What's up everyone, Will Gordon here from The Willpower Podcast. This one's a banger – sat down with Quebec country rocker Rick Duff @Duff.yeehaw, who's 6 months sober and absolutely crushing it with his debut album Forever Reckless.

Rick lays it all out: going from bricklayer to Canada's got talent show finale overnight, the wild party days in his 20s, those "loser birds" chirping after all-nighters, getting hammered through five straight shows and knowing he was letting fans down... that was his wake-up call to quit booze and drugs for good.

We get deep on the guilt, the crossroads moment,surprising confidence from stacking sober days, sober hacks for touring, and turning massive pain – including losing his best friend Matthew to addiction – into therapy on tracks. Album's dedicated to him, man. Songs like "Reckless" and "Ford Ranger" hit hard.

If you're grinding through quitting drinking, battling addiction, or just need some real talk on mental health and showing up better – this is the one. Rick's proof you can flip the script and give your best self to the people who believe in you.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Cold open hook + Quebec weather banter

02:26 - Fame explosion from TV show

03:44 - Rock bottom: 5 wasted nights on stage

07:07 - The moment booze was stealing his voice

10:02 - Loser birds & choosing sobriety

17:21 - Losing Matthew & the album dedication

26:07 - Sober touring hacks 28:23 - Motivation from other artists/books

30:13 - What's next for Rick

34:25 - Rick's final words

Stream Forever Reckless everywhere and follow Rick:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4MNUaMf0Yl05yY6x342xBH
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rickduffmusic/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rickduffmusic
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Duff.yeehaw
• Website: https://rickduffmusic.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DUFFOFFICIEL/

Hit subscribe if these stories fire you up – we're building a community of people stacking wins and getting after it sober. Drop a comment if Rick's story hit home.

If you're getting value from the show and want to help me keep grinding these episodes full-time (editing two a day sometimes takes all day!), a coffee on BuyMeACoffee means the world: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/willpowerpodcast

Other ways to support (keeps the lights on while I chase this dream):

• RCVR gear: https://rcvrbrand.com/
• LiverMedic supplements: https://livermedic.com/
• AMPLIFY Sober events: https://amplify.soberliferocks.com/

Thanks for being here, fam. Let's keep the willpower rolling.

Dr. Sarah Michaud spent 30 years as a clinical psychologist helping addicts and codependents climb out of hell… only to wake up one day and realize she was living in the exact same hell.

From people-pleasing therapist to full-blown addict and codependent, she hit rock bottom, got sober, wrote the raw book Co-Crazy, and now co-hosts the hit podcast Leaving Crazy Land.

This conversation is different. If you grew up trying to keep everyone happy, if you still don’t know what YOU actually want, or if sobriety feels like it’s missing something… this one will hit different.

Watch now.

Connect with Dr. Sarah Website → https://drsarahmichaud.com Podcast (Leaving Crazy Land) → Search “Leaving Crazy Land” on your platform Book Co-Crazy → Available everywhere

Need someone to talk to? My 1-on-1 mentoring → https://calendly.com/thewillpowerpodcast/30min

Support the show : 🤝 If you believe in the mission of spreading hope and healing through real recovery stories, please consider donating to the podcast. Every dollar helps keep this content going and reaching the people who need it most → https://buymeacoffee.com/thewillpowerpodcast

🧥 RCVR Apparel → Rock recovery-inspired gear with pride. Save 10% with code WILLPOWER10 at https://rcvrbrand.com

💊 LiverMedic Supplements → Feel your best with natural liver support. Use code WILL10 for 10% off at https://liverlifesupplements.com

🎤 AMPLIFY Sober Voices (Jan 15, 2026) → Join sober creators at Podfest 2026. Get $20 off with code WILLPOWER20 at https://amplify.soberliferocks.com

📚 Shortform (reading made easy) → Dig deeper into recovery books. Sign up at https://shortform.com/twpp and get a FREE TRIAL + $50 OFF your annual subscription.

• Timestamps 00:00 Therapist becomes the patient 00:54 First drink at 16 – “It was the solution”
• 04:25 Bank robbery to pay a coke dealer
• 09:15 Growing up in alcoholism & feeling “different”
• 13:37 Why year 2-3 of sobriety is the hardest
• 21:22 What codependency really is (and why it’s deadly) 29:43 The fear that drives people-pleasing
• 33:27 “Put down the drink for 30 days and see”
• 42:37 Best advice for anyone realizing they drink too much

Drop a ❤️ if this hit home. Subscribe Please – new episode every week.

#Codependency #PeoplePleaser #Sober #QuitDrinking #Recovery

Philippa and I were both handed death sentences from alcohol.

I needed a liver transplant and barely survived.

Philippa was told the exact same thing… but she completely reversed end-stage cirrhosis – no transplant, no miracle pills, no BS.

999 days to get her liver enzymes normal. A resident doctor cried when he saw her alive two years later.

This is the rawest, most hopeful liver-failure recovery story you will ever hear. I'm not just saying that...

If you’re hiding bottles, lying to yourself, or telling yourself “it’s not that bad yet” – watch/listen before it’s too late.

Philippa answers every DM → https://www.instagram.com/pippaamelia9

Need 1-on-1 help? My sober mentoring → https://calendly.com/thewillpowerpodcast/30min

🙏 If you believe in the mission of spreading hope and healing through real recovery stories, please consider donating to the podcast. Every dollar helps keep this content going and reaching the people who need it most. → https://buymeacoffee.com/thewillpowerpodcast

📅 Book a 1:1 Sober Mentoring Session Today—LINK BELOW https://calendly.com/thewillpowerpodcast/30min

🧥 RCVR Apparel: Rock recovery-inspired gear with pride. Save 10% with code thewillpowerpodcast at rcvrbrand.com/thewillpowerpodcast

💊 Liver Medic Supplements: Feel your best with natural liver support. Use code THEWILLPOWERPODCAST10off for 10% off at livermedic.com/discount/THEWILLPOWERPODCAST10off

🎤 AMPLIFY Sober Voices (Jan 15, 2026): Join sober creators at Podfest 2026. Get $20 off with code WILL at amplify.soberliferocks.com

• Buy me a coffee (keeps episodes free) → https://buymeacoffee.com/thewillpowerpodcast

Timestamps

00:00 Cold open – hiding bottles & lies

01:09 “Doctors gave me weeks… they gave her weeks” 02:54 She turned completely yellow + last drink story

25:18 “999 days to normal liver enzymes”

29:07 “You have 2 months to live”

36:58 The resident doctor started crying

43:00 Life now – 3.5 years sober & thriving

Drop a ❤️ if this hit home. Subscribe – new episode every week.

#AlcoholismRecovery #LiverFailure #EndStageCirrhosis #Sobriety #QuitDrinking #SoberLife #AddictionRecovery #LiverTransplant #Jaundice #SoberCurious #RecoveryIsPossible #AlcoholicLiverDisease #SoberMotivation #DryJanuaryForever #TheWillpowerPodcast

Aaron Starbuck just got the green light. His liver transplant is officially approved and could happen any day… maybe even tonight.

His first reaction wasn’t relief.

It was terror.

I know exactly how he's feeling and I talk openly about my OWN experience. Imagine being able to talk to someone whose on the other side of it? Well Aaron gets that opportunity.

“I knew it was coming… but I’m repulsed by the idea of being cut open. It’s a blessing… but it’s also scary.”

I felt him here.

In this emergency raw live episode we talk:

• - The exact moment the transplant team called
• Why he’s having cold feet even though he’s dying without it
• The financial nightmare of transplant life
• Paracentesis, lactulose, HE, and rock-bottom truth
• What the other side actually feels like (I LIVED it)

If Aaron’s story moves you, help him with medical bills, housing, and recovery costs right now:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/aaron-needs-a-liver-transplant-to-thrive

🤝 If you believe in spreading real recovery stories, please consider supporting the show. Every dollar keeps this content coming → https://buymeacoffee.com/thewillpowerpodcast

One of the most powerful conversations we’ve ever recorded.

If you’re in recovery, on a transplant list, or love someone who is — this one’s for you.

New episodes every week.

Leave a review and share if this hit home.

#LiverTransplant #Sobriety #AddictionRecovery #TransplantWarrior

🤝From a second-story fall that started a decade of panic attacks, to blackouts I’m still ashamed of, to not believing I’d see 30 — Mitch Webb somehow found a way out.

Today he’s an integrative somatic coach helping people speak their body’s language and heal from the inside. In this episode, Mitch gets real about:

- The head injury that changed everything

- Fraternity life and the “no off switch” drinking

- Childhood trauma he didn’t even know he had

- Sitting with the fire (the moment that felt like a magic trick) - Pee Pee McGee shame

- Lyme pain and mold hell

- Why Western medicine failed him

- A 60-second practice that melted anxiety live on the podcast

- Coming out of survival mode and finally seeing the sky as blue again

This is one of the most honest conversations I’ve had. If you’re carrying the same weight, this one’s for you.

🤝 If you believe in spreading real recovery stories, please consider supporting the show. Every dollar keeps this content coming → https://buymeacoffee.com/thewillpowerpodcast

Connect with Mitch: Free nervous system quiz + coaching → https://mitchweb.com Instagram → https://instagram.com/kmitchwebb

The Willpower Podcast with Will Gordon New episodes every week → subscribe if this helped

#Sobriety #QuitDrinking #TraumaHealing #SomaticHealing #Anxiety #AddictionRecovery #SoberLife #MentalHealth #RecoveryPodcast

After two suicide attempts, losing her baby son to a terminal illness, a marriage that ended in scandal, and then — 4+ years sober — getting the call that her ex-husband overdosed on fentanyl… Ashley Jo somehow kept going.

Today she’s a sober mom, bonus mom, author, and speaker who’s been alcohol-free since August 14, 2020. On the exact release day of her gut-wrenching new memoir Tides of Grief, Waves of Grace, Ashley gets REAL about:

- Hiding 40+ beers a day while everyone thought she “had it together”

- The garage suicide attempt that miraculously failed

- What sober grief actually feels like when the worst keeps happening

- Writing two eulogies in treatment that changed everything

- Why God never left even when faith almost did

- And the letter to her ex she never got to say out loud 💔

This is one of the heaviest, most hopeful conversations we’ve ever had on the show.

If this episode hits home, drop a comment and let us know. And PLEASE—smash that subscribe button so we can keep these powerful convos coming. 🙏

If you believe in the mission of spreading hope and healing through real recovery stories, please consider donating to the podcast. Every dollar helps keep this content going and reaching the people who need it most → https://buymeacoffee.com/thewillpowerpodcast

🧥 RCVR Apparel: Rock recovery-inspired gear with pride. Save 10% with code thewillpowerpodcast at rcvrbrand.com/thewillpowerpodcast

💊 Liver Medic Supplements: Feel your best with natural liver support. Use code THEWILLPOWERPODCAST10off for 10% off at livermedic.com/discount/THEWILLPOWERPODCAST10off

🎤 AMPLIFY Sober Voices (Jan 15, 2026): Join sober creators at Podfest 2026. Get $20 off with code WILL at amplify.soberliferocks.com

📚 Grab Ashley’s book Tides of Grief, Waves of Grace today: https://www.thisisashleyjo.com (or Amazon, Barnes & Noble, everywhere books are sold)

Connect with Ashley:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/thisisashleyjo

Website: https://thisisashleyjo.com

Shortform affiliate (reading made easy):

Sign up at https://shortform.com/twpp and get a FREE TRIAL + $50 OFF your annual subscription. Perfect for digging deeper into recovery books!

#Sobriety #AddictionRecovery #GriefAndHealing #SoberMom #ChildLoss #FentanylAwareness #ChristianRecovery #SoberPodcast

"TheWillpowerPodcast" Episode 2: Transplanted

Witness the raw, unfiltered story of survival as we delve into:

The agonizing wait for a donor match

The rollercoaster of emotions leading up to surgery

A shocking, behind-the-scenes look at the transplant process

From last-minute calls to life-altering decisions, this episode pulls back the curtain on one of medicine's most intense procedures. Don't miss this unflinching account of hope, fear, and the ultimate test of willpower.

#LiverTransplant #SobrietyJourney #MedicalStories

In this deeply raw episode of The Willpower Podcast, host Will Gordon sits down with Jimmy Thistle — a recovery advocate, ex-alcoholic, and peer mentor — who shares the powerful journey from addiction to healing. Jimmy opens up about growing up in Scotland, early drinking culture, losing control, multiple rock bottoms, and finding true transformation in sobriety.

If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol use disorder (AUD), this episode is a must-listen. From his first drink at 14 to life-changing rehab during the COVID-19 lockdown, Jimmy’s honest story will resonate with anyone navigating the complex path of recovery.

🔔 Subscribe for more inspiring recovery stories, mindset tips, and sober mentoring advice.

📍 Key Topics:

👉Binge drinking culture in the UK

👉Signs of addiction & self-denial

👉The emotional toll of alcohol abuse

👉Rehab experience during COVID-19

👉Sober mentoring, peer support, & building a new life

🎧 Follow Jimmy:

IG: @recovery_jimmy

Podcast: After Hours with Jimmy Thistle

🙏 If this episode hits home, drop a comment and let us know. And PLEASE—smash that subscribe button so we can keep these powerful convos coming.

🙏 If you believe in the mission of spreading hope and healing through real recovery stories, please consider donating to the podcast. Every dollar helps keep this content going and reaching the people who need it most. → [https://buymeacoffee.com/thewillpowerpodcast]

🧥 RCVR Apparel: Rock recovery-inspired gear with pride.

Save 10% with code thewillpowerpodcast at rcvrbrand.com/thewillpowerpodcast

💊 Liver Medic Supplements: Feel your best with natural liver support.

Use code THEWILLPOWERPODCAST10off for 10% off at livermedic.com/discount/THEWILLPOWERPODCAST10off

🎤 AMPLIFY Sober Voices (Jan 15, 2026): Join sober creators at Podfest 2026.

Get $20 off with code WILL at amplify.soberliferocks.com