In episode 50 of F The Stigma Podcast, host Laisha Martinez sits down with Faust Castellanos, who shares a powerful and deeply vulnerable conversation about trauma, addiction, faith, and recovery. Known for his appearance on Soft White Underbelly and several other podcasts, as well as his work as a pastor, clinical therapist, and founder of a peptide company, Fausto opens up about the sexual abuse he endured during his adolescent years and how that unresolved trauma led him to drugs and alcohol at just 14 years old. He shares candidly about overdoses, traumatic experiences, and hitting rock bottom in his early twenties before finally choosing sobriety and rebuilding his life from the ground up. Now thriving in recovery and helping others through faith, therapy, and entrepreneurship, Fausto explains why sharing his story publicly has been one of the most empowering and healing experiences of his life. This episode dives deep into childhood trauma, substance abuse, overcoming shame, getting sober, faith based healing, and what it truly means to transform pain into purpose. Chapters | 00:00 Intro & Purpose of the Podcast 01:00 Meet Foster: Therapist, Influencer, Speaker 02:00 Motivation & Overcoming Adversity 04:00 Early Life: Trauma, Addiction, and Pain 07:30 Alcohol, Drugs & Escaping Anxieties 12:00 Teen Addiction & Spiraling Out 18:00 Progression of Substances & Deepening Struggles 22:00 Narcissistic Abuse Explained 26:00 Rock Bottom: Overdoses & Seizures 29:00 Attempts at Normalcy & Cycles of Toxic Relationships 34:30 Escalation: Heavier Use & Isolation 38:00 Reaching Out for Help & First Spiritual Experience 41:00 Entering Recovery: AA, Social Media & Vulnerability 46:00 Religion, Spirituality, and Recovery 55:00 Overcoming Trauma: Forgiveness & Growth 01:00:00 Addiction as a Disease and Relapse 01:02:00 Final Thoughts on Recovery and Resilience 01:03:00 Outro: Reflections and Gratitude Follow us! I Instagram | https://instagram.com/fukthestigma TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@fthestigma Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/FTStigma Tags in this video ↓ fthestigma, podcast, addiction, recovery, trauma, anxiety, depression, ptsd, mentalhealth, mentalillness, nonprofit, vulnerability, youth, healthandwellness, god, sobriety, relapse, treatment, loss, grief, addicts, recovery, addict, relationships, psychological, experience, spiritual, spirituality, alcoholic, addiction recovery, insanity, psychosis, story, neglect, jail, prescription, alcoholic, alcoholism, treatment, diagnosis, prison, criminal, psychology, doctor, dealer, baltimore diagnosis, felony, felonies, forgiveness, spiritual, DUI#fthestigma #podcast #addiction #overdoseawareness #nonprofit #mentalhealth #mentalillness #recovery #criminal #addictionrecovery #addict
