TheWillpowerPodcast with Will Gordon

Melissa McGovern, The Sober New Yorker, looked fine on the outside. Then her bloodwork came back: liver enzymes in the 200–300s, near-diabetic blood sugar, and a doctor telling her to change or start medication.

“I would love to tell him that I’m drinking too much… and I couldn’t even say that to him.” In this episode of The Willpower Podcast, Melissa shares the story she’s never sugarcoated: watching her best friend, T Scott, die from alcohol use disorder while she quietly wondered if she could still drink while caring for him. Then she gave herself 90 day...

Scarlett Larkley’s alcohol-related liver failure led to sepsis, dialysis and a liver transplant in 2025. This is her honest story of recovery, shame and sobriety.

“Everyone was kind of like preparing for my death.” In this episode of The Willpower Podcast, I sit down with Scarlett Larkley, a mom of two and liver transplant recipient, to talk about the parts of a transplant story that rarely get told: how daily drinking took over, how fast it fell apart, and what the first year afterward is really like. I’m a liver and kidney transplant recipient myself, so this one...

She drank a liter of vodka a day. Her MELD score hit 40. And she still thought she'd never be able to quit.

Welcome to Season 3 🎙️ of The Willpower Podcast. I've been away since June, and this is the conversation I wanted to come back with.

Tia is 44, from Albuquerque, and nearly three years out from her liver transplant. She found out her liver was failing by accident, when an urgent care visit for a sore elbow turned up iron levels so high doctors sent her to an oncologist. She's honest about the "duh" that came with...

Most of us don’t really understand what it’s like to love someone deep in addiction...until we’re living it.

In this earnest and valuable conversation, Anita Ondine Smith opens up about being married to former NBA player Randy Livingston while he battled gambling addiction for over two decades. She shares the confusion, the shame, the moments she felt completely lost, and how she learned that love alone wasn’t enough.

Anita talks honestly about:

- The early signs she missed

- Why she hired a private investigator

- What...

Most people think beating addiction comes down to having more willpower. Chris Hill says that’s one of the biggest mistakes you can make.

In this episode, we break down why willpower eventually runs out, what’s actually happening in the brain when cravings return, and how rewiring your mind (instead of white-knuckling) creates real, lasting freedom.

Chris is the founder of Beat My Addictions and author of Get Your Life Back. He’s also completed extreme endurance challenges — swimming the English Channel and running over 950 miles across the UK. He’s not just talking theory.

In this raw and honest conversation, author David Deane Haskell joins me to talk about what happens after you survive rock bottom. We dive into trauma, inner child work, shame attacks, codependency, and why recovery isn’t a straight line or a highlight reel.

David shares how he learned to stop performing healing and started doing the real, messy work — including a powerful technique for connecting with your inner child that many people find life-changing.

This episode is for anyone who’s tired of toxic positivity and wants to hear what recovery actually looks like when y...

In this episode, I sit down with Evan Jarschauer, a licensed psychotherapist and one of the most experienced interventionists in the country.

Evan has led interventions for families from all walks of life — including one that aired on Keeping Up with the Kardashians. We talk about what actually happens during a real intervention, the emotional weight of the job, and some of the heaviest cases he’s ever faced (including working with families where a parent is dying).

Evan also opens up about his own childhood trauma and how it shaped the way he works with...

Matt Farnsworth had 11 years of sobriety… then everything fell apart.

In this raw and powerful conversation, Matt shares how a toxic relationship, a relapse, and a horrific car accident that left him dead for 3 minutes completely changed his life. He opens up about white-knuckling sobriety, codependency, Hollywood darkness, and the moment he finally cried out to God on a bathroom floor.

This is one of the most honest and emotional recovery stories we’ve ever had on The Willpower Podcast.

Timestamps:

00:00 - The Night Everything Changed

03...

This episode is raw, emotional, and deeply personal.

Nathan Cheatwood is a liver transplant survivor who went through end-stage liver failure from alcohol addiction in 2023. He received his new liver after only 10 days on the transplant list and turned his entire journey into the world’s first AI-assisted autobiographical short film called “Second Chances: Rebirth.”

In this conversation we talk about:

- The slow descent into daily drinking

- The lies we tell ourselves while our bodies are shutting down

- Getting the call for a new liver<...

Family, that’s Shawn Livingston — four-time felon, heroin survivor, ultra-runner, and living proof that your lowest moment can become your greatest purpose

Shawn Livingston went from high school basketball star to Air Force vet, heroin addict, 4-time felon, and prison time… until a mirror moment and a simple running group changed everything. He shares the raw truth about recovery bubbles, Scientology rehab madness, military painkiller hell, and how finding something that "lit a fire under his ass" rebuilt his body, mind, and purpose.

If you're battling addiction, liver/kidney recovery, or just feel stuck...

Hey everybody, welcome back to The Willpower Podcast.

I was a Boston teacher sneaking bottles, blacking out, and waking up yellow-eyed in a hospital bed with doctors telling my wife I had two weeks left. Liver and kidneys gone. Two transplants later I’m sober, but I still remember the crushing shame that kept pulling me back every time I slipped.

Today Chris Cummins (operations at Laguna Treatment Center, biggest detox/recovery hospital in Orange County) gets it from the other side. He’s seen thousands walk in defeated after relapse, carrying the same...

This episode is part of Podcasthon 2026 — thousands of podcasts dropping special episodes to spotlight nonprofits and raise funds for addiction recovery. I’m honored to feature Hazelden Betty Ford because their work saves lives and it’s personal for me.

Joseph Skrajewski (National Director of Business Development – Healthcare Solutions at Hazelden Betty Ford) joins me for a raw, honest conversation about what actually works when alcohol is destroying bodies and families.

We cover:

Hey family, it's Will Gordon on The Willpower Podcast.

Two years ago yellow-eyed in a hospital bed, kidneys/liver gone from blackouts—docs said two weeks. Two transplants later, sober, but I still know the numb fog when life's grinding you down.

Jon Gustin—@thetireddad to over 2 million followers—gets it from the dad side. First kid in 2016 hit like a mirror: childhood stuff undone, marriage holes, alcohol numbing everything since age 14 (alcohol poisoning in ninth grade). Quit 2023 after tolerance exploded—now 3+ years sober, co-hosts The Tired Dad & Tired Mom Podcast with wif...

I know transplant hell—yellow eyes, sepsis scares, rejection fears, the mental limbo after waking up with someone else's organ keeping you alive. Two transplants later, sober and fighting, but I still remember the grind.

Today's guest? Daniel Eadle, UK dad, husband, multi-genre drummer, and CEO of his heating business. Diagnosed at 19 with PSC (primary sclerosing cholangitis) and autoimmune hepatitis—a rare, no-fault liver killer—he shrugged it off for over a decade, built his life, started a family, and kept pushing. Then April 2025: full liver transplant, sepsis, infections, massive rejection bouts, six weeks in hospit...

Three years sober after a liver transplant that almost killed me... but the brain fog, guilt, and that constant pull back to chaos? Still real as hell.

In this raw convo with Dr. Tiff Thompson (PhD neuro, neurotherapy CEO, BCN/QEEG expert), we break down why shame and tough love backfire in addiction recovery, how your brain gets wired for cravings (low GABA profiles, dopaminergic burnout, default mode network traps), and how neurotherapy/neurostimulation can actually rewire the damage...no meds, no nonsense

We talk post-transplant fog, integrating your "shadow" old self, grieving lost identity...

Dan Sheridan (@mrsheridanshusband on TikTok, @danman147 on IG) shares the unfiltered story of drinking 18+ tins of Stella + 10 pints daily until liver failure nearly killed him.

From blackout mornings, vomiting, re-drinking, a suicide-level paracetamol/Stella plan, massive GI bleed ("blood everywhere like stigmata"), to being told "plan your funeral," Dan fought through 3 years sober while on/off the transplant list.

The miracle? Meeting his sober soulmate Claire on TikTok during end-stage liver disease-she researched live donation before even meeting him in person. They went from DMs to married in months, and he got his transplant just 1.5...

Andrew Mondragon — Marine veteran, dad, husband, oilfield worker — was diagnosed with end-stage liver disease in June 2025. Dropped from 317 to 190 lbs. MELD score 29. Accepted for liver transplant eval at OHSU. Still cracking jokes while fighting for his life and family.

He shares the raw truth: the first signs (back pain, yellow eyes, 14 liters of fluid drained), functional alcoholism (4 shots Fireball + 2 beers nightly), denial, shame, family guilt, Marine Corps influence on suppressing emotions, and his current optimism despite the waiting game.

If you're facing addiction, liver issues, or watching someone you love go thro...

Amber Hollingsworth (@puttheshoveldown), a master addiction counselor with 700k+ on YouTube, joins me to show families how to intervene early with compassion, not ultimatums or tough love.

We talk:

If you’re a parent, spouse, or sibling feeling helpless, stuck, or like you’re enabling — this episode is for you. Amber breaks it down clearly and kindly.

...

Ryan Barrett (@ryanbarrett90) should be dead multiple times over: molested at 8, buried the shame in death metal, rebellion, blackouts, hard drugs, a near-fatal car wreck (femur shattered in 7 places), suicide attempt, yellow eyes, and a blackout knife night that almost ended everything.

One morning he poured out his last glass of spiced rum, begged for help, and got sober for real. Now 2+ years sober, engaged, raising two kids, hitting the gym, restored faith in Jesus, bought a house, and uses his hell to help troubled youth every day.

This is raw, dark redemption - perfectly...

Mike Faria (@jerzeymike) shares his raw journey – from guilt over his cousin's drunk driving death, 5 years of daily drinking, to a 3-week coma in 2020 with yellow eyes, fluid buildup, kidneys failing, and doctors prepping his family for the worst.

He woke up anyway, got sober on August 23, 2022, rebuilt his body, his family, met the love of his life, and became the family man he always intended to be. Mike's the kind of guy who shares his story raw on Instagram to keep others alive.

This episode is real, no sugarcoating – grief, denial, rock bott...

Richard Ratcliffe (@the.recovery.club - 100k+ followers) joins the Willpower Podcast for a raw, heartfelt talk on his 9-year sober journey. From childhood shame and "wearing masks" to fit in, to daily 2 liters of vodka leading to seizures, an induced coma at 24, and doctors warning "you won't make 25" - Richard opens up about waking up angry to be alive, true surrender, turning grief into purpose through vulnerability and his "12 Steps to Freedom" blueprint.

Real wisdom on shame as a "backpack of boulders," early sobriety agony, codependency, and carrying your "shadow self" with kindness. If you're in...

Chester Alarie, a 34-year-old musician from Montreal, opens up about his 17-year battle with drugs and alcohol that led to depression, multiple rock bottoms, a near-fatal overdose, and alcohol withdrawal in January 2024.

FULL DISCLOSURE> YOU WILL ABSOLUTELY WANT TO LISTEN TO THE END. THIS EPISODE IS AS ENTERTAINING AS A RECOVERY PODCAST CAN GET!

After rehab, relapses, and finally working the 12 steps, Chester is now 9 months sober, happier than ever, and making music full-time. This conversation is raw, honest, and full of hope – from the darkest moments to finding jo...

What's up everyone, Will Gordon here from The Willpower Podcast. This one's a banger – sat down with Quebec country rocker Rick Duff @Duff.yeehaw, who's 6 months sober and absolutely crushing it with his debut album Forever Reckless.

Rick lays it all out: going from bricklayer to Canada's got talent show finale overnight, the wild party days in his 20s, those "loser birds" chirping after all-nighters, getting hammered through five straight shows and knowing he was letting fans down... that was his wake-up call to quit booze and drugs for good.

We ge...

Dr. Sarah Michaud spent 30 years as a clinical psychologist helping addicts and codependents climb out of hell… only to wake up one day and realize she was living in the exact same hell.

From people-pleasing therapist to full-blown addict and codependent, she hit rock bottom, got sober, wrote the raw book Co-Crazy, and now co-hosts the hit podcast Leaving Crazy Land.

This conversation is different. If you grew up trying to keep everyone happy, if you still don’t know what YOU actually want, or if sobriety feels like it’s missin...

Philippa and I were both handed death sentences from alcohol.

I needed a liver transplant and barely survived.

Philippa was told the exact same thing… but she completely reversed end-stage cirrhosis – no transplant, no miracle pills, no BS.

999 days to get her liver enzymes normal. A resident doctor cried when he saw her alive two years later.

This is the rawest, most hopeful liver-failure recovery story you will ever hear. I'm not just saying that...

If you’re hiding bottles, lying to yourself, or tel...

Aaron Starbuck just got the green light. His liver transplant is officially approved and could happen any day… maybe even tonight.

His first reaction wasn’t relief.

It was terror.

I know exactly how he's feeling and I talk openly about my OWN experience. Imagine being able to talk to someone whose on the other side of it? Well Aaron gets that opportunity.

“I knew it was coming… but I’m repulsed by the idea of being cut open. It’s a blessing… but it’s also scary.”

I felt hi...

🤝From a second-story fall that started a decade of panic attacks, to blackouts I’m still ashamed of, to not believing I’d see 30 — Mitch Webb somehow found a way out.

Today he’s an integrative somatic coach helping people speak their body’s language and heal from the inside. In this episode, Mitch gets real about:

- The head injury that changed everything

- Fraternity life and the “no off switch” drinking

- Childhood trauma he didn’t even know he had

- Sitting with the fire (the moment th...

After two suicide attempts, losing her baby son to a terminal illness, a marriage that ended in scandal, and then — 4+ years sober — getting the call that her ex-husband overdosed on fentanyl… Ashley Jo somehow kept going.

Today she’s a sober mom, bonus mom, author, and speaker who’s been alcohol-free since August 14, 2020. On the exact release day of her gut-wrenching new memoir Tides of Grief, Waves of Grace, Ashley gets REAL about:

- Hiding 40+ beers a day while everyone thought she “had it together”

- The garage suicide attempt that miraculously f...

He hit rock bottom after a DUI. Now, Chaplain Sy Ali is 5 years sober, and helping others transform their lives. From elite protection agent to homeless veteran, this is the powerful true story of recovery, redemption, and rediscovering purpose through faith and service.

In this episode of the Will Power Podcast, Sy shares how PTSD, loss, and addiction nearly destroyed him—and how reading the Bible, becoming a chaplain, and working with at-risk youth and fellow veterans changed everything. We dive into his journey from alcohol dependence to spiritual leadership, and how he now uses hi...

Can you really rebuild your entire life after 30 years lost to alcohol? In this raw and powerful episode of the Will Power Podcast, Ian Fee shares his unfiltered alcohol recovery journey — from being a high-functioning alcoholic who spent over $1 million on booze, to becoming a present father, dropping 80 pounds, and living 8 years fully sober.

Ian opens up about:

- The shocking truth behind his rehab experience

- How aversion therapy rewired his brain

- The moment that changed everything on Day 3

- Losing two marriages — and...

In this episode of The WillPower Podcast, Chad Dunn shares how he went from chasing adrenaline as a BMX rider to six DUIs, crack addiction, and a 30-month sentence in federal prison.

He opens up about the moment he knew he had to change, how meeting a sober bartender shifted his path, and why losing his freedom—not just his health—was the real rock bottom.

Now sober, he trains pro athletes and lives with purpose every day.

A raw, honest story of hitting bottom and climbing back...

What happens when the party ends—and the pain begins?

Candice Combs' sobriety journey started in a chaotic childhood filled with addiction, trauma, and survival in the streets of New Orleans. After quitting drinking at 23 and finding success in tech, she built a thriving wellness business. But years later, alcohol addiction came roaring back—nearly destroying her life and relationship.

Now, 10 years sober, Candice shares her raw recovery story in this powerful conversation with Will Gordon. From being drunk at 11 to becoming the founder of Sober Reset and In Symmetry Spa, she opens up a...

In this deeply raw episode of The Willpower Podcast, host Will Gordon sits down with Jimmy Thistle — a recovery advocate, ex-alcoholic, and peer mentor — who shares the powerful journey from addiction to healing. Jimmy opens up about growing up in Scotland, early drinking culture, losing control, multiple rock bottoms, and finding true transformation in sobriety.

If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol use disorder (AUD), this episode is a must-listen. From his first drink at 14 to life-changing rehab during the COVID-19 lockdown, Jimmy’s honest story will resonate with anyone navigating the comple...

Welcome back to another powerful episode of the Willpower Podcast. This one right here? It’s personal, it’s raw, and it might just change the way you think about alcohol.

I sat down with Mel Burbank — she’s a 3.5-year sober badass, former fitness studio owner, CBT specialist, and the founder of Alcohol Free Females. And let me tell you, this convo went deep.

We talked about:

👉 Growing up in New Orleans, where partying is practically a religion

👉 Living a double life — health coach by day, binge drinker by...

In this episode of the Willpower Podcast, Kevin Decapitron shares his raw, unfiltered story of growing up around alcohol, working as a bartender in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and how drinking eventually led to liver cirrhosis by his late 20s.

From hiding bottles to waking up jaundiced and facing terrifying medical diagnoses, Kevin opens up about the pain, shame, and eventual clarity that led him to sobriety. This is a story of addiction, cirrhosis, rock bottom, and the fight for a second chance at life.

If you or someone you...

Nisha Patel got sober at 24. Today, with 17 years of sobriety, she’s a therapist and sobriety coach helping others live alcohol-free lives filled with purpose.

In this episode of the Willpower Podcast, Nisha shares:

• Her journey from rebellion & addiction to long-term sobriety

• Why the first 5 years are the foundation for recovery

• How mindfulness & therapy (DBT) helped regulate emotions

• The power of finding your “why” — and why it’s often really a “why not”

• Why we relapse, and how to break free from cycles of self-destruction

Joel’s story is one of the most powerful episodes yet on the Willpower Podcast. Diagnosed with cirrhosis at just 45 years old, Joel was forced to face the devastating truth about his drinking. The twist? He worked in a liquor store, surrounded by the very thing that nearly ended his life.

In this episode, Joel shares:

His journey from denial to cirrhosis diagnosis

What it’s like living with liver disease while working in alcohol sales

The dangerous signs of liver damage you migh...

Olympic bobsledding looks thrilling from the outside — 95 mph speeds, tight turns, and world-class competition. But behind the medals lies a hidden epidemic: CTE.

In this episode of The Willpower Podcast, former Team USA bobsledder William Person opens up about his 9 years on the track, the repeated head trauma known as “sled head,” and the devastating toll it took on his brain and his life.

From confusion, vertigo, and crippling anxiety to forgetting familiar faces, William shares how hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) gave him hope — and why he’s fighting to build a nonprofi...

Jacob Schulze (@feel.sober.good) opens up about pandemic drinking, hiding alcohol, “show drinks,” liver cirrhosis symptoms, a MELD score near transplant range—and why he chose a different path.

We talk boredom triggers, daily drinking creeping to dependence, jaundice and leg pain, faith, functional approaches, and what early labs (CMP/CBC) can reveal.

If you’re struggling with alcohol, this conversation is hope in long form.

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From MVP seasons overseas to sleeping on his mom’s couch — former pro basketball player Travis Reed has lived the highs and the crushing lows of life after sports.

In this powerful episode of The Willpower Podcast, Travis opens up about growing up in South Central LA, winning championships in Europe, and the depression and drinking that followed his forced retirement. He shares the night his mother literally saved his life, how he found purpose again, and why he’s dedicated to helping athletes feel less alone after their careers end.

🎯 In this c...