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 that uplift, educate, and inspire. Tune in and discover the strength within you.

Latest Episodes:

I Was Either Going to Die by Accident or on Purpose...and I Still Drank | A Young Woman’s Sobriety Story Jan 04, 2026

Show notes

Neva Coleman shares her raw and deeply honest journey through high-functioning alcoholism, trauma, perfectionism, and getting sober at a young age — long before her life “looked” like it was falling apart.

In this episode of Rise Above with Kevin Lanning, Neva opens up about growing up in New Jersey, losing her father in the 9/11 attacks, excelling academically and socially, and how alcohol slowly became her coping mechanism. What started as “normal college drinking” at Tulane University escalated into blackouts, extreme anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and a terrifying 3-day Mardi Gras bender that led her to call the suicide hotline.

Despite near-death moments, being roofied, severe withdrawals, and repeated attempts to moderate, Neva continued drinking — a reality many people in active addiction know all too well. This conversation dives into the truth about alcohol use disorder, why “high-functioning” doesn’t mean healthy, and how denial can keep someone stuck for years.

Neva also talks candidly about:

Getting sober in her early 20s
Why she didn’t identify as an alcoholic at first
Trying moderation and why it failed
Anxiety, perfectionism, and people-pleasing
The loneliness of early sobriety
Finding community through AA and therapy
Healing her relationship with her mother
Using social media to break stigma and help others

This episode is for anyone who:

Thinks their drinking isn’t “bad enough”
Is successful on the outside but struggling inside
Is afraid sobriety means life will be boring
Is sober-curious, newly sober, or struggling in silence

If this conversation resonates with you, you are not alone — and help is available.

Neva's Tiktok & IG: soberpartygirlll

🎧 New episodes of Rise Above every week.
📩 If this episode helped you, consider sharing it with someone who needs it.

#RiseAbovePodcast #SobrietyJourney #HighFunctioningAlcoholic #AlcoholismRecovery #YoungSobriety #MentalHealthAwareness #AddictionRecovery #AARecovery #WomenInRecovery #SoberLife #SoberCommunity #RecoveryIsPossible #AlcoholUseDisorder #TraumaHealing #AnxietyRecovery #LifeAfterAlcohol #SoberCurious #BreakingTheStigma #HealingJourney #OneDayAtATime

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She Hid Alcoholism Until Liver Failure Nearly Killed Her | Cirrhosis, Withdrawals & Survival Jan 02, 2026

Show notes

In this raw and deeply emotional episode of Rise Above with Kevin Lanning, Caylene shares the full truth of her battle with alcoholism — a battle that nearly cost her life.

What began as “normal” wine drinking slowly escalated into daily dependence, hiding alcohol around her home, drinking before work, and waking up shaking until her first sip. During COVID, her addiction spiraled until her family staged an intervention that saved her life.

Soon after, doctors diagnosed Caylene with end-stage liver disease and cirrhosis. She experienced severe alcohol withdrawal, hallucinations, massive fluid buildup that made her look pregnant for over a year, repeated hospitalizations, invasive medical procedures, and was placed on the liver transplant list.

Over the course of two years sober, Caylene endured:

Liver failure and cirrhosis
Weekly and twice-weekly fluid drainage procedures
Withdrawal without rehab
Life-threatening hospitalizations
Emergency surgery removing part of her intestines
A TIPS procedure that ultimately saved her life

Today, Caylene is over two years sober, medically stable, and using her story to help others who feel trapped in addiction.

This episode is a reminder that alcoholism doesn’t always look chaotic — until it suddenly is. And that it’s never too late to ask for help.

If you or someone you love is struggling, this episode may save a life.

#RiseAbove #AlcoholismRecovery #LiverFailure #CirrhosisRecovery #SobrietyJourney #AddictionRecovery #AlcoholAwareness #RecoveryIsPossible #EndStageLiverDisease #SoberLife #HealingStories #MentalHealthMatters #WomensRecovery #OneDayAtATime #HopeAfterAddiction

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Adderall Destroyed My Life | Gambling Addiction, Psychosis & Sobriety Dec 31, 2025

Show notes

Tony had everything on the outside — money, sales success, status, and opportunity — but inside he was spiraling fast.

In this episode of Rise Above, Tony opens up about his descent into gambling addiction, Adderall abuse, cocaine use, and a terrifying 5-day stimulant binge that nearly cost him his life. What began as discipline and ambition turned into obsession, hallucinations, paranoia, and suicidal thoughts.

Tony shares:

How gambling became his first addiction at just 16
Making over $100,000 playing poker and losing it all
How Adderall fueled sales success — then completely rewired his brain
Snorting prescription stimulants just to feel normal
A 5-day binge that led to hallucinations, psychosis, and thoughts of jumping
Losing trust, money, relationships, and self-identity
Why quitting Adderall was harder than quitting drugs
How faith, discipline, and small daily wins rebuilt his life
Finding peace, purpose, and sobriety after surrendering everything

Today, Tony is over a year and a half sober, a present husband and father, financially stable, debt-free, grounded in faith, and finally at peace.

This is a raw conversation about addiction that doesn’t get talked about enough — prescription drugs, performance addiction, and the dangerous lie of “success at any cost.”

If you’re struggling, questioning your choices, or feeling trapped in a cycle you can’t escape — this episode is for you.

#RiseAbove #AddictionRecovery #Sobriety #AdderallAddiction #GamblingAddiction #PrescriptionDrugAbuse #RecoveryJourney #FaithAndRecovery #MentalHealthAwareness #FromAddictionToRecovery #SoberLife #SpiritualAwakening #RedemptionStory #RecoveryIsPossible #ChristianTestimony #LifeAfterAddiction #BreakingAddiction #SalesBurnout #HighFunctioningAddict

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Alcohol Broke Me | I Was Suicidal in Active Addiction Dec 28, 2025

Show notes

Millicent Huser is a conscious leadership practitioner, trauma-informed mentor, and recovery professional with over 22 years of sobriety and more than two decades working in mental health, addiction treatment, and organizational leadership.

In this episode of Rise Above, Millicent explains why putting down alcohol was only the beginning of her journey. Years into sobriety, unresolved trauma, insecurity, and emotional patterns resurfaced — forcing her to confront the deeper inner work required to stay sober, grounded, and fulfilled long-term.

Millicent shares how her work today focuses on emotional sobriety, trauma healing, habit transformation, and conscious leadership, helping individuals and organizations create environments where people can grow without burnout, shame, or control. Drawing from her experience working with treatment centers, executive teams, and leaders, she breaks down how workplace culture, identity, and unhealed wounds can quietly undermine recovery — even decades later.

This conversation goes beyond addiction and speaks to anyone who has done “the right things” but still feels lost, disconnected, or unfulfilled. Millicent’s upcoming book, Answering the Call, offers a blueprint for conscious leadership and living with purpose — in recovery, work, and life.

#RiseAbove #AddictionRecovery #Sobriety #22YearsSober #RecoveryJourney #SecondAwakening #EmotionalSobriety #ConsciousLeadership #HealingTrauma #PurposeDrivenLife #MentalHealth #SpiritualGrowth #PersonalTransformation #RecoveryIsPossible #BreakingCycles

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I Started Shooting Heroin as a Teen | Overdosed & Flatlined at 18, Homeless to Sober at 19 Dec 26, 2025

Show notes

This episode of Rise Above with Kevin Lanning is one of the most intense, raw, and powerful stories we’ve ever shared.

Jana began using painkillers at 14 years old, progressed to shooting heroin daily, and by 18 was homeless, blacklisted by drug dealers, and clinically dead after an overdose so severe she left her body.

In this interview, Jana shares:

Growing up in chaos and trauma
Dating dangerous drug dealers as a teenager
Shooting heroin, meth, and crack
A near-death experience where she watched herself turn blue
Being told she had to return to her body
Surviving homelessness, addiction, and overwhelming survivor’s guilt
Getting sober at 19 years old
Using methadone and Suboxone when few believed in medication-assisted recovery
Rebuilding her nervous system, faith, and identity
Losing her younger brother to suicide
And building a life today filled with purpose, discipline, love, and freedom

Jana now has 14 years sober and lives a life rooted in honesty, movement, faith, and service.

This is not just a story about addiction—
It’s a story about why people use, how trauma lives in the body, and what it really takes to stay sober.

If you or someone you love is struggling, this episode could save a life.

#RiseAbove #HeroinAddiction #RecoveryStory #AddictionRecovery #NearDeathExperience #SobrietyJourney #OpiateEpidemic #MentalHealth #TraumaHealing #MethadoneRecovery #SuboxoneRecovery #HomelessToHope #SoberLife #HealingJourney #SecondChances

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OxyContin Destroyed My Life | Trapped on Suboxone, Near-Death Trauma & Sobriety Dec 23, 2025

Show notes

Adam Larkin’s story is one of the most powerful comeback stories you’ll hear.

In this episode of Rise Above, Adam opens up about his journey from a middle-class upbringing in New York to years of addiction, drug dealing, near-death trauma, and survivor’s guilt after a horrific car accident that took his best friend’s life.

What followed was nearly two decades of opioid dependence — OxyContin, methadone, Suboxone, benzos — all prescribed, all destructive. Adam takes us deep into the realities of long-term addiction, pharmaceutical dependency, and how relapse can happen even after years of sobriety.

But this is a story about coming back.

Adam shares how he finally found freedom, rebuilt his life from the ground up at age 37, and turned his pain into purpose. Today, he’s sober, engaged, running a successful clothing brand (GET Apparel – “Get In The Trough”), hosting global recovery events across multiple continents, working in the recovery field, and helping others find a way out.

This conversation dives into:

Early addiction and the first drink
Survivor’s guilt and trauma
Prescription opioids and long-term Suboxone use
Relapse after years of sobriety — and how he made it back
Faith, structure, accountability, and purpose
Building a business and a life in recovery
Why it’s never too late to start over

If you’re struggling, thinking about getting sober, or afraid you’ve gone too far — this episode is for you.

Everyone loves a comeback story. This is a real one.

GET Apparel: getapparel.com
Podcast: Get Up Podcast with Adam Larkin
Socials: @GI_Apparel | Adam Larkin

🔗 Follow Adam Larkin

#RiseAbove #AddictionRecovery #Sobriety #RecoveryStory #RelapseAndRecovery #OpiateAddiction #SuboxoneRecovery #FormerAddict #ComebackStory #SecondChances #MentalHealth #RecoveryIsPossible #SoberLife #AddictionAwareness #FaithAndRecovery

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I Stuck a NeedIe in My Arm 2 Hours After Prison Release | IV Drug Use, Prison Riots & Getting Sober Dec 21, 2025

Show notes

Garet McLendon spent years trapped in a cycle of addiction, violence, and incarceration — selling meth, surviving prison riots, and losing everything that mattered most, including his relationship with his daughter.

In this raw and unfiltered conversation, Garet opens up about:

Growing up surrounded by abuse, instability, and addiction
Dropping out of school and running the streets
Selling meth and cycling in and out of jail and prison
Witnessing extreme violence, riots, and survival inside the system
The moment he finally surrendered and chose sobriety
Rebuilding life from nothing at 33 years old
Learning how to be a present, trustworthy father after years of absence
Why discipline, structure, and inner work saved his life

Now approaching 13 years clean and sober, Garet lives a life rooted in gratitude, discipline, and service — proving that no matter how far gone you think you are, it’s never too late to start over.

This episode is for anyone struggling with addiction, incarceration, shame, or feeling “too far behind” to change.

If this story helped you, consider sharing it with someone who needs hope.

#AddictionRecovery #PrisonToPurpose #SoberLiving #RecoveryStory #LifeAfterPrison #FormerAddict #SobrietyJourney #MethAddiction #SecondChances #RedemptionStory #MentalHealthMatters #Fatherhood #TraumaRecovery #RiseAbove #Incarceration #RebuildingLife #HopeAfterAddiction

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A Marine’s Toughest Battle Wasn’t War — It Was Starting Over as a Single Mom Dec 19, 2025

Show notes

Lex Jacoby’s story is one of strength, resilience, and quiet courage.

In this episode of Rise Above, Lex shares her journey from serving eight years in the U.S. Marine Corps to navigating divorce, single motherhood, and the isolating transition back into civilian life — all without a safety net.

This conversation goes far beyond labels. Lex opens up about rebuilding her identity, learning how to stand on her own, and finding confidence and freedom by being unapologetically herself.

Whether you’re a veteran, a single parent, or someone going through a major life transition, this episode is a reminder that you don’t have to hit rock bottom to have a powerful Rise Above story.

#RiseAbove #SingleMomLife #MarineVeteran #WomenWhoRise #LifeAfterTheMilitary #DivorceRecovery #MentalHealthMatters #StrongWomen #VeteranStories #RebuildingLife #HealingJourney #PersonalGrowth

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New Year, New Me: From 2 Bottles of Wine a Night to Sobriety — Now I’m Living Beyond My Wildest Dreams Dec 18, 2025

Show notes

Avery Schlereth never planned on getting sober — until alcohol stopped numbing her anxiety and started running her life.

In this New Year, New Me episode of Rise Above, Avery shares what sobriety really looks like beyond the first year. Not just quitting drinking, but learning how to live, heal, and evolve as a sober woman — one year at a time.

Year one was about survival. Getting sober in 2024 meant sitting with anxiety she had spent years trying to silence, learning how to exist without alcohol, and discovering a completely new way to move through the world.

Year two was where the real work began. Avery focused inward — getting comfortable with herself, addressing old wounds, rebuilding self-trust, and learning who she was without alcohol, chaos, or external validation.

Now heading into year three, Avery is operating on all cylinders. She’s applying everything she’s learned, revamping her business, and fully stepping into a new version of herself — grounded, confident, and intentional.

In this conversation, Avery opens up about drinking two bottles of wine a night, blacking out, hiding alcohol from loved ones, and why moderation never worked for her. She also shares the moment she realized she was living below her potential, how therapy and AA helped her rebuild from the inside out, and why sobriety didn’t take her life away — it gave her one back.

Today marks Avery’s two-year sober anniversary, and her story is a reminder that New Year, New Me isn’t a slogan — it’s a process of growth, honesty, and commitment.

If you’re entering a new year feeling anxious, stuck, or tired of telling yourself “I’ll start tomorrow,” this episode is for you.

I host a free Rise Above recovery meeting every Monday night.
Email: Kevin@RiseAbovePod.com

🎧 Subscribe for real stories about mental health, sobriety, growth, and resilience.

#SobrietyJourney #AlcoholRecovery #AnxietyAndAlcohol #SoberLiving #MentalHealthAwareness #RecoveryIsPossible #TwoYearsSober #WomenInRecovery #AlcoholFreeLife #SoberPodcast #RiseAbovePodcast #AddictionRecovery #HealingJourney #SelfWorth #LifeAfterAlcohol #SoberCommunity #AnxietyRecovery #HealthAndWellness #RealRecovery #SobrietyStories

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I Was a Blackout Alcoholic at 16 — Near Liver Failure | How I Recovered From Alcoholism Dec 15, 2025

Show notes

Kristen had what looked like a perfect childhood — loving parents, athletics, stability. But at 16, alcohol flipped a switch she didn’t know existed.

From blackouts every single time she drank, to toxic relationships, infidelity, sudden death, hospitalizations, and a terrifying medical wake-up call that nearly cost her life — Kristen’s alcoholism spiraled fast and quietly.

She drank alone. She drank to numb. She drank to survive.
Until alcohol turned on her body — landing her in the hospital with abnormal scans, organ damage warnings, and thoughts she never thought she’d have.

This is a brutally honest conversation about:

Blackout drinking from the very first drink
Alcoholism hiding behind “normal life”
Betrayal, trauma, and repeated loss
Near liver failure and hospital intervention
Being forced into treatment — and why it finally worked
Finding purpose, accountability, and real recovery

Today, Kristen is 4.5+ years sober, married, trusted again by her family, and living proof that even when recovery starts for someone else — it can still save your life.

If you or someone you love is struggling, this episode may be the wake-up call you didn’t know you needed.

#AlcoholismRecovery #BlackoutDrinking #SobrietyJourney #AddictionRecovery
#RiseAbovePodcast #RecoveryIsPossible #AlcoholFreeLife
#WomenInRecovery #SoberLiving #TraumaAndHealing
#MentalHealthAwareness #RecoveryStories #RockBottom
#SoberCommunity #OneDayAtATime #AddictionAwareness

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