The Journey with Mark Astor
What happens when success doesn’t come in a straight line? The Journey with Mark Astor explores the paths most people never talk about the setbacks, turning points, and internal battles that quietly define who we become. Hosted by attorney Mark Astor, this podcast goes beyond surface-level conversations to uncover the real stories behind leadership, recovery, entrepreneurship, and personal growth.
Each week, Mark sits down with guests who have navigated complex journeys of their own from business leaders and legal professionals to behavioral health experts and individuals shaped by life-altering experiences. These conversations challenge assumptions, shift perspective, and invite listeners to rethink what progress truly looks like. If you’re interested in honest dialogue, meaningful insight, and stories that stay with you long after the episode ends, this podcast was created for you.
Episodes
32 episodes
Ep. 32 Your Mind Is An Operating System: How To Reprogram Your 70,000 Daily Thoughts with Chris M King
What if everything you believe about your limitations is actually just outdated programming running in the background of your mind? Chris M King discovered this truth the hard way-after losing his job, apartment, and girlfriend all within 10 da...
Ep. 31 Why This Divorce Lawyer Had to Stop White Knuckling Life with Lesa Koski
What if the thing you think you hate about your career is actually your greatest calling? Lesa Koski spent 25 years as an attorney before a cancer diagnosis at stage one completely shattered her understanding of control, purpose, and what it me...
Ep. 30 How Losing His Mom To Opioids Launched A 600-Episode Podcast with Justin Schenck
What happens when the worst moment of your life becomes the catalyst for helping millions? Justin Schenck's story defies every expectation - from a 1.7 GPA kid voted least likely to succeed to hosting over 600 podcast episodes that have literal...
Ep. 29 He Lived Under A Fake Name For 2 Years: Now He Saves Lives Through Mental Health Interventions with Evan Jarschauer
A five-year-old boy disappears with his father to Canada under fake identities. Decades later, that same person becomes the interventionist celebrities call when their families are falling apart. Evan Jarschauer's story reads like fiction, but ...
Ep. 28 He Traded NBA Finals Tickets To His Dealer for $1,000 In Cocaine with Brian Cuban
What drives someone to trade NBA championship tickets for cocaine? Brian Cuban, attorney and recovery advocate, shares the raw reality of his 20-year battle with addiction that nearly destroyed his legal career and family relationships. From do...
Ep. 27 Why 80% Of Criminal Cases Are Mental Health Issues: The School Bus Analogy with Shannon Roy
What if the criminal justice system has been approaching rehabilitation completely backwards? Shannon Roy, a seasoned criminal defense attorney with over 15 years of experience, shares a powerful analogy that reframes how we think about mental ...
Ep. 26 How Opioid Addiction Cost Him Everything And Led To 95% Sales Close Rates with Jake Stahl
What happens when a top pharma salesman with a 95% close rate loses everything to addiction and has to move back in with his parents at age 50? Jake Stahl's story isn't just about falling down-it's about the strategic comeback that led him to c...
Ep. 25 Molested Child Becomes Mental Health Counselor: How Trauma Shows Up In The Body with Kayla Myers
What happens when childhood trauma manifests as mysterious physical symptoms that doctors can't explain? Kayla Myers was pulled out of school for nearly two years with debilitating stomach aches and fatigue that left her barely able to walk. Af...
Ep. 24 Meet Our COO: How We Built A Law Firm That Actually Serves Families with Jessica Douglas
What happens when a law firm stops operating like chaos and starts running like a sophisticated business? Jessica Douglas, Chief Operating Officer at Mark Astor's mental health and addiction law firm, reveals the transformation that's helping h...
Ep. 23 How She Lost Her Law License And Built A $10K Jet Podcast Empire with Blanca Perper
What would you do if you lost your law license for three years after becoming the victim of a financial crime? Blanca Perper faced this exact nightmare scenario, spending nearly a million dollars to prove her innocence and fight for her profess...
Ep. 22 Section 12 Mental Health Commitments: Getting Real Treatment Instead Of Hospital Rooms with Jimmy Kane
How does someone go from selling drugs on the streets of Charlestown to becoming the person families call when everything falls apart? Jimmy Kane's transformation story will challenge everything you think you know about addiction, recovery, and...
Ep. 21 The Hidden Truth About Eating Disorders Most Families Miss with Dr. Laura Ellick
What would you do if your child looked perfectly healthy but was secretly hiding bags of vomit around the house? Dr. Laura Ellick, a licensed psychologist specializing in eating disorders and addiction, reveals the shocking reality that familie...
Ep. 20 Psychosis Isn't What You Think: Clinical Social Worker Explains Real Symptoms with Kayla Fenty
What if everything you thought you knew about psychosis was wrong? Kayla Fenty, a licensed clinical social worker and addiction specialist, breaks down the dangerous misconceptions surrounding mental health terms that get thrown around in crime...
Ep. 19 Mental Health Care Coordination: Bridging Legal And Clinical Services with Michael Mackniak
What happens when an attorney realizes the system he's working within is actually making people sicker? Michael Mackniak was watching the same individuals cycle through psychiatric units twice a month, trapped in a revolving door that seemed de...
Ep. 18 Why AI Still Needs Shepherds: Patent Attorney Warns Against ChatGPT For Legal Work with Austin Bonderer
What happens when lawyers start relying on AI to do their thinking for them? Austin Bonderer has spent 25 years protecting intellectual property and has seen firsthand how artificial intelligence is changing the legal landscape in ways that sho...
Ep. 17 Why Loving An Alcoholic Harder Won't Save Them with Becky Ogden
What happens when someone you love disappears into addiction while you're still living in the same house? Becky Ogden thought she could save her marriage by loving her husband harder, giving him more understanding, and believing that connection...
Ep. 16 The Humble vs Humiliated Truth About Long-Term Recovery with Dr. Robert Sanchez
What's the difference between being humble and being humiliated in recovery? Dr. Robert Sanchez, a certified intervention professional with 18 years of sobriety and over 31 years in behavioral healthcare, reveals the daily reality of maintainin...
Ep. 15 The Man Who Remembers Every Day Since Age 6 with Frank Healy
What would it be like to remember every single day of your life for the past 60 years? Frank Healy, one of only 20 people in the world with hyperthymesia, doesn't just remember every date since he was six years old-he remembers the weather, the...
Ep. 14 'Nobody Will Outwork Me': How She Turned Academic Struggles Into Success with Kristen Goss
What happens when you score 139 on the LSAT three times and everyone tells you law school isn't for you? Kristen Goss proves that hard work beats talent every single time. As the founder of KWG Family Law and Mediation Services, Kristen's journ...
Ep. 13 How 8 Hours of Heroism During Vegas Shooting Changed Everything with Todd Blyleven
What would you do if gunfire erupted around you and your family was running for safety? Todd Blyleven faced that exact moment at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, and his split-second decision changed everything. Instead of running wi...
Ep. 12 Big T vs. Little T Trauma, ADHD & Addiction Explained with Renee Calhoun
Not all trauma looks the way people expect it to and that misunderstanding may be holding more people back than they realize. What if the experiences you’ve brushed off as “not that bad” are actually shaping your behavior, relationships, and me...
Ep. 11 From Losing His Son And Wife To Addiction to Living Undeterred with Jeffrey Johnston
There are moments in life that change everything and for Jeffrey Johnston, those moments came in ways no parent or partner should ever have to face. What happens when you lose not only your son, but years later, your wife to addiction as well? ...
Ep. 10 A Car Accident, Opioids & The Breaking Point That Nearly Ended It with Former Attorney Wayne Basist
What happens when the life you worked so hard to build is the very thing that starts breaking you? In this deeply honest conversation, Wayne Basist shares how the relentless pressure of practicing law, combined with years of underlying anxiety,...
Ep. 9 Addiction, Overdose And The Fight That Saved His Life with Former NHL Player Chris Nilan
What happens when the identity that made you successful is the same one that nearly destroys you? In this raw and deeply personal conversation, Chris Nilan opens up about the life behind the fights both on the ice and far beyond it. From growin...
Ep. 8 Rewriting Mental Health Narratives Through Fiction with Danielle Blum
What if everything we’ve been taught about mental health especially in movies and media is completely wrong? In this episode, Danielle Blum shares how her journey as an author evolved into something much deeper: a mission to challenge the harmf...