What if the addiction isn't really the deepest problem?

For Caitlin Hawk, drugs, alcohol, destructive relationships, and years of shame were symptoms of something much deeper: she didn't know who she was.

A gifted young athlete, Caitlin learned early to measure her worth through performance. When that foundation began to crumble, alcohol, drugs, relationships, and rebellion became ways to numb the pain. By nineteen, she was pregnant with twins, battling addiction and suicidal thoughts, and wondering whether her own life was worth fighting for.

Then, sitting drunk and high in a parking lot, Caitlin cried out to God for mercy.

What happened next changed everything.

In this deeply vulnerable conversation with Steve Adams, Caitlin shares how Jesus met her in brokenness, how Mercy Multiplied helped her begin replacing lies with biblical truth, and why learning her identity as a new creation in Christ became foundational to lasting freedom.

Steve and Caitlin also explore:

• Why destructive behaviors often point to deeper wounds
• Performance-based identity and the pressure to prove ourselves
• Shame, addiction, and the need to numb emotional pain
• What people in crisis really need from the Church
• Caitlin's unexpected pregnancy and decision to choose life
• The remarkable story of how a bed opened at Mercy Multiplied
• Replacing deeply rooted lies with God's truth
• Spiritual warfare and the battle over identity
• Why recovery is a process, not an instantaneous transformation
• The importance of discipleship and safe relationships
• Turning our pain into purpose
• Why sometimes we need to become comfortable with being uncomfortable

Caitlin is the author of Overcomer, Overcome: Finding Freedom from Addiction, Shame, and False Identity.

This isn't simply a story about overcoming addiction.

It's a story about discovering that what you've done is not who you are—and what God says about you gets the final word.

Connect with Caitlin: https://caitlinhawk.com/

Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Overcomer-Overcome-Finding-Addiction-Identity/dp/B0GJQQ4RF9/ref=monarch_sidesheet_title

00:00 Addiction, Shame & the Lies We Believe
01:16 Welcome & Caitlin Hawk
05:45 Fast Five
12:08 Who Am I?
16:09 Church, Religion & Missing Identity
20:29 Shame, Anger & Numbing the Pain
24:24 Spiritual Warfare & What Lies Beneath Behavior
26:56 Pregnant at 19 & Living in Bondage
29:31 What Women in Crisis Really Need
33:52 The Night Caitlin Cried Out for Mercy
36:50 A Miraculous Door Opens
37:26 Replacing Lies with Truth
44:41 Learning How to Live Free
49:09 Why Discipleship Matters
53:35 Turning Pain Into Purpose
57:20 Taking Territory
59:20 What Caitlin Would Tell Her 19-Year-Old Self
1:03:04 Hard Is Good
1:04:15 Closing Thoughts & Caitlin's Book