Get a Grip Podcast

In this powerful and deeply moving episode, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Nicole Stull to share a story of survival, pain, and ultimately redemption.Nicole opens up about a childhood marked by unimaginable trauma. Growing up in a home where she was abused by her older brothers in ways no child should ever experience, Nicole spent years carrying the weight of that pain in silence. The emotional scars followed her into adulthood, shaping how she saw herself and the world around her.Like many who endure deep trauma, Nicole eventually turned to alcohol as a way to numb the memories and escape the overwhelming emotions that haunted her. What started as a way to cope quickly spiraled into a life consumed by alcoholism. For years she battled the bottle, trying to outrun the past while the consequences of her drinking continued to pile up.But Nicole’s story doesn’t end there.Through the darkness, she eventually reached a breaking point where the cost of continuing down that path became too great. Facing the consequences of her addiction forced Nicole to confront the pain she had spent years trying to bury. With courage and determination, she began the difficult journey toward healing and sobriety.Today, Nicole is living proof that even the deepest wounds can heal. She is sober, safe, and building a life filled with peace, strength, and purpose. Her story is one of resilience and hope—showing that no matter how painful the past may be, a new life is always possible.This episode is raw, honest, and inspiring for anyone who has faced trauma, addiction, or feels trapped by their past. Nicole’s courage to speak out reminds us that healing begins when the truth is finally brought into the light.Tune in to hear Nicole’s incredible journey from survival to freedom.
🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope.
🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful stories on addiction, recovery, and resilience.Get a Grip Podcast Social Media: Find our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio links, a more on our Link Tree below!Get a Grip Social Media Links: ⁠https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcast

For Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below:
📩 Email: [email protected]
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#getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney #trauma #childhood #oxy #dealer #soberlife #wedorecover #childhoodtrauma #healing #inspiration #awareness #kingpin #trafficking #hustle #opioidcrisis #neardeathexperience #fyp #prison #bar #mistake #change #survivor #survival #tv #television #inspire #parole #officer #school #teacher #students #study #student #changinglives

In this episode, Emma and Rihanna from The Ohio State University sit down with Louis Essig to hear the powerful story of how a young man from an upper-class community ended up living on the streets in the grip of addiction—and how he fought his way back.Louis grew up in what most would consider a normal, stable environment, but everything began to change after his first drink at 16. What started as typical teenage experimentation quickly spiraled into a decade of substance abuse. From alcohol to whatever drugs he could get his hands on, Louis spent the next ten years trapped in addiction. As his life unraveled, he cycled through jail stays, homelessness, and the constant chaos that comes with life on the streets.Eventually, the justice system intervened and Louis was placed in a drug court program. Even then, the battle wasn’t over—after one more relapse, something finally clicked. At 26 years old, in 2016, Louis made the decision that would change everything and committed to sobriety.Since then, Louis has rebuilt his life in remarkable ways. In a full-circle moment, he returned to the very correctional facility where he had once been incarcerated—this time as an employee. He would go on to become the first former inmate ever to rise into a leadership position there, breaking barriers and proving that real transformation is possible.Today, Louis travels across Ohio speaking in schools, jails, and recovery communities, sharing his story to inspire others who may feel trapped by addiction. His message is simple but powerful: no matter how far someone falls, redemption and purpose are still possible.This episode is an honest conversation about addiction, consequences, redemption, and what it truly takes to turn a life around.
🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope.🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful stories on addiction, recovery, and resilience.Get a Grip Podcast Social Media: Find our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio links, a more on our Link Tree below!Get a Grip Social Media Links: ⁠https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcastFor Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below:📩 Email: [email protected]👇 Let us know your thoughts in the comments.#getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney #trauma #childhood #oxy #dealer #soberlife #wedorecover #childhoodtrauma #healing #inspiration #awareness #kingpin #trafficking #hustle #opioidcrisis #neardeathexperience #fyp #prison #bar #mistake #change #survivor #survival #tv #television #inspire #parole #officer #school #teacher #students #study #student #changinglives

In this powerful episode, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with Dr. Nicole Labor to hear a story that challenges everything people think they know about addiction, recovery, and redemption.Nicole grew up in a strict household where drugs were something to fear and avoid. But like many stories of addiction, the path didn’t begin where anyone expected. What started with heavy drinking as a teenager eventually led her into the counterculture world of the Grateful Dead scene, where she became a devoted “Dead Head” and began experimenting more deeply with substances.Despite her growing substance use, Nicole pursued an ambitious path into medicine. While studying and preparing for a career as a physician, her drug use escalated—eventually leading to an addiction to powerful opiates. In a shocking turn, Nicole entered medical school already struggling with addiction. What began with prescription pills quickly progressed to Oxy 160s and ultimately to heroin. At one point, she was traveling to New Jersey to cop heroin while simultaneously trying to maintain the life of a future doctor.In one of the most gripping parts of the conversation, Nicole opens up about injecting heroin while attending medical school and somehow still managing to graduate. She candidly describes the moment she admitted to her school that she was addicted, the painful cycle of detox and relapse, and the crushing weight of living a double life as a doctor battling heroin addiction.But Nicole’s story doesn’t end there.After hitting bottom, she eventually found recovery—and today she has 17 years of documented sobriety. Now a physician specializing in addiction medicine, she dedicates her life to helping others escape the same disease that nearly destroyed her.Nicole also shares how her journey brought her to Akron, Ohio—the birthplace of Alcoholics Anonymous—and how personal tragedy, including the loss of her husband after his struggles with addiction and incarceration, further shaped her mission.In this deeply honest conversation, Dr. Labor explains why addiction is truly a disease, how it works in the brain, and why people struggling with it deserve treatment, compassion, and understanding rather than shame.This is the story of a woman who shot heroin in medical school and still became a doctor—and who now uses that experience to save lives.A raw, eye-opening conversation about addiction, resilience, and the possibility of recovery no matter how far someone has fallen.

🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope.🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful stories on addiction, recovery, and resilience.

Get a Grip Podcast Social Media: Find our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio links, a more on our Link Tree below!Get a Grip Social Media Links: ⁠https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcast

For Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below:

📩 Email: [email protected]

👇 Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

#getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney #trauma #childhood #oxy #dealer #soberlife #wedorecover #childhoodtrauma #healing #inspiration #awareness #kingpin #trafficking #hustle #opioidcrisis #neardeathexperience #fyp #prison #bar #mistake #change #survivor #survival #tv #television #inspire #parole #officer #school #teacher #students #study #student #changinglives

Born into chaos and addiction, McKayla Jodon’s story is one of survival, relapse, and ultimately redemption. In this powerful episode, Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes sit down with McKayla as she opens up about growing up with a mother who had her at just 14 years old and how instability shaped her early life. What began as a seemingly normal childhood quickly spiraled as McKayla was introduced to drugs at a young age, eventually using heroin while still in high school—sometimes needing to get high just to make it through the school day.McKayla shares raw and shocking moments from her past: using drugs alongside her own mother and community, going through withdrawal in high school, overdosing more than 30 times—including three times in a single day—and the dangerous cycle of addiction that followed her into adulthood. From adolescent treatment centers and Suboxone dependence to alcoholism, homelessness, and jail after a relapse, McKayla’s life became a relentless battle with substance abuse.But this story doesn’t end in darkness. After hitting devastating lows, losing loved ones, and experiencing moments she believes were nothing short of divine intervention, McKayla began rebuilding her life. Now two years sober, she reflects on the turning points that changed everything, the role faith played in her recovery, and how she’s learning to live a new life free from addiction.This is a brutally honest conversation about generational addiction, survival, relapse, and the power of finding hope when everything seems lost.

🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope. 🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful stories on addiction, recovery, and resilience.
Get a Grip Podcast Social Media: Find our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio links, a more on our Link Tree below!Get a Grip Social Media Links: ⁠https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcast
For Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below:
📩 Email: [email protected]👇 Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
#getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney #trauma #childhood #oxy #dealer #soberlife #wedorecover #childhoodtrauma #healing #inspiration #awareness #kingpin #trafficking #hustle #opioidcrisis #neardeathexperience #fyp #prison #bar #mistake #change #survivor #survival #tv #television #inspire #parole #officer #school #teacher #students #study #student #changinglives

Shakura Slaughter joins hosts Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes for one of the rawest, most powerful conversations ever featured on the show. Raised in deep poverty and surrounded by violence from the beginning, Shakura opens up about how her childhood environment shaped her worldview long before she ever had a chance to shape it herself. From the earliest moments of her life, she was already fighting battles most adults never have to face.In this episode, Shakura speaks candidly about surviving sexual assault by a family member while every adult around her looked the other way, the family dysfunction that spiraled around her, and the pain of watching her sister go through her own trauma. She shares what it was like having a father in and out of jail and the moment she called the police on her uncle at just eleven years old—an act of courage that would permanently alter her sense of safety, responsibility, and independence.Shakura also dives into the realities of becoming a mother at an incredibly young age—pregnant at 13, giving birth to her first son at 14, and her second by 16. She explains how these life-changing events forced her to grow up fast, make impossible decisions, and navigate a world that provided little support and even less compassion. Her story is not just about survival but about the internal battles that come with breaking generational cycles.Finally, Shakura opens up about finding recovery, rebuilding her life, and learning to navigate a healing journey that’s messy, imperfect, and ongoing. She shares the practical tools, mindset shifts, and hard lessons that helped her rise from trauma to purpose. Her message to the audience is powerful, honest, and deeply human—reminding everyone listening that no matter where you start, you can rewrite your story.
🔥 Expect emotion. Expect truth. Expect hope.🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful stories on addiction, recovery, and resilience.Get a Grip Podcast Social Media: Find our TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio links, a more on our Link Tree below!Get a Grip Social Media Links: ⁠https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcastFor Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below:📩 Email: [email protected]👇 Let us know your thoughts in the comments.#getagrip #redemptionstory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #addictionrecovery #recoveryjourney #trauma #childhood #oxy #dealer #soberlife #wedorecover #childhoodtrauma #healing #inspiration #awareness #kingpin #trafficking #hustle #opioidcrisis #neardeathexperience #fyp #prison #bar #mistake #change #survivor #survival #tv #television #inspire #parole #officer #school #teacher #students #study #student #changinglives