Shows / Rise Above with Kevin Lanning
Rise Above with Kevin Lanning
Welcome to Rise Above with Kevin Lanning. Join Kevin, a former Google executive in sobriety, as he shares inspiring stories of resilience. Each episode features individuals who have faced life’s toughest challenges—addiction, trauma, anxiety, and more—and emerged stronger. These conversations aren’t just about survival; they’re about thriving and finding practical solutions to rise above adversity. Kevin’s own journey through addiction and childhood trauma fuels his passion for sharing stories…
Episodes
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Was Found In A Coma On The Side Of The Road...No Pulse, No Heartbeat
Carrie has 26 and a half years of sobriety — and a story that shows just how far this disease can take someone, even after years clean. Adopted at birth and…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Was A Sex Addict Living A Double Life For 20 Years
Ben Brown has seven years of sobriety and one of the most layered stories we’ve had on the show. Born in Brooklyn and raised between two completely opposite…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Had A D1 Lacrosse Scholarship — Then I Started Shooting Heroin
Mac Chase had one goal growing up in the Annapolis area: become a Division 1 All-American lacrosse player. He got there — a scholarship to UMBC — but his…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningHiding Vodka & Shaking Every Day | I Needed A Drink So Bad I Walked Into A Murder Scene
Holly Hiles has six years of sobriety and a story that’s almost hard to believe. Growing up she bounced through twelve schools, leaned on her twin brother, and…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningYou Don't Have To Hit Rock Bottom To Stop Drinking
Cadence came on Rise Above with a story that breaks the mold most people picture when they hear “sober.” She never drank in high school, never craved alcohol…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Was Told Kratom Was Harmless...It Was The Hardest Thing I Ever Quit
Tiffany Mercer flew across the country to tell a story most people in recovery have never heard put into words. She’d already done the hard work — sober from…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Was A 7-Time Felon On Alabama's Most Wanted | Heroin Addiction Left Me Homeless Living Out of My Car
Amanda Lee grew up a privileged, straight-A overachiever in Birmingham who dreamed of becoming a nurse — but by 10 she was gripped by crippling anxiety, and…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningBy 8th Grade I Was Getting High With The Homeless In Parking Garages
Lauren Latterell grew up moving from home to home around Palo Alto, never quite feeling like she belonged — and by middle school, she'd found that alcohol and…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Was A Porn Star Drowning In Cocaine & Whiskey — Now I'm A Sober Mom
From the outside, Riley Jensen was living a life a lot of people fantasize about — a successful adult-film career, thousands of dollars a week, flying around…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningAt 17 A Car Crash Sent Me Down A 15-Year Spiral Into Addiction
Jonathan Gale was a 17-year-old athlete in small-town Wyoming when one lunchtime car ride changed the course of his life. His cousin, driving, inhaled air…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Robbed The Bank I Worked At...Then Stripped For 20 Years & Ended Up On Crack
Allison Doss grew up in a tiny, divided Louisiana town, in a home ruled by fear — and from a young age she learned she could survive anything and bend the…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Made Six Figures A Month On Wall Street...Then I Was Eating Out Of Garbage Cans
Ray Rapaglia had the life most people chase — a six-figure-a-month Wall Street career, a nightclub he owned with other brokers, celebrity parties, models…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Drank For Almost 30 Years Before I Finally Got Sober
Polly Pierce spent nearly three decades lost in alcoholism — and from the outside, she kept up the appearance of a churchgoing mom who had it together…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Never Had An Off Switch With Alcohol....My First Drink Was A Blackout
Elena Sanders grew up anxious, highly emotional, and feeling like she never quite fit in — a sensitive kid carrying far more than any child should. By the time…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Had The Corporate Dream Job & A Drinking Problem No One Saw
From the outside, Mike Cavallaro had the blueprint: prep school, college athlete, investment banker with the title and the money. But a career-ending back…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Was Snorting Fentanyl Every Day...Now I'm 3 Years Sober
From the outside, Mike Van Holderbeke had no reason to end up where he did — a two-parent home, food in the fridge, gifts under the tree, a successful older…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningCocaine, Nightclubs & the FBI | Ingrid Casares Reveals Her Wild Addiction & Recovery Story
Ingrid Casares lived through the cocaine-fueled Miami of the 1980s, multiple trips to treatment, relapse, fame, the height of the South Beach nightclub scene —…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Overdosed on Heroin at 20 | Beauty Queen Reveals the SHOCKING Addiction That Nearly Killed Her
From the outside, Victoria Treadwell was the picture of the all-American girl — raised on a 295-acre dairy farm in upstate New York, a crowned dairy princess…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Was Severely Burned In A Fire At 14 | Then The Pain Meds Led Me To Fentanyl
William Ellis was 14 years old, a freshman in high school, when gas splashed onto him near a smoldering fire and he went up in flames from the waist up. He…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Was A Straight-A Student Blacking Out Every Weekend By 13
Paris Bazley had her first drink at 13 — and blacked out that very first night. From the outside, nothing looked wrong: she was a straight-A student in AP…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningDelonte West on Recovery, Rock Bottom & Rebuilding His Life
Delonte West lived a dream millions of kids chase — a standout at Saint Joseph's, drafted into the NBA at 21, and years in the league alongside legends like…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningMy Dad Taught Me How To Do Cocaine At 16 | My Whole Family Was Addicted
Cody Ellis grew up as the youngest of three in a small Georgia town, and by the time he was a teenager, addiction had swallowed his entire family. It started…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningAlcohol Was The Only Thing That Quieted My Anxiety — So I Drank Until I Blacked Out
From the outside, Zac Spowart had every reason to be fine — loving parents, a disciplined home, good grades, a heart-surgeon father. But from around 13, he was…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Tried Out For The NFL While Secretly Smoking Crack
Jerod Thomas grew up in what he calls a "house of horrors" — two alcoholic parents, a father who drank a fifth of vodka a day and turned violent, and weekends…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Survived Jeffrey Epstein And Numbed The Pain With Xanax And Alcohol | 6 Years Sober
Marina Lacerda is a survivor, an advocate, and a mother who spent most of her life carrying pain she was told to keep quiet. Now 6.5 years sober and one year…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Was A Police Officer Secretly Addicted To Meth On The Job
Bob Zbikowski wanted to be one thing his whole life: a cop, like his dad. He got there — nearly two decades in law enforcement, including years as a K-9…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Almost Drank Myself To Death — And My Wife Watched It All Happen
This one is different. Addiction is a family disease — it doesn't just happen to the addict, it happens to everyone who loves them. So in this episode, you'll…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningThis Rehab Will Blow You Away | Inside Caron Treatment Centers In Delray Beach
One of the biggest fears I had before going to treatment — all five times — was the unknown. What is it actually like inside? Will I be comfortable? Will they…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningThe Smoke Shop Told Me 7OH Was Natural — It Was A Legal Opioid
7-OH is one of the most talked-about drugs in the country right now — a concentrated kratom derivative sold legally at smoke shops and gas stations, often…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningDirty Heads Singer Jared Watson Reveals Addiction To Alcohol, Painkillers & Feel Free Kratom
Jared Watson is the frontman of the Dirty Heads — the voice behind songs millions of people have sung along to. He's also, in his own words, an alcoholic who…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Went To Treatment 13 Times Before I Finally Got Sober
Tyler Bowers grew up in Pennsylvania with what looked, from the outside, like everything — a nice house with a pool, travel baseball, a mom who gave him…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Overdosed On A Legal Drug From The Gas Station (7OH) And Woke Up In A Coma
7-OH is one of the most dangerous drugs almost nobody understands yet — a concentrated kratom derivative sold legally at gas stations and smoke shops, often…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Was Shooting Heroin and No One Had Any Idea | 18 Years Sober
Justin Gurland grew up the oldest of four in a close, loving New Jersey family — family dinners every night, a dad who was a doctor and coached his teams, a…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Was Addicted To Heroin and Crack | My Body Was Shutting Down
Lauryn Boorstein grew up in the Poconos in a home full of chaos — a painful divorce, a father she loved who struggled with his own demons, and an autistic…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Was A Pro Boxer With An Eating Disorder That Almost Killed Me
Danny O'Connor was an Olympic-team boxer and professional fighter from Boston who spent ten years chasing a world championship. From the outside, he was elite…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningWhy Getting Off Antidepressants Can Be Harder Than Heroin | Dr. Teralyn Sell
⚠️ The views in this episode are Dr. Teralyn Sell's professional opinions and personal experience. This conversation is for educational purposes only and is…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Was A Harvard Student Secretly Addicted To Oxy And Xanax
On paper, Emma Gray had every advantage — a New York City upbringing, elite schools, a spot at Harvard, and eventually a six-year finance career. Underneath…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Got Addicted To A Legal Drug Called 7OH I Bought At The Smoke Shop
7-OH is one of the most talked-about drugs in the country right now — a concentrated kratom derivative sold legally at smoke shops and gas stations, marketed…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Had A Degree And A Career While Secretly Addicted To Fentanyl
On paper, Ava Garcia was the kid who had it together — straight-A student, captain of the varsity basketball team, an artist, the responsible firstborn…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Was A Drug Counselor Getting High On Fentanyl Between Sessions
From the outside, Laura Bonczek was the picture of success — a well-known family in her Connecticut town, a teacher mother, a father in long-term recovery…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Was A Cornell Student Living In My Car Addicted To Adderall and Doing Sex Work
On paper, Tatum Love was thriving — a bright kid from New Hampshire who lived the all-American athletic life and went on to an Ivy League education at Cornell…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningHow Do You Know If You're Really An Alcoholic? | Addiction Recovery Q&A
Back by popular demand — Karina Miesner (IG @karina.mies) returns for our second Q&A, where Kevin and Karina answer the questions the audience asks most in the…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Was Shooting Meth And Fentanyl Living In My Car
Alexa Cunniff never really had a childhood. Raised like what she calls "a gypsy kid" — living in hotels and trucks, on the run from process servers, never…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Was Shooting Fentanyl On The Streets Of Kensington
From the outside, Cassidy Matone had it all together — a makeup artist and bikini bodybuilder from Long Island with her own business. Addiction doesn't…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningHow My Recovery Podcast Ended Up On Paramount+ | Behind The Scenes Of Building It From Nothing
Come behind the scenes on one of the biggest weeks yet for Rise Above. We just launched our merch line — hoodies, sweatshirts, and hats — and every dollar from…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Was Sold For Sex And Had No Say | Overcoming Sexual Trauma, An Eating Disorder & Getting Sober
Kelsey Daniels grew up poor in Connecticut, one of three kids, chasing an athletic scholarship as her whole identity and her only path out. She was molested at…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Started Shooting Heroin as a Teen | Robbing a Bank High on PCP, Prison and Getting Sober
Matt Handy was the oldest of ten kids, raised in a strict religious home in San Diego — and living a double life almost from the start. He smoked weed at 13…
Rise Above with Kevin Lanning"When I Drank, I Couldn't Stop" | Binge Drinking, Blackouts & How I Finally Got Sober
From the outside, Allie Serea had it all together — good grades, a masters degree, a corporate job at a major company, an easy way with people, and a…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Was A Prison Guard Secretly Shooting Heroin | SWAT Raided My Trap House While I Was In Uniform
Andrew Gautreau grew up in a middle-class Louisiana family — a dad who built his own business and a mother who worked in child services, sometimes bringing him…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Was Homeless Shooting Fentanyl in Miami | Overdoses, Coma & How I Finally Got Sober
Jonah Fingerhood had a nearly perfect childhood in New Hampshire — until he was 16 and lost his older brother to substance abuse. A year later, a skateboarding…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningAddicted To Roxys At 17 For 15 Years | How Suboxone Kept Me Stuck & How I Finally Got Sober
Chris Broby grew up in Sarasota, Florida, in a good middle-class home — hardworking parents who built a furniture business, no trauma, no abuse. But he always…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningMy Little Brother Is Still In Active Addiction | What Addiction Does To The Whole Family
Michaela DeGier grew up in a close, loving family just outside Cambridge, Ontario — high school sweetheart parents still together after decades, three…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Was A Cop Taking 55 Pills A Day
Mike Morgan spent 30 years in law enforcement — a decade of it working the most violent part of one of the most violent cities in America. On his very first…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Grew Up In A Crack Addicted Household | What It Really Does To A Child
Indee Fields was four years old the first time she watched her mother hide from witches that weren't there. Her mom was smoking crack. By ten, Indee was the…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningKetamine Psychosis | My Ketamine Addiction Was Destroying My Organs | How I Got Sober
Sydney Steele was prescribed Ritalin at five years old, just as she was finishing preschool. From there came Concerta, Vyvanse, and Adderall — a stimulant…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningA Decade Long Addiction to Opioids | How I Broke the Chains and Got Clean & Sober
By June of 2017, Billy Rich had nothing left in his own eyes. A decade into opioid addiction, isolated in a blacked-out bedroom in Rhode Island, cut off from…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningWhat Leads Someone To Plan a School Shooting?...The Early Warning Signs Everyone Missed
⚠️ This episode is presented for educational and prevention purposes only. In 2018, Brendan Vaughan was arrested for making terroristic threats against his…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningShe Sold Her Body For Heroin & Crack, Totaled 7 Cars & Had 5 Arrests In A Month | Now 5 Years Sober
Brittany Logan grew up an only child split between two households — her mother's world of structure and discipline, and her alcoholic father's world of no…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Drank a Bottle For 700 Straight Days and Lost Everything | How I Finally Got Sober
Sponsored by Caron Treatment Centers My recovery journey began at Caron Treatment Centers, and the care I received there changed the course of my life. That's…
Rise Above with Kevin LanningI Was Buying Kratom At The Gas Station Every Morning Just To Function....It Destroyed Me
Matt Von Boecklin grew up outside Seattle, raised by a single mother after his father suffered a mental break when Matt was a toddler and had to be cared for…