On this episode of Overcoming Adversity Podcast, Amanda Marino, the founder of Next Level Recovery Associates, hosts this episode alongside her co-hosts, Matt Williams and Sara Frias. We introduce Season Twos first guest, Janine Stella, founder of StellaMix Podcast Production. This episode features an incredibly raw and honest conversation about th…

Step into the world beyond residential treatment with hosts Amanda Marino, Matt Williams, and Sarah Frias in this captivating episode of the Overcoming Adversity Podcast, powered by Next Level Recovery Associates. Discover the hidden challenges of transitioning from a structured treatment environment to the unpredictability of real life and learn h…

Join us in this heartfelt episode of "Overcoming Adversity" as hosts Amanda Marino, Matthew Williams, and Sarah Frias dive deep into the intricate web of addiction and its impact on families. From Matthew’s vivid recollection of his Uncle Harold’s struggles to personal stories of overcoming substance use, this episode paints a raw and relatable pic…

Dive in as we go into the intricate dynamics of couples battling addiction. offering a behind-the-scenes look at filming interventions, highlighting the unique challenges and emotional complexities of couples trying to break free from the grip of substance abuse. Through personal stories and professional insights, we explore whether it’s the addict…

Welcome to Overcoming Adversity with Amanda Marino, Matt Williams, and Sarah Frias from Next Level Recovery Associates. In this episode, we're diving into Amanda's incredible journey from early sobriety to running a successful recovery business. Amanda shares how she turned her trauma and experiences in the entertainment industry into a thriving bu…

In this episode of "Overcoming Adversity," Amanda Marino and Matt Williams chat with Sarah Frias about the real struggles and victories of self-care. Sarah opens up about her personal journey, from putting everyone else first to learning how to take care of herself, especially through motherhood and recovery. They talk about finding balance, the li…

Ever wonder how someone can transform their darkest moments into a beacon of hope for others? Join us as we chat with Matt Williams, Chief Heart Officer at Next Level Recovery Associates. Hosts Amanda Marino and Sarah Frias dive into Matt's inspiring journey from founding FRO Pro to earning double master’s degrees, all while navigating the ongoing …

Hey everyone! We’re so excited to kick off a new chapter of the Overcoming Adversity podcast with two of my favorite people who have been with me since day one: Matt Williams and Sarah Frias. Join us as we dive into the amazing work we do at Next Level Recovery Associates. We'll be talking about interventions, recovery coaching, and sharing some tr…

Chris Martinez, founder of Resilience Recovery Resources, is our guest on episode number 35 of the Overcoming Adversity Podcast! Chris vulnerably discusses losing his father at a young age and how that life event altered his life, way of thinking, and ability to form relationships. He goes on to tell us how he found his way out of it and how he, st…

Yes, it's true. After one full year away, the OA podcast is back with episode number 34! We've missed you dearly which is why we wanted our first episode back to be a heartfelt one. Sarah Frias, a nurse in SoFla and the Family Support Specialist for Next Level Recovery Associates Inc, tells her story of surviving nursing school while battling a sub…

Episode #33 is live and today's guest is the inspirational, Bonnie Mathews! Bonnie's story dives deep into what it's like being addicted to a loved one's addiction. Bonnie is a therapist with decades of experience in the mental health and substance use field but she is also in recovery from codependency for three decades! Bonnie tells the story of …

Welcome back OA podcast listeners! This is episode number 32 and we hope you enjoy it! For this episode, Amanda and Blake enjoy, what was supposed to be, a conversation about nothing that quickly evolves into a conversation about life, the importances of being authentic, the struggles with self-work, and more! We hope you enjoy this episode and as …

Episode 31 is out and available for your listening pleasure. This episode's guest is the incredible, Brent Bryant. Brent is a Family Ambassador for Family First Adolescent Services. He is so much more than that, though. Brent is a highly sought-after speaker and advocate for addressing mental health and substance use disorder challenges within the …

Help us bring in our 30th episode by listening to this episode of the Overcoming Adversity Podcast! On this episode, your hosts, Amanda & Blake discuss the reason its taken so long to get from episode number 29 to number 30, the importance of shifting our mindsets to overcome fear, and how entrepreneurship has changed their lives! Episode number di…

Episode 29 is live and ready to rock some ear drums. Speaking of drums, our guest this week is Jordan Meyers! Jordan was diagnosed with depression at an early age but through a series of events found him self using percussion to get out of it. Little did he know that this life of playing drums professionally and traveling the world with his band wo…

Episode 28 is live and ready for your ears and minds to ingest! This week we have Jeremy Plummer as our guest. He shares his incredible story of overing adversity, how there must be someone looking out for him, and how we can turn our tragedies into testimonies! Jeremy is the creator of Recovery Through Repetition which is a CrossFit based workout …

Episode number 27 of the OA podcast is now live for your listening pleasure and we have a guest this week that just makes us smile! This week, Felicia Kleinpeter of Imagine Recovery, fills us in on her adversity and explains what it's like going from being deemed an "unfit mother" to an inspiration to thousands! Her story is jam packed with loss, p…

Episode #26 is live and we've got a story for you. This week's guest is George Bullock IV. George is now happily in recovery from a substance use disorder and leading a happy life but it wasn't always that way. After the heartbreaking, and sudden, loss of his father and then his father-like Uncle, Bob, Georgie was left alone with his mother trying …

"If you want a great community around you, you have to build it!" Those are the words Matt's mentor spoke to him while he was in early recovery from a substance use disorder (addiction). That day and those words changed his life forever. Matt is the founder of FroPro. But he is so much more than that. He is a teacher, a coach, a mentor, and all aro…

The OA podcast is back in action and for this episode we have an incredible guest! Today's episode features Cheri Garcia, the founder of the Cornbread Hustle which is an organization that offers job placement to formally incarcerated individuals. Her story is full of twists and turns but she made one thing very clear...everyone deserves a second ch…

Welcome to Episode #23 of the Overcoming Adversity Podcast with Amanda Marino & Blake Cohen! Collectively, as a population, we are all in the midst of some incredible Adversity. The Coronavirus has flipped the world on its ear and we are all adjusting to the infamous "new normal". In the midst of the chaos, the hosts of the OA podcast have added a …

Welcome back to the Overcoming Adversity Podcast with this show's guest, Rebecca Reeder! Rebecca's inspiring story made for a great episode! She offers incredible insight into what it's like to live with, and overcome, an eating disorder as well as a Substance Use Disorder. She is real, vulnerable, and incredibly passionate about using her story to…

First off, let me start by saying that we apologize for the dropped calls that we've poorly tried to edit out of this episode. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, you are in for a real treat with one! Tim Clarke is the co-founder and CEO of UNCrushed.org. In episode #21, Blake and Amanda start off with some exciting news and then dive in the…

As you'll hear Co-host Amanda Marino say many times in this episode, the OA podcast is looking to bring this show into the "next level"! In this episode, Amanda and Blake recap 2019 and throw out their goals for 2020. They discuss what the future of the podcast looks like and what we can expect from the upcoming guests. There are a ton of positive …

Eric Paskin, a man in long-term recovery and owner of a Substance Use Disorder treatment facility, and his wife faced one of most difficult times of their lives just three years ago. As their second son was born, he became fatally ill and with only moments to live, rushed him to the hospital to attempt to save his short life. They spent 90 days in …

You may have been thinking to yourself, "Where have Amanda and Blake been for two weeks?" Well, this podcast episode will answer your questions as to where your favorite two show hosts have been and what they have been up to. This episode is a series of gems from Amanda and Blake regarding their experiences with their own positive/negative adversit…

Randy Grimes, second round draft pick into the NFL, hit the lottery when his dream of playing professional football became a reality. Little did he know that the following decade would be the greatest years of his life but shortly after he would find himself living in the worst years of his life. This is a story of adversity in so many ways where R…

Thank you for listening to Episode #15 of the Overcoming Adversity Podcast with your hosts, Amanda Marino and Blake Cohen! This episode is guest-less but full of gems that can be pulled out of a conversation between Amanda and Blake. After much turmoil and growth experiences, the two hosts discuss what their techniques are to help deal with life's …

Take a second to imagine what it must have been like to be a 12 year old boy in the Bronx, NY during the worst crack-cocaine epidemic this country has ever seen. The violence, the gang banging lifestyle, the lack of structure or anyone to look up to but other thugs. That is what it was like growing up for Anthony Colon. With no one to steer him dif…

Episode number 13 has arrived and it can only be described as being taken on an emotional roller coaster. Our guests this week on the Overcoming Adversity podcast are Cale and Jen S., a married couple out of the midwest. Their story involves loss but not just any loss. Cale and Jen tragically lost their 15 year old daughter after 13 years of her ba…

Welcome back, everyone! This is going to be one of your favorite episodes yet! Similar to all of our past guests, Robin Styer has seen her fair share of adversities. From living with crippling alcoholism to raising three daughters on her own as a single mother to having 6 different boyfriends die, it's safe to say that "Robi" qualifies to be a gues…

Eric "Brooks" Birkhimer was no stranger to adversity by the time he was diagnosed with Hepatitis C. At the time he was diagnosed, he had already been battling with a major substance use disorder as well as having his fair share of family struggles along the way. When Brooks decided it was time to clean up his life, he went to war with his addiction…

This guest was one of the first people we had in mind when starting this journey of sharing hope through incredible stories of overcoming adversity. Michael Gonzales is the definition of resilient between coming from a home filled with gang violence to becoming a daily methamphetamine user at the age of 14 to his most recent battle of trying to obt…

A former Orthodox Jew, an person in their 30's that's been diagnosed with early on-set Parkinson's disease, an amputee, and a formally homeless person turned CEO all walk into a bar...What do they have in common? They've all been guests on the Overcoming Adversity Podcast! Listen as Amanda and Blake reflect back on what they've learned from their f…

Jeanne Albaugh...A true adversity warrior and the guest this week on the Overcoming Adversity Podcast. This incredible woman went from growing up in a house being physically and verbally abused to living a life of luxury to then losing it all and living under a bridge in Davie, Fl for 10 years while being addicted to substances. Jeanne's remarkable…

This week's guest on the Overcoming Adversity Podcast with Amanda Marino and Blake Cohen is the incredibly resilient, Matthew Zetz. Matthew is 43 years old, has been in recovery from a substance use disorder for 12 years, and has an incredible tale of overcoming adversity after he recently had one of his legs amputated after a horrific accident. On…

This week's episode is a tale of survival and a race against time. Kim Rogers, Assistant Principal and Single Mother, was diagnosed with early onset Parkinson's disease just a few short years ago. From pain to painful glares from others, Kim has worked so hard to prove to the world and this disease that it cannot get the best of her! She is living …

We were honored to be graced with the presence of Public Intellectual, Motivational Speaker, and Rapper, Ben Stone this week on the Overcoming Adversity Podcast! There are many people we've met on our journeys but there are very few that have an impact every single time you talk to them and Ben is one of those. From his incredibly insightful perspe…

Episode 4 of the Overcoming Adversity Podcast is here for your listening pleasure where your hosts, Amanda Marino & Blake Cohen, discuss their current affairs and what it means to overcome smaller, daily adversities. Both coming back from a week in sunny Las Vegas and away from their regular routine, our hosts discuss what it means for them to get …

Amanda Marino: Concierge Life and Recovery Coach, Curator of Sober Retreats, Founder of Women Empowering Women, Nationally Recognized representative of Recovery Ways Treatment center, and just all around inspirational and motivational guru! This week is all about #Amanda where we get to learn the details of her past and how her road has led her to …

Welcome to Episode 2 of the OA Podcast! It's time to meet your hosts so this episode and the next one will be all about Blake Cohen and Amanda Marino! This episode is called #Blake and it offers a small glimpse into the life and beliefs of one of the show's hosts, Blake Cohen. Blake is a best selling author, National Outreach Manager for Recovery U…

Welcome to the Overcoming Adversity Podcast Episode 1 with your hosts Amanda Marino and Blake Cohen! This episode breaks down what you can expect from the show, details future topics, introduces you to your hosts, and reveals our favorite reoccurring segment called "Let It Out" We hope you stick around for the journey as we break down all the tips,…