Get a Grip Podcast

In this powerful and unfiltered episode, Louis interviews Taelor Thorton, whose life story is a stark portrait of trauma, addiction, and survival. Born with cystic fibrosis, Taelor grew up facing serious medical challenges that shaped her childhood and sense of self. By her early teens, she was already drinking, misusing prescription stimulants, and acting out in dangerous ways, including stealing her parents’ car. At the same age, she experienced a devastating sexual assault by an older man, a turning point that deepened her spiral. Taelor opens up about overdosing on insulin, graduating high school while immersed in substances like cocaine, Xanax, and Percs, and how her addiction escalated rapidly after discovering fentanyl following the death of her grandmother.As her use intensified, Taelor describes overdosing repeatedly, abandoning her cystic fibrosis and diabetes medications, and watching her weight and health collapse. She shares the reality of catching a possession charge, overdosing in a parking lot before court, and the heartbreaking barriers that kept her from traditional rehab due to her medical condition. Prison followed, and so did relapse immediately after release, pulling her into stripping, more overdoses, temporary blindness, and exposure to xylazine and its horrific physical effects. Her journey then turns even darker as she recounts traveling toward Florida, losing her belongings, being threatened with trafficking, and ultimately being picked up by a pimp who auctioned her and another woman off and sexually assaulted her. The episode culminates in Taelor’s escape, calling the police, being taken to the hospital, placed on life support, and beginning the fight for recovery. This conversation is a raw look at what it means to survive fentanyl, xylazine, crack addiction, and sexual trafficking while battling a life-threatening illness—and what it takes to keep going when survival itself feels impossible.🔥 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👇 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 and honest conversation, Aaron and Louis sit down with Elaine Berman to unpack a life that, on the surface, looked relatively normal—but carried deep, hidden wounds beneath it. Elaine opens up about her early years in ballet, including the discipline and pressure of an extremely strict instructor, before sharing the trauma of a sexual assault she experienced at a young age. From there, she walks listeners through pivotal moments of growing up, first dates, graduating, and celebrating youth, while unknowingly stepping into patterns that would later shape her struggles.As the conversation unfolds, Elaine describes falling into relationships marked by infidelity, experimentation, and self-destruction. What begins as a spontaneous strip club audition turns into a new identity, life on stage, and exposure to the darker, addictive side of stripping. She speaks candidly about her first lap dance, substance use, and a series of intense relationships that pulled her deeper into chaos, including relapses and encounters with drugs she never imagined trying. Elaine also reflects on how these chapters eventually came to an end, what rock bottom looked like, and how she found her way into recovery. The episode closes with hope, as Elaine shares how healing, self-work, and a healthier relationship helped her begin a new chapter. This is a raw, unfiltered story of survival, consequences, and the strength it takes to rebuild.🔥 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👇 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 and unfiltered interview, Charles Straley sits down with Louis and Aaron to share a life story shaped by addiction, trauma, foster care, prison, and ultimately redemption.Born to alcoholic parents and placed into foster care at a young age, Charles was forced to grow up fast—taking care of households that weren’t his, surviving violence, and navigating loss most kids couldn’t imagine. By 12 years old, he was drinking daily, catching cases, and spiraling into a life of crime that would eventually lead to prison, heroin addiction, homelessness, and repeated overdoses.This episode traces Charles’s journey from:childhood abuse and foster careearly criminal charges and incarcerationyears of alcohol and heroin addictionliving and working inside trap housesoverdosing daily and running from parole…to a turning point marked by spiritual collapse, unexpected legal grace, and ultimately rebuilding his life and gaining custody of his son.This is not just a story about addiction—it’s a story about survival, accountability, and the possibility of change, no matter how deep the bottom feels.Viewer discretion advised: This episode contains discussions of addiction, violence, incarceration, and overdose.🔥 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👇 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 raw, unflinching conversation, Louis sits down with Mya Kiskaden to walk through a life shaped by trauma, survival, and the long shadow of addiction. Mya opens up about being sexually assaulted by her grandfather at a young age and how that early violence set her on a destructive path marked by daily drinking as a teenager and spiraling substance use. She shares the physical and emotional toll of becoming a mother far too young, enduring serious health complications, multiple surgeries during pregnancy, and the heartbreak of losing a baby years later. The loss of her brother to an overdose becomes a breaking point, followed by prescriptions that turned into dependence, a failed marriage, and a descent into depression and addiction. Mya recounts relationships with addicts and abusers, being assaulted while under the influence, chasing chaos through dating apps, and sinking deeper into cocaine, acid, crack, and meth. She describes what overdoses look like, what constant use does to the body and mind, and how love and loyalty kept her tied to a violent partner who drank heavily, beat her, trafficked her for drug money, and was later revealed to be a registered sex offender. Through stories of abuse, sleepless weeks, hospital beds, and using even on the edge of major surgery, Mya paints a dark portrait of how grief, trauma, and addiction fed each other. This episode is not easy to hear, but it is brutally honest, a testimony to how deep the fall can be and what it takes to claw your way back toward sobriety and survival.🔥 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👇 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 unforgettable episode, Louis sits down with Jeremy Harrell, a U.S. military veteran whose life took a shocking and surreal turn after he returned home from serving his country. What begins as a story about service, sacrifice, and trying to do the right thing quickly unfolds into one of the most unbelievable cautionary tales you’ll ever hear.After spending time deployed in Iraq, Jeremy came home hoping to rebuild his life and continue serving—this time by helping others. Instead, he found himself fired while navigating the VA system, struggling to reintegrate, and facing the harsh realities many veterans know all too well. Refusing to give up, Jeremy did what few people would dare to do: he started a nonprofit organization aimed at making a difference where institutions had failed.The organization wasn’t fringe or ignored—it was so impactful that it was even recognized and selected by the History Channel, a moment that should have marked validation and success. But instead of praise and support, Jeremy’s nonprofit drew the attention of VA agents. What followed was almost unimaginable: he was issued a summons related to his nonprofit, charged with a Class C federal felony, and ultimately found himself incarcerated in federal prison.In this raw and eye-opening conversation, Jeremy breaks down how a veteran trying to serve his community ended up locked up by the very system meant to support him. He shares what it was like to go from Iraq to federal custody, how quickly life can unravel, and what this experience taught him about power, bureaucracy, and resilience. This is not just a story about prison—it’s about purpose, injustice, and the cost of standing up when the rules aren’t made for people like you.This is a true 1-of-1 story—one that raises serious questions about how veterans are treated, how nonprofits are policed, and how easily good intentions can turn into life-altering consequences. You won’t hear anything like this anywhere else.🔥 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👇 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