Empathy & Addiction with Guest JOMOEmpathy & Addiction with Guest JOMO
The Recovered Life Show
Damon Frank talks with Jomo about his journey from street life, anger and addiction to a sober life grounded in empathy and forgiveness. The conversation highlights how family pain, 12-step work and a powerful moment with his mother reshaped his understanding of love, responsibility and recovery.
36:37•1 Aug 2025
From Street Anger to Soft Heart: Jomo on Empathy, Forgiveness and Recovery
Episode Overview
- Addiction for Jomo began in early teens and was fuelled as much by a craving for approval as by substances themselves.
- Growing up in a violent, emotionally unavailable household created deep anger, resentment and a belief that feelings were unsafe.
- A powerful confrontation with his mother, who arrived with a plane ticket and clear boundaries, sparked a crucial moment of clarity.
- Working a 12-step programme, including a thorough fourth and fifth step, helped him see his part in resentments and start forgiving others.
- Choosing empathy and understanding over victimhood has allowed him to rebuild family relationships and find genuine peace in sobriety.
“My first drug of choice was your approval, was your acceptance.”
What makes a recovery story truly inspiring? In this candid conversation on The Recovered Life Show, Jomo shares how a life built on anger, street culture and addiction slowly turned into one centred on empathy, forgiveness and genuine connection. Growing up in the Bronx, he describes himself as "misinformed by the misinformed", raised in a violent, emotionally closed home where feelings were dismissed and alcohol was everywhere.
He talks openly about drinking at 13, moving on to marijuana at 14 and cocaine at 15, and how his "first drug of choice was your approval" as he became the guy who'd "do anything" just to be liked. The turning point is raw and unforgettable. His mum arrived at his Florida home with a plane ticket and said, "Joseph, take this plane ticket and get the f out of Florida... I'm in therapy because of you...
you destroy everything that comes in your path." For the first time, he saw the pain in her face and had what he calls a moment of clarity that eventually led to sobriety in May 2020. From there, Jomo explains how working a 12-step programme, making meetings and doing a searching fourth and fifth step helped him "learn how to forgive, learn how to love, learn what my role was" in his resentments.
He speaks movingly about rebuilding his relationship with his parents by trying to "understand rather than always be understood" and choosing forgiveness over resentment, which he describes as "killing my soul like a cancer". Now known for his empathetic presence on TikTok lives, he sums up the payoff simply: empathy has given him the ability to meet people where they are, to keep his heart soft, and to live a life he actually likes.
If you’ve ever wondered whether doing the emotional work is worth it, this conversation might have you rethinking what recovery could look like for you.
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