The Zac Clark Show

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Zac’s Social Media Detox, Marijuana Talk, Good vs Bad Addiction & How to Get Unstuck: Zac & Jay Aug 12, 2025

Show notes

Zac and Jay are keeping it in-house this time, pulling back the curtain on the podcast’s growth and the community they’re working to build. With a plant doling out life lessons and Zac’s self-imposed social media ban (for now), they dive into how stepping back from the online world has been a game-changer for his mental health. They also get real about marijuana – why it’s not always as harmless as it seems, especially for younger people. Plus, they discuss the work it takes to break bad habits, find joy, and take care of yourself, even when life gets busy.

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https://www.espn.com/watch/catalog/3b9a50f1-caad-4250-918f-b15d884b6608

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Jimmy Drago: 8 Drug Overdoses, Sobriety, and His Journey to a UFC Dream Aug 06, 2025

Show notes

MMA fighter Jimmy Drago joins The Zac Clark Show just weeks before stepping into the cage for the biggest fight of his life — a shot at a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series.

But before the cage came chaos: By 19, Jimmy had survived eight overdoses, been revived by Narcan four times, fought in underground clubs in Hunts Point, and lost his father – a decorated 9/11 hero – to addiction after 21 years sober. Through it all, his mother never gave up on him.

In this raw and powerful conversation, Jimmy shares his journey from shooting dope in a Bronx trap house to fighting in front of 50 Cent… from despair to discipline… from near-death to chasing a dream few would believe possible.

Jimmy Drago lives the word fighter. But beyond the cage, beyond the shot at a UFC contract, his life begins and ends with sobriety – a commitment to staying sober and helping others do the same. If you’ve ever doubted the possibility of radical transformation, this one will change your mind.

Episode highlights:

Growing up in Yonkers as the oldest of three, son of a firefighter and a mother battling her own recovery
Losing his father to addiction — and the last time he ever saw him
From promising high school football player to full-blown heroin addiction
Underground fights in the Bronx during active addiction
Surviving 8 overdoses and finding recovery
Discovering MMA and the purpose it gave him
Why helping others is his greatest victory

Watch Jimmy fight for his UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series August 12 on ESPN+. For more information on how to stream, click below:

Today's episode is sponsored by NewForm: the first app for recovery and mental wellbeing. Find thousands of live events, powerful tools to track your growth, and a community that truly understands your journey.

To find NewForm, click here or download the App: https://www.newform.org/

Connect with Zac

If you or anyone you know is struggling, please do not hesitate to contact Release Recovery:

(914) 588-6564

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Scott Strode & The Phoenix: From Addiction to Building a Recovery Community of Nearly 1 Million Jul 22, 2025

Show notes

This week on The Zac Clark Show, we sit down with Scott Strode — founder of The Phoenix, a free national sober active community that’s approaching one million members and nearly 90,000 events strong. But behind those staggering numbers is a deeply personal story.

Scott opens up about the childhood trauma that led him to substance use at age 11, the fractured worlds he navigated between his father’s instability and his mother’s high-powered career, and the early moments of sobriety that ultimately changed his life — not in a treatment center, but in a boxing gym.

What started as one man waiting outside the gym looking for a way to stay sober has become one of the most impactful movements in recovery today. Through rock climbing, cycling, CrossFit, yoga, art, and even sober music festivals, The Phoenix offers people 48 hours sober a place to show up, be seen, and belong — no shame, no cost, no strings attached.

Scott shares why inclusivity and accessibility are at the heart of The Phoenix’s ethos, how volunteering became the rocket fuel behind its growth, and why healing doesn’t have to look like sitting in a circle — sometimes it looks like 150 kettlebell swings and a high five.

We also explore:

Generational trauma and how to break the cycle
The launch of The Phoenix’s free New Form app and its vision to redefine digital recovery
The nonprofit’s challenges with funding innovation in behavioral health
And Scott’s new book, Rise, Recover, Thrive: How I Got Strong, Got Sober, and Built a Movement of Hope — a raw and inspiring look at the personal journey that sparked a national revolution in recovery

The word “community” has become a cultural buzzword — but at its core, it reflects the shared connection humans deeply need and seek. What truly defines community, and why does it matter so much — especially in recovery? Scott Strode has spent his life answering that question, building a movement rooted in belonging, empathy, and hope. What he has to say is illuminating, insightful — and profoundly simple.

Learn more at thephoenix.org, check out Rise, Recover, Thrive wherever books are sold, or download the New Form app to get involved.

For information about Scott’s new book: https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Recover-Thrive-Strong-Movement/dp/B0DGV641P1

Connect with Zac

If you or anyone you know is struggling, please do not hesitate to contact Release:

(914) 588-6564

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Jeff Halevy on Trauma at 14, Addiction, Grief, and Building a New Vision for Wellness Through Tech Jul 16, 2025

Show notes

Jeff Halevy has lived many lives. After surviving a childhood brain tumor and living with undiagnosed PTSD, he poured himself into achievement – becoming an award-winning, multi-exit entrepreneur in health, wellness, and technology. He built businesses at the intersection of fitness and behavior change, served as a correspondent for NBC’s Today Show, hosted the internationally syndicated Workout From Within with Jeff Halevy, and advised on Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” campaign. Outwardly, he was thriving. Internally, he was struggling.

The pressure to produce and the need to stay in motion became unsustainable. Jeff eventually hit a spiritual bottom that forced him to reassess how he was living – redefining how he channeled his energy and passion in a healthier, more sustainable way. Not long after that shift, tragedy struck: his wife died by suicide following severe mental health challenges compounded by postpartum, leaving Jeff to raise two young children alone.

In this conversation, Jeff shares the pain and trauma that shaped him, the emotional cost of high achievement, and how fatherhood became the anchor that kept him grounded. He also reflects on how his journey – through undiagnosed trauma, success, loss, and recovery – inspired the founding of Continuum, where he now serves as founder and CEO. Continuum is a luxury wellness club that uses biometric data and AI to deliver individualized, precision-based wellness – with the mission to make the practice of wellness as precise and intentional as the practice of medicine.

This episode is about trauma, sobriety, grief, and turning pain into purpose: how one man’s healing journey became the blueprint for helping others.

Topics include:

Emergency brain surgery as a teenager and its lasting psychological impact
Living with undiagnosed PTSD while building a wellness career
When overachievement becomes survival – and how that is not sustainable
Losing his wife to suicide and raising two infants alone
Building and exiting multiple companies in fitness and health
Founding Continuum: precision wellness through biometric data and AI
How Jeff has come to view success through the lens of fatherhood and being emotionally present

For more information about Jeff’s new wellness company, Continuum, please click here: Continuum

Connect with Zac

If you or anyone you know is struggling, please do not hesitate to contact Release:

(914) 588-6564

@releaserecovery

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Love, Loss, and TikTok: How Jack Ciapciak Turned Grief into Connection Jul 08, 2025

Show notes

In one of our most heartfelt conversations yet, Zac and Jay sit down with writer and grief advocate Jack Ciapciak to talk about love, loss, and healing. Jack opens up about losing his fiancé – also named Jack – just days before Christmas 2022, how it shattered his world, and how he’s slowly been rebuilding.

From his years writing for the TV show Blue Bloods to the unexpected power of sharing his grief journey on TikTok, Jack brings honesty, humor, and hope to a topic so many avoid.

We talk about internalized homophobia, what it means to truly love and be loved, and why grief isn’t something you move on from – but something you move forward with. Jack shares the story behind the viral video that changed everything, the community that’s grown around his vulnerability, and why he still wears his fiancé’s bracelet and watch every day.

Grief cracks you open and reshapes you in painful, unexpected ways – but there’s beauty in what remains. Jack’s story is a reminder that healing doesn’t mean forgetting. It means carrying love forward.

This episode is for anyone who has ever lost someone—or loved someone deeply.

Connect with Zac

If you or anyone you know is struggling, please do not hesitate to contact Release:

(914) 588-6564

@releaserecovery

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Finding Humor in the Dark Sh#t: Dave Manheim on Drugs, Recovery, Loss & Dopey Jul 01, 2025

Show notes

Zac and Jay sit down with Dave Manheim – creator of Dopey, the darkly hilarious and deeply moving podcast about “drugs, addiction, and dumb sh*t,” or as he now calls it, “the dark comedy of drug addiction.” What began as two friends swapping war stories has grown into a full-blown cultural force, with a diehard community, celebrity guests, and an archive of the funniest, most heartbreaking, and most brutally honest stories in the recovery world.

Dave talks about launching Dopey just four months into sobriety with his late co-host Chris, the tragedy that reshaped the show, and why humor – especially the twisted kind – is a lifeline. He opens up about chasing guests like Marc Maron, Boy George, and Jason Biggs (and getting ghosted), his complicated feelings about being called “Dopey Dave,” and how working at Katz’s Deli taught him more about recovery than any rehab ever did.

They get into podcast beefs, the sad reality of grief that often shadows recovery, the great weed debate, and what happens when someone who never set out to “help people” accidentally does just that – over and over again. Dave’s smart, incredibly earnest and very, very funny.

If you’ve ever been told “once a junkie, always a junkie,” if you’ve experienced unexpected loss in recovery, or if you believe this addiction stuff is heavy enough and that humor is an essential ingredient in getting through it – please give this episode a watch or listen.

Link to Dave’s podcast: Dopey: On the Dark Comedy of Drug Addiction

Connect with Zac

If you or anyone you know is struggling, please do not hesitate to contact Release:

(914) 588-6564

@releaserecovery

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From Addiction to NFL Stardom to Walking Away from $32M: Darren Waller on What Matters Now Jun 18, 2025

Show notes

Former NFL star Darren Waller joins The Zac Clark Show to share his raw, unfiltered story of recovery. From overdosing on opiates in a grocery store parking lot just miles from the Ravens facility to becoming one of the league’s top tight ends with the Raiders and Giants, Darren opens up about the real battle—his addiction, the search for identity, and the haunting realization that no amount of money, fame, or success can fill the hole inside.

He walks us through the peaks and valleys—stocking shelves at Sprouts during a 14-month suspension, making the Pro Bowl just two years later, and ultimately walking away from a $32 million contract to honor his true self and a healthier, more peaceful path. We talk about the layers beneath addiction—childhood, shame, performance, perfectionism—and the ongoing work of healing through recovery, therapy, and faith.

The dream is so often built around achievement, recognition, and external validation—but Darren’s story is a powerful reminder that inner peace is worth more than any prize, paycheck, or stadium of screaming fans, and that real self-love can only come from within.

Today, Darren is making music, sharing his truth through lyrics, and helping others find freedom through his non-profit, The Darren Waller Foundation. Since 2020, the foundation has helped fund recovery treatment for individuals struggling with addiction and has reached thousands through Wall Talks across the country.

For information about The Darren Waller Foundation, please click here: https://darrenwaller.org/

Connect with Zac

If you or anyone you know is struggling, please do not hesitate to contact Release:

(914) 588-6564

@releaserecovery

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Father’s Day Special | Doug Clark (Zac’s Dad) Jun 11, 2025

Show notes

Father’s Day Special

This week, Zac sits down with his dad, Doug Clark, for a powerful Father’s Day conversation—joined by Jay, who brings his own experience as a son and a father to the table. Together, they unpack what it means to show up for family, especially when love gets tested.

From Zac’s baseball days and early signs of addiction to arrests, rehabs, recovery, and rebuilding trust, this episode explores the messy, beautiful reality of fatherhood and resilience. Zac and Doug speak candidly about the impact of Zac’s substance use disorder on their family, how their relationship changed, and the slow, hard process of coming back together through recovery. Doug also opens up about grief, aging, loyalty, and the pain of watching a child struggle—while Zac reflects on how his father’s refusal to give up saved his life.

Through every twist and turn, this conversation makes clear: addiction is a family disease—and there’s no playbook, no quick fix. But underneath it all is a father and son doing their best to keep going. What holds them together is honesty, shared history, and a bond that’s been tested and rebuilt.

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads.

Connect with Zac

If you or anyone you know is struggling, please do not hesitate to contact Release:

(914) 588-6564

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Craig Robinson: From Bachelorette Fame to Saving Lives with the Marchman Act Jun 03, 2025

Show notes

Before he was a lawyer helping families navigate addiction treatment, Craig Robinson was living a double life—reality TV fame, courtroom success, and a cocaine addiction he kept hidden from everyone.

In this honest, deeply personal conversation, Craig joins The Zac Clark Show to talk about what no one saw behind the camera: the collapse of his legal career, a suicide attempt in a Philadelphia condo, and the moment in a car with his father that finally cracked him open.

He shares how asking for help was the first step in fighting his way back—and how sobriety transformed his life, his relationships, and his career. Today, he gives his legal work deeper meaning by using Florida’s Marchman Act to help families intervene when all other options have failed. This episode dives into the gray areas of recovery, what real change demands, and why sometimes love means making the hardest call of all.

Connect with Zac

If you or anyone you know is struggling, please do not hesitate to contact Release:

(914) 588-6564