This Is Powerful With Paul Sculfor

This is one of those remarkable interviews that will surprise you, pull on your heart strings and reveal the depth of the human spirit. Growing up in a conservative, deeply religious London family, our guest Vinny reveals how he strayed into a life of crime, addiction, and self-destruction. His rock bottom moment came after months of heavy substance abuse, a heart attack, and a near-tragic incident involving his wife and children. From functioning as a plumber constantly under the influence, to spiraling emotionally, Vinny’s mantra, “I’ve got this,” was a lie that masked his slow self-destruction.  Today, Vinny inspires hope in recovery circles, offering tough love combined with vulnerability and honesty. Grateful for every breath, Vinny’s story is one of resilience and absolute transformation.  If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, there are plenty of resources on the Stride Foundation website: https://stridefoundation.com/ Watch all our episodes on YouTube @thisispowerfulwithpaulsculfor  Find This Is Powerful on Instagram @this_ispowerful Find Paul on Instagram @paulsculfor 

Today we welcome Dr David McLaughlan to the show. David always had his sights set on a medical career, but did a bit of modelling in his earlier days. Working with a variety of people reinforced his values of being a kind and compassionate person, (so-called ‘soft skills’) and helps him engage with patients today.  Now one of the UK's leading addiction psychiatrists, David has contributed to international treatment guidelines, academic journals as well as mainstream media outlets. Additionally, David serves as Academic Secretary of The Royal College of Psychiatrists' Addiction Faculty. Aside from being incredibly articulate, engaging and well-educated, David is a genuine guy, the real deal and has people very close to him who have had issues with alcohol.  After recognising that emerging technology might enable greater self management of harmful habits and addictive behaviours, David has launched an app called Curb. Curb’s personalised approach is a tool which helps to examine our relationships with alcohol and has been proven to help people quit or reduce their drinking.   If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, there are plenty of resources on the Stride Foundation website: https://stridefoundation.com/ Watch all our episodes on YouTube @thisispowerfulwithpaulsculfor  Find This Is Powerful on Instagram @this_ispowerful Find Paul on Instagram @paulsculfor  Find Curb on Instagram @curb.app Download the Curb app for free http://www.curb.health/

This week we hosted the incredible host of the Hurt to Healing podcast, Pandora Morris. A former lawyer turned mental health activist, Pandora’s journey began in childhood, facing OCD and an eating disorder that manifested through restrictive eating and chronic over-exercising.  Much like obsessive behaviour often linked to addiction, Pandora would regularly run at least twenty miles a day, take midnight bike rides and start her days with a swim in the sea - an activity which once saw her hospitalised with hypothermia. As part of her own healing, Pandora’s travelled the world working with OCD experts and has made it her mission to support others on their path to mental health recovery. Pandora’s honesty in how she sees the world and her reality within that world is both raw and refreshing. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, there are plenty of resources on the Stride Foundation website: https://stridefoundation.com/ Watch all our episodes on YouTube @thisispowerfulwithpaulsculfor  Find This Is Powerful on Instagram @this_ispowerful Find Paul on Instagram @paulsculfor  Find Pandora on Instagram @hurttohealingpod Pandora’s podcast https://podfollow.com/1649515453 Pandora’s website  https://www.hurttohealing.co.uk/

This week, we welcome former professional footballer turned successful entrepreneur Andy Ramage. After a career-ending injury, Andy pivoted to create two financial brokerages and soon discovered that his life changed dramatically when he decided to go alcohol-free. This decision not only transformed his health and mindset but also became his unique selling point, helping him stand out in a competitive business market.  The coaching initiatives that Andy has created have collectively helped hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people to revitalise their lives. Andy provides refreshing authenticity and humour while providing plenty of advice that you can put to use right away. Spoiler alert - you will never look at a marshmallow the same way again.  If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, there are plenty of resources on the Stride Foundation website: https://stridefoundation.com/ Watch all our episodes on YouTube @thisispowerfulwithpaulsculfor Find This Is Powerful on Instagram @this_ispowerful Find Paul on Instagram @paulsculfor  Find Andy on Instagram @andyramageofficial Andy’s website  www.andyramage.com Andy’s coach training website - www.aretewaycoach.com