Push Each Other to the Top

E20 - "Ten Knives Under the Blanket"

What do you say to someone who might be about to kill you?  Brent found out the hard way on a 12-step call he probably shouldn't have taken alone. Rick was a 275-pound bodybuilder, no shirt, glaring from his bed, looking like he was ready to come through the wall. Brent talked him down slowly, carefully, until Rick finally agreed to go to the hospital. When Rick threw back the blanket to get up, there were ten large knives underneath him. He could have ended it at any moment. He didn't. That's the thing about this work: you never know which conversation is the one that changes everything.  That thread runs through the whole episode. Jonathan shares a story from his prison ministry about a volunteer named Dave who gets exactly one hour with newly sentenced inmates, sixteen men in one small chapel, and nearly all of them sign up to keep meeting. Brent reflects on Harold Sandoval, the recovering alcoholic who saw straight through his defenses decades ago and planted the seed that eventually took root. And then there's Corey, a brilliant and charismatic guy who kept losing everything to heroin, then walked into five different courtrooms and told judges the flat-out truth, watching each one respond with more grace than either of them expected.  The conversation lands on willingness: where it comes from, why you can't manufacture it, and why the steps only work when you do them in order. Don't skip to amends. Don't be too smart for this. The dumb ones get sober. 🔗 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.

E19 - "A Drunk Santa Claus"

Growing up in an alcoholic home, Brent knew fear before he knew much else — hiding when his dad came home drunk, holding his breath through holidays. He also knows that the kids watching their parents struggle right now feel exactly the same way. In this episode, Jonathan shares what happened during his latest Thursday night prison outreach — nine men, one makeshift translator, and a conversation about Step 2 that stopped everyone cold when someone asked, "What does atonement even mean?" Then Brent opens up about the counterintuitive advice he gives families of addicts, why strangers are often better at helping than loved ones, and what it felt like to nearly relapse over a cigarette on a street in Thailand — after 37 years sober. At the heart of it all: hope. Where it comes from, who gives it, and why one honest conversation with the right person can be more powerful than the disease itself. Recovery isn't always logical. But it is possible. And we're gonna show up for you. 🔗 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.

E18 - “It’s Not Odd, It’s God”

After a break, Jonathan and Brent are back—and the conversation goes deep right away. They explore how both of them unexpectedly found themselves working in addiction recovery, the power of spiritual guidance, and what it really means to help people change. From prison classrooms to family interventions, this episode is about hope, hard truths, and the surprising paths that lead us to purpose. 🔗 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.

E17 - “99.9% of the Catastrophe I Imagined Never Happened”

In this episode, Stefan joins Brent to share his powerful story of recovery — from the dark caverns of addiction to discovering hope, resilience, and brotherhood. Along the way, he opens up about fear, surrender, and the realization that nearly all of the catastrophe he once imagined never came to pass. This is an honest conversation about learning to live one day at a time, leaning on others, and finding freedom in recovery. 🔗 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.

E16 - “A Full Circle Moment”

In this episode, Brent, Jonathan, and Michael open up about the powerful shifts that happen when families stop enabling and start facing the truth. Brent shares the turning point when the “dance” of addiction finally stopped, changing the entire family dynamic. Michael reflects on moments of chaos—like the neighborhood fire—that reveal how fragile and precious stability can be. Together, they explore honesty, recovery, and the strength it takes to put yourself first. This is a full circle moment of healing, faith, and family. 🔗 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.