Episodes

  • S2 E23 Shaun Weiss aka Goldberg from The Mighty Ducks

    S2 E23 Shaun Weiss aka Goldberg from The Mighty Ducks
    Jul 7 2025
    S2 E23 - Shaun Weiss Show Notes Who this episode is for:
    • Those addicted to drugs and/or alcohol
    • Anyone who's ever woke up not knowing what city they're in (or why there's a meth pipe under their pillow)
    • People who thought Goldberg from The Mighty Ducks just "fell off"
    • Fans of 90s nostalgia with a side of real-life wreckage
    • Anyone who's ever made a mess of their life (and wants a way out)
    S2 E23 - Shaun Weiss aka Goldberg from The Mighty Ducks

    You think you know Goldberg? Think again. Shaun Weiss joins the pod and rips the mask off the chaos, the meth, the mugshots, and what it really took to crawl out of hell. In this raw and unflinching episode, Chris, Jeff, and Jakob sit down with actor, comedian, and walking resurrection story Shaun Weiss—aka Goldberg the goalie from The Mighty Ducks franchise. You probably saw his mugshot a few years back and thought, "Damn, what the hell happened to Goldberg?" Well, he's here to tell you.

    Shaun dives into his brutal addiction spiral, shady rehab scams, and rock bottom moments that nearly killed him—meth binges, jail cells, and stolen needles. This isn't a Lifetime movie; it's gritty truth with a shot of hope.

    But there's redemption, too. Shaun breaks down how he got sober, the spiritual tools that actually worked for him (spoiler: not rehab horses), and how he's now turning that wreckage into a new life—including stand-up comedy, public speaking, and a whole new mindset powered by joy, not just survival. He even plugs Isha Kriya meditation from Sadhguru: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwQkfoKxRvo.

    From Ducks memories and Dawson's Creek near-misses to hiding AA meetings inside bullshit treatment centers, this episode is equal parts hilarious, horrifying, and healing.

    Oh, and yeah, Goldberg had the hots for Julie the Cat. We said what we said.

    Timestamps:
    • 0:00 – Egyptian Workspace Partners ad
    • 1:03 – Shaun drops bars, Pondoff fanboys out
    • 2:37 – The Mighty Ducks legacy + Shaun's hockey conversion
    • 5:45 – Duck teammates and NHL connections
    • 6:38 – Dawson's Creek almost-casting and 90s commercials
    • 7:42 – Royalty checks and childhood acting perks
    • 8:45 – The real start of addiction
    • 11:01 – Body brokering and how rehab became a racket
    • 13:02 – Scholarship to rehab via Ducks nostalgia
    • 14:01 – Mugshots, surrender, jailhouse awakening
    • 17:01 – What really flips the switch in recovery
    • 19:03 – Shaun's spiritual moment
    • 22:28 – Booze and a 12-pack-a-day hellscape
    • 25:40 – Opioid spiral + Vicodin chemistry
    • 28:45 – CVS scavenger hunts
    • 30:42 – Meth benders and shadow people
    • 34:06 – Losing everything ($20K in 3 months)
    • 35:13 – Shoplifting + Disney star fails
    • 36:58 – Stand-up comedy and speaking truth
    • 38:20 – Why addicts chase 1200s in a world of 100s
    • 41:45 – Sadhguru + Isha Kriya meditation
    • 44:03 – Joy in the small stuff
    • 46:42 – Letting go of trauma
    • 47:16 – Sobriety date and Kobe
    • 49:13 – Rehab centers that don’t want the truth
    • 51:36 – Underground AA meetings
    • 53:58 – Why 90 days in sober living matters
    • 56:36 – Meth addict to miracle
    • 58:01 – Why this work beats any high
    • 59:16 – Healing the whole family
    • 1:00:13 – Losing his father, his fiancé, and his will to live
    • 1:01:16 – Sharing needles and rock bottom
    • 1:02:15 – What are we really numbing?
    • 1:03:03 – Bringing Shaun to St. Louis
    • 1:03:48 – NHL trades + Ducks nostalgia

    Sponsored by:
    Illinois Recovery Center
    Egyptian Workspace Partners
    McKelvey Insurance

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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • S2 E22 Jeff Brenneman

    S2 E22 Jeff Brenneman
    Jun 30 2025

    Who this episode is for:

    • Anyone who feels like they were an alcoholic before their first drink
    • Parents secretly hating the newborn phase
    • Therapists who drink alone and pretend it’s fine
    • People who nurse a beer until it becomes a personality trait
    • Anyone who’s ever made a mess of their life

    Episode 22: Therapist, Addict, Jesus-Lover — Jeff Brenneman Uncensored

    Strap in, degenerates. This one veers from Bible college to blackout whiskey nights, with a surprise stop for tea with the Taliban.

    Chris, Jeff, and Jakob welcome Jeff Brenneman, Clinical Director at Illinois Recovery Center. Once on track to be a preacher, Jeff’s life swerved through addiction, fatherhood breakdowns, and some very questionable DIY detoxing (do not recommend). This dude was an alcoholic before his first drink—and you’ll hear exactly why.

    They hit everything: Borderline Personality Disorder, perfectionism, fear of failure, therapy myths, Enneagrams, hiding from your own family, the dangers of being “the smart kid,” and what sobriety really takes.

    Also: Jeff’s kid visited Afghanistan. For fun. That’s not a metaphor.

    And while the Bible and recovery stuff run deep, there’s still plenty of chaos, Chris’s sex life, shame jokes, and Trader Joe’s tears to go around.

    Timestamps include:

    • 00:00 — Marco Bertorelli of Bertarelli Cutlery
    • 03:17 — Meet Jeff: therapist, ex-drunk, accidental pastor
    • 10:29 — Becoming a drunk despite a "perfect" life
    • 25:07 — “I was an alcoholic before I took a drink”
    • 30:43 — Borderline Personality Disorder gets real
    • 41:17 — His son visits Afghanistan... because why not?
    • 48:38 — Met wife in third grade. Cute, until the drinking.
    • 53:07 — DIY detoxing while mom’s in the guest room
    • 56:41 — The fifth of whiskey night
    • 58:59 — Half-assing AA doesn't work (duh)
    • 1:03:12 — Sponsorship & brutal honesty
    • 1:14:15 — God, guilt, and post-bottle faith
    • 1:23:01 — Jakob cries in Trader Joe’s
    • 1:32:03 — Accountability: the real rehab
    • 1:39:07 — Doing the work even when it sucks
    • 1:47:11 — Why Jeff stays at IRC

    Sponsored by Illinois Recovery Center and Bertarelli Cutlery
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    1 hr and 51 mins
  • S2 E21 Chris and Angela Schenewerk

    S2 E21 Chris and Angela Schenewerk
    Jun 23 2025
    Who this episode is for:
    • Anyone who woke up with a Great Dane puppy and no memory of ordering it
    • The families still trying to love a tornado in human form
    • Addicts who’ve checked into rehab more times than they can count (Angela’s got you beat)
    • People in recovery, people out of recovery, people still circling the drain
    • Folks not in recovery but who’ve ever made a mess of their life and are wondering, “Now what?”

    Chris and Jeff wrangle the now-married madness that is Angela and Dr. Chris Schenewerk—back for Round 3, but this time in the same damn room. And buckle up, because it gets unhinged in the best way.

    There’s a five-grand Great Dane bought during a blackout. Jellyfish revelations. Dead ducks. Rehab round twelve. Boobs paid for by Angela (not her husband, thank you very much). Grief, laughter, rage, and a recovery meeting started in a damn bowling alley.

    This episode’s a cocktail of chaos, clarity, and hard-won perspective. Recovery ain't a straight line—and this couple proves it’s still worth crawling the damn thing.

    Timestamp Breakdown
    • 0:00 – Knife talk and sponsor shoutouts
    • 2:00 – Angela and Dr. Chris together: Zeus the blackout puppy, John Wick the dog
    • 5:00 – Angela’s animal kingdom: jellyfish, wood ducks, and regretful Amazon buys
    • 10:00 – Clean Cause gets the spotlight (use code: PONDOFF for 20% off at cleancause.com)
    • 15:00 – Dr. Chris opens up about losing his brother and not drinking through it
    • 20:00 – Angela breaks down 12 rehabs, chaos, and what finally clicked
    • 25:00 – Kids and the wreckage they witness—Angela owns her side of the street
    • 30:00 – The “Three Amigos” Friday AA meeting is born in a bowling alley
    • 35:00 – Dr. Chris’s recovery workbook—text him, he’ll mail you a copy
    • 40:00 – Sobriety labels are dumb—just do the work
    • 45:00 – Pandemic recovery meetings, muting drunk people on Zoom
    • 55:00 – Rehab myths, boobs, and doing the next right thing
    • 1:00:00 – Jersey trauma, 9/11 aftermath, and losing Jimmy
    • 1:10:00 – Bridging recovery at Memorial Hospital—pamphlets, meetings, hope
    • 1:20:00 – Bird jokes, orchid addiction, prostate talk—classic chaos
    • 1:30:00 – Remembering Brian Schenewerk, prayer, and promising more babies
    Sh*t to Check Out
    • Clean Cause Energy Drinks – 20% off with code PONDOFF
    • Illinois Recovery Center
    • Bertarelli Cutlery
    • AA Meeting Finder
    • Memorial Hospital Detox Bridge Program
    Sponsor Shoutout

    This glorious mess brought to you by Illinois Recovery Center and Bertarelli Cutlery—because sharp knives and sharp minds save lives.
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    1 hr and 46 mins
  • S2 E20 The Science of Addiction | Pondoff's Anonymous x No Lions Here Crossover Episode

    S2 E20 The Science of Addiction | Pondoff's Anonymous x No Lions Here Crossover Episode
    Jun 16 2025
    Crossover Chaos: The Science of Addiction Who this episode is for:
    • Anyone who’s ever stared down their own addictions
    • Families who don’t get why their loved one can’t “just stop”
    • The “I’m not an addict, but I totally have addictive behaviors” crowd
    • People obsessed with the science behind why their brains keep screwing them over
    • Therapy nerds, recovery warriors, and dudes who need to get over being "too tough" to talk about emotions
    • And of course — anyone who’s ever made a complete dumpster fire of their life
    🎧 Crossover Chaos: The Science of Addiction — Jakob Miller x Big Panda

    This one’s a little different. Jakob Miller from Pondoff’s Anonymous links up with Alex “Big Panda” Kaiser for a crossover between Pondoff’s Anonymous and No Lions Here. It’s raw, unfiltered, and exactly what you’d expect when two recovering addicts sit down and try to explain the brain science behind addiction without sounding like nerdy scientists.

    Jakob breaks down his "Science of Addiction" class that he runs at Illinois Recovery Center — and finally records it for the masses. If you’ve ever sat in a treatment center, argued whether addiction is a disease, or wondered why you keep sabotaging your own life, this one’s for you.

    They cover it all: trauma, dopamine, irrational thinking, relapse symptoms, why triggers are a scam, and how to hack your own brain before it tricks you back into using.

    No sugarcoating. No bullshit. Just the real, uncomfortable truth about how addiction rewires your survival system and why emotional honesty might be the one thing that saves your life.

    🧪 Resources Mentioned:
    • Illinois Recovery Center — https://illinoisrecoverycenter.com
    • No Lions Here Podcast — https://open.spotify.com/show/57389wCMh6z9aZgNqjgUSd?si=ffed6a42d19043c5
    ⏱ Full Episode Breakdown:
    • 0:00 — Intro & Crossover Explained
    • 1:25 — Jakob's Science of Addiction class: origins & goals
    • 5:00 — Breaking down the “disease” model: treatable, not curable
    • 8:15 — Trauma vs. addiction: Jakob's personal story
    • 14:00 — The switch theory: when addiction gets "turned on"
    • 19:00 — The 4 key symptoms that predict relapse
    • 25:00 — Obsession, self-centeredness, irrational thinking, compulsion: deep dive
    • 32:00 — Dopamine 101: how the brain wires addiction as survival
    • 38:30 — Functional MRI studies: your cravings vs starvation
    • 44:00 — Cravings, urges, triggers: why most coping advice is useless
    • 48:00 — Hacking the brain with Navy SEAL tricks & cognitive exercises
    • 54:00 — Practicing coping skills: the only way they actually start to work
    • 59:00 — 90-in-90 meetings: how to taper off the right way
    • 1:03:00 — Emotional intelligence: why men must feel their shit
    • 1:09:00 — Jakob’s personal triggers and early relapse warning signs
    • 1:15:00 — Drug choice is irrelevant: a dopamine problem is a dopamine problem
    • 1:21:00 — How irrational thinking nearly killed Jakob
    • 1:26:00 — Emotional honesty and real recovery work for men
    • 1:32:00 — Wrapping it up: facing emotions head-on to stay alive
    Sponsored by
    • Illinois Recovery Center
    • Bertarelli Cutlery
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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • BONUS: Cristina Preston Re-Release

    BONUS: Cristina Preston Re-Release
    Jun 9 2025
    Who this episode is for: Anyone outworking pain in the gymFolks from good homes who wrecked their livesPeople with pasts they swore they’d never shareAnyone who’s felt like a fraud—addict or notChurch kids hiding chaos behind smiles Chris is on a Staten Island ferry, pizza grease on his fingers, yelling at Lady Liberty and eating humble pie ‘cause the remote-record plan tanked. But that tech fail is your gain—because we’re re-dropping a raw convo with Cristina Preston: fitness model, news junkie, steroid-using bodybuilder, trafficking survivor, and miracle in motion. She leads Celebrate Recovery in Fenton, MO, but she’s lived the wreckage—bullying, self-harm, covering a school shooting, being trafficked during addiction, shady doctors, and a Vegas wedding that made her dad cry the wrong way. This one’s heavy and holy. Laugh. Cry. Throw a chair. Hug your mom. ⏱️ Full Timestamp Breakdown 00:00 – Ferry intro: busted tech & grandma’s 100th01:50 – Why this is a re-release03:20 – Goldberg tease: Ducks, meth, mayhem04:05 – Cristina joins: war-tested & real05:30 – How Chris found Cristina’s testimony06:45 – Celebrate Recovery ain’t just AA08:15 – Codependency, food, image issues09:20 – Why “grateful believer” hits different10:30 – Honesty over polish11:15 – CR outnumbers Starbucks?!12:20 – Church-run, same vibe everywhere13:45 – Big lessons, big tears14:50 – Pondoff talks real recovery spaces16:05 – Why safe doesn’t mean soft17:45 – Losing a dog in sobriety20:00 – Sitting in pain instead of escaping22:00 – Cristina’s “perfect” upbringing23:30 – Bullying & broken stalls25:30 – Before we knew “anxiety”27:15 – The high-achieving mask28:10 – Speech team nerd to newsroom30:00 – Covering the NIU school shooting32:45 – Trauma, Valentine’s, heartbreak34:20 – Cancelled wedding, lost faith36:50 – Panic attacks & silence38:45 – Gym life as addiction in disguise40:30 – Attention, abs, and adrenaline42:00 – Bikini comps & pressure43:45 – First steroid cycle45:00 – “Helpful” doctor + real side effects46:30 – Vegas wedding, mall ring, regrets48:15 – Cocaine enters stage right50:10 – Using on the move51:30 – Broke, exposed, unraveling53:00 – Dependent and out of options54:10 – Doctor with blank-label pills55:30 – Lies, performance, denial57:10 – Who even am I?58:45 – Comfort in chaos01:00:00 – From worshipped to wasted01:01:30 – Realizing it’s all a façade01:03:00 – Surrender & grace01:05:00 – Truth through accountability01:06:20 – Living life again01:07:45 – Family healing01:09:00 – Second marriage, no lies01:10:15 – Parenthood post-recovery01:12:00 – Telling your kids the truth01:13:20 – Sharing to save others01:14:40 – Message to the struggling01:16:00 – How to plug into CR01:17:30 – Church ≠ performance01:19:00 – What healing really means01:20:20 – Sobriety doesn’t erase shame01:23:00 – Self-forgiveness is brutal01:25:00 – Cristina opens up: trafficked in addiction01:27:30 – Manipulated, silenced by shame01:29:00 – Her son asks the hard questions01:32:10 – Even now, cravings sneak in01:34:45 – Triggers: mirrors, songs, stores01:38:20 – Faith in the ugly middle01:40:50 – Leading while healing01:44:10 – Routine, friends, raw prayer01:47:00 – “You’re not too far gone”01:50:30 – Chris on public shame & honesty01:53:00 – Jakob & Jeff on spiritual BS01:55:45 – Cristina hated “Christianese” too01:58:20 – Healing doesn’t follow rules02:00:10 – Why CR keeps her grounded02:03:30 – Sobriety is sacred and simple02:06:00 – Stories evolve—they don’t end02:10:00 – Gratitude for lifelines02:12:45 – “Stay here”—for anyone slipping02:15:30 – Chris signs off from the ferry02:17:40 – END 🙏 Sponsor Shoutout: Illinois Recovery Center – Putting broken pieces back together. 👉 https://illinoisrecoverycenter.com/Bertarelli Cutlery – Blades that slice through your bullshit. 👉 https://bertarellico.com/
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    2 hrs and 18 mins
  • S2 E19 Angela Schenewerk

    S2 E19 Angela Schenewerk
    Jun 2 2025

    Who this episode is for:
    • Anyone battling booze, burnout, or both
    • Moms hanging on by a thread with a wine glass in hand
    • Those who think “functioning alcoholic” means everything’s fine
    • Anyone who ever woke up and said, “How the hell did I get here?”
    • People not in recovery who’ve ever run from themselves and called it “freedom”

    Episode Title: "Closet Wine & Corporate Flights: Angela’s Fight for Herself"

    Angela Schenewerk shows up and blows the roof off. From Cahokia childhood to hidden booze bottles in adulthood, she takes us through what it’s like to lose yourself in motherhood, wine, work trips, and bad relationships—and still come crawling back with a pulse. This one’s got fake arrests, rehab denial, blackouts, stalking boyfriends, air mattresses with wine underneath, and the dangerous myth of “having it together.” It’s wild. It’s heavy. It’s very Pondoff’s Anonymous.

    Episode Timestamps:

    • 00:00 - Bertarelli Cutlery shoutout & intro 🔪
    • 01:26 - Angela enters the chat: Cahokia pride, first kisses & frozen rinks 🏒💋
    • 05:01 - Bullied, broke & beloved: childhood chaos with JJ the underdog 👧💔
    • 10:06 - Fake cops at a party, chipped teeth & her first wine cooler 🚓🍷
    • 15:33 - Marriage, the bar biz, and wine as a coping strategy 🥂🏗️
    • 20:48 - Work trips = escape hatch: hotel drinking begins 🏨🍾
    • 25:57 - Freedom or isolation? India trip blurs the line 🇮🇳😶‍🌫️
    • 30:39 - Skipping a wedding to drink alone: the addict’s choice 👰🚫
    • 35:14 - Closet wine rituals, motherhood pressure & boxed denial 🧃🧠
    • 39:58 - Bottles hidden everywhere, vodka refilled with water 💧🍸
    • 44:15 - The trash bag moment: caught red-handed & broken 🗑️😵
    • 45:41 - Rehab round one: denial, comparison & zero humility 🚫🏥
    • 50:03 - Apartment after the split: air mattress, no furniture, lots of wine 🛏️🍷
    • 54:17 - Trying to drink “normally” and failing fast 🌀📉
    • 56:40 - Enter: the GPS-tracking boyfriend & Punta Cana chaos 📍🌴
    • 01:01:19 - Alcohol over everything—even all-inclusives & love 💔🍺
    • 01:03:33 - Stood him up for Cabo so she could drink freely at home ✈️🏠
    • 01:06:08 - Hacked emails, blackmail & rock bottom behavior 💻🕳️
    • 01:09:44 - Drinking before the kids woke up & donut-lie mornings 🍩🥃
    • 01:14:27 - From motherhood to misery: drinking to function 👩‍👦‍👦💀
    • 01:18:56 - Rehab roulette: detox, flights, and every excuse in the book 🎢✈️
    • 01:22:35 - Still not ready to stop. Still not done breaking her own heart ⏳💣
    • 01:26:47 - Final reflections: lost dreams, missed weddings & brutal truth 🪞🧨

    Angela Schenewerk – Mom, ex-wife, closet drinker, blackout flyer, and survivor with a mic.
    This is the kind of episode you share with someone who's still out there, hiding it all and thinking nobody sees them. Angela was that person. And she made it back.

    Need help? Know someone who does?
    Illinois Recovery Center

    Keep your knives sharp (literally):
    Bertarelli Cutlery

    Pondoff’s Anonymous – where we call bullshit on silence, shame, and fake recovery stories.
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    2 hrs and 19 mins
  • S2 E18 Christopher Schenewerk, M.D.

    S2 E18 Christopher Schenewerk, M.D.
    May 26 2025
    Who this episode is for:Anyone who thinks addiction can't touch high-achieving professionals 🧠💉People who think "functioning alcoholic" is a badge of honor 🥃🏆Those stalling on help because \"work is too busy\" 🏃‍♂️📅Anyone who's survived a brutal divorce 💔Healthcare workers, therapists & rehab skeptics 🩺🧪Family members who don’t get why their addicted loved one keeps spiraling 😔👨‍👩‍👧‍👦People NOT in recovery but know they’re circling the drain 🚨🌀Dr. Chris Schenewerk is in the building. And if you think doctors are immune to the wreckage addiction brings, buckle the hell up. Chris, Jakob & (a Jeff-less) Pondoff dive into a no-holds-barred convo with the Medical Director of Illinois Recovery Center—who also happens to be a recovering alcoholic with one hell of a story.From vodka before work & blacking out mid-interviews to meeting his now-wife in rehab & launching a recovery movement across Southern Illinois, Dr. Chris drops wisdom & one-liners like it’s second nature. This episode is raw. It’s real. It’s redemption in action. 🔥We hit everything: colonoscopy prep as a diet plan, trauma in kids, why "functioning addict" is bullshit, & how the Three Amigos AA group grew from four in the back of a doctor’s office to 50+ strong at Life Community Church in Columbia, IL. Oh, & don’t worry—dude still remembers Halloween riots at Carbondale. 🎃💥Highlights:The look in the mirror that scared him sober 👀Checking into rehab instead of waiting for an intervention 🚑Why Angela’s 12th rehab stay was the one that stuck 💪Letting go of a dream home for an 800 sq ft apartment & a new life 🏚️➡️🏠Building a recovery group where loved ones, doctors, students & misfits all get a seat at the table 🪑❤️Get ready for a mix of heartbreak, laughter, truth bombs & a whole lotta hope. 💣💬✨Timestamps:00:00 - Bertarelli Cutlery shoutout & intro 🔪01:23 - Dr. Chris Schenewerk joins the chaos 👋03:00 - Colonoscopy prep & weight loss dreams 💩💭05:07 - Sober date & first (only) rehab 🗓️🍷06:09 - Meeting Angela in rehab 💞08:40 - War stories vs. character defects 💥⚙️11:38 - His kids were sponges absorbing the wreckage 🧽👶13:42 - The trauma that never leaves kids 😢15:20 - Divorce, drinking & blame 🥃💔19:15 - Functioning alcoholic is a lie 🚫🍻21:50 - Blood alcohol levels & reality checks 🧪🧠26:06 - Interview gone wrong & mirror moment 🪞😨29:30 - Checked in before the intervention could happen 🙏31:36 - Why he refused the \"doctor-only\" rehab 🩺🚷35:26 - Humility is the key to first-time success 🙇‍♂️🔑39:01 - Angela's old bar used to be his watering hole 🍺🏠41:13 - Her blood alcohol was nearly 0.5 before they shocked her back ⚡🩸44:18 - Moved from mansion to minimalism to rebuild life 🏰➡️🛏️47:32 - You won't die without your job, but you might without rehab 🚫💼➡️🏥50:07 - Therapist laid it down: \"You can't fix anyone but yourself\" 🛠️🙅‍♂️54:59 - The birth of the Three Amigos meeting 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦🔥1:01:06 - Why their AA group is different ✨👐1:03:07 - Medical students are now required to attend 🎓📖1:08:47 - If you clown, expect to get called out 🤡🛑1:10:15 - Triggered by truth? Good. Sit with that. 💥🧠1:12:00 - Calling BS in meetings—why coddling doesn't save lives 🚫🍼1:15:33 - Why victim mentality keeps people stuck 🧱😩1:20:10 - Creating recovery community beyond the meeting walls 🏘️🧑‍🤝‍🧑1:24:44 - Getting honest with yourself in step work 🔍🧾1:30:19 - The holy ground of AA: why this stuff works 🙌📿1:37:52 - Final thoughts on service, healing & legacy 💬🕊️1:44:59 - One last bomb from the Doc: stay humble, or get humbled 🔚😤Books & Resources:The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der KolkThree Amigos AA Meeting:Fridays @ 7PM at Life Community Church in Columbia, IL(Yes, it’s open to the public. Yes, it’s raw & real.)Sponsored by:Illinois Recovery CenterBertarelli Cutlery
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    1 hr and 51 mins
  • S2 E17 Victory Palmisano-Bruckner

    S2 E17 Victory Palmisano-Bruckner
    May 19 2025
    Guest: Victory Palmisano-Bruckner – Hollywood Producer, Stunt Industry Survivor, and Daughter of a Vietnam Vet/AddictWho this episode is for:Anyone with an alcoholic parent or a complicated grief storyDaughters who loved their dads even when it hurtFolks haunted by the war they never fought inSurvivors of church trauma, spiritual abuse, and Hollywood bullshitCreatives chasing their own IP dream (and still broke)Anyone who’s ever loved someone they couldn’t saveAND anyone not in recovery who thinks “just stop drinking” is solid adviceThis one hits the gut and the funny bone in equal measure.Victory Palmisano-Bruckner stops by the studio for a raw, hilarious, and soul-punching convo with Chris, Jeff, and Jakob. She may be Hollywood through and through—raised on sets, daughter of a legendary stuntman turned director—but she’s also as grounded as a St. Louis brick house and just as scarred.Her story is soaked in love and loss. Growing up the daughter of a Vietnam vet and lifelong alcoholic who doubled as a real-life action hero, Victory paints a brutal but beautiful picture of what it means to carry the legacy of a man who could survive car crashes, war, and fire—but not himself.There’s talk of strip club scouting (for a low-budget film, we swear), the trauma of church camp cults, daddy issues, and how alcoholism shape-shifts through generations. She helped her dad detox in her damn living room, only to watch him go back to the bottle. She buried him a year and a half ago. He was in the In Memoriam at the Oscars. Big time.You’ll laugh. You’ll ugly cry. You might want to call your dad. Or curse his name. Or both.Also: Chris drops one-liners like “flop a titty out” that are now canon in the Palmisano family. Jeff nerds out on stunt IMDBs. Jakob gets exposed as ChatGPT-ing guests. And Victory, despite growing up in the biz, reveals her realest role ever—daughter of an addict, and survivor of it all.Episode Timestamps:00:00 – Intro, sponsor shoutouts01:25 – Victory joins the chaos03:00 – Stunt double stories, Hollywood roots08:00 – Her path into podcasting, NBC Universal10:00 – Church trauma & leaving evangelicalism13:00 – Titty jokes, family legends15:00 – Launching Quantum Spin Studios19:00 – Husband’s script: Sopranos meets This Is Us22:00 – Her dad’s legacy: stunt safety & SAG activism28:00 – Oscar’s stunt category & grief spike33:00 – Vietnam trauma, PTSD, and substance abuse38:00 – Alec Baldwin, stunts, and industry danger41:00 – ACA & Al-Anon, strip club scouting horror46:00 – Making cocktails for dad at age 752:00 – Detoxing dad at home, COVID chaos56:00 – The rare apology before it was too late1:00:00 – Loving someone who doesn’t love themself1:05:00 – Boundaries, therapy, codependency truth1:10:00 – *World of Vesser* and the loneliness cure1:13:00 – Braves talk, Chipper Jones & Daniel nerd-out1:15:00 – Advice for people with addicted parents1:18:00 – Al-Anon’s power to make you feel less alone1:22:00 – After he died: health crashes, then calm1:23:26 – Naming the episode: Dad’s Club1:27:00 – Weekend at Bernie’s stunt reveal1:28:15 – Gino Lucci black car story, NYC-style sendoff1:30:00 – Viola, Serenity Prayer, and future visits1:31:36 – Game name slip: World of Vesser1:31:59 – Closing gratitude, grief, and fanboy loveResources Mentioned:Adult Children of AlcoholicsIllinois Recovery CenterBertarelli CutlerySponsored by:Bertarelli CutleryIllinois Recovery CenterEpisode Title: Dead Dad’s Club
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    1 hr and 33 mins