Self Made & Sober

Andrew Burki, MSW, founded Life of Purpose Treatment in Boca Raton, Florida in 2012 after enduring his own journey of addiction, failed treatment, and, since 2001, recovery.  He also sits on the Board of Directors for the Young People in Recovery (YPR). Andrew has spent his professional and academic career developing the Life of Purpose model, based on the philosophy that young people, need a reason to want to stay clean and sober. Higher education, more than any other environmental factor, helps produce this desire in that it fundamentally changes the way people in early recovery perceive themselves. 02:02 – How do you make the distinction between having bad things happen to you, doing bad things, and being a bad person (which is fundamentally different)? 03:47 – Andrew started out having very common behavioral problems and dabbled in drug use but when he overdosed in his teens his family realized he had a serious problem 06:15 – In his youth he underwent several forms of treatment that were “a disaster” 09:

Drew Ackerman, aka “Scooter” is the creator and host of “Sleep With Me” the one-of-a-kind bedtime story podcast featured in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Buzzfeed, Mental Floss, and Dr. Oz. Drew has also been sober since 2013.  Born out of Drew's childhood insomnia, Sleep With Me was inspired by late-night comedy radio, which was the only thing that helped him fall asleep. Created in 2013, Sleep With Me combines the pain of insomnia with the relief of laughing and turns it into a unique storytelling podcast. Drew's stories on the show are inspired by his childhood as the oldest of six children and past jobs as a fuzzy dice and iron-on patch salesperson, fruit fly monitor for the State of California, and librarian for one of the largest jails in the country. Through Sleep With Me, Drew has dedicated himself to help those who feel alone in the deep dark night and just need someone to tell them a bedtime story.  00:42 – Interlinked in ways he is still discovering, Drew is the creator of the Sleep With Me P

Matt Williams is the founder of the snack Bar company, FroPro.  Matt has been in long-term recovery since 2010. 00:54 – FroPro is not your average snack bar nor is Matt your average entrepreneur 02:17 – How he went from being born into a great, tragedy-free family to “destroying’ his life designed around his drinking 07:38 – Cocaine entered his life and helped accelerate the disease during and beyond his college years 10:26 – Matt hit his bottom shirtless, shoeless, in public and in a totaled car with handcuffs on 15:59 – His life now torn apart Matt, walked out of jail looking to make drastic changes 19:32 – People in recovery began reaching out 22:28 – With teaching as a profession now over, something else needed to happen (Hint: It was tasty) 27:26 – It started small, in his home but he built upon a great product, hard work and a great story.  39:25 – Then Whole Foods Market asked “What’s this whole FroPro thing about?” and it all got so much bigger 43:46 – Now in Whole Foods in all of Florida Matt keeps i

John Burns is the VP of Operations at Stella Blues Vapors in St. Louis, MO.  John is also member of The John Maxwell Team and has been sober since 1989. 1:28 – Andrew welcomes John Burns to the show to discuss his life, his time on the John Maxwell Team, sobriety and his current business, Stella Blues Vapors.  2:26 – Are you letting 8-seconds of fear hold you back from doing more with your life? 3:42 – John, born to a young mother and a raging alcoholic father, found that personal growth allowed him to make the most out of his life.   6:55 – With a thriving painting company, a hunger for trouble and a penchant for carrying guns John went to save his sister.  9:54 – While being watched by a horrified family, John returned to drinking in a very messy and wet way.  11:17 – John’s father appeared from out of nowhere after having a premonition that his son was about to take his own life and got him into recovery  14:40 – Alcohol seemingly bridged the gap between John and the rest of the world.  18:14 – His sponsor

Skylar Winepol is the founder of Incredible Foresight and leads The Adoption Project. 1:14 – Skylar was born in Russia and adopted at the age of 2 1:56 – She always had a feeling that “something was missing” 2:40 – Her mom’s cancer had a huge impact on her life and development 7:03 – Her addictive behavior manifested soon after her mom’s death 10:38 – She “hit bottom so hard she bounced twice” 11:04 – In the midst of her addiction she reached out to her old History teacher 12:06 – Steve O from “Jackass” took Skylar to her first 12-step meeting but it didn’t resonate 14:14 – She ended up overdosing and “pretty much” dying but had an impactful spiritual experience   17:37 – At her worst, she still kept going to meetings 20:37 – Even breaking her ankle didn’t stop her from using 21:38 – She dropped out of college and began experimenting with sobriety & burglary 25:29 – Skylar confessed to her dad she had a problem and needed help getting into rehab 28:57 – Her first attempt at a real recovery has stuck since

George S. Peterson teaches an ancient Vedic meditation technique known as Primordial Sound Meditation, as well as Vinyasa Yoga and Ayurveda. He is also passionate about his work in addiction recovery and is the cofounder of Nourish: a company that hosts 3-hour Pop-ups and provides a space for people to feed their minds, bodies and souls. Through his deep dedication to recovery and well-being, George aims to touch the lives of many by providing them with a simple road map to help awaken, heal, and transform their lives. 1:15 George explains how he became a full-blown IV drug addict in his teens 5:11 He describes his first attempt to get sober after getting arrested 8:26 It wasn’t until he became willing “to go to any lengths” that sobriety stuck 10:45 “Success leaves clues” 11:20 Taking mentors advice over one’s better judgement is key to success 16:33 George’s three keystones for maintaining sobriety 19:27 Meditation has been a major tool for George’s continued sobriety 24:19 How did meditation become part o

Jesse Harless invites us into his intimate journey from its beginning to present day. His experience living with multiple addictions from an early age highlights that being vulnerable in an unforgiving world can negatively impact anyone. Jesse learned to turn vulnerability into strength.    In this episode you’ll hear Jesseand Andrew discuss: 1:16 How cold showers can change your life 9:35 Jesse, Facing Federal prison, realized he needed his recovery to stick 15:08 They discuss outside and inside motivations pushing you 19:59 “Entrepreneurs in Recovery” started when he stopped listening to what “everyone” was telling him 25:37 Some of the books that impacted Jesse’s life 28:29 He explains what prompted him to write his first book 35:03 Jesse’s next book is his attempt to help others using his story and what he’s learned in recovery 46:30 The power of finding a mentor & knowing your “Recovery Team” For Andrew’s Free 30-minute Business Coaching Session: www.LassiseCoaching.com/30 For more information abou

Gary K. as an author and circuit speaker.  From small-town beginnings where he discovered his addiction at 12-years old, Gary K. takes us on a  wild ride through the life of a Broadway actor boozing and drugging his way through New York City and beyond. Through his approach we learn the power of service and how doing good works inevitably leads to success. In this episode he discusses the following with Andrew:  1:02 Gary K takes us back to where his addiction began – at 12-years of age 8:12 Tragedy forever changes Gary’s life and transports him to New York City 11:55 Gary meets hard drugs, becomes a prostitute & lands on Broadway 13:30 Landing his first starring role in a major musical doesn’t end well for little orphan Annie 16:45 With acting now a memory Gary reinvents himself as a drug dealer 20:39 He hits his very low bottom but begins his road to recovery 28:09 Gary gives his life over to two men who help him work the steps 31:31 Working on Wall Street, he joins a Seminary while continuing his reco

Business coach and serial entrepreneur, Andrew Lassise hosts the Successful Sober People’s Podcast. With long-term sobriety, Andrew views this podcast as a bout of necessity for like-minded people trying to maintain sobriety while achieving more in their lives, whether it be personal, in business or spiritual.  Each episode will feature guests, people Andrew looks up to in sobriety, in business and in life. They discuss the ups and downs of their lives, how they achieved sobriety and success in all its many forms. 1:19 Andrew welcomes Sayeed Al Jamal of Yards Plus, who explains what happened 5 years ago that prompted his getting sober 2:56 Sayeed discusses his pattern of getting jobs, succeeding in them and then abruptly quitting 9:30 He talks about the moment he decided to quit his endless cycle of dead-end jobs and start his own business 15:30 His hustle mentality and his desire to provide for his family contributed to his success 18:45 Sayeed talks about his dreams now that he has 3+ years of his business

Business coach and serial entrepreneur, Andrew Lassise hosts the Self Made & Sober Podcast.  With long-term sobriety, Andrew views this podcast as a bout of necessity for like-minded people trying to maintain sobriety while achieving more in their lives, whether it be personal, in business or spiritual. Each episode will feature guests, people Andrew looks up to in sobriety, in business and in life. They discuss the ups and downs of their lives, how they achieved sobriety and success in all its many forms.