Ronnie Costa joins The Shane Vitko Podcast for a brutally honest conversation about what happens when the streets raise you, violence becomes currency, and survival turns into a full-time identity.

Ronnie grew up in Providence, Rhode Island, surrounded by mob culture, reputation, and a pressure cooker standard of what it meant to be a man. He talks about chasing respect, earning a name, and how crime became his first addiction long before drugs ever showed up.

Then OxyContin hit New England, and everything shifted. What started as an escape turned into a trap. Ronnie explains why he says opiates “saved” his life at first, because getting strung out kept him out of the neighborhood and away from the violence that was going to get him killed. But that same escape turns into heroin, the needle, losing everything, and sleeping wherever he could to make it through the night.

This episode isn’t about glamorizing any of it. It’s about the lie that you’re still in control, the moment the runway runs out, and what it takes to rebuild when your life is already labeled a liability.

We get into shame, identity, the tough guy mask, relapses, and why moving 3,500 miles away actually mattered for him, not as a magic fix, but because he finally did the inner work too. Ronnie also breaks down what he’s seen in the treatment industry, why ethics matter, and why he refuses to “babysit” clients just to keep a check coming.

If you’ve ever felt like your life sentence is already written, this episode is for you.

Instagram: @svthehardway @ronniecosta333 @counselingunlmtd

https://www.counselingunlmtd.com

Former NHL All-Star Sheldon Souray joins The Shane Vitko Podcast for a raw conversation about how quickly life can unravel when identity, pain, and access collide.

Sheldon opens up about a progression most people never see coming. Pills that started as “just in case” turned into daily survival. What felt controlled became brutal. Relationships fell apart. Self-respect disappeared. And the lie that more would finally make things right kept winning until it didn’t.

This episode is not about hockey highlights or career accolades. It’s about what happens when the uniform comes off, the noise fades, and you’re left alone with yourself. We talk about addiction, the mindset of excess, the cost of unchecked behavior, and the moment denial stops working.

If you’ve ever told yourself “I’ve got this” while everything around you was quietly burning, this episode will hit close to home.

This is a conversation about accountability, recovery, and what it actually takes to come back when your life goes off the rails.

Instagram: @svthehardway @sheldonsouray44

#SheldonSouray #NHLStories #AddictionRecovery

In this episode of The Shane Vitko Podcast, I break down why sobriety isn’t proven by days counted, but by patterns changed. Early recovery can make you want praise and trust fast, but real accountability is earned quietly over time.

I talk about rebuilding trust, stopping performative sobriety, and why consistency matters more than announcements. If you’re in early recovery or trying to repair damaged relationships, this episode is for you.

🎧 Listen on Spotify & YouTube
📲 Follow: @svthehardway | @warriorwithinhale

In Episode 5 of The Shane Vitko Podcast, Chaos to Creativity, I sit down with Boston graffiti artist Jason “Jay Mac” McDonald, better known in the streets as BACK. We talk about growing up on Section 8, a mom in addiction, bouncing from city to city, and what it does to a kid to always feel like the outsider in towns where everyone else has two parents and hockey gear.Jay walks through the first time he stole at eight years old, how tagging with white-out behind a brick building turned into a full graffiti identity, and how his name BACK became “Bad Ass City Kid.” From there, we get into opiates turning into IV heroin, denial, crime, and the moment he finally had to admit to himself that he was hooked. He shares how art and adrenaline saved his life, how recovery and treatment work gave that energy somewhere to go, and how he built a career painting massive murals while helping addicts in the trenches.We also get into the stuff most people never see: fear, rage, ego, shame, and what it really takes for men like us to pick up the phone and tell another guy, “I’m not okay.” We talk about relapse after eight and a half years clean, losing friends to overdose, building a life as a dad and creator, and what it feels like to pull into your own driveway and realize you were supposed to be dead or doing life, but somehow you are here, sober and trusted. If you have ever felt like you already ruined your life and there is no way back, this episode is for you.Guest: Jason “Jay Mac” McDonald aka BACKInstagram: @the_backstah#svthehardway #TheShaneVitkoPodcast #ChaosToCreativity #JayMac #TheBackstah #bostongraffiti #graffitilife #streetart #addictionrecovery #realrecovery #soberlife #mensmentalhealth #traumasurvivor #healingjourney #streetstories #podcastsonyoutube #podcastsonspotify #podcastsonapple #podcastsonamazonmusic

In Episode 4 of The Shane Vitko Podcast, “When The Fog Lifted,” I go back to the moment everything cracked open for me.The first time I ever did breathwork, something shifted. Not dramatically, not with fireworks, but in a quiet way that made me think maybe I wasn’t doomed. Maybe there was a shot at something better. That moment of clarity was the first break in the chaos I’d lived in for years.I also talk about the first time I hit one year sober — and how chasing perfection almost killed me. I relapsed not because I was weak, but because I believed sobriety meant being flawless. That pressure buried me. It took falling apart to realize recovery isn’t about never messing up. It’s about learning how to be human without running.If you’ve ever felt like you had to hold everything together just to stay clean, this one will hit exactly where it needs to.📺 YouTube: https://youtube.com/@svthehardwayInstagram: @svthehardway | @warriorwithinhale#svthehardway #TheShaneVitkoPodcast #TheHardWayHome #breathwork #realrecovery #soberlife #healingjourney #mensmentalhealth #podcastsonyoutube #podcastsonspotify #podcastsonamazonmusic

In Episode 3 of The Shane Vitko Podcast, “The Price of Rage,” I talk about the years where anger ran my life and the damage that came with it.From school suspensions and fights to boot camp, deployment, and the fallout in my relationships, I break down the truth behind living with a short fuse. Rage didn’t make me strong. It made me isolated. It made me unpredictable. It pushed away the people who actually cared about me. This episode isn’t about glorifying any of it — it’s about being honest about the wreckage and the work it takes to stop carrying your pain like a weapon.If you’ve ever felt like anger was the only language you knew, this one will land.📺 YouTube: https://youtube.com/@svthehardwayInstagram: @svthehardway | @warriorwithinhale#svthehardway #TheShaneVitkoPodcast #TheHardWayHome #realrecovery #veteran #mentalhealth #anger #trauma #healingjourney #podcastsonyoutube #podcastsonspotify #podcastsonamazonmusic

In Episode 2 of The Shane Vitko Podcast, “The War Within,” I talk about the fight most men never speak about — the battle between who we show the world and who we really are underneath the armor.For most of my life, I thought strength meant shutting up, stuffing emotion, and muscling through anything that hurt. That mask kept me alive in the environments I grew up in… but it also kept me from knowing myself. In this episode, I break down how that survival mode followed me into adulthood, how sobriety ripped the mask off, whether I wanted it or not, and what it actually takes to stop performing and start living.If you’ve ever felt like you’re carrying armor just to get through the day, this one will hit home.Topics in this episode:• Growing up tough and hiding emotion• How trauma trains us to perform instead of live• Sobriety, healing, and rebuilding identity• What happens when you finally drop the armor📺 YouTube: https://youtube.com/@svthehardway?si=87FcYF4NhYrHelfdInstagram: @svthehardway | @warriorwithinhale#svthehardway #TheShaneVitkoPodcast #TheHardWayHome #realrecovery #mensmentalhealth #sobriety #healingjourney #veteran #trauma #breathwork #podcastsonyoutube #podcastsonspotify #podcastsonamazonmusic

In Episode 1 of The Shane Vitko Podcast, “I’m Done Wishing,” I talk about the years I spent telling myself I’d start again “someday” — and why that day finally came.I break down what pulled me off the path, what happened after Deviant Gentlemen, and the exact moment I realized I was done waiting for permission to rebuild my life. This first episode sets the tone for The Hard Way Home — honesty, recovery, real change, and the uncomfortable work it takes to become the man you were supposed to be.If you've ever felt stuck, lost, or like your second chance might not come, this one will hit home.📺 Subscribe on YouTube / Instagram: @svthehardway#svthehardway #theshanevitkopodcast #realrecovery #mensmentalhealth #soberlife #healingjourney #podcastsonamazonmusic #podcastsonyoutube #podcastsonspotify