Advertise on podcast: The Social Code

Different voices. Different journeys. One Jesus changing lives. The Social Code took the microphones to Revival for Recovery at Hamilton Community Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee, for conversations about faith, recovery, and finding purpose on the other side of struggle. Recorded October 10, 2026, this episode brings together interviews with rap artists and people serving through ministries, recovery homes, and employment opportunities for those rebuilding their lives. They share pieces of their testimonies, the role Jesus has played in their recovery, and how they’re helping others move forward. Hosted by the Tennessee Council for Recovery in partnership with the American Addiction Recovery Association, this gathering connected people around hope and the possibility of a new beginning. Whether you’re in recovery, love someone who is, or need a reminder that your past doesn’t have to decide your future, there’s something here for you.

The Social Code welcomes Gary Frady back for “The Strength to Surrender,” an honest conversation about humility, letting go, and asking God to change what we haven’t been able to change ourselves. Why do we keep reaching for the same habits, attitudes, and defenses even when they’re costing us peace? We explore the courage it takes to admit our shortcomings, loosen our grip on control, and become willing to live differently. What if the next breakthrough begins with three words: “God, help me”?

The Social Code sits down with author Rob Ekno for a conversation about a wild past, unexpected turning points, and finding a new direction through God. Rob reflects on the journey from addiction and chaos to faith, purpose, and a changed life. We also talk about his books, including Is It God or Coincidence? and Cruising Toward Heaven, and the experiences that inspired him to share his story. An honest conversation about second chances and what can happen when you stop running and start trusting God.

Eddie and Frida Gaw join The Social Code for a conversation that travels from Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner to life on the Lazy G Ranch -and the nearly 250 bison that call it home. Frida shares stories from her childhood around country music, including the time Dolly took her for cotton candy and the conversation she once had with Sam Walton without realizing who he was. Eddie explains how he moved from raising cattle to bison, what it takes to care for these powerful animals, and why their behavior continues to amaze him. Along the way, the Gaws talk about the dangers of working with bison, their family's life on the ranch, and the community traditions they've built-including a free annual live nativity and a chuck wagon cook-off. It's a warm, funny conversation about animals, local history, faith, family, and the many ways to give back to your community.

A year in recovery can change everything—but only if you stop trying to save the old you. Nick and Gary share the raw, funny, and deeply honest story of what happens when addiction, ego, and shame finally meet surrender. What starts as a conversation about graduation at the Cookeville Rescue Mission Life Recovery Program turns into a powerful look at the moment both men realized they could not keep running their lives. Gary opens up about addiction, an overdose experience, a court arrest, and the breaking point that led him to fully surrender. Nick shares his own path through addiction, recovery, accountability, and the slow, difficult work of allowing God to transform his life. You'll hear them discuss: Why step one-admitting powerlessness—is harder than it sounds How step four exposes hidden patterns behind resentment, pride, and self-protection Why making amends can become a turning point in recovery How sponsorship, accountability, and honest community help keep recovery alive What it feels like when your old life begins to die and a new one starts Why lasting change comes through consistency and discipline—not quick fixes Along the way, Nick and Gary explain the 12-step process in plain language, including the "four columns" inventory, the difference between understanding the steps and truly surrendering, and the importance of choosing a new path one day at a time. Their conversation moves from addiction, legal trouble, and destructive patterns to faith, spiritual awakening, brotherhood, and the daily decision to live differently. This episode is for anyone in recovery, anyone supporting a loved one, or anyone who needs hope that God can still rewrite a story that feels beyond repair.

You can know exactly what is broken in you and still keep defending it. That is the trap this conversation explores—the moment awareness stops short of willingness, and the same old patterns keep running the show. Johnny, Pete, and Stan get honest about the survival strategies that once protected them but can later hold them back: control, anger, people-pleasing, perfectionism, sarcasm, resentment, and the need to be right. What begins as a conversation about willingness becomes a deeper look at why change is so difficult—and why familiar pain can sometimes feel safer than unfamiliar freedom.If you’ve ever said, “I know what my issue is,” but still struggled to let it go, this episode is for you. Real change may begin with a simple question:What are you still protecting?

Bob Sotis shares the funny, honest, and deeply redemptive story behind his addiction, recovery, faith, and decades of service throughout the Upper Cumberland. From growing up in Pittsburgh and working in restaurants, DJ booths, and nightlife to helping establish some of Cookeville’s earliest Narcotics Anonymous meetings, Bob explains how sobriety changed far more than his habits. It changed the direction of his life. He opens up about the friendships that carried him, why service became essential to his recovery, and how God used his experience in business and hospitality to prepare him for ministry. The conversation also explores Bob’s leadership at Life Church, his work with Life Recovery, the importance of mentorship, and how generosity through efforts like the Dollar Club creates a real impact in the community. Bob also shares the deeply personal story of his wife Julie’s battle with cancer and the faith, prayer, and support that carried their family through it. This episode is about addiction, second chances, friendship, purpose, and what can happen when an ordinary person surrenders his story to God. If you need proof that recovery is real, brokenness can become ministry, and a transformed life can help transform others, this conversation is for you.

Kevin Bowling has spent decades building businesses, consulting with entrepreneurs, investing in people, and giving back to his community. In this episode, we get into the business side of Kevin’s story: opening companies, running them, consulting other business owners, the lessons learned through more than 30 years in business, and why generosity has become such a big part of his life. We also talk about Ebenezer Acres, his nonprofit and faith-centered property created as a place for people to gather, grow, connect, and serve. Then the conversation gets personal. Kevin opens up about his family, the loss of his son, and how grief, faith, and life experience have shaped the man he is today. This is a conversation about building businesses, building people, walking through loss, and figuring out what success really means when life reminds you what actually matters.

Part 2 with Pastor Bobby Davis continues with a completely unscripted conversation about faith, life, serving others, and following Christ in the everyday moments. We talk about the importance of showing up for people, living with purpose, putting faith into action, and learning to look beyond ourselves. Unedited and authentic, with plenty of laughs, unexpected moments, and the kind of conversation you can only get when there’s no script to follow.

We sit down with Pastor Bobby Davis for a real, raw, and authentic conversation about life, faith, salvation, addiction, the Church, and what it truly means to die to yourself and live for Christ. Nothing is scripted and nothing is off the table. Bobby opens up about life beyond the pulpit as we talk through the struggles people face, the reality of addiction, finding freedom, and what following Jesus actually looks like when faith meets real life. There’s truth, laughter, hard conversations, and, in true Bobby fashion, enough rhymes along the way to make us wonder if preaching was actually his backup plan.

Brett Knight has seen the justice system from nearly every seat in the courtroom. He’s served as a prosecutor, criminal defense attorney, municipal court judge, and practicing attorney. But his story reaches far beyond the courtroom. Brett is also an ordained pastor and the author of From the Gavel to Grace: Setting People Free From Addiction and Into Healing. In this episode, we sit down with Brett for a conversation about justice, addiction, faith, accountability, and what actually helps people change. After years of prosecuting people, defending them, judging them, and praying with them, Brett has developed a perspective that doesn’t fit neatly into one box. We talk about the tension between punishment and grace, why consequences matter but don’t always address the pain underneath addiction, and what the public often misunderstands about the people who end up inside the criminal justice system. Brett also shares pieces of his own unlikely journey, from growing up with very little and working his way through college, to building a career in IT, going to law school later in life, entering the courtroom, becoming a pastor, and eventually putting what he had learned into a book. This isn’t just a conversation about law or addiction. It’s about people, second chances, personal responsibility, faith, and what can happen when accountability and grace meet in the same room.

Join The Social Code for an honest conversation about why we hide, what our secrets cost us, and why the things we keep buried often end up shaping our lives the most. Why do we work so hard to protect an image? Why is it easier to wear a mask than risk being truly known? And what happens when the stories we’ve been telling ourselves no longer match reality? Together, we explore the psychology of shame, the weight of unspoken truths, the difference between privacy and secrecy, and why saying something out loud can change it in ways that simply thinking about it never will. This episode isn’t about public confession or exposing your past. It’s about becoming the same person in every room, replacing performance with authenticity, and discovering that freedom isn’t found in having a perfect story. It’s found in finally living an honest one. If you’ve ever felt trapped by your past, exhausted from managing different versions of yourself, or wondered what it would feel like to stop hiding, this conversation is for you.

You can repaint a house a hundred times, but if the foundation is cracked, the cracks always come back. The same is true of us. In this episode of The Social Code, we explore why smart people keep repeating the same patterns, even when they genuinely want to change. Most of us spend our lives trying to fix behaviors while never looking beneath them. But every habit, reaction, and trigger leaves a trail to something deeper. Together, we unpack how the hidden rules we learned growing up continue shaping our lives, why emotional triggers are often messengers instead of enemies, and how lasting change begins when you stop asking, “What’s wrong with me?” and start asking, “What built this?” This isn’t about blame or reliving the past. It’s about uncovering the blueprint beneath your behavior so you can finally stop managing symptoms and start changing at the root.

Eli Hostetler grew up in a world most of us have only seen from a car window…no electricity, no automobiles, a one-room schoolhouse, and a community governed by rules written long before he was born. In this episode, Eli takes Johnny, Pete, and Stan inside that world: the daily rhythm of farm chores, the real story behind Rumspringa and the loopholes and debates that shaped Amish life from bishop to bishop. But this isn’t just a look at a fascinating culture. Somewhere along the way, cracks formed…and Eli encountered something that tradition alone couldn’t explain. He shares, unhurried and in his own words, the moment the Holy Spirit broke through, what it felt like to meet Jesus outside the only faith framework he’d ever known, and what it actually cost him to leave: family, community, and everything familiar. Funny, honest, and at times heartbreaking, this conversation honors where Eli came from while telling the truth about why he couldn’t stay. If you’ve ever quietly questioned what you were raised with, this one’s for you.

What if some of the world’s biggest conspiracy theories aren’t connected by coincidence, but by a pattern? In this episode of The Social Code, we separate documented history from speculation as we explore government secrecy, Deep Underground Military Bases (DUMBs), Yellowstone, Denver International Airport, black budgets, billionaire bunkers, Project MKUltra, Operation Paperclip, Area 51, Antarctica, CERN, and the growing conversation surrounding UAPs. Some of these stories are established historical fact. Others remain unproven theories. Our goal isn’t to convince you what to believe. It’s to ask better questions, examine the evidence, and follow the trail wherever it leads. Whether you’re a skeptic, a believer, or somewhere in between, this conversation will challenge the way you think about secrecy, power, and what might exist beneath the surface.