Push Each Other to the Top

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.

E21 - “Every Day Is Important”

It's Memorial Day, and Brent and Jonathan take a moment to reflect on the people who made their lives possible — not just the service members who fought for their freedom, but the mothers, sponsors, and strangers who showed up when they needed it most.  In this episode, they dig into gratitude as more than a feeling — it's an action. They talk about what it means to break out of autopilot, whether that's in recovery, in a prayer you've said a thousand times, or in the face of a stranger at a checkout counter. Brent shares the story of losing his mom, a dream that gave him peace, and a marble bag full of sobriety chips she'd been quietly saving for years.  They also get into the hard stuff: job loss, isolation, the moment you realize you're not the only one who's ever felt completely alone — and why that realization can change everything. If you've ever wondered whether things can actually get better, this one's 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.

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.