The Rock Bottom Podcast

Dr. Amie Hornaman, better known as “The Thyroid Fixer,” was in her early 20s and competing in fitness shows when her body suddenly stopped responding the way it always had. Despite a strict diet and working out twice a day, she rapidly gained around 40 pounds. She went to six different doctors searching for answers, only to repeatedly hear that her labs were “normal,” she was “fine,” and she simp...

Jon Hacker was just 11 years old when severe OCD made everyday life feel impossible. He hid his struggles from everyone, including his own twin brother, while growing up in a stressful home marked by financial hardship, bullying, and his father's battle with alcoholism. Desperate to understand what was happening inside his mind, Jon became obsessed with the nervous system, eventually transforming his own recovery into a mission to ...

As a functional health practitioner, Jenn Malecha followed a clean diet, exercised regularly, took high-quality supplements, and lived what most people would consider a healthy lifestyle. Yet despite all of that, her health started to decline. She gained 15 pounds without explanation, developed cystic acne, experienced night sweats, and eventually woke up one morning with severe breast inflammation that left her terrified she might...

Jeremy Malecha spent years doing everything he thought was right. He exercised regularly, ate organic and gluten-free, tracked his health obsessively, and followed expert advice. Yet despite his efforts, he continued to gain weight, struggle with chronic back pain, and watch his health markers move in the wrong direction.

Everything changed when genetic and lab testing uncovered the root causes of his inflammation. In this e...

Coach Dar was just 25 years old when a chiropractic neck adjustment led to a stroke that changed the course of her life. One moment she was treating traumatic brain injury and stroke patients at a world-renowned hospital — the next, she became the patient herself. Doctors told her she could die at any moment if the blood clot in her brain dislodged. She was warned not to run, not to get pregnant, and to completely rethink the...

After stopping birth control in her early 30s, Ashley Banek expected life to feel more natural and connected to her body. Instead, she began experiencing debilitating cycles, severe pain, vomiting, exhaustion, and symptoms so extreme they left her curled up on the bathroom floor for days at a time. Despite repeated attempts to get help, she says many medical professionals minimized her pain, dismissed her concerns, and pushed solut...

Barry Goldstein spent years chasing his dream career in music. He became a Grammy-winning producer, worked with legends like Les Paul, and built a successful career in the music industry. But behind the scenes, the pressure of deadlines, nonstop studio sessions, anxiety, and burnout slowly turned the thing he loved most into something painful.

In this episode of The Rock Bottom Podcast, Barry shares the moment everything shifted...

Dr. Denise Worden already understood the importance of patient advocacy, but one hospital experience made it impossible to ignore just how critical it is.

While advocating for her 92-year-old father in the hospital, she caught seven critical mistakes that could have cost him his life. Medications that had been discontinued were about to be administered. Vital details were missing from his chart. And in just 30 minutes away from his ...

Suzanne Dunn was just 19 years old and pregnant when her body began shutting down. She couldn’t walk. She was crawling. Her potassium levels dropped to a life-threatening 1.3—and doctors scrambled to stabilize her without fully understanding what was happening. What followed was decades of extreme fatigue, full-body cramping, heart palpitations, and a rare diagnosis that few in the medical system recognized: Gitelman Sy...

Dr. Shivani Gupta was known as “the sick kid,” constantly battling infections and relying on antibiotics. By college, her health had deteriorated to the point where daily life felt impossible. In this episode, she shares how a breaking point led her to Ayurveda, where she rebuilt her health and now teaches others that symptoms aren’t random — they’re signals pointing to the root cause.

Dr. Shivani G...

As a teenager and professional ballet dancer, Dr. Maddie Wagner struggled with the female athlete triad — an eating disorder, over-exercise, and losing her menstrual cycle for years. At just 17 years old, she was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s and PCOS, beginning a long and confusing journey through medications, symptoms, and searching for answers.

Her real rock bottom came later — after years of treatment that left he...

Alisa Keeton is the founder of Revelation Wellness, a global nonprofit equipping thousands of health and fitness professionals to pursue wholeness in body, mind, and spirit. A longtime fitness leader, author, and speaker, Alisa built a thriving career helping others transform their bodies. From the outside, she looked like the picture of health — disciplined, successful, and in control. But beneath the surface, she was carryi...

Emma Horn was 14 years old when she suddenly began having uncontrollable seizures. Her scans came back “normal.” Her bloodwork showed nothing alarming. And multiple doctors told her — and her family — that it was psychological, behavioral, or something she was “pretending.”

In this episode of The Rock Bottom Podcast, Emma shares her harrowing journey through severe neurological symptoms, repeated ...

Monica Hershaft is a functional health practitioner specializing in mystery illness, chronic symptoms, and conditions that don’t show up on standard lab tests. She works with people who have been told their symptoms are “normal,” unexplained, or all in their head. Before entering the health space, Monica was an actor, dancer, and lifelong athlete living in Los Angeles — until a popular, professionally superv...

When former hospital executive Morley Robbins developed a frozen shoulder in his early 50s, the pain brought every part of his life to a halt. What followed—divorce, career loss, and reinvention—became the beginning of a completely new path.

In this episode, Morley shares his journey from debilitating pain to discovering a new purpose. He discusses:

• The emotional storm leading up to his rock-bottom moment
• The unexpecte...

Marina Ortega is the founder of Scottsdale Hydrotherapy, Arizona’s leading colon hydrotherapy and wellness center, and the co-creator of Trust Your Gut, a national wellness brand offering USDA Organic, gut-focused detox products, protocols, and education.

A former college professor, master gardener, and semiprofessionally trained chef, Marina blends science, nature, and nutrition into a holistic approach to healing that’...

At just 18 years old, Chemaine Linnie hit rock bottom—280 pounds, a single mom, and told her life was over. But instead of giving up, she turned her pain into purpose. With faith, family, and determination, Chemaine lost 150 pounds and rebuilt her health from the inside out.

In this inspiring episode of The Rock Bottom Podcast, Chemaine shares how she transformed her body and mindset after hitting rock bottom, the daily habits...

Former pro hockey player Joey Raats was told he had just three days to live after a diagnosis of metastatic testicular cancer.

In this powerful conversation, he shares how faith, intuition, and sheer determination helped him fight back — from the ice rink to the ICU and beyond. Joey reflects on his hockey beginnings, the shock of a terminal prognosis, the toll of chemotherapy, his turn toward holistic healing, and the spiritua...

Razi Berry, founder of Naturopathic Doctor News and Review and host of Love is Medicine, shares—for the first time—her personal story of losing nearly everything to a mysterious illness that left her bedridden and partially paralyzed for 5 years.

Razi opens up about the terror of losing her independence, the painful medical uncertainty, and the long, layered road to recovery. Through vulnerability and humor, she ...