Mike and Renay Todd talk about the early days of Freedom Recovery Center

Mike and Renay Todd talk about the early days of Freedom Recovery Center

The episode centres on the origins of Freedom Recovery Center, rooted in Mike’s vivid spiritual experience on a beach, where he felt, as he puts it, that “God was telling me that I was going to quit my job” and to “grow a spine.” From there, things get very practical, very fast: a donated key to a rundown house, holes in doors, a mysterious moped, and Renay transforming chaos into a home that men in early recovery could actually feel safe in.

How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This conversation with Mike and Renay Todd gives a raw, often funny, and very honest look at how one recovery home for men grew from a single, beaten-up house into a full programme with multiple staff and a clear mission.

You’ll hear how they started with just a few residents, $150 in the bank, and a rusty “Jesus mobile” held together with a 2x4, all while trying to pay two sets of bills and answer 4 a.m. crisis calls. Mike is upfront about burnout, a mental health crash, and learning the hard way that he needed help, eventually building a team with house leaders, drivers and a programme director.

For anyone interested in recovery housing, harm reduction or faith-driven service, there’s plenty here: helping indigent men out of tents and into treatment, daily runs to detox and meetings, and handing out socks and naloxone in “hard-hit hotels.” Throughout, Renay quietly anchors the story, reminding Mike, “If God told you to do this, you better do it,” and backing that up with practical grit.

The episode speaks most to people in recovery, families, and those thinking about starting a recovery initiative, closing with a simple but powerful message: “You’re worthy of more than a label” and you’re allowed to dream bigger than your past.