Trust Your Intuition, Question Everything & Choose Peace | Michael J. RisoTrust Your Intuition, Question Everything & Choose Peace | Michael J. Riso
3-21 NoKiddin' Gambling Addiction Recovery Podcast
Author and meditator Michael J. Riso talks with host Bobbie Malatesta about meditation, intuition, limiting beliefs and questioning mental noise, linking these themes to recovery and a calmer daily life. Their conversation touches on spirituality, health choices and practical ways to choose peace over fear and conditioning.
1:07:10•5 Nov 2026
Trust Your Gut and Choose Peace: Michael J. Riso on Mind, Heart and Recovery
Episode Overview
- Meditation over many years can help shift from a mind-led life to a heart-led one, reducing stress and reactivity.
- Limiting beliefs often come from repeated painful experiences, but they can be challenged when new, healthier patterns appear.
- A practical way to test intuition is to ask, “Does this decision bring me peace?” and notice whether a choice feels calm or agitated.
- Constant exposure to media and negative conversations can increase inner turmoil; reducing this input can create more space for clarity.
- Recovery and spiritual growth both benefit from introspection, self-trust and dropping the need to be right or to live for others’ approval.
““The mind is a good servant, but a terrible master.””
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction? Here, the focus shifts from slot machines and sports bets to something far quieter: the inner chatter of the mind and how it can steal your peace. Host Bobbie Malatesta chats with author and long-time meditator Michael J. Riso, whose life story moves from big Catholic family in Buffalo to golf pro, spiritual student, and writer of *Finding Joy in Daily Living*.
If you're in recovery from gambling or any addiction, you’ll hear plenty that feels familiar: restlessness, searching for meaning, and the tug-of-war between old conditioning and new habits. Michael shares how 26 years of daily meditation helped him stop letting his mind run the show and start living from his heart.
He explains his teacher’s line, “The mind is a good servant, but a terrible master,” and breaks down how awareness, introspection and simple questions like “Does this decision bring me peace?” can shift everyday choices. The conversation ranges from limiting beliefs and abusive patterns to questioning mainstream narratives, switching off the news, and simplifying life.
Michael also talks openly about his cancer journey, his use of a supplement called Protocel, and his strong views on conventional treatment, always tying things back to intuition and trust in something bigger than the thinking mind. Bobbie keeps the chat grounded in real life: running a business, staying sober, dealing with anger, and learning to spot ego in the moment.
Their back-and-forth blends spirituality, recovery, and light humour, making big ideas feel practical for anyone trying to stay bet-free and build a calmer, kinder life. If you’ve ever wondered whether you can actually trust your gut – or how to quiet the noise long enough to hear it – this conversation might spark your next step. What would change if you chose peace as your new default?
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