Surviving to Thriving with Josh Hicks

Surviving to Thriving with Josh Hicks

How do people turn rock-bottom moments into a completely different life? This conversation follows Josh Hicks, a veteran, husband, father and health coach, as he talks through a lifetime of pain, faith, and drastic change that took him from “white-knuckling the steering wheel” in debt to coaching others into healthier lives. Josh shares raw memories of growing up in an abusive home, never meeting his father, and carrying deep insecurity into early marriage, divorce and military service.

Even while collecting army medals, he felt lost, anxious and unsure who he really was. That same pattern showed up later when he opened a construction business that ballooned into six-figure debt and constant money panic. The turning point? A chance encounter in a Maryland gym with a stranger from Malaysia who introduced him to the Optavia health programme.

Josh jokes that his wife thought he was “nuts” for buying a box of food when they couldn’t make payroll, but that decision sparked rapid weight loss, sharper thinking and a new sense of purpose. As he says, “Your words will never change you. Your habits will.” Josh unpacks how changing his relationship with food exposed emotional patterns, and how small, consistent actions became the foundation for huge shifts in his physical, financial and spiritual life.

He draws strong parallels with addiction recovery: environment, habits and self-talk matter as much as any diet or detox. This one’s especially helpful if you’re sober or newly sober and wrestling with weight, self-doubt or that nagging sense of being stuck. Josh’s blend of straight talk, faith, humour and very practical habit change might have you asking: what’s one small habit you could change today to move from just surviving to genuinely thriving?