About the Show

About the Show

What can we learn from those who have battled addiction, trauma, and emotional pain? Struggle Well Podcast sets out to answer that question with raw honesty and a surprising sense of hope. Created by Boulder Crest Foundation, the show looks at struggle as something that can shape who you become rather than something to dodge. You’ll hear from veterans, first responders, and others who’ve been through anxiety, depression, addiction, PTSD, and more.

Their stories point to a simple but challenging idea: “People can actually grow as a result of their struggle.” The tone is warm, human, and unpolished in the best way. Guests talk about tough experiences like growing up with a parent who used drugs, working gang units where “there’s always a threat,” and the moment “things got real pretty fast.” Emotions are front and centre—“You get goosebumps, you get tears.

Man, I’m going to get emotional about this now”—but so is the possibility of joy: “Joy is such a magnificent thing.” Grounded in the science and practice of Posttraumatic Growth, the series asks big questions: How do people become wise? How can you move from merely surviving to truly thriving? Is it possible to “do this job and be healthy in it” when that job exposes you to trauma every day?

This show is aimed at anyone who feels stuck in struggle—whether that’s alcohol and drug use, mental health challenges, or the hidden weight of past events—and those who support them.

Rather than pretending pain doesn’t exist, it highlights “the opportunity that’s in that struggle” and shows how conversations themselves can be “so healing, every single conversation.” If you’ve ever wondered whether anything good can come from the hardest parts of your story, this series might help you see your own struggle in a new light. What strength could your pain be hiding?