The Giants that Built me Pt 2The Giants that Built me Pt 2
Chase The Vase
Josh Pierce shares how he raised three boys amid his wife Amberlee’s addiction, overdoses and legal chaos, and how her eventual overdose death shaped their family. He reflects on lost faith, unexpected support, his second wife Ashley’s role in his healing, and his determination to keep getting back up for his sons.
1:01:23•1 Sept 2026
Giants, Grief and Grit: Josh Pierce on Loving an Addict and Raising Boys in Chaos
Episode Overview
- Living with a partner’s addiction can create daily fear and instability, especially for young children who may be forced into adult roles far too early.
- Community and church support is not guaranteed; sometimes the only help comes from unexpected people outside the usual circles.
- Prescription painkillers can rapidly escalate into severe dependence and progression to drugs like meth and heroin, with devastating consequences.
- Even after years of chaos, it is possible to remember and honour the healthier version of a loved one while being honest about the harm addiction caused.
- A committed partner and close friends can be crucial in giving someone the courage to leave a destructive relationship and build a safer life for their family.
“Nothing hits harder than life. But if you can get back up and keep fighting and get one more round, you never know what you can accomplish.”
What emotional and inspiring tales of recovery are out there? This conversation with Josh Pierce hits hard, especially for anyone living alongside addiction or trying to hold a family together while everything feels like it’s falling apart. Here, Josh continues his story with host Cowbell Rob, shifting from work struggles to the brutal reality of raising three young boys while his first wife, Amberlee, sank deeper into addiction.
He talks about going to work terrified, never knowing what scene he’d walk into: “It was very challenging and very hard to leave, to go to work because I wasn’t sure what I was going to come home to.” From finding his five-year-old cooking dinner for his brothers, to Amberlee overdosing at home and collapsing at a school event, the episode paints a raw picture of how addiction scars children as much as partners.
Josh also shares how community and faith systems sometimes failed him, and how a single non-religious neighbour became the one family willing to help. There’s painful detail about police callouts, false domestic violence charges, and the deep shame and gossip that followed his boys. Yet this isn’t just a story of loss. Josh honours the “before addiction” version of Amberlee, and walks through her eventual death from overdose with honesty and respect.
He explains the vital role his second wife, Ashley, played in helping him finally leave, rebuild, and refuse to give up on his sons. His boys’ mixed reactions—from resentment to deep loyalty—show how complex grief and recovery can be. Anchored by references to David and Goliath and the iconic Rocky quote about getting back up after being hit, this episode suits anyone coping with a loved one’s addiction, blended families, or long-term trauma.
You’ll hear a dad who simply refuses to quit, and might find yourself asking where you, too, can stand up for one more round.
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