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I'm so grateful to welcome Greg, known to many as the Hydrogen Man, to the show. Greg is a molecular hydrogen researcher and the host of the YouTube channel Uprising144K, and his story is one of the most remarkable I've ever heard. By eight or nine years old, Greg already didn't want to live. By his early 30s, chronic pain, autoimmune issues, and a damaged heart had left him in a wheelchair, unable to lift a glass of water or even work the TV remote. After an overdose that his doctor said he shouldn't have survived, Greg saw beings of light at his hospital bedside, repeating, "You'll never do it again." He never did. From that couch, Greg prayed, "God, if you show me how this body works, I promise I'll share it with others." That prayer led him to clean water, molecular hydrogen, Japan, and a near-death experience that changed everything he believed about God. This one got personal for me. Just 30 hours before we recorded, I prayed for my dad, who has Alzheimer's. You'll hear what happened next. Content note: this episode includes discussion of suicide. If you're struggling, please reach out. In the US, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Please note: Greg shares his personal experience and opinions, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before making changes to your health care or medications. In this episode, we cover: • Why gratitude is the antidote to adversity • How chronic physical pain feeds emotional pain • Surviving an overdose, and the beings of light who said "You'll never do it again" • The prayer that started Greg's healing journey • What "love one another" looks like in everyday life • Molecular hydrogen, Japan, and the healing waters of Lourdes • Greg's near-death experience: the darkness, the woman of light, and opening your heart • Water, baptism, and why Greg believes clean water matters so much • Why taking your life isn't the way out it seems to be Timestamps: 00:00 Welcome, Greg the Hydrogen Man 02:07 What adversity means, and the power of gratitude 05:20 Pain of the soul and pain of the body 09:05 The overdose that should have killed him 11:28 Beings of light: "You'll never do it again" 14:32 A prayer from the couch 16:39 "Love one another as I have loved you" 19:50 The blood work that surprised his doctors 24:28 Japan and the science of water 26:30 A heart condition and a 10-year warning 29:29 Why hydrogen 31:46 The healing waters of Lourdes 33:30 The woman of light 40:28 My dad and Alzheimer's 42:46 The near-death experience: the dark place 46:05 A burst of light 50:59 Learning to open your heart 53:56 Water, baptism, and what's in our tap water 58:24 "Life is in the blood" 1:02:03 A prayer for my dad 1:03:01 My mom and the world's first heart transplant 1:04:18 A woman with a brain injury and an answered prayer 1:08:12 My own story of wanting to give up 1:10:59 If you're thinking about ending your life 1:14:51 Meeting God, and a part two teaser 1:16:18 When scripture started opening up 1:20:00 An offer to help my dad 1:23:22 Masaru Emoto and the power of words 1:26:20 How to follow and share Greg's work FOLLOW GREG THE HYDROGEN MAN YouTube Instagram Greg's protocol Email Greg: [email protected] EQUIPMENT GREG USES Holy Hydrogen (hydrogen) SPONSOR This episode is sponsored by DIVINI, a honey-based sparkling kombucha tea. Visit LiveDivini and use code Breanne10 at checkout for a discount. FOLLOW ADVENTURES IN ADVERSITY Instagram Facebook #Hydrogen #HolyHydrogen #MolecularHydrogen #NDEs #NearDeathExperience #Miracles #GodIsReal

Trenton is a husband, a father of five, a gym owner, a weightlifter with three world records, and the host of The Sweet Life Podcast. He was raised completely outside of religion and didn't know who Jesus was until he saw a crucifix at a funeral as a kid. In this episode, Trent shares how he spent years chasing the next thing to fill the hole: sports records, partying, drugs, alcohol, and money. Then he went all in on New Age spirituality, from crystals and mediums to guiding plant medicine ceremonies. One day, feeling something was very wrong, he called on a Jesus he didn't know yet. Three years later, he's still on fire. We talk about why the New Age can feel so close to the truth, what happened when he surrendered and lost almost everything, and why you are never too far gone. And don't miss the story of the king who took the lashes. It gets me every time. In this episode, we cover: • Being raised with no God, and the "hole in your heart" nothing else could fill • The New Age years: crystals, mediums, plant medicine, and past life regressions • Calling on Jesus for the first time, and starting with James • Losing almost everything after giving his life to Christ • The resurrection, the Shroud of Turin, and the "Easter eggs" in the Old Testament • Why kids leave the church, and why knowing what you believe matters • Why it's okay to be wrong, and the freedom of turning around • Surrender: you have to open your hand to give it to God • The king who took the lashes for his daughter TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Welcome, Trenton Sweet 02:56 Radiant Mobile and protecting kids online 09:13 Meet Trenton: faith, family, five kids, and three world records 12:04 Raised without God 14:49 Marriage, fatherhood, and a problem with anger 16:14 Into the New Age: crystals, mediums, and plant medicine 19:30 Calling on Jesus for the first time 20:42 Reading the Bible, starting with James 23:01 Studying the word and surrendering his life 26:58 Losing almost everything after following Christ 29:25 My story: from Catholic pews to a prayer outside Starbucks 33:49 Why the New Age is a counterfeit 36:31 "If Jesus rose from the dead, it's real" 39:40 The Shroud of Turin 41:03 Which Bible translation to start with 43:53 St. Francis and the master you serve 46:19 Why kids leave the church 49:20 The rainbow as God's bow 50:41 Jesus, the Lion of Judah 55:24 Christianity and Islam 1:03:41 It's okay to be wrong 1:07:21 Church hurt 1:08:18 Why God changes names: your past doesn't matter 1:11:02 You're never too far gone 1:15:55 Open your hand and give it to God 1:19:26 The king who took the lashes 1:26:56 The fig tree and producing fruit 1:30:07 The Sweet Life Podcast and Trenton's books 1:36:50 The Jesus farmer's market MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Ep. 94: Porn addiction, men's mental health, and breaking shame cycles with Jeremy Lipkowitz Ep. 100: Building the first Christian mobile carrier with Radiant Mobile FOLLOW TRENTON SWEET Instagram The Sweet Life Podcast TRENTON'S BOOKS The Microplastic Plague Rewilding the Modern Man SPONSOR This episode is sponsored by DIVINI, a honey-based sparkling kombucha tea. Visit LiveDivini and use code Breanne10 at checkout for a discount. FOLLOW ADVENTURES IN ADVERSITY Instagram Facebook YouTube #Faith #Testimony #NewAgeToJesus #Apologetics #Christianity #JesusSaves

I'm so excited to introduce you to Ezra Vancil, a singer-songwriter from East Texas whose music has been on repeat for me in coffee shops for the past month! Ezra grew up in a gospel-singing family, got signed to a record deal as a teenager, and watched the rock n' roll lifestyle eat everything up. What followed was a decade of alcohol, overmedication, hospital stays, and multiple suicide attempts. Doctors told his wife he'd never be able to function on his own. Then, waking up on his kitchen floor on Valentine's Day, he prayed, "I don't know who you are. Show me who you are. I'll do absolutely anything." He walked into a recovery group the next day and hasn't had a drink in 13 years. This conversation goes deep, and I'm so grateful Ezra shared it so openly. We talk about why feeling nothing can be more dangerous than feeling low, how boundaries actually make love possible, and what it means to love someone "without hooks." We also get into faith beyond doctrine and judgment, and why the most convincing testimony is the life you live. And Ezra closes us out with a live performance of "Thousand Pound Troubles." Content note: this episode includes discussion of suicide and addiction. If you're struggling, please reach out. In the US, you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. In this episode, we cover: • Signing a record deal from below the poverty line, and losing it all • Overmedication, numbness, and why feeling nothing is a terrible place to be • The wave: why you can't have the crest without the trough • "You can't fix the problem with the problem," and the gratitude walk • Why relationships take labor, and boundaries help us love • Getting sober while his wife filed for divorce, and praying for her every day • Growing up in a cult, becoming an atheist, and finding God again • "Is it odd or is it God?" • Letting your life, not your words, show the change • "Not my ball, not my game" and letting go of judgment • The story behind "Thousand Pound Troubles" TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Welcome, Ezra Vancil 02:13 Growing up in a musical family 03:45 The record deal and the rock and roll lifestyle 05:26 Losing music, a marriage, and the slide into alcohol 07:26 The darkest decade: hospitals, meds, and suicide attempts 11:05 Hearing your story told back to you 12:03 Overmedication and feeling nothing 14:26 The crest and the trough 18:38 Real positive thinking vs. fluff 20:24 The gratitude walk 24:27 Relationships take labor, and boundaries make love possible 32:09 Two people journeying together 33:45 Getting sober while his marriage fell apart 36:53 Love without hooks 40:56 Growing up in a cult and walking away from God 43:41 The kitchen floor prayer 45:41 13 years sober 49:07 "Is it odd or is it God?" 54:02 The farmer's list, from Ezra's book 58:28 Letting your life show the change 1:03:56 A new album with his daughter 1:07:09 Judgment, humility, and "not my ball, not my game" 1:14:12 How God gave music back 1:18:57 God as the good father 1:20:59 The story behind "Thousand Pound Troubles" 1:22:10 Live performance: "Thousand Pound Troubles" 1:26:02 Closing thoughts EZRA'S BOOK Mornings & Midnights: Poetry & Writings, the companion book to Ezra's double album Morning & Midnight FOLLOW EZRA VANCIL Website Spotify YouTube Instagram Facebook SPONSOR This episode is sponsored by DIVINI, a honey-based sparkling kombucha tea. Use code Breanne10 at checkout for a discount. FOLLOW ADVENTURES IN ADVERSITY Instagram Facebook #sobriety #recovery #faith #mentalhealth #singersongwriter #addictionrecovery #resilience #adversity

I'm so grateful to welcome Mark Thomas Beare back for part two. A survivor of narcissistic abuse, Mark turned his own collapse into Mirrored Psychic Inversion Theory (MPIT), built on the work of Professor Sam Vaknin. Today, we unpack 6 things survivors often say to themselves after narcissistic abuse, and what's actually happening in your mind and body beneath each one. I've said every one of these to myself, many, many times. "I don't know what's real anymore.""When they stopped looking at me, I stopped existing.""I keep hearing their voice in my head.""What if I was the narcissist?""If I just love them enough, I'll get it back.""I can't trust myself anymore."We talk about identity, internalized voices, self-doubt, dissociation, the feeling of watching yourself from the outside, and ultimately, how we find our way back to ourselves. This isn't about the narcissist. This is about us. Mark walks through every phrase without shame and without blame. If you're in the thick of it right now, please know this: what you're feeling is a normal reaction to a very abnormal situation. As Mark says, sometimes you just have to "hold on to the wreckage until the sea calms down." What we cover: Why "I don't know what's real anymore" happens, and how narcissistic abuse damages your reality filter The ASR Complex (ASR1, ASR2, and ASR3) and the "organizing gate" where your mind decides what's realWhy healing isn't linear, and why collapse can feel like it's getting worse before it gets betterBecoming the "detective" after discard, and why all that searching is necessary, not shamefulThe gaze: co-idealization, feeling "chosen," and why losing their attention feels like losing yourselfHoovering and what it looks like when a narcissist tries to "reacquire" youIntrojects, or why their voice keeps playing in your head long after they're goneThe question that crucifies so many survivors: "What if I was the narcissist?"The Redeemer in us, and the belief that if we just love them enough, they'll come backEpistemic injury, and how to rebuild trust in yourself againBecoming the custodian of your own organizing gateTimestamps: 00:00 Welcome back, Mark Thomas Beare 02:33 Phrase 1: "I don't know what's real anymore" 11:25 Why healing isn't a straight line 17:56 Becoming the "detective" 20:48 "Hold on to the wreckage until the sea calms down" 20:56 Phrase 2: "When they stopped looking at me, I stopped existing" 32:23 Shame-based healing isn't healing 37:34 The gaze, hoovering, and being "reacquired" 43:20 Phrase 3: "I keep hearing their voice in my head" 1:01:02 Phrase 4: "What if I was the narcissist?" 1:19:22 Phrase 5: "If I just love them enough, I'll get it back" 1:27:19 Phrase 6: "I can't trust myself anymore" 1:41:24 Recap: becoming the custodian of your organizing gate 1:43:00 Closing thoughts and what's next in this series MARK'S BOOKS The two books I keep in my bag every day. They've been life-changing in my own recovery, and this conversation only scratches the surface of what's inside them. Narcissistic Redeemer: Bringing You Back from Collapse The Organising Gate: The ASR Complex and the Reconstruction of Reality After Narcissistic Abuse NEW TO MARK'S WORK? Start with part one in ep. 96, "You're not going insane: mapping the collapse after narcissistic abuse w/Mark Thomas Beare" FOLLOW MARK THOMAS BEARE YouTube Instagram Facebook SPONSOR This episode is sponsored by DIVINI, a honey-based sparkling kombucha tea. Use code Breanne10 at checkout for a discount. FOLLOW ADVENTURES IN ADVERSITY Instagram Facebook #narcissisticabuse #narcissisticabuserecovery #healing #trauma #mentalhealth #resilience #MPIT #SamVaknin #recovery #mirroredpsychicinversiontheory

Men are told to be quiet, suck it up, and man up. Steven Casillas did that for years, and he says it nearly ate him alive. In this episode, Steven shares a story he's still living: growing up surrounded by domestic violence, drugs, and manipulation, raising his baby sisters at 8 years old, joining the Army at 18 with nowhere else to go, and surviving 3 years in Afghanistan, including the morning a bomber struck the gate he walked through every day. He came home, bought his first house at 22, and walked into a relationship that he says repeated the patterns he grew up with. Steven is honest about all of it, including his own mistakes. He also talks about the night he felt surrounded by darkness and then by angels, and how he hasn't put God down since. Now a successful real estate agent and father, he's "healing loudly" so other men know they're not alone. If you're a man suffering in silence, or you love someone who is, this one is for you. In this episode: -Why "man up" nearly broke him, and how he found his voice -Growing up in chaos and learning what not to become -Joining the Army at 18, and the close call in Afghanistan -Trauma bonding, and why "just love harder" doesn't work -Owning his own mistakes and unlearning things he saw as a child -The spiritual awakening that changed everything -His take on faith vs. religion, and why he leads with love -"Create the man you admire and gift that man to the world" -"If you're gonna sink to the depths of the ocean, you better come back up with that pearl" If you or someone you love is experiencing abuse, men included, support is free and confidential: National Domestic Violence Hotline, call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text START to 88788. Connect with Steven on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. We all have a story. And this is Steven's. Sponsored by DIVINI, a honey-based sparkling kombucha tea. Visit LiveDivini and use code Breanne10 at checkout for a discount! Follow Adventures in Adversity on Instagram & Facebook #Abuse #WomenAbuseMen #MenToo #Redemption #Veterans #NarcissisticAbuse #HealOutLoud

At age 44, my beautiful ServiceNow colleague-turned-friend-turned guest Sarah Chea was teaching Pilates, raising two boys, and building a women's supplement brand. She went in for a routine checkup, mentioned something she'd felt almost as an afterthought, and walked out of a mammogram appointment with a biopsy. That Friday night, curling her hair before dinner, she got the call: it was breast cancer. In episode 102, Sarah shares the whole journey. An aggressive early-stage diagnosis, chemo and radiation, medically induced menopause, a seven-day meditation retreat, losing her father while still in treatment....and how she came to call it not a tragedy but an initiation. She talks about blending Western medicine with holistic healing, writing "I've decided that I'm going to heal" on her bathroom mirror and leaving it there for a year and a half, healing inner-child wounds, and returning to teach with a bald head and no apology. If you or someone you love just heard the word nobody wants to hear, this one is for you. In this episode: -The routine checkup that changed everything, and why she almost didn't mention it -"Life before and life after," the moment she sat down on the edge of the bathtub -Integrating chemo and radiation with meditation, diet, and spiritual work -The book that reframed her entire diagnosis -Ho'oponopono, forgiveness, and healing what she was carrying -Building the exact supplement she'd later need to heal, full circle -Being at her father's side in his final days- Her closing reminder: everything you're seeking is already inside you Sarah is the Founder of Love Lotus OfficialShe offers clinically-backed peri/menopause support. She passionately advocates for true healing: “From root to rise - balance begins within.”Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn Books and resources mentioned: Radical Remission: Surviving Cancer Against All Odds by Dr. Kelly A. Turner This is the book Sarah found right after her diagnosis. Turner interviewed 1,500+ people with unexplained remissions and found nine healing factors, only two of them physical. Radical Remission Project Dr. Kelly Turner's site Dr. Joe Dispenza, whose seven-day meditation retreat Sarah attended Week-long retreats Scientific research on "The Biology of Belief: How Your Cells Respond to Your Thoughts "Becoming Supernatural Ho'oponopono, the Hawaiian forgiveness practice Sarah used in her healing work What it is and how to practice it The Anxiety Toolkit Podcast Where Bre first heard about Ho'oponopono Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn The next time a hard moment hits, get curious, and remember that adversity is an invitation. Sponsored by DIVINI, a honey-based sparkling kombucha tea. Visit LiveDivini and use code Breanne10 at checkout for a discount! Follow Adventures in Adversity on Instagram & Facebook #AdventuresInAdversity #BreastCancerSurvivor #Resilience #HealingJourney #RadicalRemission #JoeDispenza #Hooponopono #CancerSurvivorStory #Podcast

This one is personal. I sit down with Tony Rico, my private batting coach from eighth grade through my senior year of high school, for a walk down memory lane that turned into something much bigger than softball. Back in 1995, my mom drove me from Irvine to a backyard batting cage in Huntington Beach once a week. I thought I was there to fix my swing. What I got was five years of mentorship with a softball and a bat, and life lessons I didn't recognize until decades later: you don't have to end on a good one, keep your shoulders back when you swing and miss, breathe, slow down, and make the adjustment. Today, Tony is the President of Firecracker Softball, Inc., a program that has grown to 28 states, with a culture built on dignity, humility, and playing with honor. He's also the Co-Founder of The Range, a pitching academy in Anaheim, California. We talk about how he coaches without ever telling a player what she's doing wrong, why the car ride home matters more than the game, what his parents taught him about love and safety, and how the same simple ingredients that worked in the cage still work in parenting, corporate life, and a cross-country move. In this episode, we cover: -How a referral from a teammate led me to Tony's backyard cage in Huntington Beach in 1995 -"You don't have to end on a good one": valuing yourself even after a swing and a miss -Posture, presence, and the power of one word, and why Tony never told a player what she was doing wrong -Asking questions instead of giving corrections: "Where did the last one go? Where's the next one going?" -Why softball is the wrong game to play if you want constant emotional satisfaction, and what that teaches you about ego -The long car ride home, and why girls have to feel good to play good -Creating an experience that calms a player's nervous system, and the "hard, resilient love" behind it -Firecracker Softball's journey from Gary Wardine's original program to a nationwide organization, and Melinda, the mom who walked in, saw Tony's schedule, and changed everything -Tony's parents: a World War II Veteran father, a mother whose last words were "be good to each other," and what they taught him about safety and joy -Parenting through adversity without losing your most beautiful self, and the importance of the repair -Our shared inside joke, "maximum bat speed," and why the half swing still holds up -The Natasha Watley story, the Alliance, and where women's softball is headed with NIL money and the pro league -My family's move from California to Knoxville and the self-reflection that comes with a fresh start -Why "Play with Honor" is about remembering the people who got you here Whether or not you have a kid in sports, this conversation is about the people who shape us before we know we're being shaped, and about carrying yourself with dignity no matter how the at-bat goes. Follow The Range on Instagram Follow Firecracker Softball on Instagram Sponsored by DIVINI, a honey-based sparkling kombucha tea. ⁠Visit LiveDivini ⁠and use code Breanne10 at checkout for a discount! Follow Adventures in Adversity on ⁠Instagram⁠ & ⁠Facebook #softball #firecrackersoftball #youthsports #coaching #mentorship #lifelessons #parenting #adversity #traumatotestimony #resilience #mentalhealth #girlsinsports

For our 100th episode, I sit down with Paul Fisher, and Chris Klimis, CEO and COO of Radiant Mobile, the world's first Christian mobile carrier. Radiant Mobile is partnered with Compax and integrated into the T-Mobile network, bringing faith-focused mobile service together with world-class 5G connectivity. Learn more about Radiant Mobile Download the Radiant Mobile app Follow Radiant Mobile on Instagram Both Paul and Chris open up about the personal reckonings that led them here. Paul talks about his 30 years in the fashion and beauty industry, describing it as the "belly of the beast." In the 1980s and early 1990s, when supermodels ruled fashion, Paul Fisher was one of the industry's most talked-about agents. Over the course of his career, Fisher worked with some of the most recognizable names in modeling, including Naomi Campbell, Stephanie Seymour, Carol Alt, Carla Bruni, Brooke Burke, Kimora Lee Simmons, and Carré Otis.Paul describes the moment he decided he was done being "part of the problem". Chris shares his journey from worship pastor to co-founder, walking away from his own career after one conversation with Paul. Paul and Chris talk candidly about the technology they built to block harmful content at the network level before it ever reaches a phone, the criticism they've faced for it, and why they believe protecting kids online is a spiritual issue as much as a technical one. In this episode, we cover: -How Radiant Mobile blocks content at the carrier level instead of the device level, so kids can't work around it -The 9 hard blocks (pornography, hate speech, antisemitism, racism, and more) built in for every subscriber, plus 120 categories parents can customize -Paul's 30 years representing supermodels and hosting his own TV show, and the moment he walked away from it-Chris's path from worship pastor to co-founder, and the conversation with Paul that changed his life in two days -Hearing the "still small voice" of God, and how both men describe being led into this mission -Why they built exclusive Christian content, including original stories using licensed characters like Tinkerbell, Rapunzel, and Snow White, restored to a wholesome, faith-centered focus -The upcoming home router device that extends protection to every device in the house-Geofencing, screen time control, and other parental control tools built into the platform -Responding to criticism from groups that see their mission as exclusionary -Why they see this as a ministry and a movement, not just a business -How to switch carriers (keep your number, no added cost) and get started today This episode of Adventures in Adversity is a special one, marking 100 episodes of turning trauma into triumph and ultimately into testimony. All glory be to Jesus Christ! ⁠Paul's LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Paul's Instagram⁠ ⁠Chris' LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Chris' Instagram⁠ Sponsored by DIVINI, a honey-based sparkling kombucha tea. Visit LiveDivini and use code Breanne10 at checkout for a discount! Follow Adventures in Adversity on Instagram & Facebook #faith #christianpodcast #parentalcontrol #onlinesafety #fatherhood #adversity #traumatotestimony #100thepisode #mentalhealth #resilience

I sit down with Joseph Pennell, a military veteran, cyber intelligence analyst, sobriety coach, and content creator, for an honest, analytical conversation about grief, addiction, failure, emotional avoidance, and rebuilding your identity from the ground up. Joseph opens up about losing his brother Billy in high school and how he unknowingly postponed his grief for years. We talk about the role alcohol eventually played in his life, first as a way to shut off anxiety and later as a way to access emotions he didn’t know how to process any other way. Joseph shares what happened when his drinking spiraled after his divorce, what it actually felt like to get sober, and why sobriety wasn’t the finish line he expected. For him, it was the beginning of learning how to truly understand himself. We talk about relapse, shame, vulnerability, masculinity, emotional suppression, losing friends after getting sober, and the uncomfortable work of rebuilding a life without alcohol. Joseph also shares his analytical approach to recovery: understanding your triggers, your emotions, and the different “parts” of yourself well enough that fewer things catch you off guard. In this episode, we cover: • Growing up as a quiet, internal kid in a home shaped by his father’s addiction• Losing his brother in high school and postponing his grief for years• How alcohol became both an escape from anxiety and a gateway to buried emotions• The “parts” of ourselves that step forward to protect us—even through self-destructive behavior• Why Joseph chose to feel his anxiety in rehab rather than immediately medicate it• Intentionally confronting triggers early in sobriety instead of simply avoiding them• Why relapse doesn’t have to mean failure—and how to break the shame cycle• The emotional flood that can come after the initial “sober high” wears off• Why recovery requires real tools, not just willpower• Losing friendships after getting sober and learning to be okay with it• Men, vulnerability, and why toughness can sometimes be suppression in disguise• Rebuilding your identity after addiction• Why deeply understanding yourself can become one of your greatest tools in recovery Read more about Joseph’s story in the US Times If you're struggling with alcohol, you don't have to suffer in silence. Explore these FREE recovery resources Connect with Joseph:Instagram: @th3next24TikTok: @th3next24LinkedIn: Joseph Pennell Follow Adventures in Adversity:Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn This episode is sponsored by DIVINI, a honey-based sparkling kombucha tea. Visit LiveDivini.com and use code BREANNE10 at checkout for a discount.

I sit down with my fantastic friend Ervin Anderson, a husband, father of 2, high school math teacher, and ⁠Diablo Valley City College basketball coach⁠. We have a real conversation about what it was like growing up on the DC/Maryland border during the crack epidemic and the anger Erv carried as a teenager. He shares how faith, basketball, and his parents' discipline turned that anger into fuel instead of fear. Erv opens up about what it was like living on the edge of DC, where kids stayed in the yard instead of the neighborhood. He remembers the metal detector at school feeling like safety instead of fear, and recalls how the game of basketball became both an escape and the reason his grades turned around. He talks candidly about the anger he carried as a black teenager who felt like a target everywhere he went. Erv shares how he learned to place that anger instead of burying it, and how his understanding of God shifted from fear of hell to a genuine, steady faith. Erv now leans on this faith to make decisions in his life. In this conversation, we talk about:-Growing up on the DC/Maryland border during the crack epidemic, and what his parents did to keep him safe-How basketball and construction work with his dad turned into real-world lessons in math and discipline-The anger he carried as a teenager, where it came from, and how he learned to "place it" instead of letting it control him-His dad's line that changed everything: "you don't complain unless you plan on fixing it"-The bull vs. cow analogy for facing a storm head-on instead of running from it-Why "I've been here before" and looking to Jesus's life as a template for adversity changed how he copes with hard moments-How he moved from fearing God to trusting God, and what that shift unlocked in his marriage and parenting-His advice for anyone who wants to know God but doesn't know where to start: "just move" Connect with Erv on Instagram Meet Erv's incredible wife, Kendal Anderson, author of the children's book "Different," in ep. 76 Grab Kendal's book, "Different" This episode of Adventures in Adversity is sponsored by DIVINI, a honey-based sparkling kombucha tea. Visit LiveDivini and use discount code Breanne10 at checkout for a discount! Follow Adventures in Adversity on Instagram & Facebook #AdventuresInAdversity #Faith #TraumaToTestimony #BlackMaleTeacher #BasketballCoach #MentalHealth #Resilience #ChristianPodcast #DCUpbringing

I sit down with Prophet Samia Young, attorney, author, and founder of Samia Young Ministries, for one of the most raw and powerful testimonies this show has ever featured. Samia grew up in a domestic violence household and, by age seven, was already carrying her own birth certificate and Social Security card because she knew she'd have to raise herself. At 13, she was sent to live with an aunt in Chicago, where she endured three and a half years of starvation and abuse so severe it temporarily took away her ability to speak. At 14, in that same house, she gave her life to Christ, and at 15, a pastor she'd never met called her out from the back row and told her she was a prophet. Years of running followed: promiscuity, addiction, and jail on her 24th birthday, until a night at rock bottom holding a bottle of pills when she heard God say the words that saved her life. Today she's an attorney, a minister who preaches in women's prisons in Ohio, and the author of a memoir that's now becoming a stage play. In this conversation, we talk about: -How a domestic violence childhood shaped Samia's early "supernatural knowing" and sense of calling -The three and a half years she spent starved and abused by her aunt in Chicago, and how trauma took away her ability to speak -Giving her life to Christ at 14 inside the very house where she felt invisible and unsafe -Being called out as a prophet at 15, and why knowing your calling isn't enough to keep you from running from it -Jail on her 24th birthday and the exact words she heard from God the night she considered ending her life -The difference between coming out of the grave and actually being loosed from your grave clothes -Why God is after our dependency, not our perfection -Her new stage play, "Loose Her" debuting in the Cleveland, Ohio area this September Samia, Come Forth! Trading Graveclothes for Purpose (book) Samia's website and shop Follow Samia Young on Instagram Subscribe to Samia Young Ministries on YouTube This episode of Adventures in Adversity is sponsored by DIVINI, a honey-based sparkling kombucha tea. Visit LiveDivini and use discount code Breanne10 at checkout for a discount! #ComeForth #Loosed #ChristianTestimony #FaithOverFear #TraumaToTriumph #ProphetSamiaYoung #AdventuresInAdversity

I'm incredibly grateful to sit down with ⁠Mark Thomas Beare⁠, a survivor of narcissistic abuse who turned his multi-year search for understanding into ground-breaking psychological work. Mark begins ep. 96 by candidly sharing where it all began. After experiencing his own total psychological collapse in 2019, Mark spent years mapping his unraveling into a full theory, now known as (MPIT), built on the work of Professor Sam Vaknin, who wrote the forward to Mark's new book: Narcissistic Redeemer: Bringing You Back from Collapse Through thousands of hours of deep self-reflection and in-depth psychological research, Mark developed the Mirrored Psychic Inversion Theory (MPIT) and Anticipatory Stress Reflex (ASR) theories of narcissistic abuse, two critical frameworks that are changing the way survivors and clinicians approach recovery. This is one of the most detailed conversations this show has ever had about what actually happens inside the mind of survivors of narcissistic abuse. We talk about why the chaos, dissociation, and identity loss that follow a discard are not a sign that you're broken. It's a sign that you can feel pain...and you can recover. If you've ever wondered whether you were losing your mind after a relationship ended, this conversation offers language, structure, and real hope for finding your way back. In this episode, we cover: -The shared fantasy, the dual mothership, and the cathexis cycle (idealization, devaluation, discard) -Why survivors co-idealize a partner too, and how that creates a collapse that gets deferred until after the relationship ends -The liminal phase, collapse-induced psychotic regression, orbital collapse, and the deadness phase that follow a discard -The five self-states inside collapse: the Redeemer, the Mute Child, the False Protector, the Introject Enforcer, and the Truth Self -The ASR Complex (Anticipatory Stress Reflex) and why reality feels like it's slipping away during collapse -Building an "observer ego" and learning to decathect from the internal loop -Why the capacity to feel this much pain is proof you can heal, not proof something is wrong with you You're not going insane. You're not alone. You were abused by a narcissist whose primary goal was to, as Mark puts it, "colonize your mind." You did not imagine it. You're not being too sensitive. And you CAN rebuild yourself after collapsing under the weight of the darkness of narcissistic abuse. As Mark brilliantly says in this interview: your breakdown - that reaction that rocked your inner psyche - from a clinical psychology perspective, is a normal reaction to a very abnormal situation with your abuser. In this episode, Mark walks us through each phase of the survivor's collapse in detail so you can understand exactly what happened when the narcissist infiltrated your mind and began conditioning you through abuse. Read Mark's books to help you recondition your psyche to heal and step back into your true self...the self you swore you knew and lived in before the narcissist. The Organising Gate and the Reconstruction of Reality After Narcissistic Abuse Follow Mark Thomas Beare on Instagram This episode of Adventures in Adversity is sponsored by DIVINI, a honey-based sparkling kombucha tea. Visit LiveDivini and use discount code Breanne10 at checkout. #narcissisticabuse #narcissisticabuserecovery #MPIT #mentalhealth #trauma #healing #selflove #discard #cptsd #resilience

I sit down with Valeriya Hjertenæs, PhD researcher, international speaker, and Mrs. World Congeniality. Valeriya's story starts in an unexpected place: a mental institution in Ukraine, in her pajamas, just weeks after adopting her daughter. She opens up about the moment her first intrusive thought hit, a terrifying image that felt completely opposite of who she was, and how not understanding what was happening led her down a dark path toward a suicide plan. Her mother's quiet intuition, noticing Valeriya packing winter clothes in the middle of summer, became the turning point that saved her life. Topics we cover: What intrusive thoughts actually are, and why they're not a reflection of your characterValeriya's path from crisis to diagnosis, and the doctor who told her "you are not crazy"Living with OCD as a mother, a PhD researcher, and a public figureThe global scale of neurodivergence, and why so many people never get diagnosedWhy men in some cultures are more likely to die by suicide than admit they're strugglingHow Valeriya turned her lowest moment into a mission of advocacy and hopeIf you've ever had a thought that scared you, one that felt nothing like the person you know yourself to be, this episode is for you. My hope is that you walk away feeling less alone, and reminded that your hardest chapter can still become someone else's hope. OCD resources for listeners - you're not alone! If this episode brought up something for you, here are trusted places to learn more or find support: International OCD Foundation (iocdf.org) — educational resources, treatment guides, and a directory to find OCD-specialized therapists Your Anxiety Toolkit — a podcast dedicated to providing mindfulness-based tools for anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), depression, and the mental struggles that go along with these disorders.  NOCD (treatmyocd.com) — accessible articles and virtual therapy options focused specifically on OCD BeyondOCD.org — plain-language explanations of intrusive thoughts and OCD subtypes, including the "harm OCD" experience Valeriya describes IntrusiveThoughts.org — resources specifically focused on understanding and coping with intrusive thoughts Maternal OCD — support specifically for parents experiencing postpartum or new-parent OCD, which mirrors much of Valeriya's story For anyone in crisis, please reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988 in the US) or your local emergency services. You are not alone, and help is available. This episode of Adventures in Adversity is sponsored by DIVINI, a honey-based sparkling kombucha tea. Visit LiveDivini & use discount code Breanne10 at checkout! Follow Adventures in Adversity on Instagram & Facebook #MentalHealth #OCD #IntrusiveThoughts #Neurodiversity #Motherhood

Jeremy Lipkowitz, Founder of Unhooked Academy + Unhooked Podcast, opens up about his personal journey with porn addiction, the crushing weight of shame, and how it impacted men's mental health. Jeremy breaks down: How porn addiction quietly erodes intimacy, contentment, and self-trust The deep shame that keeps men silent and stuck The inner work of recovery and what actually helps men break free Science-based, compassionate strategies for healing Why speaking publicly about addiction changed everything for him This conversation is for anyone struggling with compulsive behaviors, men wanting to show up better in their relationships, or anyone ready to end the cycle of shame and start healing. About Jeremy Lipkowitz: Jeremy is a leading voice in destigmatizing porn addiction and educating the public on effective, science-based recovery strategies. He's the founder of Unhooked Academy and host of the Unhooked Podcast, where he addresses porn addiction recovery with both candor and compassion. Connect with Jeremy: Website: jeremylipkowitz.com Unhooked Academy: unhooked.academy Podcast: Unhooked: Breaking Porn Addiction Podcast Episode Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 02:15 - Jeremy's personal story with porn addiction 08:30 - The shame that kept it hidden 15:45 - How porn hijacks the brain 22:10 - Men's mental health and isolation 28:30 - The recovery process that works 35:00 - Practical tools for breaking free 42:15 - Closing thoughts Key topics: porn addiction, men's mental health, shame, recovery, mindfulness, intimacy, integrity Subscribe to this podcast for more conversations on addiction recovery and men's mental health.

Nearly 80% of suicide deaths in the U.S. are men...and yet, men’s mental health is one of the least talked-about crises of our time. In this episode, we break down: Why men are more likely to suffer in silenceHow societal expectations around masculinity shape emotional behaviorWhy so many men avoid therapy and emotional expressionThe real impact of “be strong” cultureHow to redefine masculinity and emotional strengthPractical ways to support a man who is strugglingHow to raise emotionally healthy boysThis conversation explores the real reasons behind the stigma around men’s mental health...and what needs to change. You’ll also learn why vulnerability is not weakness, but a critical form of strength. This episode is sponsored by DIVINI, a honey-based sparkling kombucha. Use code BREANNE10 at checkout for a discount. Key topics covered: Male suicide rates and mental health statisticsThe help-seeking gap for menCultural expectations of masculinityEmotional expression in history and cultureTeaching emotional skills earlyBuilding resilience through emotional awarenessRemoving shame from vulnerabilityNeed support? You're not alone! BetterHelp TalkSpace American Addiction Centers Mental Health America Christian therapists The Kevin Love Fund Jordan Peterson on dealing with depression If this episode helped you or someone you know, please share it. Follow this podcast for more conversations on mental health, growth, and leadership. #MensMentalHealth #MaleSuicide #MentalHealthMatters #MasculinityAndMentalHealth #EmotionalVulnerability #MentalHealthAwareness #MenWhoCry #EndTheStigma