Narcissists, Sociopaths & the Psychology of Manipulation | Aishia Grevenberg

Chris Herren is a former NBA player, recovery advocate, speaker, and founder of Herren Project and Herren Wellness. After a highly public battle with addiction, Chris rebuilt his life through recovery and has now been sober for 18 years. Today, he works with individuals and families struggling with substance use, leads prevention and recovery initiatives, and speaks across the country about addiction, healing, mental health, and what it really takes to build a sustainable life in recovery. Today on the show we discuss: why learning to live sober can be harder than getting sober, the alarming rise of marijuana psychosis in young adults, why community and longer treatment can change recovery outcomes, how Chris came dangerously close to relapse after 15 years sober, the therapy and family work that helped him heal years of shame, and why slowing down and surrounding yourself with the right people may be the key to lasting recovery and much more. Today's sponsor: ⁠⁠⁠Waking Up ⁠⁠⁠ Join me on my meditation journey and get your free 14-day trial here: ⁠⁠https://wakingup.sjv.io/B5V291 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dan Churchill is a chef, athlete, and content creator known for blending food, fitness, and performance. A longtime advocate for making healthy eating enjoyable and sustainable, Dan combines his culinary background with his passion for endurance and hybrid training, including Ironman and HYROX competition. Through his recipes, content, and coaching philosophy, he helps people fuel their bodies, perform at a higher level, and build healthier habits for life. Today on the show, we discuss how to build muscle without gaining unnecessary body fat, why chasing performance may build a better physique than obsessing over aesthetics, whether cardio actually kills your gains and how to balance strength with endurance, how to eat for muscle, fat loss, performance, and longevity without living on a restrictive diet, why training harder isn’t always better and how poor recovery can sabotage your progress, and how consistency, realistic goals, and finding your deeper motivation can transform your health for life and much more. This episode is brought to you by: ⁠⁠MOMENTOUS⁠⁠: Try their new Signature Spec Creatine and use code ADVERSITY for up to 35% off your entire first order: ⁠⁠https://www.livemomentous.com⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aishia Grevenberg, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker, therapist, professor, and mental health educator with more than 20 years of experience. Her work focuses on relationships, manipulation, narcissism, sociopathy, emotional regulation, trauma, and helping people better understand unhealthy behavioral patterns so they can protect their mental health and build healthier relationships. Today on the show we discuss the #1 sign you may already be getting manipulated, why manipulators use praise and attention to hook you, the key differences between narcissists psychopaths and sociopaths, how toxic relationships can become an emotional addiction, the subtle ways controlling people isolate you and break down your boundaries, and how to break free rebuild trust in yourself and recognize healthier love and much more. Today's sponsor: ⁠⁠Waking Up ⁠⁠ Join me on my meditation journey and get your free 14-day trial here: ⁠https://wakingup.sjv.io/B5V291 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Maddi Reese is a reality TV personality, DJ, and cast member of Southern Hospitality. After first drinking at 12, she entered treatment at 16 and ultimately got sober as a teenager after multiple attempts at rehab. Today on the show: Maddi shares how drinking started at 12, rehab at 16 made her addiction worse, and why her real rock bottom didn’t come until 90 days sober. She also opens up about the reality TV drama that destroyed her mental health and what finally helped her rebuild and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Joey Munoz is a nutrition and fitness expert with a PhD in Nutritional Sciences from Florida State University and the founder and CEO of Strong Standard Coaching. He specializes in helping everyday people lose fat, build muscle, and improve their health through practical, evidence-based nutrition, strength training, and lifestyle strategies designed to create lasting results. Today on the show we discuss: why most people can lose weight but struggle to keep it off, why improving body composition matters more than chasing a number on the scale, how to lose fat without sacrificing muscle, why calorie tracking and moderation can create more freedom around food, when health optimization crosses the line into health anxiety, how to build muscle with a simple training plan that actually fits into a busy life and much more. This episode is brought to you by: ⁠MOMENTOUS⁠: Try their new Signature Spec Creatine and use code ADVERSITY for up to 35% off your entire first order: ⁠https://www.livemomentous.com⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Ferrugio is the host of the DEAD Talks podcast and author of You’re Not Dead Yet. After losing his father in the World Trade Center attacks on 9/11 at just 12 years old, David turned his experience with grief into a mission to help others navigate loss, death, healing, and what it means to truly live. Through hundreds of conversations with guests ranging from near-death experiencers to grief experts, he explores the lessons adversity can teach us about presence, purpose, love, and life. Today on the show we discuss David’s experience losing his father in the Twin Towers on 9/11, why grief can still feel fresh 25 years later, how vulnerability and emotional expression helped him heal, what near-death experiences have taught him about death and the possibility of an afterlife, why letting go of control and staying present can change how we live, and how turning pain into purpose can honor the people we’ve lost and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rosebud Baker is a comedian, writer, and author known for her dark, deeply personal style of comedy. Nearly 20 years sober, she often draws from her experiences with addiction, grief, motherhood, relationships, and rebuilding her life through adversity. Today on the show, we discuss: navigating divorce while your life is still unraveling, the conflict between motherhood and career, why community is essential for long-term sobriety, Rosebud’s rock-bottom moment and nearly 20 years in recovery, how to rebuild your life by stacking small wins, and what losing her sister taught her about grief, guilt, and becoming someone new and much more. Today's sponsor: ⁠Waking Up ⁠ Join me on my meditation journey and get your free 14-day trial here: https://wakingup.sjv.io/B5V291 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Darren G. Candow, Ph.D., CSEP-CEP, FISSN is a Professor and Director of the Aging Muscle and Bone Health Laboratory, Director of Research for the Athlete Health and Performance Initiative and past Associate Dean-Graduate Studies and Research in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies at the University of Regina, Canada. Today on the show, we discuss whether creatine has become overhyped, how much creatine you actually need for muscle and brain health, when higher doses may help with stress and sleep deprivation, what the research says about fat loss and healthy aging, the emerging evidence around depression and Alzheimer’s, and how to choose a high-quality creatine supplement. This episode is brought to you by: MOMENTOUS: Try their new Signature Spec Creatine and use code ADVERSITY for up to 35% off your entire first order: https://www.livemomentous.com⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steve-O (Stephen Glover) is a stunt performer, comedian, and entertainer best known for his iconic role in Jackass. After years of addiction and self-destructive behavior, he got sober in 2008 and completely rebuilt his life. Today, he’s focused on comedy, health and fitness, his career, and caring for animals at his Tennessee sanctuary.Today on the show we discuss: why Steve-O never thought he’d live past 30, how getting sober completely changed the trajectory of his life, the surprising origins of Jackass and his obsession with being remembered, how health and fitness became a major priority in his 50s, the role accountability and forgiveness played in overcoming years of shame, and why he believes phone addiction, comparison, and a loss of faith are making modern life harder than ever and much more. Special thanks to Mosaic Asset Partners for letting us record in your beautiful conference room. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Patrick Teahan is a childhood trauma therapist, educator, and content creator known for helping people understand how dysfunctional family systems shape mental health, relationships, addiction, and emotional patterns in adulthood. Drawing from both his professional experience and his own recovery from childhood trauma and addiction, Patrick makes complex psychological concepts accessible through practical, relatable language. His work focuses on childhood trauma recovery, inner child work, dysfunctional family rules, emotional neglect, boundaries, estrangement, and rebuilding a healthier sense of self. Today on the show we discuss: refrigerator buzz depression and how to recognize it, how childhood trauma fuels addiction and emotional shutdown, the hidden family rules that shape adult relationships, when estrangement from a parent may be necessary, how to rebuild damaged family relationships with boundaries and realistic expectations, how trauma therapy and inner child work can help you heal and much more. Today's sponsor: ⁠⁠Waking Up ⁠⁠ Join me on my meditation journey and get your free 14-day trial here: ⁠⁠https://wakingup.go2cloud.org/SH1L⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices