So it's Brandon Handley 31:21 a no, has anybody ever take you up on that? Brandon? Does anybody be like, You know what, thanks for that. And they roll down the street? Brandon Novak 31:27 Maybe they won't tell us? You know what I mean? Do maybe they don't? Everyone's process is their process, and we're all entitled to our process. If somebody would have robbed me of my process along my way, I wouldn't be here today. So like, I'm a big fan of that. Brandon Handley 31:45 Do you ever this crosses my mind, given everything that I've consumed to put in my body over the years, which is, I'm gonna guess less than you. But you know, I'll be like, I got to a point where, like, you know, what, I put so much shit in my bio does so many things that, like, if I'm still alive, right now, there's gotta be a reason for and like, leaning into that, right? Like, and just being like, discover the purpose. Like, like, I get down to your place and, and do the breath work with the guys that feel like that's a piece of something I'm able to do. Does that ever occur to you? Or are you just driving with the headlights? Oh, Brandon Novak 32:23 no. Yeah, I I mean, in the first couple years. I'm not religious, but I'm very spiritual. And I didn't really think much about it. The first couple years of my sobriety, I just continued to bring the body or the body. And then around two and a half years, it totally transitioned to, to completely spiritual and everything is, is of a much bigger, broader plan that I'm clearly a grain of sand in. And I play no part of. So it's like, I'm, I don't I don't I don't take credit for any of this. None of this is by my doing. I'm simply just playing the part that I was assigned today. And now everything is spiritual, you know, like everything, maybe too much. So sometimes, I just kind of give up to the unit. Brandon Handley 33:26 Well, yeah, so tell me a little bit about that. I love that right? Obviously so spiritual dope came from you know, just recognizing like this connection with source and like having that high from like, whatever you call that right connection to God source universe. What's that story look like for you? Now? I hear you talk a lot about synchronicities. I think there was a I caught like a man I caught like an Instagram review tote and some crystals around. You know, what's that look like? You know, you've got this work that you're doing right now, I'm sure that that's part of your spirituality. But what does your own spiritual practice look like? Well, you Brandon Novak 34:03 know, I, every day I start my day on my knees, and every day I end my day on my knees, and I know that without a constant contact and have a very healthy connection with my higher power, none of this is possible. None of this and I never get that confused or think that I, I created this. I'm very big with that. I just try to remain as useful as I can to my God's children, which are my brothers and sisters. And you know, the more I do for others, the better my life is. Brandon Handley 34:44 Do you feel like the more that you're able to do for others, the more that kind of flows through you? Brandon Novak 34:50 Well, with what flows Brandon Handley 34:52 like, you know, just like I would say, You know what, I'm here what I feel like you're saying is like you're an instrument of God, right and like divine source flows. through you and you're able to, you know, connect with others. I don't really think Brandon Novak 35:05 of it like that. I don't think what flows through me. I just think like, uh, you know, because again, I am too smart for my own fucking good. Now I'll, I'll twist this narrative to make me think that I've done this. So I sure I tried out the, you know, I just, I just kind of tricky slope, right? Yeah, I just kind of it works when I don't work it. You know, it's crazy. But I don't think much about a lot of the stuff that I do. Just because I'm so busy with so many projects that I don't really have time to sit back and connect the dots of like, Oh, I did this for this person. And this person achieved this. And now they're here with them. And the fact you know, I don't even I just get so caught up in the day to day. Yeah, this is probably for the best, Brandon Handley 35:53 sir, sir. So he's just staying out of your own way. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Yeah. Brandon Novak 36:00 That's what I've learned is, the longer I stay sober, the less that I know, because I see how amazing my spirituality is, and how powerful it is. So like, I've never be so arrogant. Personally, this is just me, I would never be so arrogant to think that I understand what my God's will is. That's, that's completely insane. Because it's so fucking big and vast. And, Brandon Handley 36:25 but no, I'm with you. Right. Like, if I think I know what to do, and I can do it all by myself. And your point, like I wouldn't be in this situation I'm in now. Right? Oh, one of the things that I was actually touched by, and it was a bit of a challenge, and I'm curious to hear how you deal with it. You're one of your residents. He was probably one of the first guys I connected with coming down to the Novak house. Tim Wright recently passed, and you know, his passing impacted me in a way that most don't, you know, it's all over on TV, and I haven't been close to somebody pass on for for quite some time. How does that impact you? Like, what do you you know, Brandon Novak 37:11 I wish I could say it impact me more, but I've kind of become numb to it. Brandon Handley 37:17 Well, I mean, you know, is that because it's you're surrounded by and you're only doing what you can do you No, no, let go and let God type of thing or, Brandon Novak 37:28 well, I believe that everyone has a message to carry, right, I believe maybe the I believe, I believe my God is everything I don't believe God is, is what I think he should or shouldn't be. I believe God is everything. And I might get scolded for this. But I believe God is heroin, I believe God is crack, I believe God fucking out of all because without those substances, it would not have brought me to the child of God that I am today. But that's just me not imposing my will on anything or anyone else. But I believe that, unfortunately, some have to die for others to live. Brandon Handley 38:09 I get it right. That's the example. And you've got a bunch of people that are close to that. And they see what can happen if they think that they can go back Brandon Novak 38:19 and it didn't need it doesn't have to be that way. Brandon Handley 38:24 But yeah, so what if I'm in the Novak house, what are some of the things I got to do? What's some of the structure Brandon Novak 38:34 so you have to have a job, you have to have a sponsor, you have to be working the steps you have to go to five meetings a week you have to make curfews, you have to pass random your analysis you have to go continue and successfully complete IOP and then there's a gradual step down pace to that will tie up intensive outpatient so it's just a continuum of your aftercare of whatever program you came to Brandon Handley 39:01 from. Got it. Got it. What's the long term vision or where do you see where do you see this going for for you the the Novak house? Brandon Novak 39:12 When will this air? Brandon Handley 39:14 Probably not to like next year? Brandon Novak 39:16 Okay, so Brandon Handley 39:18 2020 23 Brandon Novak 39:20 Well, by the time that you beautiful ladies and gentlemen are watching this, you'll see that were my goals and dreams had taken me to because the day that we aired this was Thursday, November 17 2022, or that we filmed this. I'm opening a rehab, I'm opening a center that treatment center opened by the time your viewers see this. Wow. And it's going to be called redemption Addiction Treatment Center in Wilmington, Delaware. Brandon Handley 39:52 Oh, wow. Congratulations, man. That's my end game that at least I think who knows. Okay. That's your next step in the process. Right. Brandon Novak 40:00 So I always wanted my end game to be. And through the grace of God, it's happening. And then we're hoping to projected opening is mid January no later than February. Brandon Handley 40:15 Awesome, man. Congratulations. Is that in association with? I know you've done a lot of work with a companion and some others is that in association with them or is this on your own? Brandon Novak 40:25 This is all my own This is my own adventure. Wow okay yeah parted ways with Banyan amazing program. But I think simultaneously we just outgrew each other. And I didn't get sober to just get stagnant, I believe sobriety and tells us the life of choices and options. And I Why would I not take advantage of it? Brandon Handley 40:51 Makes sense? What do you how do you feel like yours will be different from any others? Or how will be the same as others curious on how that's Brandon Novak 40:59 gonna? Same as my house is right? Like the personal connection. And honestly, bread and Novak will not be at the other 10,000 50,000 treatment centers that exist out there. That will be at redemption, where I'll be working with clients day in and day out. You know, Brandon Handley 41:23 focus energy there. Yeah, that's awesome. You're gonna be a skatepark? They said no. Brandon Novak 41:34 To which I will absolutely take the clients to 100% but I don't think so. Got it. Brandon Handley 41:40 Got it. Got it. Well, Brandon, Look, man, I just wanted to have you on share your story centers in the saints, man, I really think that it's important. One of the things that you've definitely said before is like, you know, who you were isn't who you have to be going forward and what the work that you're doing now illustrates that, right? He, the guy that was robbing everybody, you know, years ago, is now out here, you know, basically getting money to give to other people to so they can achieve sobriety and live a decent life. Brandon Novak 42:14 I'm grateful man. And I'd like to end this kind of alluding to the point you just made if anyone out there needs help getting into treatment, they can call me directly, personally, at 610-314-6747 Thanks, Brian. Love you, brother. Thanks so much. Intro Guy 42:35 And I really hope you enjoyed this episode of the spiritual dove podcast. Stay connected with us directly through spiritual dove Dotco. You can also join the discussion on Facebook, spiritual dough, and Instagram at spiritual underscore Joe. If you would like to speak with us, send us an email through Brandon at spiritual dove.co And as always, thank you for cultivating your mindset and creating a better reality. This includes the most thought provoking part of your day. Don't forget to like and subscribe to stay fully up to date. Until next time, be kind to yourself and trust your intuition. Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Darren Prince, International Best Selling author of his memoir Aiming High, is a prominent sports and celebrity agent and global advocate for addiction/mental health recovery. Through his agency, Prince Marketing Group, he represents icons Magic Johnson, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Jerry West, Dominique Wilkins, Chevy Chase, Charlie Sheen, Denise Richards, Carmen Electra, and many others as well as having worked with the late Smokin' Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali and Evel Knievel. As a leading authority in this space, Prince's insights have been featured in WSJ, NYT, USA Today, CNN, Fox and Friends, Chris Cuomo, Tucker Carlson, “On Purpose” podcast with Jay Shetty, Extra TV, Dr. OZ and many other top media outlets. Darren has experienced what life is like in the celebrity world but also seen the dark reality of addiction through his own personal struggle with opiates. With over 14 years of sobriety, it's now Darren's mission to help others avoid and break free from addiction and mental health struggles. He had a God awakening on July 2, 2008, and believes in a spiritual higher power and that anyone can turn their bottom into a new beginning. Connect with Darren here: https://officialdarrenprince.com/ Summary Introduction to today's episode. 0:42 How did you end up with addictions? 1:36 The turning point in his life. 6:39 It's better now than it was then. 12:24 Where's the drugs when the drugs wear off? 16:32 The miracle of calling out to god. 21:03 The power of choice. 25:09 Finding your purpose in life. 29:05 The importance of taking care of your health. 35:44 Getting a call from the White House. 39:01 Darren's message 45:22 Intro Guy 0:00 Your journey has been an interesting one up to hear you've questioned so much more than those around you. You've even questioned yourself as to how you could have grown into these thoughts. Am I crazy? When did I begin to think differently? Why do people in general appear so limited in this thought process? Rest assured, you are not alone. The world is slowly waking up to what you already know inside yet can't quite verbalize. Welcome to the spiritual dough podcast, the show that answers the question you never even knew to ask. But you the answers to questions about you this world the people in it most importantly, how do I proceed now moving forward? We don't even have all the answers but we sure do love living in the Question Time for another decade of spiritual dub with your host Brandon Handley. Let's get right into today's episode. Brandon Handley 0:42 One Hey there Spiritual Dope I'm on here today with Darren prince. He is an international best selling author of his best of his memoir. Aiming High is a prominent sports and celebrity agent and global advocate for Addiction and Mental Health Recovery. There was agency Prints marketing group who represents icons Magic Johnson, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Jerry, West, Dominique Wilkins, Chevy Chase, all these guys are greats. Right? And, you know, I didn't meet him getting autographs or anything like that. Darren, I met recently at an event with Brandon Novak and Novak house. And I think that's somebody that you're fairly close with, through addiction and recovery. So I said, You know what, I don't want to miss this opportunity to chat with somebody and share your story about all that you're doing. It's so great out there in the space. So Darren, Thanks for Thanks for coming on today. Darren Prince 1:36 Thanks for having me. Brandon Handley 1:38 Yeah. Yeah. So, I mean, let's let's just kind of dive right into it. You know, you You're, you're well known you've done. You've worked with all these greats. But you've started like, with an addiction at a pretty young age, right? You started with an addiction at a pretty young age, and it caused a lot of havoc in your life. And now you've kind of translated that and transmute it into something good let's start at the beginning man like how did you end up with with some addictions Darren Prince 2:09 I you know, I grew up you would have thought just a normal childhood which I'd say for the most part i i had great loving mother and father and sister but I was always verbally to use for things so called Special Ed and small classrooms and back then, which probably more add whatever I was interested in, I gravitated to them most of the stuff I didn't. And I think just that did a number of my psyche and my self confidence, my self esteem. So at 14 When I was in sleepaway camp, and I had terrible stomach pains one night, the nurse gave me the scream liquid and having no idea what it was for the pain I took it and walking back to the bunk within a minute I felt like Superman like all those feelings of inadequacies and low self worth and self esteem. I knew I felt just as good as everybody else just as popular just as smart and went to bed then I think nothing of it. But I did all the activities that camp that next day, and I remember just lying in the bunk bed next night obsessing on that feeling and I wanted more of and I did that for a couple of weeks until mom and dad came up with visitation day and found that I was taking liquid Demerol. Yeah, I don't know what is Demerol and emeralds in OBS general problem most likely something that gives you a hospital like more but heavier opiate and back then the opiate epidemic wasn't anywhere near but you know, it was today. And you know, I had a way about me to assist innocent kid that was just in a lot of pain. And you know, she was probably just trying to come a relief every night or I was getting his bed stomach cramps and just, you know, played it to the hill just like I did when I had my wisdom teeth removed a few months later and my mom gave me these white pills that were called extra sent by cannons and that same feeling came back and you know, when I saw the bottle had two pills left I put on the crocodile tears fry it and said I've got to go back to the dentist have a bad infection. I know it's something's wrong and you know, panicked as a loving mother took me back and gave her another dozen bills, whatever it was. Brandon Handley 4:15 Yeah, it's crazy. It's crazy to us and it's such a young age. Right. And those are like those are some that was your thing, right? Like kind of like Demerol and opiates and Darren Prince 4:27 cocaine, ecstasy, you name it. Sure. And I he became an age and opiates were the ones that taught me up and it took me straight to the bottom. Brandon Handley 4:37 Sure, sure. Let's let's walk our way into the agents. Phase two. Right. So here you are. Age 14, you're kind of you're already like, you know, a script chaser. Right. But you've also got some cool things going on. You may mention that you're you were in like these quote unquote special ed classes. You know, you need a little bit extra attention to get through teaching you how to chip on your shoulder. But that actually led you on to something kind of cool. Right? Talk a little bit about that. Darren Prince 5:06 Yeah. So I started a mail order baseball card company long before the internet boom, and became nationally recognized, doing trade shows all over the country. First person, I think in the state of New Jersey, I have a cell phone, it was called Bell Atlantic, it was in a big leather carrying case with a battery pack, the phone cost me about $3,500. That's how tough we were to get about $3 a minute to use the phone. And the dumb idiot that wasn't going to go anywhere in between class was going into his locker room dealing with stockbrokers and a bunch of guys from ESPN. Were buying from me some of the big commentators that were big collectors and I would just broker deals of it. I had an incredible network database of dealers around the country, I was advertising because trade shows I would go to the best convention to get the best location. So I was spending 1000s a week on advertising myself, I became a very well known figure in the baseball card hobby and the boom of the 80s. So for any collectors that are listening now, it actually started in the 80s, which is why there's an industry there is today and by Tom, I'm 16 years old man, I'm probably making a quarter of $1,300,000 Ask us globally mean anything to me, you know, I came home from school. And it was about, you know, the hustle of laying out my ads for the next week and filling orders and hiring. You know, some of the so called friends that were were calling me, idiot and dumb. They were now calling me boss at 16 and 17 years old. And you know, and then from there, eventually I sold that company in 19. I dropped out of college, my freshman year of Bridgeport and went full steam ahead into the memorabilia business. So it's booking autograph signings from Muhammad Ali magic chevy chase to Frazier. Pamela Anderson. And by the time I was 24, built, built that business had some legal issues. And it was kind of at this turning point in my life where first time I ever had some financial difficulties and magics dip on my side and said, Hey, I know about making mistakes he had he was coming up with his HIV announcement, the anniversary of that was November 7 on Monday. And what do you want to do now? And because of my dad giving me the inspiration of explaining that to you know, like, not what you know, we work with the most iconic people in the world. You know, go speak to magic, you supported you and first client for my agency. Brandon Handley 7:33 That's pretty that's pretty awesome. I love that. Well, give me a moment here. Like how did we translate from, you know, in first of all, like, I'll just in my mind, I'm thinking like, mail order catalog. I thought you were just I thought you were just going in and setting up setting up the tables doing the shows you were. Darren Prince 7:51 Yeah, but we had a big Yeah, I have people taking orders. We're going on clothing and buy the stuff on the weekend, sell it during the week and knew exactly what I needed to find on a weekend to follow orders, mark it up and make a profit and get it out next week. Brandon Handley 8:05 That's awesome. And you were making what you're making? This is a what is the 80s? Is that right? Like mid 86. So I mean, I'm just gonna I told my son right now he's 10. And he's already feels like he's done with school. And I told him like, you know, when he makes his first million, feel free to drop out, right? Like, you know, go ahead. So, so you go from you go from this card business bit, and it's working out really well for you, you sell it how do you make the translation over into, you know, signatures like what? Darren Prince 8:34 What happened, and it's funny because one of my agents here Matilda was telling her the story older I think the sexiness and the coolness of being around like some of the biggest stars that were doing these autograph signings at conventions, it drew me to it. And, you know, again, that insecurity brokenness, like no cards are cool and making money but the cards, and I kind of just more or less went into the autograph signing thing, because I was like, wow, I've an opportunity to book my first autograph signing with Muhammad Ali, the most recognized human being on Earth. And, you know, for somebody with low self esteem and you know, was always high and to be around that environment. It was just unbelievable. And then I just think my appetite grew. From there it was same sort of thing. Well, autograph signings are kind of cool and hanging out with them but I won't be this autograph fucker for shinies I want to do big things. I want to do endorsements commercials, you know, when that's how that evolved. Brandon Handley 9:28 You wanted to level up and this whole time you know, you're you're you're popping pills, right? You're you're doing whatever. Darren Prince 9:35 You're on the autograph signing era, which the company was called prints of cards. That was the same name as the the big card company. You always partying whatever it was you name it, I did it. But when I became an agent, I learned real fast with magic when a morality clauses when the lawyers put together an agreement I was like, Alright, I gotta play this straight. Sciatica had anxiety and hey, like any good drug out If you junkie, I played it to the hell, you know how easy it was to get any script that I needed when I'd get them on the phone with Joe Frazier or bring him a Magic Johnson signed jersey or go like this guy's got it all together and a lot of pain, go get an MRI, go get an x ray, let's see how we can fix you. Let's do medication management. And for the first five, six years, man of my ancient life, you know, it worked really did. I became a rock star with networking. But I also say like this, like what was once living to us turned out to using to live. Yeah, and I just don't know when it turned. And I do remember that night I lost my superpower. So I remember when the oxycottons didn't work at an example, Joe Frazier in Dallas, Texas, and probably for a good six or seven years. I was trying to chase that high after that. Yeah. Brandon Handley 10:52 And you talk a little bit about this insecurity and brokenness, right. Like where do you feel like that stemmed from a little bit that was encouraging. Darren Prince 11:00 Like, I can't blame my mom and dad for it. And my mom and I came from a family with a lot of love. You know, my dad had tough love bugs. That was my biggest supporter. My mom gave me way too much. I think some people could understand that because that cause anxiety, it'll leave the house and I'll be around them all the time. And you know, those two were on there's too much and she was she overwhelming. With love were a kind of, you know, like I said, causing excess amount of anxiety with the over coddling knowing that I was special ed and need special attention. And I think it just can be very uncomfortable and how to deal with life. If I was in, you know, attached to her at home with her and my dad, and we get homesick a lot if I'd sleep over at friend's houses or birthday parties or weekend getaways. I remember it just a horrible feeling in my stomach just not being comfortable being away from mom and dad. And you know, you take all that into the real world with the verbal teasing and you don't speak up about those words a dumb an idiot I think using the word that begins with our from mentally challenged, I heard all these things. And when you absorb that, and those developmental years, guess what, you start believing it especially now put it out. And I didn't have the courage to speak up. Brandon Handley 12:14 Yeah, and the 80s You know, I grew up in a suit. Like they weren't kind. They were not. They like yeah, now I think so it's, you know, gratefully for my children a lot. It's better, right as different than than what it was then. But there was there was very few teachers really stopping that from happening to right. Oh, hell, it could be the teachers. Darren Prince 12:37 Back then, like I had a teacher. I won't mention her name, which she's not even alive anymore. US history. 60 kids in the class. I remember like yesterday, and you know, it's a level of psychological trauma, nothing that you know, it's something I've been healed from but you remember it. And she bought the first 90% of the class their test. And I'm in the bath with for six kids. My friend John Angelo gave squirrel joy. I'll never forget my crew, Carmen. And we called ourselves the our only group. People can figure out what word I mean. joking around about it. But again, I'm actually taking this in Stoke, right? Handed everybody else their tests. She's shouts in front of the entire class, I'll get to you guys in the back row with your test in a minute. Let me just take care of everybody else first. And even the tone was speaking to us in a way that we're less than we're not as smart or not as good. And you remember that? Yeah. Here we are. 40 something hours later, and I'll never forget it. Brandon Handley 13:43 For sure. So when you're when you're, you know, drugging when your pill pop and when you're drinking. You're trying to forget that piece of who you are. Darren Prince 13:54 I'm trying to forget that piece of who you are. But I'm also there's a great revelation on Jay Shetty. He's a dear friend of mine. I was at his place on Sunday that I made it to the top. But I'm looking backwards at all the people that said I wasn't going to make it. Usually when you get to the top or somebody to fake top there's a lot of smoke and mirrors still it I didn't feel worthy of being at the top of the industry around the biggest stars in the world. And so my thing was always look backwards. Look at me look at the dumb ugly one to one no doubt that I'm Swanee one that wasn't going to make it look, I mean, I look at it, you know, and it was that way when I was 16. I remember when I would just go to bed at night laughing because my dad was like, you're making more money than most of your friends fathers that are that are lawyers that have real crown like the bed like, you know, celebrating this and Brandon Handley 14:53 what kid wouldn't right at that age for sure. That makes sense. Darren Prince 14:57 And that was all that deep rooted. insecurity that that verbal teasing and just that feeling of less than and, you know, my mom thought it was funny sometimes when she would hear me on the phone like buy and sell this person backwards and forwards and she thought it was hilarious, but it came from a deep place of insecurity and resentment. And I was like, How funny is that this guy is going to go to college mom for the next four years paying off loans for the next 10 years when he gets out, and already have more millions put away and she'd be like, I'm so proud. It wasn't like a corrective thing. I was just, you know, so I think all of that though, when I looked back, it was just such a deep level of brokenness and inadequacy that I just always had approved. And then now here I am at the top of the industry with magic and you know, Ali and Frazier and you know, Pam, Pamela Anderson and Chevy Chase and smokin Joe Frazier. So it's a recipe for disaster, man, you know, and the luck started coming. And I started developing and working out and the girls start comping left and right. I'm just frickin doing whatever the heck I gotta frickin do to uphold this image that my entire class is like, holy shit. Darren prince made it bigger than every single one of us is this world famous agent that's on the sideline of the Superbowl and, you know, backstage passes and walk in the red carpet at the MTV VMAs and all these big award shows, and I just ate it all up. I thought that's what what my calling was meant to be. And, you know, I need I needed a lot of driving force. I needed the expensive sports cars to be driving an Acura NSX, souped up at 21 years old that cost me $200,000 First person to buy a house and you know, the jewelry and the diamond Rolex is and now I look now and this is me. I could go on buy a new Rolex tomorrow. It's not what makes me happy. Brandon Handley 17:00 Sure. For sure. Sure. Well, let's get there. Right, like so where where's the drugs wear off? Right? You realize you'd lost your superpowers on one night, right? You go to pop the oxys and they're not doing what you need them to be doing? What happens then you panic. I mean, what where's it all got panicked. Darren Prince 17:21 I went down to this corporate event in the conference room this ballroom and I couldn't figure out for the life of me what was going on. And the next day the same thing happened and I'm in Florida by myself two days later, and I found a different way to ingest it. That gave me a little bit of a buds I started snorting my oxys my Percocet and my bike and it's, you know, I kind of mostly live that way. For another four or five years had an overdose and Las Vegas came back after that overdose finally in New Jersey, and called an addiction psychiatrist told me I was an opiate addict put me on Suboxone, but never go to a therapist and lie to him like I did because he didn't hit a nail. I was taking Xanax and Valium and mood stabilizers and antidepressants and anxiety. Every anxiety pill that I can get my hands on and snorting Ambien the frog went to bed at night and still drinking a couple of days a week and Mike Mike died awakening came on July 1 As you heard that I yeah, my Uncle Steve made the rest in peace in his own girlfriend Andrea. I was just sick and tired of being sick and tired at the jumping off point. My ego was too big. I'm too important to go to rehab I can't lock myself up for 30 days and she just came into my condo at the time I never met her and it was a godsend. She's like, I've never met you but are you okay? And I told her I told her everything I never had such an honest conversation but the human in my life and I just felt drawn to her. And she looked at me and said devalue an advocate below so manage by see that she could be related to you are powerless and said yes. And she because all this started looking at all the photos on the walls with all the celebrities and awards and different things that I've gotten because none of this means anything because you don't mean anything to yourself. Do you realize that the disease of addiction does not discriminate it doesn't matter for from Park Avenue or park bench or if you've gone to Yale or jail and that broke my soul. And here I am the so called Big Time super agent broke down and cried and she goes it's okay on each because I just celebrated five years sober last week. pulls out a five year coin at her pocket. And she goes Do you want to get sober he wanted to anything that takes us at anything she because you have to put this before everything in your life and occur what it is if you lose the business, you don't want to lose your life but you can do this and I can show you the SOP period so right and was beautiful life. And yeah, she put me on a 36 hour detox plan and that next night was seven o'clock on a Sunday night July 2 I came back from the gym I was living at the Caroline building. I was married man and I came back from the gym. It's my third workout at the gym clinic do everything I can to get the dopamine going and the endorphins and came up I called them I said I can't frickin do this. I'm going to call the doctor I gotta get whatever we got to get my ankle struck Yellin on the other end and said, It's the goddamn disease talking of time, kick the crap out of it. You've been doing this since you were 14 years old. He was in recovery as well. He was back in recovery. He struggled for years until he passed and I said I can't frickin do this because you have to get yourself to a damn meeting, put your hands up and tell these people who are sick and suffering you need help and I hung up the phone ran in the bathroom, I shut the door I'm going from medicine cab and looking for Klonopin or some other non narcotic anxiety meds, take the craving away and out came to Vikings. I don't want to pull bottles, which was just shocking because Simona and on my axe, we spent hours going through other medicine cabinets two days before mine 36 hours before when Andrea said you got to get them all out of the house. You know, I'm weaning them off Suboxone. And I thought it was the gap that that is exactly what I need a man that bloods that God moment in that split second just when I needed. And the miracle happened because I thought on my knees for the first time in my life. I never called up to God like this before. And I've never done it since I pray every single night to him now. And I said God, take the money, take the notoriety of the business, I don't care, I need a single day of freedom to feel like little Darren when I was a young kid again, I'll do whatever it takes. If you take me out of hell. I will spend one day at a time the rest of my life using my platform take another jet with the exact words that I said. And it was like a lightning bolt. Because their shoulder was literally felt like somebody had a blowtorch on it. And I heard in this year as a voice. Say I'd got you and you're ready. And I stood up. And this hand opens and I flushed the opiates left in the living room on to computer there's no Uber back then. And I searched 12 step meetings near me and I found a church. So little ways away in the upper 80s Because it was late at night on Sunday had had an 8pm meeting and jumped right in a taxi cab and I looked up on this gorgeous summer, July 2 2008. I said to myself, Oh my God, for the first time of my life, I wanted to stay sober. More than 100 Get Hired What the heck just happened and I walked into a church basement 150 to 200 addicts, alcoholics that were at once to a hopeless state of mind and later send anybody new coming back sick and suffering or struggling and Sam went right up. And I know, he lifted it. And I came playing in front of a roomful of strangers. And it just came out. I said, I'm sick, I'm suffering. I'm suicide. Amazing life. And I didn't know why I'm doing this myself. But I need you guys help. And, you know, in that moment, I had to get to desperation. And I was crying out to get the power of choice back in my life and these people but it doesn't spiritual brothers and sisters, right after I said that, which was so key, came over to me and started kind of talking to me intimately in a soft tone voice not to disrupt the meeting. And they said, You're in the right place. We've been where you've been. Keep coming. You know, if you aren't what we have, do what we do. Take the car out of yours, put it in her mouth. We will love you before you ever learn how to love yourself. And then the one that was just magical, they said, keep coming to AAA. And don't worry about if you get it, because if you keep showing up. It's gonna get you nice. And that was that I felt in that room during that hour man. A connection that I never felt in my life. Ever Brandon, it was just I've heard things like I do that. Oh my God, that's my oh my god. And it was like, it was like just to add a body experience where no therapist, no drug. I literally felt it was almost like the dark side of me clearing out of my body. Yeah, immersed and obsessed with me and nothing can be for my in person meetings. I did the 99 date. I eventually got my sponsor Steve Delaval who just celebrated 35 years. You know, and once I hit that, probably six month mark because, you know, you're doing pretty good. He goes, I just got to tell you. You want to keep this gift, right? I said yeah, he goes over doing stuff. We're gonna wrap up the steps probably by the end of the first year. I'm not rushing, you throw it because your drug addiction wants to rush, your substitute, Rush. But once we get there, you want to keep this gift that I'm giving you. You better be prepared to give it away. I'd others. And once I started doing that, after that one year more hope and recovery began to heal on the Cleon. Brandon Handley 25:09 I love this and like, I think that, you know, if I looked at this through, you know, part parts of this to just general spirituality, you that part where you, you flushed down the pills, right? You opened yourself up to receive, you know, the higher power, right? You let it come and through and through you, you surrendered, like, you're like I can't do like, I'm not doing this life anymore. And you recognize this like power of choice, I love that you bring up the power of choice, you realize that? Maybe you that had been taken away from you for a moment, were because of your addiction. Right? So being able to say like, I want that back in my life. Yeah. Tell me a little bit about your what? You know, for somebody that's not familiar with step work. Tell me Tell tell the group a little bit about it. Because I think that one part of it, and I'm not a stepper there. And so I just happen to be familiar with the space. And I've gone through the steps without doing the steps, right. So it's really cool to see, like, oh, wow, what I did is in alignment with this thing. So tell the audience a little bit about it. If they're not familiar, Darren Prince 26:30 you have the 12 steps. I actually emailed my girlfriend, Nicolette them a couple of weeks ago. She's young and like anyone at any age, really, but especially young is working on our own clearing and healing and stuff. And my whole point to her was everybody can use these every single day. Yeah, alcohol is only mentioned in the first step for a reason to reason over 212 Step organizations around the globe with an adapted from a built up even talked about created on June 10, in 1935. You know, it's about meeting a powerless, that life has become unmanageable, whatever error that might be. It's about kind of coming to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore you to sanity. It's about taking your own personal inventory. It's about making amends to the people that you've harmed along the way. But also in a way that you don't farm them or others, it's about continuously taking your personal inventory. And when you're wrong, promptly admitted, no matter what area of recovery, you might be in or healing. You have to be vigilant every single day. And then, you know, it's about maintaining that constant contact and whatever that area of recovery or healing that you've attained and achieved giving it somebody else. Yeah. That is the magic. That's what has given me the self esteem. Yeah, that adult due respect I love them to death their dear family friends at this point, magical Ric Flair. Charlie Sheen, Chevy Chase criminal electorate, that young, beautiful people, they never gave it to me. I got it from my spiritual brothers and sisters. And I get it every time I give this away to somebody because I have a God given gift. And I've kept my word. Anybody that works with me sees it. There's not a single day that goes by I still might not get to in person meetings as much as I used to. I'm doing that more I'm still doing zoom meetings, but there's not a single day that I'm not doing something connect with somebody in recovery. You know, I'm on the board of Banyan treatment centers I do whatever I can to scholarship people there. I've gotten people to oaks recover. I've gotten people to know facts house using funds that I've raised from my aiming high foundation, but the greatest thing in the world because I'm not just giving them an opportunity to get a new life I'm helping every single human in their life. The benefit of this person getting their life back. And it's the greatest feeling in the world. I could lose all the money tomorrow and lose the business tomorrow. We don't live in this beautiful place in Brentwood, but I found me found me and the heartbreaking part about all that I've ever lost like I said, it's everybody that's so near and dear to me that I do what I can to take care of and make their lives better financially. I might not have that but Darren Prince could have be all good. I mean, you're gonna speak and at the same Darren friends that was paying found his purpose. Right Brandon Handley 29:33 now. I love that and kind of what you're talking about. There's your, your scene like that image where, you know, one one match strikes and lights and other right. That's what you're doing is helping others to light themselves up and see kind of the truth of who they are the power, the connection that they've got. Darren Prince 29:53 But that when that just one gets finished. I've had so many that have been just mine Long when I see the lights come on in somebody's eyes. Yeah. Brandon Handley 30:08 I mean, that's, that's me. That's when you realize kind of what your purpose is right? Darren Prince 30:11 Obviously with my dear friend Jen Cohen last night just a huge podcast habits and hustle one of the top 10 Business podcasts in the world. There's Mark Cuban, I just know, helped her out. She got him and she said Gary Vee and Eric Thomas and she did a podcast that was out in the Middle East. These guys reached out to Scott Bo Hopkins, for me and her oddly, we had no idea I went to first she went the second I had the entire crew, including the whole, in tears multiple times to the interview, because he had something similar not to drugs in the alcohol, but he understood the brokenness, he understood the looking back, Spencer, the host, and she goes, You have no idea when I got there. I was like, why am I here? While they're talking about is Darren's don't like he had every single one of us in tears. Like, he took us to a different level of accountability and recognizing either flaws or what we've been through, because I think that's what God wants, wants me to do. You know, I'm not afraid to tell people at all mistakes I've made and continue to make, and my character flaws and my character defects because it's a free feeling. Yeah, liberation for 99% of this world. I think it's smoke and mirrors, and everybody's got something out there trying to cover up. You know, me my background Brandon Handley 31:33 right here. I'm trying to cover up my background right now. Darren Prince 31:39 I'm like, Man, I don't know if you put on a little bit of weight to try to buy, just to just to be able to have that for the first time of my life and this type of being made and said, I stomach. I'm not perfect, better quality mistakes lashed out. And this mouth can get me in trouble or texting or emailing. But I'm way better than I've ever been. I tell people try to say what you mean mean what you say don't say we try to scam people, instead of you being understood. I think in the heat of an argument for anybody listening, and you're about to open up your big fat mouth. Don't engage. And it's better to feel alright. And right. If you're 100%, right. The strength is keeping your mouth shut. Don't send that text don't send that email. Because in five or 10 minutes, whatever you're about to explode about forgotten like that. And that's how you build your spiritual relevancy built discipline that to yell at change of character defects to staying in alignment to manifest to your higher self. And I've gotten so good at that again, not perfect. Yeah. But filthy her will hurt me with my mom a handful of times. It's not easy. Sure. My girlfriend, I'll tell you but I am so much better than I've ever been. I'm aware of it. I'm vigilant. I have to weigh out. Take a deep breath. Which is why I'm looking forward to working with you. Be fun battered i Yeah, it could be Brett. Is this worth it was also in recovery. We say we're not doormats. Occasionally. My sponsor stabbed a laptop, my it things have to come out a certain way. Get out. But y'all know if you're right and wrong when you're in recovery. If you have that emotional hangover, there has been times I've had to put people in their place. I'll hang up the phone, go on with my day, not even think twice about it. Sure. Oh, my gosh, I know that it was something that had to be done. So people can understand the way I expect things to be done. Brandon Handley 33:43 For sure. Right. Yeah. I mean, I like that. Not being a doormat part, I think, um, could you help, maybe see, to be of service but not a servant. Right? Because I think a lot of us, especially when we find that we want to be of service, right and go out there. We contend to let ourselves be taken advantage of but again, become more of a servant than off service. Explain a little bit of that, that difference there. Darren Prince 34:11 I think there's a huge difference when I say you got to become selfish, to be selfless. And the truth is, again, we're all trying to better ourselves. We're trying to feel better about ourselves, not externally, internally. So if you allow yourself to not be of service, but be assertive, and you're still not in a place to live in your higher self, you're you're a yes person and you're being told what to do. You're not living the life that you want to live, you're not standing your ground and you know, living the purpose for life, and you have to speak up. You know, sometimes people say, Oh, I'm not motivated by fear. Now that fear is a great motivator. And if you're in a place where uncomfortable, speak up, because the more you express yourself, that's where the growth comes in. But if you allow help people to keep shitting on you and mistreating you, if it's your girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, wife, sister, co worker, what's not gonna do, you're gonna frickin go home and just feel like crap, that's gonna just blow out your self esteem. You know, if the situation's not right, or Hodgson, I'll sit down and talk about it, go to therapy, do whatever you got to do, don't turn a blind eye to it. If you're in a relationship, same thing, if there's a co worker, that that you're not getting along with that, that's just bringing out that bad energy every time you see them, to pull them aside and say something, you know, it's Life's too short. People don't realize at any age, that history teacher that I had, it can happen in your 30s, in your 40s, or 50s. And it's a lot harder to get rid of when you get older. You know, our lives get so busy and so crazy that if you if you take it in, and you don't do something about it, at our age is man, health issues, mental health issues, physical, emotional, spiritual, not worth it. Brandon Handley 36:05 You're all torn up, we're all torn up. This time you say you listen, so you wrote a book called aiming high, you put you put a lot of this information in there. And you've also taken that book and the AMI high notion and you've created a foundation out of that, you want to share a little bit about that, you know, again, kind of going from, you know, this, this center into St. You're, and you know, for those of you that don't know to step 12, is what we taught what you brought up right, Darren Prince 36:34 giving it a spiritual awakening as a result of the six steps. Yeah, we've tried to carry this message to other alcoholics and people that are sick and suffering to practice and all their principles all their affairs. Brandon Handley 36:45 Sure. And so you're doing this now, in part through your aiming high foundation, you will share a little bit about what that group does Darren Prince 36:55 for the foundation combat when I wrote my book in October of 2018, aiming high, which Anna David was my publisher, Chris McGinnis, my brilliant writer, I gotta give her all the glory, even though she gives it to me. She's the one that wrote the masterpiece, within a week and a half became an international bestseller in England, Canada, Australia, and the US. And, you know, we got like the Amazon award and all these great accolades that came from it. But number it was ego driven. I mean, I just knew this was God. You know, given my purpose, and my dad passed you earlier, I told him my in the hospital, I was blessed that he added me back for eight and a half years sober. And I said, if I'm going to touch the world, I'm like this experience of what I had to deal with the past 32 days. And of course, it was 32 days, the last step after we went into the hospital, and our algorithm was Magic Johnson shirts, a number from the Lakers, and so urban like one by Israel, and I thought that was beautiful. And I just looked at him and I was like, you know, I never felt so comfortable during the most uncomfortable time in my life. Like, above up there with Joe and Muhammad, grandma, grandpa, Uncle Joe uncle, and I see you're gonna look down as the daddy, I'm going to touch the world. Not only with this experience, but with this gift, because I need people to understand that you can get food the roughest times in life and not have to drink not after drug not after. And it just took my spirituality to a whole nother level, for sure. And to be able to hold his hand say goodbye. And just He's crazy. I call them GMCs my friend Bruce are that passed away was so near and dear to me, my spiritual brother, couple of years ago used to call them GMCs got managed coincidences. But then two weeks, I got a call that I was going to be honored at New Jersey's largest drug and alcohol rehab center. I invested a ton of money and time into being a professional speaker. I knew this was just going to be a big moment. Not just for me, but to really carry the message to the general public and try to help people and then I went so fantastic. literally the next day to rehab got a call because the extreme that on Facebook from Dr. Oz's executive producer that they want on Dr. Oz The next day was Charles Schwab area when city went on Dr. Oz talked about recovery with Darryl and do an incredible job themselves. And literally right after Dr. Oz I got a call from Roanoke. Perhaps it was Donald Trump's executive assistant forever I think she's still got them Donald Trump is a dear friend from Celebrity Apprentice from having Dennis Rodman on their brand new Roderick a bunch of clients. I did a bunch of work with them. I got to see a different side zone because it was a sweetheart loyal always do an ad to the rehab center gal is that and they want to me at the White House. Wow. Frickin things for him to sign this $8 billion opiate epidemic Bill, you know, to start talking to teens around the country and I'd say you know, this is unbelievable. And then my dad always wants me to write a book Brandon and I just I didn't Feel comfortable writing about the HMI. I always take a lot of my stories out there between me and my my loved ones that I foster my clients myself and I met Anna David on Instagram one day, a few months after that. And I guess she saw something about, you know, a hashtag recovery and the White House and opiate epidemic. And somehow we linked up and I saw her that December of 2017, which was probably about eight or nine months after my dad passed and talking or just checking in with you, because your story is unbelievable, because you know, I'm in recovery. I was like, I had no idea. Because I've been in recovery, I read a couple of best selling books, I think it's time you write one. Because I have the angle. I know you said your dad always wants to do right when she goes take people on a fly on the wall journey of what it's like to be the agents most iconic stars of all time, like you went deep into health care side. And we looked at each other with tears. I said, That's it. That's powerful. That's hot. And so anyway, when the book came out, and I did so many speaking engagements, and I noticed that there was opportunities, very limited. And that short window of people that actually had such a deep connection with there was high school kids Did someone come over to me put their hands up during the q&a, where I knew I had an opportunity right then and there to help. There was adult audience, Gallows corporations, where people were just, they had that moment of clarity. And I'm like, I need to start a foundation. And because if I can grab somebody, and their lights come on in that moment, and they can afford it, and I could say, I could help you, right? Go home, pack your bag of a car company get you, it's gonna take you treatment center tonight, to check your work to get the life you deserve. And that's how even high Foundation came about. Brandon Handley 41:52 That's awesome. That's awesome. So I mean, you you you've gone from, you know, this kind of this broken, scared person, even though you had massive success came crumbling all down. And now you know, you've rebuilt yourself. And I always always look at spirituality is you recognize the truth of who you are personally, right? Like, I mean, you see the core of who you are. And you're looking now to help others to find that in themselves through AAA and through your foundation through the work. Darren Prince 42:23 And my friend Jen and I were laughing last night, I would say I didn't, I didn't get sober writing, you hide and make money. I didn't do it to build my brand, which I think just by default, you know, business is better than ever. I am a consultant with Ben and I help people, you know, get a, you know, get in there when I can't afford it. i I'm part of a it's an incredible group now bridge therapeutics that has this revolutionary 100 time better suboxone that hits the system, and 10 seconds when suboxone when I was on, it took 15 minutes. And I'm a voice for them. And I know it's gonna, you know, get people off methadone. And like, all these blessings that I've been a part of, because, you know, I've had that I've had the foundation in my business. But, you know, like Jay Shetty, and I was talking about now I had no idea that a byproduct was just the agency life. God knew all along the values ready. You know, Hong Kong, and he says an expression, he came into testimony for the back of my book that was so powerful and said, you know, July 2 2008, brother us God for the blessing. And he said, you've come to me correct. Now it's time to make your blessing to others. Brandon Handley 43:43 Yeah. Love it, man. And it's like, just like you said, you know, I was looking at, you know, the universe provides before you need the things right. So the universe kind of Gates gave you this agency and this platform so that like, when you got to this space, now you're able to leverage that to do what it is that you're doing right now. Exactly. That's awesome. There. Now what's next for you, man? What do you you know, where are you headed? What's going on? Darren Prince 44:12 I'm low on the travel for the next three weeks. Thanks, God me, my girl, her mom and my mom. Both of our moms are flying out for Thanksgiving just laying low. We have so much great business stuff going on. But you know, for me the stuff that really gets me excited is recovery. Get back out there and speak and again and you know, write my next book, which should be next year, raising whatever money I came from our foundation like I said bridge therapeutics, you know, I just can't wait to get this thing out to all the treatment centers and people that are suffering and you know, Banyan would probably have another you know, gala coming up for Banyan next year fundraiser. I just that's the stuff that really gets me excited. I mean, I got my dog on a personal override and I still up on my life. It's football season. Hopefully my Los Angeles chargers can turn Turn it around their records, okay, but they stink, they're all banged up and injured. So I do what I can to get my own personal enjoyment of time to check out and you know, with my girl and her dog and, you know, work out five days a week, still taking care of myself and nice. That's it. But I think, you know, it all comes into alignment when I put this first and when I help people. Brandon Handley 45:22 Yeah, I love that too, you know, that this is first for you. And I think that that's very profound. And hopefully that's something that some others take away as well. Man, I appreciate you coming in here. Like I said, we kind of bumped into each other Novak's house. And I you know, wanted to have you on Bill to share this story with some other people. I appreciate you being on World Darren Prince 45:44 Cup on Saturday. What's that? We're gonna wake up on Saturday. Brandon Handley 45:49 That's right. 100% Yeah, man, I'm looking forward to it. I you know, I think it'd be even. That's exciting. That's exciting for me that you're interested and the work that that I've been doing over there has been just kind of so makes me feel good, right? Kind of like the way it's what you're talking about. You can go there and get some people to see and connect with themselves and put some type of gap in between this anxiety that are feeling right and let go everything around them and just being able to do that for a moment, especially as they're making this transition from off the street. Some of these guys. I mean, these Darren Prince 46:29 are fresh. Exactly. Brandon Handley 46:31 Give them that for a moment. Man. This last one was super powerful, very excited. But again, man looking forward to us this coming week and we can and this has been a lot of fun. Darren so thank you. Thanks for where's that some people to find out more about you? How can they contribute? How where can people go to Darren Prince 46:48 follow me on Instagram at agent underscore DEP. The Foundation website is aiming high foundation dot work. Got my own personal site Official Darren prince.com. And for people that are intrigued by the agent life and whatnot, the business side is print marketing group.com Awesome. Thanks, Dan. All right. You got it. Excellent. I Intro Guy 47:15 really hope you enjoyed this episode of the spiritual dough podcast. Stay connected with us directly through spiritual dove.co. You can also join the discussion on Facebook, spiritual dough, and Instagram and spiritual underscore Joe. If you would like to speak with us, send us an email Brandon at spiritual dove.co And as always, thank you for cultivating your mindset and creating a better reality. This includes the most thought provoking part of your day. Don't forget to like and subscribe to stay fully up to date. Until next time, be kind to yourself and trust your intuition. Transcribed by https://otter.ai

    What's going on Facebook. It's been a minute since I've done a live and opening. Shut the window because it creaks just a little bit. Makes, like, the creaky noises to make me crazy. That amplify my craziness. How about that? Instead of it makes me crazy, it amplifies my craziness. Brings out my crazy accentuates. It's been pretty quiet for me on the new year. Even Meg was like, hey, you haven't posted much lately. You haven't put too many interviews out. I was like, just taking a break, I think. Another challenge. Well, first of all, first of all, I want to say thanks to everybody that reached out to happy birthday. I want to say thanks to Meg for making it a great birthday. She's always super awesome with, like, just making sure that that day is special for everyone in the house, herself included, and rightfully so. I don't have any stupid shit to say. Like, another round of the earth circling the sun is going by, man, it's my birthday. It's cool. Super excited to be alive. Had people reaching out messenger had people reaching out online and just saying happy birthday just reminds you of the number of lives that you're with, you're impacting you're connected to. Sometimes when you're just seemingly going at it alone, even with inside the family, sometimes it seems like you're on your own. And when you get all these reminders from everybody past and present, this isn't even people that I've currently engaged with. When I say currently over the past year, really? And they're reaching out saying happy birthday, just remind you that you've got other people out there whose lives, whether or not they're super meaningful in regards to quantity and quality of interactions over its past period of time, it's still enough for somebody to say happy birthday. Even I remember when I had set it up to be automated, right? Happy birthday. Just send a happy birthday wish to these people on their birthday. And even that, to me, seems like it's enough, right? Just enough to let people know a couple of interesting things that I found in those people reaching out. And I think that they certainly mean well. But I'll say this. There's something I realized when I was doing the I'm still coaching. It was when all getting started, and every conversation had to be deep. Every conversation had to be meaningful. Watch out. Every conversation was like, yeah, but tell me more. Let's dig deeper into that. And I don't know about you, but after a period of time, and if everybody's asking those questions of it just gets exhausting, or they'll be like, tell me, what are you working on this year? And again, great questions. I think for me and these days, what I would find more meaningful would be especially since all my ships online, you would be like, hey, how are things going with Liam 3D shop? Hey, how are things going with Finn Sujitsu? How are things going with you? Because it's easy enough to just kind of ask those other questions because they're generic and they're great. Don't get me wrong, they're great in a coaching setting, but I don't think that they're great in a sustained relationship setting. I'll say all that being said, still grateful that people reach out, right? Still grateful to hear from people. Still cool. I just don't always have the fucks to give on some of those in depth conversations. If it feels trite, we'll say we haven't talked in over a year, and you want to know what's bringing me excitement in my life? I don't know. Check my feed. If I don't seem excited, then say, Why aren't you excited? Right? It seems like you got a lot of awesome things going on, like X, Y, and Z. Sure seems like it's an exciting life. Brand and keep living a good one. Right? That's well wishing. Please as well. Wish me on my birthday, wish me a happy birthday and continuous fortitude and some other shit, but not in the Fortress of Solitude. So what else is going on? Like I said, been holding a lot in simply because I've got a lot kicking around, and I haven't, like, felt like, super compelled to post something for a couple of reasons. 190 percent of the time after I leave Jujitsu, which is where I'm leaving right now, BJJ report. If you recall, the place where I go to BJJ right now is two minutes away from the house. Is not a lot of time to elucidate the right word. I don't know, share what it is that's going on and what I'm going through with everyone. And also, times have kind of changed in the sense that there's so much shit out there and it's all good. People don't like to just kind of hang out. Right? They want their bits and pieces of value and get the fuck out. And sometimes that's cool. Wherever Dave is and whatever he's doing, I haven't checked in lately. I actually have Stokes to what he's doing. Dave G, he would come on and he would ramble, and at some point he would land on something that was profound enough. Right? And it was fun for me, and it still is fun for me to listen, tune in if I've got the time. And I want to make the time, because oftentimes he would get to a place and a point that was like, man, that was great, and I loved how you got there. Now we're like, Listen, I'm here for gold only, and if you don't give me the gold, then you are shit. Right? And I don't know, man, that's not fun. Every day is a sunny day. It's kind of boring, monotonous, and sometimes you got to catch it's like watching your garden blossom. It's like watching the fruits develop in a time lapse. At least if it happens in ten to 20 minutes, or less. So I'm real similar to that. I have been working on getting better. I do, at times, sit down and formulate something before I actually say it. And they turn out great. And they're great, don't get me wrong. So that's one of the reasons, I guess, too, for me, that I haven't been just putting stuff out there. I want it to be better. I want it to be more impactful for you. The other part is I realized, I think in the first year of doing the Spiritual Dope podcast, that there was a lot of meandering and no getting, which is great, but if you're listening to a conversation for an hour and we don't get any fucking wear within an hour, I get it. I'd be frustrated too. And I brought that up with plenty of the people that come on to the podcast. And I said to him, I said, Listen, let's make sure that what happens today in this conversation. First, I'll be like, hey, this is how the beginning of the podcast to A Valley of Darkness, the podcast process usually is there's a questionnaire? Say, hey, what are you really trying to impart with the people listening in today? What is it that you really need to share out? Nine times out of ten, you can step into your graceness. You can be anything you want to be. You can eliminate your limitations. Awesome. Cool. Tell us how tell us how it worked for you. What's an illustration of how it worked for you. If you are a coach, if you are a teacher, share some stories of what happened in your life and how that worked out. Right. I just interviewed a gentleman who owns an Ayahuasca retreat in Peru. And one of the cool things, one of those cool stories that he had, it wasn't just Ayahuasca, it was about plant medicine. And one of the cool stories that he had was about this gentleman who had prostate cancer. Came down and did I think it was like a six week session of all plant medicine. Ayahuasco was but a part of the plant medicine left. They treated his prostate cancer. The cancer went away. He went back to his home in San Diego and the cancer had been treated cancer. There was no sign of the cancer anywhere. And over ten years later, it still has not returned. Great story, but with breath work. I've got a guy. Dave florence. I haven't shared that podcast yet. He cured his asthma through the breathwork that he was doing, and he shared the story of how he did it. And he didn't just say, hey, it was cured, and I no longer felt it. He got a doctor's note that just said, hey, you know what? We have validated this for you. When people share those stories of how their lives have been impacted by the work that they're doing for themselves and for others, that's awesome. And when there is the type of authoritative authenticity that we Westerners require. Got a doctor's note, somebody checks, somebody wasn't just the guy saying, oh, my cancer is gone, my prostate is great. It's like it was validated by the physicians, by doctors and whatnot. So those type of things, those are the things that when people come on the podcast, I'm like, tell us, learn these stories. Or right now, for example, we've got Brandon Novak, I guess in between towers. The other one is Brandon Novak. Right. Centers in the Saints. Man, I did a great I thought was great. 100 emails, automation thing joined. You got 100 emails on spirituality. And one of the things that I came across and I thought that was pretty cool was we don't always start off the same. Sometimes we were just stupid asinine derelict motherfuckers to find our way. And we're like, oh man, so sorry about that. Had a rough 20 years up at the front end there. Not necessarily even making up for it. I like that part too. Not even making up for it in the back end, I realized who I had been acting as. I apologize for that. That's no longer who I am. But understanding that somebody's supposed to like Brandon Novak, who did a lot of not the greatest things in terms of at that time, how he was contributing to humanity, you know, going to rehab 13 times and then coming around and saying, you know what, that 13 times fucking I found my way out of the hole. And not only did I find my way out of the hole, I think I can give others what I found. So the center of the States is a pretty interesting one for me, and I hope to bring more of that out this year. So the first year of the podcast was Nebulous second year, that was last year. I did more to put it in the containers so that you, the listener or watcher, were able to tune into and find out more. Did energy, shamanism, indigenous teachings, I think would be the best one. And there were some other stuff that I put out there last year. Better, different, not an evolution, but just a change so that I can get you something that hopefully you're looking for. Most people are looking for something in terms of the spiritual transition. The spiritual journey end up looking often times outside of themselves, which is an interesting thing because it's rare that you see something outside of yourself that wasn't inside of yourself already. Tricky. But if you find somebody that is maybe further along on their journey and their initial journey, right, their journey of center similar to yours, you're like, oh shit, I guess I'm not that bad because there's a tipping point where I might be able to leverage and transform some of this shit into gold. And those are conversations that I love to have and share out. So they're helpful for those that are on their journey. And finally, I guess the other part for me, it's like this kind of like this stay on brand thing which is like, all right, it's a spiritual podcast. But even that has evolution revolution adjustments tweaking because while as Wayne Dyer said, there is a spiritual solution to every problem, if all I've got is a hammer, then everything is in the outright. So how do I diversify that a little bit to make it a little bit more interesting? I think that's a part that I'm still struggling with a little bit and we'll continue to work on it finally as I'll get the fuck out of here. Birthday wishes, appreciate that another year just kind of being alive and going through the trials, tribulations successes, joys celebrations and continuing with it. It's funny because I realized that I'll make videos for YouTube and more or less for Meg to watch or listen into and anybody else that wants to tune into a fair amount of effort goes into the creation of them. But if you've gone through the YouTube channel and you've watched it, they are not made for YouTube. So it's also just interesting. I guess that's a two parter as well. They are not made for YouTube, they are just simply made for somebody that wants to see the video and listen to the podcast as well. That's another area over the next year where I will work to improve upon celebrating the people that are on how can I help the listener a little bit more. I'll be leveraging in full transparency AI to try to get a little bit better summaries of what's going on in the podcast. Because, again, it takes me a couple of hours to subordinate the podcast, a couple of hours to edit without really even editing into a format that can be shared out and then, you know, another hour or so, maybe 2 hours to create content to go along with those podcasts to every podcast is like a day's worth of work, right? So that being said, you know, the time to sit down and listen to it and extract the summary that I think is relevant to you, a little presumptuous on my side to know what is 100% relevant to you and B fuck me, I don't know. To tell you, I don't. I don't I haven't put that time in yet, and that's just on me. So I'm going to leverage AI and hopefully that helps to guide you in the summaries and determine whether or not that particular podcast is worth listening to for you. And if I've gone ahead and put this out onto if I get around to it and if I go ahead and put this out onto the podcast, sorry, audio quality is not 100%, but you guys already who are listeners to the podcast know at least bits and pieces about what's coming this year. This is continued embellishment as I gather up the momentum and the speed thanks, brother. Good CEO continue to build up the speed and momentum to just pick your finger up off the trigger and let it go. I don't think it's not trying to shoot anything, but just to get the fuck out of my own way and get things going. Anyway, stay tuned. This year guys, will be another year filled with plenty of podcast guests. I am looking for. And if you know anybody who was a sinner, who had led a life of debauchery bullshitterism and just wasn't, like, the greatest person and then I don't want to say they found God or came to Jesus, but if they found God or came to Jesus or made a shift in their lives and their paradigm where they connected with a universal source. And they said, you know what? It's time to turn the shit around. It's time to recognize and realize that I'm here for a reason, to celebrate life. And how do I celebrate life and include others so that they're able to celebrate their lives as well? If you know somebody like that or anything like that, feel free to send me a message. Let me know either through I'll on Facebook Messenger right now. Through Facebook Messenger right now. Or if you feel like shooting me an email, Brandon at spiritualdope.Co. I check that shit, like, once a week, but send it over, I'll check it out. I'd love to meet new people who have gone through the journey. Thanks a lot. Bye.

Brandon Novak was discovered by Tony Hawk and was a pro skateboarder by the time he was 14 years old; filming commercials with Michael Jordan and traveling all over the world to compete. But soon, alcohol and heroin became his number one priority, and eventually, fame and stardom couldn't keep him afloat anymore. After crashing through the bottom after bottom, Brandon received the gift of sobriety seven years ago, and to say he carries the message is an understatement. https://brandonnovak.com https://brandonnovak.com/novaks-house Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Brandon Novak was a skateboard prodigy. He was discovered by Tony Hawk at a young age and was able to travel the world as a professional skateboarder. Eventually, Brandon also rose to fame as an MTV celebrity. Although he appeared to have it all, behind the scenes, Brandon Novak's life was falling apart from heroin addiction. After more than 25 years of addiction, Brandon was finally able to get clean. He is now sharing his recovery story and helping others find sobriety as well. Even though he enjoyed the heights of success as a champion skateboarder, movie & television personality, and stuntman, Brandon Novak struggled with alcoholism and addiction since he was a teenager. His heroin addiction eventually left him friendless and homeless. After many attempts to put his substance abuse behind him, Brandon was finally able to break free from the grip of his addiction in 2015. Since getting sober, Brandon Novak has been sharing his story to help others do the same. He travels the country for Banyan Treatment Centers as both a recovery advocate doing public speaking events as well as an interventionist staging private meetings. You can also read more about Brandon's journey to sobriety in his books. Brandon's testimonial is a powerful mission statement for his commitment to the recovery community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thank you Tim Lodgen for joining the Sober is Dope podcast community. This episode covers various topics from depression, mental health issues, suicide attempts, and addiction. Follow Tim Lodgen on Instgram at ( https://www.instagram.com/tlodgen/ ) Sober is Dope is a safe place for addicts, the sober curious, and anyone dealing with addiction, depression, sadness, loss, and pain. We do not judge and all are welcome. Find free prayers, tips, strategies, and motivation that can help transform your life. I am POP Buchanan. Thank you for joining our family. SOBERISDOPE.COM Tim Lodgen grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, where he signed a skateboard contract that had him riding with Bucky Lasek and Brandon Novak. Playing sports kept him away from drugs and alcohol until he enlisted in the Marine Corps as a Senior in High School. He thought he'd let off some steam before he had to enter the highly regimented life of a soldier, and during that time, he did every drug he could get his hands on. Soon he was deployed to Somalia, where massive amounts of alcohol took the place of the drugs. When he finally returned home, he was happy to be out of the military but quickly fell into a deep depression that had him sitting with a gun in his lap and thinking about suicide. He finally admitted his depression and was diagnosed with Bi-Polar disorder. Still, without ever admitting to his drug and alcohol use, he spent the next 20 years with incorrect doses that did little for his mental health. Tim then began a career as an MMA fighter. An eventual injury led him to introduce opiates into his use, which sent his addiction to another level and caused a second suicide attempt. He finally found help 27 years into his addiction after his wife discovered him preparing to take his own life. He has since become the healthiest version of himself, even coming in 3rd place in a Muscle and Fitness bodybuilding contest. Tim now uses his platform to help others by telling his story, working with the homeless, and offering addiction and health advice through his Instagram account. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/soberisdope/message

  What is happiness? What is spiritual? 0:00 Who can I talk to? –. 2:10 Breathwork for me as more than a practitioner. 4:05 Sitting down and shooting the shit. 5:39 What's coming up for you in 2019? 7:22 Where are you at in this journey? 8:49 If you know somebody who would make a great fit for this podcast, reach out to me! Brandon Handley 0:00 Hey, what is happiness? Spiritual dope, Happy New Year. Merry Christmas Happy Holidays. Get the fuck out of here. 2022 right, y'all. Look, I'm sure. For a lot of people. It was, it was a fine year, I think it was like a recovery year. You know, I'm saying like, let's get let's get over, let's get over the pandemic year. And I think I don't know about you, for me, it went by pretty quick. was fairly uneventful. And, you know, wasn't the worst. Just one of the greatest? No, I'm saying, maybe, maybe, you know, what do I know? Right? What do I know? I will tell you this, though. I want to say thank you to the listeners out there. Thank you to my guests this year. Thanks for hanging out everybody. We started this podcast off with the whole idea and intention that you know, what's it look like to integrate a spiritual awakening and do it in a way that successful that is still keyed into, like everybody else, right, because there's a, there's all kinds of people that that experience, these awakenings that connect with spirituality, but then they cut everything else off. Everything else is cut off, and it's nothing but it's nothing but like their spiritual life. And I think that what happens there is that you end up missing out on a on a pre cool opportunity, right? You end up missing out on the ability to integrate spirit, body and mind, if all that you're doing is is saying, Hey, this is a spiritual bit anyways. So that's how the podcast started off. It was like, hey, well, who can I talk to? I needed to know I had had, you know, an awakening and gone through this spiritual reconnection to the self called whatever, call it whatever you need to, I really don't care what you guys call it. That's what I was calling it. And I'm still calling it that. And throughout my many of these conversations, I think they've all been pretty cool. Pretty good. And there's been some really awesome ones. And I've got some great feedback where there's been lots of help for you the listener. And did this year did not listen this year did not go the way that I'd like to say as well as I would have didn't go the way that I had wanted it to. Part of that's on me. Right? Well, it's all on me. Right? It's my podcast. I'm the one doing it, but it went pretty well. And, you know, we had we had our conversations this year around, you know, psychedelics and spirituality. We had energy work, we had breathwork we had shamanism. I forget what else we had. I'm sure we had a couple other ones that were amazing. It but I got to the end of the year, and I realized I hadn't taken or given myself any breaks. I hadn't kind of step back and let, I don't know we'll call it like, let the universe help out. Whatever. It's like, when you're planting a seed of corn, you don't go out there and keep ripping it out of the ground and see how it's doing. Sometimes you leave and you come back and you're like God, isn't he hi in July. So thank you to those who have been a part of this journey. And there's a number of you out there, spend some repeat guests. Some amazing guests this year. We saw some really cool stuff. Sreekumar Rao I think bookended it for us actually came on I think it was it was it this year. Well, anyways, I ended up I ended the interviews with St. Kumar, Ralph, and his book already ready to succeed in his course, creative personal mastery online. I contributed a lot to my journey thus far. So really excited that I was able to talk to him and have him on. I was able to have you know, Bill Gladstone, Master Shaw, New York Times bestsellers. Geez, who else that I have on that was just you know, that some people that like I wouldn't have thought would say yes to being on the podcast. And to that end, it's just been, it's been really cool. You never know who's gonna say yes, and kind of what's going to happen as you come along. This year also saw breathwork for me as a as a more than a practitioner, right as a teacher and being able to go out and teach it to people, everyday people, right? Who could use breathwork to just improve their lives, there's so many benefits, I'm not going to dig into it. for that. There was the breath work at the Novak house and working with the guys at the Novak house with these people and the gentleman going through recovery. And do so all that's been super powerful. It's been a hell of a year, certainly nothing to complain about. And it was started off kind of lukewarm. warmed up to it. I'll throw out another thing for you, too. You know, I haven't done I haven't done one of these. And, man, I don't know when the last time it's been been a while since I've done a solo podcast is sitting down and shooting the shit with you. And it's fine. I got the same old a little bit of fear a little bit of butterflies before maybe anxiety, anxiousness. I don't know if all those words fit anyways, look, but I have a year. Podcast didn't go exactly the way I wanted it to. But we did have the buckets I was looking for. And we did I think a nice job here. Next year, we'll be looking at you know, they'll still be some. Listen, people reach out all the time to be on the podcast. And sometimes I think it's a good fit, and it's worth having a conversation, I'll toss them in no bucket unnecessary. The other side of that is I'm going to be looking for and there's plenty of them out there, saints plus sinners and the saints, right, like, look, if I had to tell you like my late teen years into my 20s and 30s, I was a jerk asshole even like an even even mid to late 30s I wasn't the best person I wasn't, I wasn't a terrible person. But then this change kind of came about and into my life. And there's like a whole new realm of who I could and would and should be and who it is I'm becoming all while being grateful for the asshole that I was at one point in time, right accepting your shadow. Because that's simply a part of part of it part of the journey. So you'll you're I've got, I've got a couple of lines up already, Brandon Novak is going to be one of the first guests next year. I've got his guy that he knows very well in the same space Darren prince who he is PR agent for some of the top talent in the world. Really excited to have him on. And I'll be looking for others to have and share their stories. And then I'll also be teaching more breathwork next year doing wellness, just general health and wellness. I'm looking to be doing it in the sports, and I'll be looking to do it and oh geez, where else were we looking at doing that? Maybe corporate, we'll see. And recovery. So those are gonna be the areas that I'll be working on for spiritual dope, podcast as well as kind of in real life as it relates to continuing with the breath work. So be on the lookout for that stuff. Next year. If you haven't shot me any messages to say, hey, feel free to do so. Hit me up at spiritual things spiritual underscore dope. at Instagram, you can hit me up at Brandon at spiritual dope.co Let me know what's going on with you. Like, where did you join in on this journey? Where are you at in this journey? I don't even know where guy I am. All I know is that I'm on the journey. And, you know, Steve Jobs has has, I think it was a speech that we can only connect the dots looking backwards. And, and so that's really interesting to be able to do you kind of take a look and see where you are now. And you can tell almost like this linear story. But really, you couldn't have forecasted that story if that makes sense. So being able to look backwards and you can connect the dots. There'll be some stuff coming out about that. What else we have in store for for you? In 23 I look it's just gonna be a continuation. We're gonna keep doing it. We're gonna keep moving forward and keep doing spiritual dope. We're gonna keep doing body mind spirit, continue to do Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I'll continue to do my day job. And I'll continue to reach out and connect with people who I think that will make for for good conversation. And I think that's what I'm saying. I'm about to, you know, the other piece of this year that's been really great. It's just having some just amazing people surrounding spiritual dope community, in person and in the ether. So for those of you out there, you know, thanks for the doughnuts thanks for I forget the name of the doll right off top my head. But one of the commitment to the commitment doll that you color in one eye, and then once you reach a commitment, you'll be coloring in the other eye. So I'm really excited for that. There's a number of online, Facebook friends that have been friends now for several years. And, you know, it's been great to cultivate those relationships and continue those relationships and they continue to grow. I like I said, if you and I, if you and I have not connected, reach out to me, we should connect me and let me know again, like, How'd you find the podcast? What do you like about the podcast? What would you like to hear about on the podcast? Your spiritual journey is similar to mine is a different? What's your dark night of the soul? And like, I'm always interested in hearing these things. And if you know somebody, if you know, somebody who you think would make a great fit for sinners in the saints, connects me it doesn't have to be like, this person's doing anything. They don't. Look, you don't gotta be famous to be on this podcast. I think I think that much has been shown throughout the years. But it's a good story. And then you know, this person has been, you know, has like a good story. I'd love to have them on interview them and show Hey, you know, we may not have all of what seemed like the these great, virtuous qualities all throughout all the time. But who we've been in the past does not necessarily make us who we're going to be in the future. And those are the people that I want to talk to you. Alright, y'all. Happy New Year. Happy holidays. Let's jump right into 2023 Transcribed by https://otter.ai

This week on Dopey! In the brand new yule tide special we are joined by a cavalcade of Dopes! Brandon Novak tells a crazy Christmas story! Loz from Brutal Recovery talks about recovery in Scotland! Dr. Drew talks about the holidays in treatment! B. Getz talks about Christmas in the ganja farm! Plus Dopes from all over the world! And my Dad on that old timey ,chestnut roasting, Tourrette syndrome having, weed groing brand new episode of that good ol' Dopey Show!    More about Dopey: Dopey Podcast is the world's greatest podcast on drugs, addiction and dumb shit. Chris and I were two IV heroin addicts who loved to talk about all the coke we smoked, snorted and shot, all the pills we ate, smoked, all the weed we smoked and ate, all the booze we consumed and all the consequences we suffered. After making the show for 2 and a half years, Chris tragically relapsed and died from a fentanyl overdose. Dopey continued on, at first to mourn the horrible loss of Chris, but then to continue our mission - which was at its core, to keep addicts and alcoholics company. Whether to laugh at our time in rehab, or cry at the worst missteps we made, Dopey tells the truth about drugs, addiction and recovery. We continually mine the universe for stories rife with debauchery and highlight serious drug taking and alcoholism. We also examine different paths toward addiction recovery. We shine a light on harm reduction and medication assisted treatment. We talk with celebrities and nobodies and stockpile stories to be the greatest one stop shop podcast on all things drugs, addiction, recovery and comedy!    

Originally released on August 16, 2020Brandon Novak was a world-famous champion skateboarder. However, he was also in his first treatment center for addiction to heroin at age 17. Brandon went on to co-star in TV and movies in the MTV Jackass and Viva La BAM series. To his numerous fans, he seemed to have it all. He was getting paid to skate and hang out with his friends, but Brandon Novak's life was crumbling into several pieces off-screen. At age 35, after several years of being an addict, the once-rising celebrity burned out and ultimately hit rock bottom. He was now homeless, begging for money on the streets of Baltimore and living under a bridge. Brandon went to his thirteenth rehab for help with nothing left to lose. More than four years later, Brandon Novak is sober, living in Philadelphia, and has turned his life around. Brandon and Angela Kennecke met at the 2019 DEA 360 Los Angeles Opioid Awareness Youth Summit, where they spoke to 5,000 high school students, telling their individual stories. Along with speaking out about his addiction and recovery journey, Brandon has become a recovery advocate for Banyan Treatment Centers. He works with them to show others that recovery is possible and it is never too late. He has also become a Certified Intervention Professional to help people struggling to get their addicted loved ones into treatment.Support the showFor more episodes and to read Angela's blog, just go to our website, Emilyshope.charityWishing you faith, hope and courage! Podcast producers: Casey Wonnenberg & Anna Fey

Over 6 years sober, Jersey Jerry opens up and tells his story of past struggles with drug abuse with guests Maxx Crosby, Darren Waller, Brandon Novak, Mike The Situation, Josh Peck, and more. We'll be back next week with regular episodes. It was always Friend of Jerry.

This week on Dopey! Finally we got back to an in person DopeyCon! Featuring Chloe LaBranche, Erin Khar, Ray Brown, Brandon Novak, Andy Roy, Smiling Joe, Maia Szalavitz, Annie, Joe Schrank, MC Serch, Linda, my dad and tons of Dopey Nation fun!!!!  NOTE: Nick from Dark Side of the Spoon and Brian from Str8 Pepper Diet were at the event - and killed it - but since they had visual presentations they were not included in the audio version of the show.  More on Dopey: Dopey Podcast is the world's greatest podcast on drugs, addiction and dumb shit. Chris and I were two IV heroin addicts who loved to talk about all the coke we smoked, snorted and shot, all the pills we ate, smoked, all the weed we smoked and ate, all the booze we consumed and all the consequences we suffered. After making the show for 2 and a half years, Chris tragically relapsed and died from a fentanyl overdose. Dopey continued on, at first to mourn the horrible loss of Chris, but then to continue our mission - which was at its core, to keep addicts and alcoholics company. Whether to laugh at our time in rehab, or cry at the worst missteps we made, Dopey tells the truth about drugs, addiction and recovery. We continually mine the universe for stories rife with debauchery and highlight serious drug taking and alcoholism. We also examine different paths toward addiction recovery. We shine a light on harm reduction and medication assisted treatment. We talk with celebrities and nobodies and stockpile stories to be the greatest one stop shop podcast on all things drugs, addiction, recovery and comedy!

Tim Lodgen grew up in Baltimore Maryland where he signed a skateboard contract that had him riding with Bucky Lasek and Brandon Novak. Playing sports kept him away from drugs and alcohol until he enlisted in the Marine Corps as a Senior in High School. He thought he'd let off some steam before he had to enter the highly regimented life of a soldier and during that time he did every drug he could get his hands on.Soon he was then deployed to Somalia where massive amounts of alcohol took the place of the drugs. When he finally returned home he was happy to be out of the military but quickly fell into a deep depression that had him sitting with a gun in his lap and thinking about suicide.He finally admitted his depression and was diagnosed with Bi-Polar disorder, but without ever admitting to his drug and alcohol use, he spent the next 20 years with incorrect doses that did little for his mental health. Tim then began a career as an MMA fighter. An eventual injury led him to introduce opiates into his use that sent his addiction to another level and caused a second suicide attempt.He finally found help 27 years into his addiction after his wife discovered him preparing to take his own life. He has since become the healthiest version of himself, even coming in 3rd place in a Muscle and Fitness bodybuilding contest. Tim now uses his platform to help others through telling his story, working with the homeless and offering addiction and health advice through his Instagram account.Episode ResourcesRockstar Testimony Instagram | @Rockstar_testimonyConnect with TimInstagram |  @tlodgenConnect with The Courage to ChangePodcast Website |lionrock.life/couragetochangepodcastPodcast Instagram |@couragetochange_podcastYouTube |The Courage to Change PodcastTikTok |@ashleyloebblassingamePodcast Email |podcast@lionrock.lifePodcast Facebook |@thecouragetochangepodcast

Brandon Novak was discovered by Tony Hawk and was a pro skateboarder by the time he was 14 years old; filming commercials with Michael Jordan and traveling all over the world to compete. But soon, alcohol and heroin became his number one priority, and eventually, fame and stardom couldn't keep him afloat anymore. After crashing through the bottom after bottom, Brandon received the gift of sobriety seven years ago, and to say he carries the message is an understatement. https://brandonnovak.com https://brandonnovak.com/novaks-house Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's episode of Friend of Jerry, Brandon Novak joins Jersey Jerry to talk about past struggles with alcohol and drug abuse, along with his incredible journey to seven years of Sobriety and his relationship with Bam Margera.

This week on Dopey! Brandon Novak is back in person for the first time and he lays down the dopey! Chronicling insane stories from his incredible memoir, The Streets of Baltimore. There is too much in this episode to ruin it in the description. Let's just say Brandon goes to hell and back and now he is out in the world helping addicts to recover. PLUS emails, voicemails and the time Novak snorted coke off of Bam Margera's dick. And much much more on his triumphant return to Dopey!