From The Depths of Darkness to The Light of Success

"It would, when you're caught up, when you're actually caught up in the grips of addiction and all that, it's not like I could just stop, I needed to go to treatment. I needed to go to jail. I needed like something to happen in order for me to really hit that bottom."

Pittsburgh rapper Colicchie rose up from years of struggling with addiction to find success and hope in his music. A rapid decline into drug addiction in his teenage years led to troubles with the law and multiple stints in rehab in his early twenties. After getting clean at age 23, Colicchie began writing raps, turning stories from his tumultuous life into confessional, unflinchingly honest songs. Themes of addiction, depravity, and recovery came up time and time again in songs like "Drug Addiction," "Recover or Die," and "To Whom It May Concern." A video for "Drug Addiction" went viral in 2017, reaching millions of listeners, many of whom were struggling with addiction themselves and took inspiration from Colicchie's story.

Colicchie was born Chas Smith in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He grew up without a father, raised by grandparents who picked up the slack for Smith's mother, who dealt with addiction herself. He began experimenting with drugs in his early teens and was fully immersed in heroin and crack addiction by the end of high school. Years of substance abuse led Smith to a dangerous life on the streets and multiple overdoses, all bracketed by short-lived attempts to give drugs up. In 2005 he began rapping, using the creative outlet to support his efforts to stay clean. Performing around Pittsburgh and working toward recording music, Smith drew content for his songs from his own harrowing experiences with addiction and recovery.

Social Media Links

Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/colicchie

YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFODwqBogxHFegseFsVHh5A

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/colicchie

Here are some of the topics we cover in this episode:

• His music
• Recovery
• His daughter
• Mental health
• Social anxiety
• Treatment centres

If you would like to support the show please leave a 5 star review over on Apple Podcasts or leave a voice message on Anchor FM. You can also follow the show and my journey on IG @depthsofdarkside!

Thanks for listening and have a great day!

"Yeah, I'm definitely learning as this pandemic it goes through its phases and me getting back into the work field and dealing with customer service, I'm noticing a lot of negative interaction with customers and things like that. And it really affects my mood and I'm realizing how one little thing can set my whole day off for me. And I was diagnosed with BPD almost a year ago now, and it hasn't even been a year yet since I was given that diagnosis. So it's been something that I've been working on and yeah, I'm noticing a lot in the customer service industry."

Today's episode we have Jordan Burnell "PrettyDotUgly" he is a hip hop artist, producer, and mental health advocate originally from Thunder Bay, Ontario. He now resides in Toronto, and loves the underground music scene. You can find lots of his stuff on YouTube and Spotify. He was also diagnosed with BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder) a little over a year ago, and has been working his way through and navigating it with this diagnoses. He also an advocate for mental health, and shares openly and honestly about his struggles with it. He is so vulnerable and you will get so much from his story.

Here are some of the links you can find his work at as well:

Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/prettydotugly/

YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lF9xnaknNw

Website- https://solo.to/prettydotugly

Here are some of the topics we cover in this episode:

• Mental health
• Hip hop producer
• BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder)
• Alcoholism
• Mindset
• Addictions awareness

If you would like to support the show please leave a 5 star review over on Apple Podcasts or leave a voice message on Anchor FM. You can also follow the show and my journey on IG @depthsofdarkside!

Thanks for listening and have a great day!

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"So if you can learn how to take, say like a criticism and have it there. And you're like, I see it, I hear it, but I'm not internalizing it in that way, but I'm recognizing what is being said and whether it's something that's useful for me."

We have Ronnie on the show this week, and she is the creator, writer, voice, and editor of Rambling Ronnie’s Podcast!

She is a Canadian cat mom who loves watching a variety of movie and shows, reading books, writing, and listening to podcasts. She is currently a student working full time, so when she has some extra time she dives into her pet project-Rambling Ronnie’s Podcast!

The name comes from how she is a pretty quiet and introverted person, but when she has a passion for something she will RAMBLE on about it for an obnoxiously long amount of time ( ask anyone on her WhatsApp!). She thought starting her own podcast would be a great outlet for that, as well as a way for her to talk about her interests and hopefully find likeminded people out there in the world.

Please look for her on social media, and say hello!

Social Media Links:

Linktree- https://linktr.ee/Ramblingronniespodcast

Website- https://rambling-ronnies-podcast.mailchimpsites.com/

Here are some of the topics we touch upon in this episode:

• Her podcast Rambling Ronnie
• Digital marketing
• Having a sense of humour
• Mental health
• Abusive relationships
• Being an introvert
• Sobriety

Podcast Social Media:

Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/depthsofdarkside/

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/depthsofdarkside

YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-M2lpVwCgEyM85menG_nvQ

Email- [email protected]

If you would like to support the show please leave a 5 star review over on Apple Podcasts or leave a voice message on Anchor FM. You can also rate the show on Spotify now as well, please do so. Make sure you subscribe to the YouTube channel as well and turn on the notifications. You can also follow the show and my journey on IG @depthsofdarkside!

Thanks for listening and have a great day!

"Like I was drowning myself in alcohol and cause how much, like you can't get more literal than that kind of dream. And fortunately, like I was able to really pay attention to it and think about it and not just push it aside and be consumed with how I was having a hangover, which I was, that was the way my life was for like the last 18 months of my active addiction."

We have Sarah from the "Sober Gratitude" Podcast on the show today to share her story and how she has overcome so many obstacles in life to get to where she is. She is such a courageous woman, and very empowering to say the least. She is here building a safe sober community, Sarah's mission is to inspire, encourage and support those who desire a satisfying sober life. She has dedicated herself to developing a podcast for others to learn about how a better life is absolutely possible on the other side of addiction. She does this by sharing about her experience as well as recovery stories of former addicts and alcoholics.

Sobriety has given her an amazing life- a life she never thought possible. She is no longer secretly trapped in a cage of toxic living, filled with fear, self-pity, insecurities and resentments. Now, her life is filled with joy, peace, serenity & freedom. She is grateful she gets the opportunity to show others the incredible life they can have in sobriety through her podcast.

Social media link- https://linktr.ee/Sobergratitudes

Here are some of the topics we talk about in this episode:

• Mental health
• Recovery
• Sober Gratitude Podcast
• Rock bottom
• Raising autistic kids
• Listening

If you would like to support the show please leave a 5 star review over on Apple Podcasts or leave a voice message on Anchor FM. You can also follow the show and my journey on IG @depthsofdarkside!

Thanks for listening and have a great day!

"So basically you're taking, an intangible thought. From the ether that comes through, say an idea or a feeling that ignites you into. And within that action with every action, there's a reaction and 2012 I put it out, say like a rocket of desire and wrote it on a card, probably two years previous because I was banned from the United States."

Ryan John Phillips was born in North Vancouver B.C on July 8th 1975. From the time he was 2, Ryan was on skates with a hockey stick in his hands. The dream of becoming an N.H.L superstar was imbedded into his mind from almost infancy. He played the game he loved and eventually left home at the age of 16 to pursue his dream in the Junior ranks of Canada. (The gateway to the N.H.L.) Unfortunately Ryan endured many serious injuries and off ice inner battles that hindered his growth and attitude. The game he once loved became more of a nightmare. He played parts of 5 years in the semi pro leagues in the United States, after a tumultuous junior career.

At 19 he was introduced to the beginning of the B.C marijuana boom, and that perked his interest because of the large sums of wealth that could be accumulated in a short time. Hockey fell to the wayside and Ryan took his networking skills and used them by forming a smuggling ring that generated millions of dollars a year. His luck ran out after losing many associates to murder and substance abuse, he landed himself in a Federal Detention Center for over 500 days. The charge was conspiracy to import 103 pounds of the banned plant. Ryan learned a lot while incarcerated, most importantly how important our freedom is.

It took a few more years of hard earned experience before Ryan left the underworld that takes no prisoners. He decided in his own mind that everything that he thought he wanted in life, primarily money started to take on a different meaning. He began to see the spiritual side of life on earth and made the decision that he wanted true happiness. It didn’t take long before he realized that this is a constant inside job that we can control with our thoughts.

You can follow Ryan and his journey over on Instagram @ryanphillips888 and his brand @divine.source.matter.apparel

Here are some of the topics that we cover in this episode:

• Being a humanitarian
• Mental health
• Hockey culture
• Spirituality
• His brand “Divine Source Matters”
• Abuse in hockey
• Riding bike across Canada
• Feeling your feelings

If you would like to support the show please leave a 5 star review over on Apple Podcasts or leave a voice message on Anchor FM. You can also follow the show and my journey on IG @depthsofdarkside!

Thanks for listening and have a great day!