RIDEOUT: The Other Side of Hard

He Fought for a World Title with Lyme Disease | Mike Lee

He graduated from Notre Dame, signed with Top Rank, fought at Madison Square Garden and Cowboys Stadium, starred in national Subway commercials, and earned a shot at a world title. What almost nobody saw was what was happening behind the scenes. For years Mike battled chronic pain, autoimmune disease, misdiagnoses, and Lyme disease while trying to keep his career alive. He fought through broken ribs, endless medications, and training camps where his body was telling him to stop long before his mind would listen. In this conversation, Mike opens up about growing up in Chicago, the pressure to make his father proud, becoming one of boxing's top contenders, the relief that came after his only professional loss, finding purpose beyond the ring, and why he now believes health is the greatest fight of all. This is a conversation about identity, resilience, and knowing when enough is enough. Thank you to our sponsors Wild Roman: wildroman.com/rideout [http://wildroman.com/rideout] Code “RIDEOUT15” Timeline: timeline.com/rideout [http://timeline.com/rideout] Code “RIDEOUT” Ken’s book now available here: https://www.theothersideofhard.com/ [https://www.theothersideofhard.com/] Chapters (00:00) Meet Mike Lee (00:24) Subway Sponsorship Story (02:05) Chicago Roots Boxing Start (03:43) Notre Dame Bengal Bouts (04:35) Golden Gloves Breakthrough (06:18) Dad Pressure Motivation (08:18) Broken Rib Hospital Night (10:13) Caleb Plant Fight Setup (11:28) Weight Cut Autoimmune Struggles (14:27) Fight Stoppage Relief (17:29) Skincare Ad Break (18:53) Career Perspective Big Moments (20:49) Cowboys Stadium Jerry Jones (24:11) Why Fighting Captivates (25:07) Turning Pro With Top Rank (26:56) Early Pro Opponents (27:32) Target on My Back (27:59) Grooming vs Real Threats (29:46) UFC Losses vs Boxing (31:16) Money and Corruption (32:27) Why Losses Matter (34:57) Top Rank Lion’s Den (36:25) Spence Crawford Aftermath (38:48) Gym Culture and Identity (45:50) Reading Fighters on the Bag (47:11) Mitochondria Ad Break (49:58) Fatigue and Quiet Quitting (54:46) Life After the Spotlight (57:47) Lyme Misdiagnosis Journey (59:25) Hospital Rock Bottom (59:56) Functional Medicine Pivot (01:00:37) Comeback Fight Hollow Win (01:01:36) Opioids to Cannabinoids (01:02:29) Soul CBD vs THC Brand (01:03:35) Hemp Ban and Lobbying (01:08:15) Alcohol vs Cannabis Shift (01:13:36) Edibles Safety and Dosing (01:17:34) Pivoting Beyond Hemp (01:19:50) Kids Online and AI Future (01:28:40) Farewell and Subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

The Crack Addict Who Became a Med Student | David Millar

David Millar grew up at the Jersey Shore surrounded by addiction, promising himself he would never become like the people he watched struggle around him. Instead, by age 20, he was deep into alcohol, cocaine, and crack addiction. He dropped out of college, cycled through psych wards, detox centers, and rehabs, slept in the woods, stole to survive, and believed drugs would define the rest of his life. Then everything changed. David got sober, rebuilt his life one day at a time, rediscovered running, returned to school, and eventually earned acceptance into medical school despite being told his past would hold him back. Today, he is seven years sober, an ultrarunner, medical student, coach, and one of the most powerful voices in recovery. In this conversation, David shares the reality of addiction, life inside psych wards, sleeping in the woods, the treatment program that saved him, why running became his medicine, and how he transformed an addictive personality into a force for growth. This is a conversation about addiction, recovery, discipline, and what becomes possible when you refuse to quit. Thank you to our sponsors Athletic Nicotine: https://athleticnicotine.com/rideout [https://athleticnicotine.com/rideout] Code "RIDEOUT" Rho Nutrition: https://rhonutrition.com/ [https://rhonutrition.com/] Code “RIDEOUT” Ken’s book now available here: https://www.theothersideofhard.com/ [https://www.theothersideofhard.com/] Chapters (00:00) Meet David Millar (00:47) Running Discipline Talk (02:27) Roka Eyewear Sponsor (03:56) Beach Town Upbringing (05:23) First Drink Turning Point (08:52) Fentanyl Reality Check (11:22) Running and Recovery (12:08) College Dropout Spiral (13:32) Cross Country Comeback (15:17) Athletic Nicotine Sponsor (15:52) Cocaine at Sixteen (20:42) Work Ethic Over Talent (24:31) Nursing School Collapse (26:57) Homeless in the Woods (28:51) Stealing To Survive (29:26) Florida Detox Escape (30:59) Detox System Gaming (31:40) Sponsor Break NAD Plus (32:46) First Psych Ward Hold (35:50) Locked Ward Reality (37:48) Coke To Crack Shift (40:00) Stimulants And Meth Talk (41:01) Recovery Spark At 20 (43:39) LA Boot Camp Sober Living (46:55) Accountability Culture (51:32) Early Sobriety Pain (54:18) Sobriety Mindset Shift (55:21) Addictive Drive Reframed (57:01) Back to School Sober (01:00:01) Pre Med Leap and MCAT (01:01:12) Hiding Recovery to Get In (01:03:07) Sober Edge in Med School (01:05:06) Rotations and Daily Grind (01:06:34) Training While Studying (01:08:28) Choosing a Specialty (01:09:26) Alcohol Guidelines Critique (01:11:25) Treat Addiction Not Symptoms (01:13:58) Subutex and Vivitrol Path (01:17:32) GLP Drugs and Cravings (01:18:59) Fitness and Running as Medicine (01:22:46) Closing Thanks and Where to Find Him (01:24:08) Subscribe Sponsors and Book Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

From Tour Wins to Barely Holding a Club | Scott Stallings

Scott Stallings is one of the fittest players to ever walk the PGA Tour. He grew up between Worcester, Massachusetts and Oak Ridge, Tennessee, walked on at Tennessee Tech after the program he dreamed of passed on him, and turned himself into a three-time PGA Tour winner over a fourteen-year career. Then, at the 2024 Players Championship, one swing into the lip of a fairway bunker tore his shoulder and the nerve out of his elbow. Three surgeries in fourteen months followed. During a comeback round at eleven under, the nerve tore loose again and his hand went white on the green. Three different doctors gave him the same answer: the golf he knew how to play was over. In this conversation, Scott opens up about losing the identity he had built his life around, running the Boston Marathon to survive the rehab, getting humbled in occupational therapy, and a surgeon asking whether he wanted to hold his daughter’s hand walking down the aisle. We also talk about choosing his family over one more swing, hosting Knoxville’s Korn Ferry Tour event, training for 29029, playing alongside Tiger Woods, and what the other side of hard looks like when the thing that defined you is gone. One of the most honest conversations we’ve had. Thank you to our sponsors Rho Nutrition: https://rhonutrition.com/ [https://rhonutrition.com/] Code “RIDEOUT” Ken’s book now available here: https://www.theothersideofhard.com/ [https://www.theothersideofhard.com/] Chapters (00:00) Meet Scott Stallings (00:14) Roots and Accents (01:34) Golf Beginnings (02:02) Tiger Spark Moment (03:20) Why Golf Connects (03:58) Speedgolf Explained (06:08) Growing the Game (08:22) Late Bloomer Path (11:36) Tour Card Reality (13:52) Life on the Road (14:31) Never Off a Heater (19:43) Heater Ends Fast (20:38) Sponsor Break NAD (21:48) Money and Mindset (25:44) Winning Changes Everything (29:43) Imposter Syndrome Drive (32:11) Runner Mindset Parallels (35:46) Competitive Lens (36:34) Easy Days Discipline (37:06) Golf Injury Breakdown (38:36) Three Surgeries Rehab (40:39) Running Boston Goal (43:29) Boston Marathon Joy (47:45) Big Marathon Logistics (49:55) Return to Golf Plan (55:09) Elbow Setback Scare (58:49) Doctors End Career (01:02:53) Nerve Surgery Recovery (01:05:29) Identity Family Shift (01:06:54) Career Highlights Tiger (01:11:31) Majors Versus Regular (01:12:51) Major Prep Logistics (01:13:50) Slow Practice Rounds (01:15:44) Golf Course Fights (01:17:48) Fighting Levels and Jiu Jitsu (01:20:42) Weather Mental Edge (01:22:37) Memorial and Tiger Story (01:23:52) Tiger Crowd Etiquette (01:28:02) Tiger Trash Talk 67 (01:31:32) LIV and Golf Future (01:33:41) Walking Miles and Ultras (01:35:33) 29029 Training Tips (01:40:17) Sponsors and Next Steps (01:42:54) Closing and Subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

He Played for the Celtics on OxyContin | Chris Herren

Chris Herren grew up in Fall River, Massachusetts, a basketball city where making it meant everything. He earned a scholarship to Boston College, starred at Fresno State, and did what every kid in his hometown only dreamed of. He pulled on a Boston Celtics jersey. What almost no one knew was that he did it as an addict. Cocaine in college gave way to OxyContin and then heroin in the NBA. Chris played some of the biggest games of his life high, chasing his next fix between practices, until addiction cost him his career, his health, and nearly his family. In 2008, after years of running, Chris got sober, and he has stayed sober every day since. He founded The Herren Project and Herren Wellness, and now travels the country telling the truth about addiction to anyone who will listen. In this conversation, Chris opens up about growing up in Fall River, the secret he carried through the NBA, the night it all came apart, the moment his wife told him the truth, and what it means that his kids have never seen him high. This is a conversation about addiction, honesty, family, and the daily work of staying clean. Thank you to our sponsors Timeline: timeline.com/rideout [http://timeline.com/rideout] Code “RIDEOUT” Ken’s book now available here: https://www.theothersideofhard.com/ [https://www.theothersideofhard.com/] Chapters (00:00) Meet Chris Herren (01:06) Fall River Roots (03:35) Basketball Junkie Book (08:58) How Addiction Began (13:04) BC to Fresno State (19:01) NBA Draft Journey (25:22) Welcome to the NBA (29:57) Trade to Celtics Dread (34:55) Shipping the stash (35:42) FedEx obsession in Dallas (36:38) Money gone and secrets (38:58) Dealer in Celtics uniform (42:33) Cut and Europe calls (43:28) Bologna withdrawal and heroin (54:38) Turkey hustle for dope (56:26) China forced sobriety relapse (01:02:42) Iran risks and taxi drops (01:06:49) Train crash to street life (01:08:49) Rock Bottom Checklist (01:10:21) Relief After Losing Everything (01:10:41) Overdoses Before Narcan (01:13:24) Nurse Intervention to Treatment (01:13:59) Daytop Program and Relapse (01:19:30) Recovery Structure That Worked (01:22:24) Rebuilding Through Coaching (01:24:10) Speaking and Service Mission (01:26:25) Holistic Rehab Model (01:28:28) Funding Scholarships and Donors (01:31:56) Family Healing and Milestones (01:34:30) Parenting and Sports Boundaries (01:43:23) Closing Thanks and Subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Hunting 80,000 Deer to Save Hawaii | Jake Muise

Jake Muise grew up in rural Canada hunting, fishing, and living off the land. A Division I volleyball scholarship brought him to Hawaii, but a dorm room mix-up changed the course of his life forever. After being welcomed into a local Molokai family, Jake developed a deep connection to Hawaiian culture and became fascinated by Hawaii's invasive axis deer problem. What began as an obsession eventually became Maui Nui Venison, one of the most innovative food and conservation companies in the world. Today, Maui Nui operates a USDA-certified wild harvest system unlike anything else in existence, balancing deer populations while providing some of the most nutrient-dense red meat available. In this conversation, Jake shares the story behind Maui Nui, how he helped remove illegally introduced deer from Hawaii's Big Island, the challenges of building a first-of-its-kind USDA-approved harvesting system, and the leadership principles that power one of the most disciplined teams you'll ever encounter. This is a conversation about obsession, conservation, entrepreneurship, culture, leadership, and doing meaningful work that lasts. Thank you to our sponsors Helix Sleep: http://helixsleep.com/rideout [http://helixsleep.com/rideout]  Ken’s book now available here: https://www.theothersideofhard.com/ [https://www.theothersideofhard.com/] Chapters (00:00) Welcome to Kona (00:20) Ironman Kona Stories (02:06) Jake’s Roots in Canada (02:58) Volleyball to Hawaii (06:12) Dorm Mixup and Local Life (09:44) Molokai Culture Explained (11:34) Meeting His Future Wife (15:03) Leading Maui Nui’s Team (20:15) Sponsor Break Helix Sleep (21:19) Origins of Maui Nui (23:19) Drought Sparks the Mission (25:53) Axis Deer Institute Hustle (26:54) Illegal Deer on Big Island (29:46) Infrared Night Hunting Tech (32:30) USDA Approval Challenge (39:16) Practicing Before Inspection (40:24) The USDA Ride Along (42:20) Remortgage to Scale (43:42) Pitching Passion Investors (46:53) Balancing Deer Populations (50:28) USDA Rules and Marksmanship (55:45) Inside the Night Harvest (58:35) Holo Ai Community Giveaway (01:04:59) Humble Hungry Smart Hiring (01:14:02) Gamified Discipline Experiments (01:20:59) Graduation and Farewell (01:22:52) Podcast Wrap and Subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]