Never Lose Hope with Tennille Heitkamp

Tennille Heitkamp joins Pondoff’s Anonymous to share the long, painful, and hopeful story of walking through addiction with her son, Jacob. What starts as a conversation about Underground and finding the right support community turns into a brutally honest look at what addiction does to an entire family.

Tennille talks about Jacob’s childhood, ADHD, early struggles to fit in, his exposure to pills and fentanyl, emergency room visits, detox, sober living, relapse, and the emotional chaos that came with trying to keep him alive. She also opens up about the toll it took on her, her marriage, her other son, and her own mental health as she tried to hold everything together.

But this episode is not just about the darkness. It is also about not giving up. Tennille shares how Jacob eventually found real help, how Florida became a turning point, how he is now six months sober, and how hope slowly started to return. The conversation also highlights Tennille’s work with Addiction is Real, where she now helps other families recognize warning signs, find resources, and feel less alone.

This episode is for parents, loved ones, and anyone who has ever felt exhausted by addiction and wondered if things can still get better.

Sponsored by:

McKelvey Insurance Group — https://www.mckelveyins.com

LightSource Psychotherapy — https://findyourlightsource.com

00:00 Sponsor message: McKelvey Insurance Group + LightSource

00:56 Theme song

01:30 Welcome and meeting Tennille

06:48 How Tennille found Underground

09:16 Trying different support spaces until something fits

12:12 Creating a safe place for scared newcomers

15:27 Underground becomes bigger than anyone expected

17:42 Why Chris wanted Tennille to tell this story

18:43 Jacob, Jayden, and the beginning of the family story

24:02 Jacob’s childhood, diagnoses, surgeries, and early struggles

30:38 High school football, wanting to fit in, and pills

32:16 First exposure to fentanyl

33:34 Moving out, chasing belonging, and things unraveling

40:12 The first major fentanyl scare and ER trip

42:09 Detox, sober living, and the insurance nightmare

58:30 Family disease, shame, and trying to fix everything

1:01:33 Learning boundaries and finding family support

1:21:08 Another sober living setback

1:25:39 Airport chaos and getting Jacob back to treatment

1:30:54 New Jersey, sober living, and another return home

1:33:21 A good stretch, then relapse again

1:37:05 Hospital scare and the move to Florida

1:38:05 Florida treatment and meeting Emily

1:40:21 Six months sober and a different future

1:42:48 Tennille’s work with Addiction is Real

1:50:39 How Jacob is doing now

1:53:55 Credits

1:54:26 Light in the Dark coffee outro

Content Note: This episode contains discussion of suicide, addiction, and mental health.

Julie Wiseman with her friend (also) Julie

Thanks to our sponsors:

McKelvey Insurance Group

http://mckelveyins.com

LightSource

http://FindYourLightSource.com

In this episode of Pondoff’s Anonymous, Chris and Zoë sit down with Julie Wiseman, joined by her friend Dee, for a deeply honest conversation about grief, learning differences, addiction, and the long shadow of shame. Julie shares the story of her son Nick, from early struggles with dyslexia and anxiety to the deeper mental health and substance use battles that followed, and the devastating reality of losing him to suicide.

Along the way, the conversation opens up into something even bigger… parenting fear, the pressure kids carry, the gaps in support for teens and families, and the kind of community that can help people feel less alone. Julie talks about creating Nick’s Beautiful Angels, Zoë reflects on her own experience with dyslexia and ADHD, and the group keeps coming back to a simple truth… isolation makes everything worse, and honest connection matters.

Chapters:

00:00 Navigating Personal Challenges

02:51 Understanding Learning Differences

12:15 The Impact of ADHD and Dyslexia

20:51 Social Connections and Communication

32:06 The Role of Support Systems

40:19 Exploring Addiction and Recovery

49:48 The Importance of Open Conversations

59:48 Coping with Isolation and Pressure

01:09:49 Finding Joy in Everyday Life

01:19:33 The Journey of Self-Discovery

01:29:00 Fear, Setbacks, and Turning Points

01:39:00 Living With Panic and Uncertainty

01:47:11 The Weight of the Last Text

01:57:00 Grief in Daily Life

02:05:00 Courage, Community, and Keep Going

02:13:20 Landing the Plane

In this episode of Pondoff’s Anonymous, Chris sits down with Lyndsey Jacob, Kyle Jacob, and Zoë for an honest conversation about addiction, recovery, trauma, ADHD, marriage, family, sobriety, and healing.

Lyndsey shares what it was like to live in denial while knowing things could not keep going the way they were. She talks about cocaine use, alcohol, secrecy, survival mode, shame, and the fear of facing life without substances. This episode explores the turning points that led her toward honesty, treatment, and recovery.

Chris, Lyndsey, Kyle, and Zoë also talk about the impact addiction has on marriage, trust, family, finances, motherhood, and identity. They unpack how childhood experiences, trauma, and ADHD can shape adult behavior and self-perception, and how deeper issues can stay hidden underneath addiction for years.

This conversation also gets into support systems, accountability, stigma, and the role of community in recovery. Kyle shares what it was like to walk through this as a husband, and the episode offers a real look at what healing can require from everyone involved. It is messy, personal, honest, and hopeful.

If you are interested in addiction recovery, sobriety, trauma healing, mental health, ADHD, relationships, or real stories of change, this episode is for you.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction and Sponsorships
01:11 Personal Reflections on Life and Challenges
02:34 The Importance of Connection and Community
06:00 Navigating Personal Struggles and Support Systems
09:29 The Journey of Recovery and Realizations
12:43 Understanding Addiction and Its Complexities
16:14 The Role of Family and Relationships in Recovery
19:10 Childhood Experiences and Their Impact on Adulthood
25:46 Unpacking Trauma and ADHD
27:11 The Turning Point: Coming Clean to Family
28:19 The Importance of Support in Recovery
32:01 Facing the Reality of Addiction
36:00 Unpacking Trauma and Honesty
48:59 The Journey of Self-Discovery
52:03 Understanding Different Addictive Behaviors
58:12 Navigating Substance Use and Social Norms
59:58 The Journey of a Single Mother
01:02:55 Love, Loss, and New Beginnings
01:05:58 The Highs and Lows of Addiction
01:09:52 The Cost of Addiction on Finances and Relationships
01:24:31 The Impact of Addiction on Family Dynamics
01:27:12 Breaking the Stigma of Addiction
01:30:49 Accountability and Personal Growth in Recovery
01:32:01 The Journey of Self-Discovery and Healing
01:39:07 Understanding the Nature of Addiction
01:41:01 The Role of Community in Recovery
01:52:00 Finding Purpose in Recovery
01:56:08 Embracing Authenticity and Connection

Sponsors

McKelvey Insurance Group
https://mckelveyins.com

LightSource Psychotherapy
https://findyourlightsource.com