E26 - “She's Going Nowhere”

E26 - “She's Going Nowhere”

She parked a blue minivan with fake wood panels on the street outside his apartment and sat there. He watched her through the window for thirty minutes, too ashamed of what he'd become to walk down the steps. She wasn't leaving. Fifteen minutes later, he came down — and the next day, at 19, he was in rehab. That was 1993. What followed was a psychology degree, a master's in social work, an MBA, a stage-four cancer diagnosis at 28, "non-addictive" OxyContin handed to a former heroin addict, and eleven years of trying to think his way out of a disease that doesn't respond to thinking. His sobriety date is August 24, 2017.  Today John R. co-owns Reprieve Recovery Center, a women's residential program in Mountain Green, Utah. In this conversation with Brent and Jonathan, he talks about getting honest with a Costco manager, why recovery is more unlearning than learning, what his kids said the morning he left for treatment, and the second cancer diagnosis he met with a very different prayer. "Congratulations on God moving you where you couldn't move yourself."  Stay through the end for a behind-the-scenes conversation after the episode wrapped. 🔗 Stay Connected & Keep Climbing 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/push-each-other-to-the-top/id1818173130] 🎧 Also on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/7tU63YzOtjBxLgYvFDhw79?si=6d3b75aca0ee41d3] 📺 Watch full episodes on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@PushEachOthertotheTop] 🌐 Visit us at PushEachOtherToTheTop.com [https://www.pusheachothertothetop.com/] 📧 Email us - we would love to hear from you! [https://www.pusheachothertothetop.com/contact] 🙏 If this episode spoke to you, share it with someone who needs a little hope today.

E25 - "All I Could Say Was Help"

Brent had never really prayed. When a counselor told him to get on his knees and ask for help, he thought it was ridiculous — but at the bottom of the barrel, he did it anyway. He closed the door, got on the floor, and all he could muster was one word: "Help." Nothing happened. No trumpets, no rush. Then 30 days later he picked up his chip and realized he hadn't thought about drinking once — after years of not being able to go six hours without a drink.  In this episode, Jonathan and Brent dig into Step 11 — "sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God" — and what it actually looks like to build that connection day by day. They talk about surrender, humility, free will, and the stubborn human habit of grabbing the wheel back the moment things start going well. Along the way: the guy who threw his keys under the bed so he'd have to kneel every morning, a squeegee, a bucket, and the simple truth that showing up is where the miracle starts.  If you're struggling right now, this one's for you. Because if it worked for Brent, it can work for anybody. 🔗 Stay Connected & Keep Climbing 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/push-each-other-to-the-top/id1818173130] 🎧 Also on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/7tU63YzOtjBxLgYvFDhw79?si=6d3b75aca0ee41d3] 📺 Watch full episodes on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@PushEachOthertotheTop] 🌐 Visit us at PushEachOtherToTheTop.com [https://www.pusheachothertothetop.com/] 📧 Email us - we would love to hear from you! [https://www.pusheachothertothetop.com/contact] 🙏 If this episode spoke to you, share it with someone who needs a little hope today.

E24 - "You Have a Fatal Disease"

A psychologist once told Brent he had a fatal disease, handed him a copy of the Big Book, and said, "Don't come back." It took years, but that seed eventually saved his life. In this Father's Day episode, Brent and Jonathan open up about the fathers who shaped them, the fishing trips they still remember, and what it really means to show up sober. Then they dig into Step 9 — making amends — and why it's the hardest step for a reason. It's not step one for a reason: you have to do the work first. And here's the twist most people miss — the amends aren't for the people you hurt. They're for you. Along the way: the "bag of rocks" you've been carrying, why guilt and shame fester like an infection, the courage it takes to face someone you've wronged, and the little seeds people planted that grew years later. If you're wondering how to take that first step, reach out — check the show notes and website. You're not alone. 🔗 Stay Connected & Keep Climbing 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/push-each-other-to-the-top/id1818173130] 🎧 Also on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/7tU63YzOtjBxLgYvFDhw79?si=6d3b75aca0ee41d3] 📺 Watch full episodes on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@PushEachOthertotheTop] 🌐 Visit us at PushEachOtherToTheTop.com [https://www.pusheachothertothetop.com/] 📧 Email us - we would love to hear from you! [https://www.pusheachothertothetop.com/contact] 🙏 If this episode spoke to you, share it with someone who needs a little hope today.

E23 - "I Found God in a Bottle of Whiskey"

Recording from a beautiful island in Thailand, Brent joins Jonathan for a candid conversation about how to protect your sobriety when alcohol is everywhere — summer barbecues, weddings, work trips, casinos, and a condo with a full wall of booze. Brent shares the hard-won tools that keep him grounded: working Step One and truly conceding you're powerless, making a plan before you walk into a tough situation, and never being afraid to pull the rip cord and leave.  He opens up about his sponsor Horace's brutal honesty ("You're not a dad, you're a drunk"), the terror and freedom of asking for help, and the night he almost "soaked up the atmosphere" at a hotel bar — and called his sponsor instead. Along the way: Bill W. and Dr. Bob, a tuk-tuk driver in Bangkok with a line that changed how Brent handles resentment ("they're in your life, they're out of your life"), and the realization that we're all the same distance from grace.  Plus, the line at the heart of it all: "Drinking wasn't the problem — drinking was a lot of the answer. When I finally drank enough, I found God."  If you or someone you love is struggling, this one's a reminder: if Brent can do it, you can too. Reach out. You're not alone. Stay for the behind-the-scenes chat at the end. 🔗 Stay Connected & Keep Climbing 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/push-each-other-to-the-top/id1818173130] 🎧 Also on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/7tU63YzOtjBxLgYvFDhw79?si=6d3b75aca0ee41d3] 📺 Watch full episodes on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@PushEachOthertotheTop] 🌐 Visit us at PushEachOtherToTheTop.com [https://www.pusheachothertothetop.com/] 📧 Email us - we would love to hear from you! [https://www.pusheachothertothetop.com/contact] 🙏 If this episode spoke to you, share it with someone who needs a little hope today.

E22 - “A Bag Full of Rocks”

You've been carrying it so long you forgot it was even there. A bag full of rocks slung over your shoulder, one for every resentment, every fear, every thing you swore you'd never tell a soul.  This week Brent and Jonathan dig into Step Five: admitting to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. Brent shares what it was like walking guys through it at the detention center. The fear in the room, his buddy Matt's challenge that the thing you don't want anyone to know is the thing you need to talk about, and why, the moment it finally comes out of your mouth, half the weight is already gone.  It's about confession, cleaning the slate, and the freedom of finally setting the bag down. Raw, honest, and full of hope. This one might just help you walk a little lighter. 🔗 Stay Connected & Keep Climbing 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/push-each-other-to-the-top/id1818173130] 🎧 Also on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/7tU63YzOtjBxLgYvFDhw79?si=6d3b75aca0ee41d3] 📺 Watch full episodes on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@PushEachOthertotheTop] 🌐 Visit us at PushEachOtherToTheTop.com [https://www.pusheachothertothetop.com/] 📧 Email us - we would love to hear from you! [https://www.pusheachothertothetop.com/contact] 🙏 If this episode spoke to you, share it with someone who needs a little hope today.