This week, Chris, KG, and Zoë sit down with Ricky Stewart, Director of Hilljack House and former Illinois Recovery Center case manager, for an honest conversation about addiction, identity, and the long road to recovery.Ricky shares what it was like growing up as the youngest of five—and an identical twin—in a home that looked stable from the outside but was filled with chaos behind closed doors. He opens up about his introduction to heroin, thirty treatment centers, relapse after four years of sobriety, and the moments that nearly convinced him to give up.The conversation explores sober living, fatherhood, pornography addiction, mental health, shame, grace, sponsorship, and the people who kept showing up even when Ricky couldn't answer the door. It's a powerful reminder that recovery isn't about becoming perfect—it's about staying connected when everything inside you tells you to isolate.There are plenty of laughs mixed in, because that's how life works. Even in the middle of the hardest stories, hope has a way of finding its way into the room.

This week, Chris, KG, and Erin Johnston of Addiction Is Real sit down for a conversation that challenges the way we think about addiction, recovery, and mental health.

From the realities of detox and the fentanyl crisis to youth mental health, suicide prevention, Narcan, and supporting families in crisis, Erin shares what she's learned after years of working alongside people whose lives have been forever changed by substance use. But this isn't just a conversation about statistics—it's about people, compassion, and the small moments that can change the course of someone's life.

The discussion also explores grace, faith, parenting, community, grief, and why creating a space where people feel seen may be one of the most powerful forms of prevention we have. As always, there are plenty of laughs mixed in along the way, proving that even the heaviest conversations can leave you with hope.

If you've ever wondered how to better support someone who's struggling—or simply become a better human being—this episode is for you.

This week, Chris, Zoë, and KG welcome Morgan Coyner for one of the funniest—and most vulnerable—conversations of the season.

Morgan opens up about growing up with a mother battling mental illness and addiction, finding alcohol at an early age, becoming a high-achieving alcoholic through college, and eventually discovering a life she never thought was possible in recovery.

Along the way, the conversation bounces from Four Lokos, fraternity parties, and NASCAR bets to Virginia Tech, faith, forgiveness, family, and what it really means to heal from childhood trauma.

As always with Pondoff's Anonymous, the laughs come just as often as the tears. Whether they're joking about purity culture, arguing over music, or unpacking the complicated relationship between love and addiction, this episode is a reminder that recovery isn't just surviving your story—it's learning to tell it with honesty, hope, and maybe a few inappropriate jokes along the way.

Pondoff's Anonymous had the week off while Chris gallivanted around his homeland in Italy.So for this week, please enjoy this Pondoff's Anonymous Best of Season 3.Featuring conversations with Marcus "Buff" Bagwell, Michael Wellington, Kira Andersen, Ryan Canaday, and many more, this best of episode is filled with stories of recovery, triumph, success, heartache, and every other human emotion you can think of.Each of these stories are unique in their own way, but they all have one thing in common: they prove that no matter what you're dealing with, whether it be addiction, loss, mental health issues, or anything else, you don't have to do it alone. If you or someone you know needs help, please reach out to us here at Pondoff's Anonymous.

Some people hit rock bottom in a single moment. For others, it's thousands of small decisions that slowly pull them further away from the life they were meant to live.

On this episode of Pondoff's Anonymous, Cole Shea shares the winding road that led from a turbulent childhood and high school football dreams to heroin addiction, prison, and eventually a decade of sobriety. Growing up surrounded by addiction, violence, and instability, Cole explains how loyalty to family often collided with the boundaries that others tried to set for him—and how those choices shaped the course of his life.

Cole opens up about surviving Type 1 diabetes while incarcerated, navigating years of active addiction alongside family members, the reality of prison life, and the moment he realized he couldn't keep outrunning the consequences of his decisions. Along the way, the conversation explores trauma, accountability, recovery, and the difference between simply surviving and genuinely learning how to live.

Whether you've lived this story yourself or loved someone who has, Cole's honesty is a testament to the idea that your past doesn't have to write the rest of your story.

This week on Pondoff’s Anonymous, Tony Martin joins the show to share a recovery journey that starts in a small town in Jefferson County and winds through family trauma, addiction, divorce, jail cells, treatment centers, Oxford House, and ultimately a life dedicated to helping others find recovery.Growing up with a mother battling severe mental illness, Tony learned early what it felt like to live in survival mode. After finally escaping a chaotic home environment as a teenager, drugs quickly became more than a way to have fun—they became a way to feel safe, accepted, and connected. What began with marijuana eventually evolved into years of methamphetamine use, heavy drinking, failed relationships, and a growing inability to imagine life without substances.Along the way, Tony reflects on the people who believed in him when he couldn't believe in himself, from his grandmother and teachers to family members who never stopped hoping he'd find another way. He shares stories that are hilarious, heartbreaking, and at times unbelievable—including military enlistment mishaps, bartending at Red Lobster, blackout drinking, and the many rationalizations addiction convinced him were perfectly reasonable.Most importantly, this episode explores what happens when someone who spent years trying to escape pain finally decides to face it. Today, Tony is helping others navigate recovery through Oxford House and nonprofit work, using every lesson from his past to serve people who are walking the same road he once did.This is a conversation about trauma, resilience, second chances, and the reality that recovery is about far more than simply putting down a drink or a drug._____________________Illinois Recovery Center:⁠ https://illinoisrecoverycenter.com/⁠Find us on Facebook, Instagram, & YouTube.⁠https://www.facebook.com/pondoffsanonymous⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/pondoffsanonymous⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@pondoffsanonymous

On this episode of Pondoff's Anonymous, we sit down with Chrissy Shields and her sons, Arty Berreman and Jake Shields, to share the life and legacy of AJ Berreman. Through laughter, tears, and incredible honesty, the Berreman family opens up about AJ's battle with addiction, bipolar disorder, treatment, recovery attempts, and the difficult reality of loving someone through a disease that affects the entire family.From hockey rinks and family dinners to rehab centers and heartbreaking phone calls, this conversation explores the moments that shaped AJ's life, the challenges his family faced, and the lessons they've learned in the years since his passing. Chrissy shares what it was like to watch her son struggle, the hope that kept her going, and the dream that finally brought her peace.This isn't just a story about addiction. It's a story about family, resilience, grief, faith, forgiveness, and the impact one person can have long after they're gone.Today, AJ's legacy lives on through the people who loved him, the lives touched by his story, and the annual golf tournament held in his honor.❤️ In memory of AJ Berriman.

On this episode of Pondoff’s Anonymous, Angie Isam sits down for one of the most unbelievable and emotionally raw conversations the show has had yet. What starts as stories about South City chaos, partying, and addiction quickly unfolds into a childhood filled with instability, abandonment, alcoholism, kidnapping, violence, and survival.Angie opens up about growing up in a deeply dysfunctional home, her father spiraling into alcoholism, her mother disappearing for long stretches of time, and learning to survive long before she was emotionally equipped to. Along the way, she shares stories about cocaine addiction, methamphetamine, biker culture, multiple DWIs, county jail, losing custody of her daughter, and the moments that finally forced her to confront the life she was living.But underneath all the chaos is something much deeper: redemption. Angie talks about recovery, faith, treatment, rebuilding relationships, and how her own lived experience eventually led her to helping others as Director of Admissions at Illinois Recovery Center — becoming the exact kind of person she once needed herself.