Brandon Fendor’s story is a raw journey through war, trauma, addiction, and ultimately, redemption.

A Marine Corps veteran with four combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, Brandon returned home carrying survivor’s guilt, untreated PTSD, and severe physical injuries. What began as prescribed pain medication quickly escalated into opioid addiction, heroin use, and a life marked by isolation, paranoia, and near-suicidal despair. At his lowest point—overdosing in a Burger King parking lot and sitting alone with a pistol in his mouth—one phone call from his mother changed everything: “I want my son back.”

Now sober and purpose-driven, Brandon has turned his pain into a mission. As a leader at Treehouse Recovery Tennessee in Nashville, he is helping redefine addiction treatment through community, discipline, movement, and whole-person healing—mental, physical, social, and spiritual. His work focuses on brotherhood, accountability, and rebuilding identity for veterans and others struggling with addiction.

You’ll Hear:
•What combat trauma and survivor’s guilt really feel like after coming home
•Why “being over there was easy—and coming home was the hard part”
•How pain medication numbed more than physical pain
•The moment heroin stopped being about getting high and became about “feeling normal”
•Why pride and ego keep people stuck—and why asking for help is real strength
•How Treehouse Recovery Tennessee is changing the way addiction is treated

Why Listen:
•To understand the hidden cost of war, trauma, and untreated pain
•To hear an honest account of addiction without shame or filters
•To see how community, discipline, and movement can restore purpose
•To be reminded that recovery is possible—even after the darkest moments

If you or someone you love is struggling, help is available.

Learn more about Treehouse Recovery Tennessee at treehouserecoverytn.com
Contact Brandon directly: brandon.fendor@treehouserecovery.com

Will Drury’s story is a raw, winding path through grief, addiction, jail, and the kind of recovery that rebuilds a life from the ground up. He started using at 13, lost close friends to DUI tragedies, and by 18 he was a “kid having a kid”—while sliding deeper into alcohol, weed, and eventually opioids.

Hydrocodone turned into oxycodone, tolerance turned into withdrawal, and survival became a daily chase to not get sick. Will shares what it was like to walk into a methadone clinic at 20, live in and out of jail, and later endure opioid withdrawal behind bars—alone, freezing, and hallucinating in what he calls the “turtle suit.”

But the episode doesn’t stay in the dark. Will opens up about the moment a simple prayer cracked something open, how treatment and the AA community helped him grow up fast, and how he rebuilt trust—especially with his son, Tyson. Today, Will has turned his recovery into service, helping others find a path forward and creating Forge Recovery Home, a safe place for men to transition into sober living.

You’ll Hear:

• How early grief and trauma helped fuel Will’s addiction
• The “lines in the sandbox” that kept moving—from weed to pills to IV drug use
• What it’s like to be dope sick at 19 with no idea what’s happening
• The methadone clinic experience at 20—and why he felt “out of place”
• Withdrawal in jail: the cold cell, hallucinations, and the “turtle suit”
• The stolen truck story that became a turning point
• The prayer that shifted everything: “God, let your will be done.”
• How recovery helped him become a dad again—and rebuild a real life
• Why boundaries matter: “Love them from a distance.”
• How Will’s purpose became a calling—and led to Forge Recovery Home

Why Listen:

• To understand how addiction hijacks choices long before someone “looks” addicted
• To hear a brutally honest account of withdrawal, jail, and what people don’t talk about
• To be reminded that grief and shame don’t have to be a life sentence
• To see what’s possible when recovery becomes community, responsibility, and service
• To hear a story that proves it’s never too late to come home—to your life, and to the people you love

Misty Pearson’s story begins where many never expect addiction to start: a legitimate injury, a doctor’s prescription, and a life that looked “put together.”

One torn ACL set off a chain reaction—opioids, shame, escalation, arrests, and ultimately nine and a half years of incarceration.

But Misty’s story doesn’t end there.

Through forced sobriety, deep personal reckoning, faith, and an unwavering commitment to growth, Misty chose a different path.

Today, she works in addiction treatment, serves as a Hope Ambassador, and dedicates her life to helping others find recovery—even while carrying the lifelong consequences of her past.

This episode is a raw, honest conversation about pride, shame, systemic failure, redemption, and what it really takes to rebuild a life after addiction.

You’ll Hear:

• How a routine ACL injury and opioid prescription led to addiction
• Why pride and shame kept Misty from asking for help
• The moment incarceration became a turning point—not the end
• What nine and a half years in prison taught her about recovery and responsibility
• How support systems can determine success or relapse after release
• Why recovery doesn’t erase consequences—and why that truth matters
• How Misty turned her story into service through treatment work and advocacy

Why Listen:

• To understand how addiction can begin quietly—and escalate fast
• To hear a powerful example of accountability without self-destruction
• To learn what long-term recovery actually requires
• To be reminded that healing is possible, even after prison
• To find hope that transformation can come from the hardest places

If you or someone you love is struggling, this episode is proof that it’s never too late to ask for help—and that choosing to “leave better” can change everything.