Rise Above with Kevin Lanning

Kevin Lanning
  • 4.6 (14)
  • Personal Journals
  • Updated Weekly

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.

  1. A Surgery Led To My Painkiller Addiction | What My Life Looks Like 8.5 Years Sober | Vlog Ep. 3

    8 hrs ago

    A Surgery Led To My Painkiller Addiction | What My Life Looks Like 8.5 Years Sober | Vlog Ep. 3

    Rise Above | Vlog Episode 3 A routine shoulder surgery is where my painkiller addiction began. This is what my life looks like 8.5 years sober. In this vlog I'm taking you through a real day in my life and the things that keep me grounded. We start at Tequesta Biomechanics where I train with Jessica, working on decompressing my lower back, recovering mobility in the shoulder that started it all, and undoing years of damage from poor form and old football injuries. Physical health has become a massive part of my mental health and my recovery. Then I head back to the studio, give a shout out to Ben who's been helping run the socials, and walk you through exactly what goes into prepping for every single episode — including the one fatal mistake I made that erased an entire interview, and the guest who handled it like a champion because of the program she works. I also talk about today's guest Tyler, his story of recovery, and something really important to me — why I keep the podcast and my actual program of recovery completely separate. The meetings, the step work, the sponsorship, the commitments — those come first, always. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    17 min
  2. A Heroin Addict's BRUTAL Lifestyle | Losing My Arm, Arrests and How I Found Sobriety

    1d ago

    A Heroin Addict's BRUTAL Lifestyle | Losing My Arm, Arrests and How I Found Sobriety

    Mike Debany was a fast-talking sales guy living what looked like the good life in South Florida — a fiancée, a baby on the way, money in the bank. Underneath it he was already an addict, having found his way from marijuana to the pill mills of South Florida, where a doctor in a parking lot would hand out 180 Xanax and 90 Roxys to anyone who waited long enough. Then on October 18, 2010, everything changed. Driving a Jeep overloaded with cinder blocks over a bridge under construction, he rolled the vehicle. The cinder blocks came through the windshield. He was airlifted to the hospital, spent roughly 18 hours in surgery, and didn't wake up for nearly six weeks. When he came to, one of his vocal cords was crushed, his legs had atrophied, and his right arm no longer worked — an arm he would have to amputate a year later. But as Mike tells it, the accident isn't the story. He woke up already on morphine, Dilaudid and Ativan — and what followed was years of full-blown opiate addiction, a vicious slide into heroin once the pill supply dried up, and the loss of his fiancée, his daughter, and nearly everything else. Now 7 years sober, Mike has rebuilt his relationship with his now 15-year-old daughter, bought a home, built a business, and lives a life centered on service — going to a meeting every day, sponsoring others, and carrying the message into detoxes and hospitals. This one is about how recovery is possible even when the odds are completely stacked against you. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or mental health, you don’t have to do it alone. Reach out to my partners at Compassion Behavioral Health. They offer individualized care and a full continuum of treatment. Call or Text: 844-443-5669 Visit: https://compassionbehavioralhealth.com/rise-above/ #RiseAbove #OpioidRecovery #HeroinRecovery #7YearsSober #RecoveryIsPossible #AddictionRecovery#SoberLife #Amputee #PillMill #MensRecovery #SobrietyJourney #MentalHealth #FatherhoodInRecovery#RiseAbovePodcast #KevinLanning #MikeDebany #ServiceWork #AgainstAllOdds #SoberDad #OneMoreThing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 12m
  3. I Lost My Job, My Wife & My Son To Alcohol & Oxycodone

    3d ago

    I Lost My Job, My Wife & My Son To Alcohol & Oxycodone

    From the outside Nick Johnsson had it all. Born in Sweden, educated in Australia, and based in Southeast Asia, he spent a decade climbing the corporate ladder until he was the general manager of 72 hospitals and clinics across Indonesia — one of the biggest roles of its kind in the world. And he was quietly falling apart behind the closed door of his corner office. Every promotion made him lonelier. He was drinking to control himself, working punishing hours, and slowly losing the discipline that had defined his life. When the pressure became too much he resigned, couldn't talk to his wife about why, filed for divorce, and separated himself from his five-year-old son. Isolated with no job, no marriage and no child, he gained 60 pounds and slid into a daily dependence on alcohol and oxycodone — which in Southeast Asia he could buy over the counter like popcorn. It took two days to get off the alcohol and two years to taper off the medication. Now 8 years sober, Nick is an author, speaker and entrepreneur who travels the world with his teenage son, volunteers for a suicide prevention agency, and wrote a book — Executive Loneliness — about the isolation at the top that nobody talks about. In this thoughtful and powerful episode Nick shares how he rebuilt his relationship with his son from across the world through Minecraft, why he believes loneliness is the root so many high achievers try to numb, and what it really takes to come back. This one is for every high achiever who looks successful on the outside and feels completely alone underneath. 🔔 Subscribe for new episodes every week📲 Follow Nick on LinkedIn: Nick Johnsson🌐 nickjohnsson.com📖 Executive Loneliness — available now If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or mental health, you don’t have to do it alone. Reach out to my partners at Compassion Behavioral Health. They offer individualized care and a full continuum of treatment. Call or Text: 844-443-5669 Visit: https: https://compassionbehavioralhealth.com/rise-above/ #RiseAbove #SoberLife #8YearsSober #AlcoholRecovery #ExecutiveLoneliness #HighFunctioningAlcoholic#RecoveryIsPossible #AddictionRecovery #MentalHealth #SobrietyJourney #Loneliness#FatherhoodInRecovery #RiseAbovePodcast #KevinLanning #NickJohnsson #CorporateBurnout#MensMentalHealth #SuicidePrevention #OneDayAtATime #OneMoreThing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 6m
  4. I Was A High-Functioning Drinker Who Hid It All | Losing My Mom, My Marriage & My Hair

    5d ago

    I Was A High-Functioning Drinker Who Hid It All | Losing My Mom, My Marriage & My Hair

    From the outside Christie Green looked like she had it all together. A successful career, a wide circle of friends, the person who sent the thank-you cards and remembered everyone's birthday. Nobody saw the high-functioning drinking underneath, or the grief, divorce and decades of quiet pain she was masking with it. Christie lost her hair to alopecia as a child and spent years building humor and achievement into armor so no one would look too closely. She lost her mother six years ago and describes that grief as the catalyst that sent the next chapter of her life into a tailspin. She went through a divorce, multiple miscarriages, and a long stretch of self-medicating just to avoid sitting with her own feelings. Then on one bad night out she slammed a door in a stranger's face in a crowded bar, walked home, and woke up the next morning knowing she was done. She caught herself at the crossroads. This March she celebrated one year alcohol-free. In this honest and reflective episode Christie talks about high-functioning drinking, grief, learning to sit with hard emotions instead of numbing them, and the journaling and self-worth work that carried her through her first year sober. This one is for everyone who looks fine on the outside and is quietly struggling underneath. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or mental health, you don’t have to do it alone. Reach out to my partners at Compassion Behavioral Health. They offer individualized care and a full continuum of treatment. Call or Text: 844-443-5669 Visit: https://compassionbehavioralhealth.com/rise-above/?utm_source=rise%20above&utm_medium=social%20media&utm_campaign=june #RiseAbove #SoberLife #1YearSober #HighFunctioningAlcoholic #AlcoholFree #SobrietyJourney#GriefAndHealing #WomenInRecovery #Alopecia #RecoveryIsPossible #MentalHealth #SelfWorth #SoberCurious#RiseAbovePodcast #KevinLanning #ChristieGreen #GettingSober #Journaling #OneDayAtATime #OneMoreThing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 40m
  5. I Was Drinking A Handle Of Vodka A Day & Making $50K A Month Online At 18 | Getting Sober At 21

    Jun 18

    I Was Drinking A Handle Of Vodka A Day & Making $50K A Month Online At 18 | Getting Sober At 21

    Makenzie Raine had her first panic attack at seven. She never felt comfortable in her own skin....paralyzing anxiety, constant fear, neurodivergence nobody ever addressed. Then at 12 her parents let her have a drink hoping to take the mystery out of alcohol. That same night she snuck out, finished the bottle alone and got obliterated. She describes that first drink as coming up for air for the first time in her life. By 18 she had moved to Los Angeles, was living in a penthouse pulling in $50,000 a month on a subscription platform, and was drinking a full handle of vodka a day. She became a frequent flyer at the ER for withdrawals she didn't recognize, got committed to a psych ward, and was even bringing alcohol in her backpack to the outpatient program that was supposed to be keeping her sober. She walked into her first AA meeting at 18 trying to prove she wasn't like everyone there — and heard her own story come out of a stranger's mouth. Now sober at 21 with six months back, Makenzie is building a young sober community, using her platform to reach other young people, and finally feels safe in her own skin. This one is for every young person who thinks they're too young to be an alcoholic. 🔔 Subscribe for new episodes every week📲 Follow Makenzie on social media IG: Makenzie_raine If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or mental health, you don’t have to do it alone. Reach out to my partners at Compassion Behavioral Health. They offer individualized care and a full continuum of treatment. Call or Text: 844-443-5669 Visit: https://compassionbehavioralhealth.com/?utm_source=rise%20above%20with%20kevin%20lanning&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=may #RiseAbove #YoungAndSober #SoberAt21 #AlcoholRecovery #RecoveryIsPossible #AddictionRecovery#WomenInRecovery #SoberCommunity #SobrietyJourney #MentalHealth #AnxietyAndAddiction #YouthInRecovery#RiseAbovePodcast #KevinLanning #MakenzieRaine #FunctioningAlcoholic #WalkingBlackout #SoberLife #LGBTQSober #OneMoreDay Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 16m
  6. She Started Smoking Meth At 15 | From 20 Years Homeless & Prostituting Women To 7 Years Sober

    Jun 17

    She Started Smoking Meth At 15 | From 20 Years Homeless & Prostituting Women To 7 Years Sober

    Betty Guadagno was born into a long line of addicts — poverty, chaos, eviction notices in red envelopes, and sexual trauma she carried as a small child. By 11 she was mixing drinks behind a stranger's bar. By 15 she was smoking methamphetamine. And for the next 20 years drugs were the only thing that made her feel powerful, beautiful and safe. By the end she was a homeless meth addict who had lost 100 pounds in three months, lost most of her teeth, and was manipulating and prostituting other women to fund her addiction. She had been through over a dozen detoxes and rehabs. Her own cousin — who had come forward about the same family abuse — died of a heroin overdose three days before her 21st birthday. Then Betty overdosed on her bathroom floor. And had a near-death experience that changed everything. She says she met God, was told she was worthy of all the love in the universe, and was forced into a recovery she never asked for. Now 7 years sober Betty is married to a man she met in the rooms, works as a coach helping others break free, and is living a life she never thought was possible. This one is for anyone who believes they are too far gone, too broken, or too unworthy to ever come back. 🔔 Subscribe for new episodes every week📲 Follow Betty: @goodentvgloomy Betty Guadagno was born into a long line of addicts — poverty, chaos, eviction notices in red envelopes, and sexual trauma she carried as a small child. By 11 she was mixing drinks behind a stranger's bar. By 15 she was smoking methamphetamine. And for the next 20 years drugs were the only thing that made her feel powerful, beautiful and safe.By the end she was a homeless meth addict who had lost 100 pounds in three months, lost most of her teeth, and was manipulating and prostituting other women to fund her addiction. She had been through over a dozen detoxes and rehabs. Her own cousin — who had come forward about the same family abuse — died of a heroin overdose three days before her 21st birthday.Then Betty overdosed on her bathroom floor. And had a near-death experience that changed everything. She says she met God, was told she was worthy of all the love in the universe, and was forced into a recovery she never asked for.Now 7 years sober Betty is married to a man she met in the rooms, works as a coach helping others break free, and is living a life she never thought was possible.This one is for anyone who believes they are too far gone, too broken, or too unworthy to ever come back.📲 Follow Betty: @goodentvgloomy If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or mental health, you don’t have to do it alone. Reach out to my partners at Compassion Behavioral Health. They offer individualized care and a full continuum of treatment. Call or Text: 844-443-5669 Visit: https://compassionbehavioralhealth.com/?utm_source=rise%20above%20with%20kevin%20lanning&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=may #RiseAbove #WomenInRecovery #7YearsSober #MethRecovery #HeroinRecovery #RecoveryIsPossible#AddictionRecovery #NearDeathExperience #SoberLife #TraumaRecovery #FaithAndRecovery #SobrietyJourney#MentalHealth #RiseAbovePodcast #KevinLanning #BettyGuadagno #FromHomelessToHealed #SpiritualAwakening #GodSavedMe #OneMoreDay Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 6m
  7. "I Was Cut In Half On Impact" | Pronounced Dead 3 Times, A 3.5 Week Coma & I Performed Surgery On Myself

    Jun 15

    "I Was Cut In Half On Impact" | Pronounced Dead 3 Times, A 3.5 Week Coma & I Performed Surgery On Myself

    Jerry Lucey beat opioid addiction in 2018. Then in 2020 a motorcycle accident cut his body open from his heel to his chest. He was pronounced dead three times. He spent three and a half weeks in a coma and had a near-death experience he still can't fully explain. In this follow up episode Jerry reveals what wasn't covered the first time — going septic during recovery and nearly dying again, over 100 blood transfusions in a single night, 68 surgeries, five years in a wheelchair, and the moment he woke up from his coma believing he had already died and gone somewhere else entirely. He also shares the unbelievable update from just the last few months — a hip replacement, a knee replacement, breaking his own femur after forgetting his leg wasn't fully reconnected, and performing emergency self surgery at home with a razor blade rather than going back to the hospital and risking opioids again. Doctors said he wouldn't survive. Then they said he would be blind. Then they said his body would never work again. He is still here. And he is still going. Jerry Lucey beat opioid addiction in 2018. Then in 2020 a motorcycle accident cut his body open from his heel to his chest. He was pronounced dead three times. He spent three and a half weeks in a coma and had a near-death experience he still can't fully explain.In this follow up episode Jerry reveals what wasn't covered the first time — going septic during recovery and nearly dying again, over 100 blood transfusions in a single night, 68 surgeries, five years in a wheelchair, and the moment he woke up from his coma believing he had already died and gone somewhere else entirely.He also shares the unbelievable update from just the last few months — a hip replacement, a knee replacement, breaking his own femur after forgetting his leg wasn't fully reconnected, and performing emergency self surgery at home with a razor blade rather than going back to the hospital and risking opioids again.Doctors said he wouldn't survive. Then they said he would be blind. Then they said his body would never work again.He is still here. And he is still going. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or mental health, you don’t have to do it alone. Reach out to my partners at Compassion Behavioral Health. They offer individualized care and a full continuum of treatment. Call or Text: 844-443-5669 Visit: https://compassionbehavioralhealth.com/?utm_source=rise%20above%20with%20kevin%20lanning&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=may #RiseAbove #MiracleStory #OpioidRecovery #MotorcycleAccident #SurvivalStory #RecoveryIsPossible#AddictionRecovery #NearDeathExperience #SoberLife #MedicalMiracle #RiseAbovePodcast #KevinLanning#JerryLucey #PronouncedDead #AgainstAllOdds #TraumaSurvivor #MentalHealth #GratitudeInRecovery #PartTwo#OneMoreDay Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    49 min
  8. I Drank a Liter & a Half Of Vodka Every Night & Still Told Myself I Didn't Have A Problem

    Jun 13

    I Drank a Liter & a Half Of Vodka Every Night & Still Told Myself I Didn't Have A Problem

    Matthew Polimeno was six years old when he climbed into his mother's bed and woke up next to her body. She had gotten sober through AA. Then a car accident led to an OxyContin prescription. And then she was gone. Growing up without her Matthew watched his father hold everything together while carrying a grief nobody talked about. He went to AA meetings as a kid without understanding why. And then at 16 he had his first drink — and immediately understood exactly what his mother had been chasing. By his worst stretch Matthew was drinking a liter and a half of vodka every single night. Shaking so badly at work he could barely function. Googling urgent cares while blackout drunk at 1pm on a Sunday. By some miracle a substance abuse hotline appeared in his search results instead. Now 16 months sober Matthew is doing the work — the steps the sponsor the hard look in the mirror — and building a life he never thought was possible. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or mental health, you don’t have to do it alone. Reach out to my partners at Compassion Behavioral Health. They offer individualized care and a full continuum of treatment. Call or Text: 844-443-5669 Visit: https://compassionbehavioralhealth.com/?utm_source=rise%20above%20with%20kevin%20lanning&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=may #RiseAbove #SoberLife #16MonthsSober #AlcoholRecovery #RecoveryIsPossible #AddictionRecovery#ChildOfAnAddict #OxycodoneOverdose #GriefAndAddiction #MentalHealth #SobrietyJourney #WomenInRecovery#LGBTQSober #RiseAbovePodcast #KevinLanning #MatthewPolimeno #MomInRecovery #GenerationalTrauma#FunctioningAlcoholic #OneMoreDay Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 18m
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Ratings & Reviews

4.6
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Kevin Lanning
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    298
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Rise Above with Kevin Lanning

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