This episode of the Bare Knuckle Recovery Podcast features a powerful conversation with Brenda Gerber Vincent, the Chief Growth Officer at Greater Fort Wayne, Inc.

Brenda joins Tommy Streeter and Nate Moellering to pull back the curtain on what it means to lead a high-stakes professional career while maintaining long-term recovery.

"It’s my struggles, not my successes, that have made me who I am." - Brenda Gerber-Vincent

What happens when a high-achieving professional, a board chair, and a mother realizes that her "stealth" dependency on alcohol is no longer manageable?

In Episode 38, Brenda Gerber-Vincent shares her journey from the "golden age" of Allen County economic development to the quiet descent into chaos that nearly cost her everything.

Brenda discusses the "evolution of sharing" her story and why she eventually traded the safety of a mask for the freedom of the truth. From her defining moment sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with her mother to her competitive drive to "win" at recovery, this episode is a masterclass in discipline, humility, and the power of second chances.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Myth of the Mask: Why successful professionals are often the best at hiding their struggles and the fear of "losing it all".
• "No More Stories": The pivotal moment Brenda decided to be honest with her children and her community.
• Treatment over Termination: Why businesses need a healthy workforce to thrive and how to support employees through recovery.
• MODIS (Miracles on the Other Side): The mentoring group Brenda founded to support professional women in their own recovery journeys.
• The Discipline of Recovery: How the same skills that keep Brenda sober for 18 years make her a better leader in the business world.

And much more! You can watch this episode on YouTube by searching for Bare Knuckle Recovery or find all of our episodes on bareknucklerecovery.com

Watch this episode and all past episodes here: https://www.bareknucklerecovery.com/

In this meaningful episode, Zach Dawson and Bob Springer sit down with Becky Savage, a nurse, mother, and the founder of the 525 Foundation. Becky shares the heart-wrenching story of a single night in 2015 that changed her family forever: the loss of her two eldest sons, Nick and Jack, to accidental drug overdoses during graduation party season.

Becky describes the harrowing morning she discovered her sons and the "out of body experience" of performing CPR on her own child while paramedics responded to a second 911 call from the same house.

We discuss the hidden dangers of prescription drug misuse, the "gap in knowledge" that still exists today, and how Becky and her husband moved forward by focusing on their two younger sons while turning their grief into a mission of advocacy.

We also dive deep into the origins of the 525 Foundation - named after Nick and Jack’s hockey numbers - and how a simple idea from her then 11-year-old son grew into a nationally recognized nonprofit. Becky explains the foundation’s "Wise Up" program, which provides parents and educators with the facts and conversation starters needed to bridge the communication gap with youth.

Join us for an essential conversation on prevention, education, and the life-saving power of simply starting a dialogue.

🎧 By the way, you can listen to this episode, or any past episode, on your preferred podcast platform. 👀 Or, you can watch the episodes on our website or by searching Bare Knuckle Recovery on YouTube.

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📝 Key Topics Covered in this episode:

The "Normal" Sunday Morning: Becky walks through the surreal experience of losing two sons in one night and the "prophecy" of watching them sleep.

The Danger of the Unknown: Exploring how a lack of conversation about prescription drug misuse led to a fatal mistake.

The Birth of 525: How a handful of memorial bracelets became the "seed money" for a foundation dedicated to prevention.

"God Winks": The incredible story of how the foundation received its official 501c3 status on May 25th (5/25).

Practical Prevention: Refusal skills, "exit plans," and why parents should treat leftover medication like a "loaded gun" on the counter.

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🔗 To learn more about the 525 Foundation, visit: https://www.525foundation.org/

👊 To watch and/or listen to past episodes of the Bare Knuckle Recovery podcast, or to reach out to our team, visit: https://www.bareknucklerecovery.com/

Watch this episode and all past episodes here: https://www.bareknucklerecovery.com/

In this episode of the Bare Knuckle Recovery Podcast, Zach Dawson and Bob Springer kick Nate and Tommy out of the studio to take over the mics to speak directly to the two groups of people who reach out to them the most: moms and significant others.

Zach and Bob dive deep into the wreckage caused by active addiction, sharing vulnerable stories about the manipulation, lies, and fear they inflicted on the women who loved them most. They discuss the long, difficult road to rebuilding trust, emphasizing that sobriety is just the beginning... true recovery requires a complete change in behavior and integrity.

Later in the episode, the conversation shifts to the realities of working in the recovery field. The hosts open up about the toll the job takes on their families, the necessity of accountability among teammates, and how they navigate the fine line between helping others and being present for their own homes.

In this episode, we cover:

• The addict vs. the partner: How relationships survive the chaos and the transition into a healthy, sober dynamic.
• Rebuilding trust: Why "just trusting" an addict doesn't work and why it takes years of consistent action to repair the damage.
• The mother-son bond: Bob shares a touching story about taking his mother to breakfast with his own money and the redemption of being present for her when she passed away.
• The "monster" of addiction: Understanding how drugs change a person's personality and why they lash out at the people they love most.
• Accountability on the front lines: A raw look at how the BKR team supports each other, including a story about finding a stash of drugs on a job and relying on teammates to do the right thing.

Whether you are a mother, father, a spouse, or someone in recovery trying to make amends, this episode offers a message of hope: don't give up, because people can and do change.

Watch this episode and all past episodes here: https://www.bareknucklerecovery.com/