A lot of people think recovery ends when the meeting does. We open the door wider.
Michael joins us with a story that moves from crack addiction and quiet shame to beekeeping, ultra running across the Sahara in sandals, and building a nonprofit that feeds schoolchildren in Ethiopia. The throughline isn’t superhuman grit; it’s a simple sequence: choose abstinence, find your people, take honest responsibility, and then create a life you’re excited to wake up for.
We talk about growing up feeling “different,” hiding deficits behind humor, and using drugs to amplify joy or mute pain. A 30-day rehab and an experiential internship flipped the script, revealing that the problem wasn’t intelligence—it was fit. Learning by doing became a method for everything: counseling, ordering hives and learning bees in an afternoon, saying yes to 155 miles and adapting when his shoes failed. He finished in Tevas.
The lesson lands hard and hopeful: momentum beats doubt, and preparation is a kindness to your future self.
Service keeps the engine running. A single promise in an Ethiopian village turned into a $30,000 fundraiser, a fast-tracked 501(c)(3), and a lunch program powered by 300 chickens so kids get two eggs a day. We dig into daily practices that sustain change—three workouts, journaling, meditation—and why nicotine counts as a drug worth quitting. For families, we share boundary-setting questions that reduce enabling and increase real help. Michael’s new book, The Recovery Roadmap: A Guide to Freedom and Adventure, captures the blueprint: abstinence gets you into the room; adventure, purpose, and community make you want to stay.
If you’re ready to reimagine recovery as a path to strength, service, and awe, press play. Then share this episode with someone who needs proof that change can be bold and joyful. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us: what dream are you ready to start today?
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