The Shane Vitko Podcast | The Hard Way Home

The Shane Vitko Podcast
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This is a show about redemption and real life. From prison cells to family dinners, from addiction to peace, I sit down with people who've walked the hard road and found their way back. Through honest conversations and raw humor, we explore what it means to rebuild, heal, and continue fighting for a better life.

Episodes

  1. FEB 3

    Breathwork, Nervous System Reset | Healing, High Performance | The Shane Vitko Podcast EP 12

    In Episode 12 of The Shane Vitko Podcast, I sit down with my good friend Jack Campbell, retired NHL goalie, for something completely different.Instead of walking through Jack’s hard way home, we recorded immediately following Jack’s first real breathwork session and unpack what actually comes up when the body finally lets go.Jack opens up about the pressure of always performing, never cracking, and carrying everything on his shoulders as a high-level athlete. He talks about feeling emotions move through his body that he didn’t even know he’d been holding onto.Shane breaks down what breathwork is doing physically, why hands lock up, why yawning happens, and how the nervous system starts resetting when it finally feels safe.Then comes the moment that hits hardest.Jack shares about losing his puppy unexpectedly, how close he came to ending his life, and how that grief surfaced during the session in a way he’d never experienced before.This episode is about release.About slowing down after a lifetime of pushing.About doing real work instead of running from what you feel.If you’ve spent your life staying strong and holding it together, this one’s for you.This is breathwork.

    23 min

  2. JAN 27

    Addiction, Recovery, Leadership | Trust, Fatherhood, Redemption | The Shane Vitko Podcast EP 11

    In Episode 11 of The Shane Vitko Podcast, Shane sits down with his best friend George Wozniak, now CEO of Ryan Aviation Group. The two got sober together in Los Angeles, and this one is a full-circle conversation about what it really takes to rebuild a life after addiction. George takes us back to Minnesota, growing up around recovery, family interventions, and the early warning signs he didn’t understand yet. He opens up about the first times he drank and got high, the chase for “more,” and how pills and opioid addiction took over after surgeries. Then comes the moment you won’t forget: George tells the story of using his black lab’s pee to try to pass a drug test, and how that insanity became the turning point that finally got him to say, “I need help.” From treatment to West Side LA recovery, Shane and George break down why that community worked, why “men of action” mattered, and how real change happens when you stop talking and start doing. They get into time, trust, rebuilding a marriage, showing up as a father, and how George went from early sobriety fear to leading a company without lying to himself about what “balance” really means. If you’re listening and you feel too far gone, this episode is for you. There’s a way out, but it’s earned, not announced.

    1h 16m

  3. JAN 13

    From Incarceration to Identity | Addiction, Reentry, Survival | The Shane Vitko Podcast EP 10

    In this episode, I sit down with Sabrena Morgan for a conversation that doesn’t flinch from the reality of addiction, eating disorders, incarceration, and survival. Sabrena shares what it was like living a double life long before drugs entered the picture, how control, body image, and trauma shaped her choices, and what it meant to finally lose everything in a very public way. This isn’t a story about redemption as a highlight reel. It’s about what happens after the consequences hit and the cameras are gone. We talk about prison, identity, and the strange disorientation of reentry, where freedom doesn’t feel free and the people who love you no longer speak your language. Sabrena explains the loneliness of coming home and why leaving prison can feel like losing your last sense of belonging. This conversation goes deep into accountability without shame, survival without glamor, and recovery that doesn’t fit into a neat box. Sabrena reflects on being shot and living, wanting to die and staying alive anyway, and how rebuilding a life sometimes starts with accepting that you’re still here for reasons you don’t yet understand. We don’t sanitize addiction or romanticize suffering. We talk about the long road of rebuilding trust, learning how to live in your body again, and deciding who you are after the worst chapter becomes public record. This episode is about identity, consequence, resilience, and what it really means to come home to yourself when there’s no applause waiting. Instagram:@svthehardway @warriorwithinhale TikTok: @svthehardway @sabrenamorgan

    1h 27m

  4. JAN 6

    From Loving to Letting Go | Addiction, Boundaries, Loss | The Shane Vitko Podcast EP 9

    In this episode, I sit down with Joanna Miranda, a single mom of five and a health and fitness coach, for a conversation that doesn’t look away from the damage addiction leaves behind. Joanna shares what it was like to love a man who was struggling, navigate military life, and carry the weight of decisions no spouse ever wants to make. This isn’t a story about fixing someone. It’s about what happens when love alone isn’t enough. We talk about boundaries, self-respect, and the difference between supporting someone and losing yourself in the process. Joanna speaks honestly about the grief that comes before death, the kind that shows up while the person you love is still breathing. She also shares how addiction doesn’t just affect the individual, but quietly reshapes the entire family, especially the kids. This conversation goes deep into detaching from outcomes, telling the truth even when it hurts, and choosing yourself without guilt. Joanna reflects on what suffering taught her, how her children became her teachers in resilience, and why facing uncomfortable truths was the only way forward. We don’t romanticize recovery or loss here. We talk about the real cost of staying, the real cost of leaving, and what it means to find your way back to yourself after everything falls apart. This episode is about love, loss, accountability, and learning how to come home to yourself when someone you love never makes it home. Instagram: Shane Vitko @svthehardway @warriorwithinhale Instagram: Joanna Miranda @gogether_academy Website: https://bio.site/gogetheracademy

    1h 39m

  5. 12/30/2025

    From Mob Ties to Helping Others | Opiates, Violence, Recovery | The Shane Vitko Podcast EP 8

    Ronnie Costa joins The Shane Vitko Podcast for a brutally honest conversation about what happens when the streets raise you, violence becomes currency, and survival turns into a full-time identity. Ronnie grew up in Providence, Rhode Island, surrounded by mob culture, reputation, and a pressure cooker standard of what it meant to be a man. He talks about chasing respect, earning a name, and how crime became his first addiction long before drugs ever showed up. Then OxyContin hit New England, and everything shifted. What started as an escape turned into a trap. Ronnie explains why he says opiates “saved” his life at first, because getting strung out kept him out of the neighborhood and away from the violence that was going to get him killed. But that same escape turns into heroin, the needle, losing everything, and sleeping wherever he could to make it through the night. This episode isn’t about glamorizing any of it. It’s about the lie that you’re still in control, the moment the runway runs out, and what it takes to rebuild when your life is already labeled a liability. We get into shame, identity, the tough guy mask, relapses, and why moving 3,500 miles away actually mattered for him, not as a magic fix, but because he finally did the inner work too. Ronnie also breaks down what he’s seen in the treatment industry, why ethics matter, and why he refuses to “babysit” clients just to keep a check coming. If you’ve ever felt like your life sentence is already written, this episode is for you. Instagram: @svthehardway @ronniecosta333 @counselingunlmtd https://www.counselingunlmtd.com

    1 hr

  6. 12/23/2025

    From the Ice to the Edge | Addiction, Identity, Recovery | The Shane Vitko Podcast EP 7

    Former NHL All-Star Sheldon Souray joins The Shane Vitko Podcast for a raw conversation about how quickly life can unravel when identity, pain, and access collide. Sheldon opens up about a progression most people never see coming. Pills that started as “just in case” turned into daily survival. What felt controlled became brutal. Relationships fell apart. Self-respect disappeared. And the lie that more would finally make things right kept winning until it didn’t. This episode is not about hockey highlights or career accolades. It’s about what happens when the uniform comes off, the noise fades, and you’re left alone with yourself. We talk about addiction, the mindset of excess, the cost of unchecked behavior, and the moment denial stops working. If you’ve ever told yourself “I’ve got this” while everything around you was quietly burning, this episode will hit close to home. This is a conversation about accountability, recovery, and what it actually takes to come back when your life goes off the rails. Instagram: @svthehardway @sheldonsouray44 #SheldonSouray #NHLStories #AddictionRecovery

    1h 10m

  7. 12/16/2025

    Earned, Not Announced | Patterns, Sobriety, Accountability | The Shane Vitko Podcast EP 6

    In this episode of The Shane Vitko Podcast, I break down why sobriety isn’t proven by days counted, but by patterns changed. Early recovery can make you want praise and trust fast, but real accountability is earned quietly over time. I talk about rebuilding trust, stopping performative sobriety, and why consistency matters more than announcements. If you’re in early recovery or trying to repair damaged relationships, this episode is for you. 🎧 Listen on Spotify & YouTube📲 Follow: @svthehardway | @warriorwithinhale

    30 min

  8. 12/09/2025

    Chaos to Creativity w/ Jay Mac "BACK" | Boston Graffiti & Recovery | EP 5

    In Episode 5 of The Shane Vitko Podcast, Chaos to Creativity, I sit down with Boston graffiti artist Jason “Jay Mac” McDonald, better known in the streets as BACK. We talk about growing up on Section 8, a mom in addiction, bouncing from city to city, and what it does to a kid to always feel like the outsider in towns where everyone else has two parents and hockey gear.Jay walks through the first time he stole at eight years old, how tagging with white-out behind a brick building turned into a full graffiti identity, and how his name BACK became “Bad Ass City Kid.” From there, we get into opiates turning into IV heroin, denial, crime, and the moment he finally had to admit to himself that he was hooked. He shares how art and adrenaline saved his life, how recovery and treatment work gave that energy somewhere to go, and how he built a career painting massive murals while helping addicts in the trenches.We also get into the stuff most people never see: fear, rage, ego, shame, and what it really takes for men like us to pick up the phone and tell another guy, “I’m not okay.” We talk about relapse after eight and a half years clean, losing friends to overdose, building a life as a dad and creator, and what it feels like to pull into your own driveway and realize you were supposed to be dead or doing life, but somehow you are here, sober and trusted. If you have ever felt like you already ruined your life and there is no way back, this episode is for you.Guest: Jason “Jay Mac” McDonald aka BACKInstagram: @the_backstah#svthehardway #TheShaneVitkoPodcast #ChaosToCreativity #JayMac #TheBackstah #bostongraffiti #graffitilife #streetart #addictionrecovery #realrecovery #soberlife #mensmentalhealth #traumasurvivor #healingjourney #streetstories #podcastsonyoutube #podcastsonspotify #podcastsonapple #podcastsonamazonmusic

    1h 8m

  9. 12/02/2025

    When The Fog Lifted | Breathwork, Clarity, Relapse | EP 4

    In Episode 4 of The Shane Vitko Podcast, “When The Fog Lifted,” I go back to the moment everything cracked open for me.The first time I ever did breathwork, something shifted. Not dramatically, not with fireworks, but in a quiet way that made me think maybe I wasn’t doomed. Maybe there was a shot at something better. That moment of clarity was the first break in the chaos I’d lived in for years.I also talk about the first time I hit one year sober — and how chasing perfection almost killed me. I relapsed not because I was weak, but because I believed sobriety meant being flawless. That pressure buried me. It took falling apart to realize recovery isn’t about never messing up. It’s about learning how to be human without running.If you’ve ever felt like you had to hold everything together just to stay clean, this one will hit exactly where it needs to.📺 YouTube: https://youtube.com/@svthehardwayInstagram: @svthehardway | @warriorwithinhale#svthehardway #TheShaneVitkoPodcast #TheHardWayHome #breathwork #realrecovery #soberlife #healingjourney #mensmentalhealth #podcastsonyoutube #podcastsonspotify #podcastsonamazonmusic

    28 min

  10. 11/25/2025

    The Price of Rage | Anger, Trauma, Identity | EP 3

    In Episode 3 of The Shane Vitko Podcast, “The Price of Rage,” I talk about the years where anger ran my life and the damage that came with it.From school suspensions and fights to boot camp, deployment, and the fallout in my relationships, I break down the truth behind living with a short fuse. Rage didn’t make me strong. It made me isolated. It made me unpredictable. It pushed away the people who actually cared about me. This episode isn’t about glorifying any of it — it’s about being honest about the wreckage and the work it takes to stop carrying your pain like a weapon.If you’ve ever felt like anger was the only language you knew, this one will land.📺 YouTube: https://youtube.com/@svthehardwayInstagram: @svthehardway | @warriorwithinhale#svthehardway #TheShaneVitkoPodcast #TheHardWayHome #realrecovery #veteran #mentalhealth #anger #trauma #healingjourney #podcastsonyoutube #podcastsonspotify #podcastsonamazonmusic

    35 min

  11. 11/18/2025

    The War Within | Trauma, Identity, Recovery | EP 2

    In Episode 2 of The Shane Vitko Podcast, “The War Within,” I talk about the fight most men never speak about — the battle between who we show the world and who we really are underneath the armor.For most of my life, I thought strength meant shutting up, stuffing emotion, and muscling through anything that hurt. That mask kept me alive in the environments I grew up in… but it also kept me from knowing myself. In this episode, I break down how that survival mode followed me into adulthood, how sobriety ripped the mask off, whether I wanted it or not, and what it actually takes to stop performing and start living.If you’ve ever felt like you’re carrying armor just to get through the day, this one will hit home.Topics in this episode:• Growing up tough and hiding emotion• How trauma trains us to perform instead of live• Sobriety, healing, and rebuilding identity• What happens when you finally drop the armor📺 YouTube: https://youtube.com/@svthehardway?si=87FcYF4NhYrHelfdInstagram: @svthehardway | @warriorwithinhale#svthehardway #TheShaneVitkoPodcast #TheHardWayHome #realrecovery #mensmentalhealth #sobriety #healingjourney #veteran #trauma #breathwork #podcastsonyoutube #podcastsonspotify #podcastsonamazonmusic

    37 min

  12. 11/11/2025

    I’m Done Wishing | Starting Over, Recovery, Rebuilding | EP 1

    In Episode 1 of The Shane Vitko Podcast, “I’m Done Wishing,” I talk about the years I spent telling myself I’d start again “someday” — and why that day finally came.I break down what pulled me off the path, what happened after Deviant Gentlemen, and the exact moment I realized I was done waiting for permission to rebuild my life. This first episode sets the tone for The Hard Way Home — honesty, recovery, real change, and the uncomfortable work it takes to become the man you were supposed to be.If you've ever felt stuck, lost, or like your second chance might not come, this one will hit home.📺 Subscribe on YouTube / Instagram: @svthehardway#svthehardway #theshanevitkopodcast #realrecovery #mensmentalhealth #soberlife #healingjourney #podcastsonamazonmusic #podcastsonyoutube #podcastsonspotify

    21 min
  • 12 Episodes

About

This is a show about redemption and real life. From prison cells to family dinners, from addiction to peace, I sit down with people who've walked the hard road and found their way back. Through honest conversations and raw humor, we explore what it means to rebuild, heal, and continue fighting for a better life.

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