350: What if nothing could tear us apart? Part 2: Daniel
This Is Actually Happening
Wondery
4.6 • 9.9K Ratings
🗓️ 18 February 2025
⏱️ 60 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
A young man searching for acceptance and purpose falls into a life of crippling addiction and loses his son to CPS and the love of his life to a violent psychopath; but among the shattered pieces of his life, he finds a path to recovery, forgiveness and joy.
Today’s episode featured Daniel Hearn. This episode is part of a two-part mini-series, featuring Daniel and his wife Donna, whose story aired last week as #349.
You can email Daniel Hearn at [email protected]. Please check out Daniel's and Donna's podcast ""Hard Knox Talks: Your Addiction Podcast"":https://linktr.ee/hardknoxtalks
Daniel & his wife, Donna (Ep349), are keynote speakers that use their story to foster productive conversations about substance use in communities and in workplaces. If you’d like to seek them out for a speaking engagement, please reach out to Daniel via email.
Daniel's story came to us by way of Todd Rennebohm (wren-a-bomb). Daniel was originally featured on Todd's podcast, Bunny Hugs and Mental Health, which focuses on conversations with survivors, professionals and families of those who have lost someone to mental illness and addictions. So please check out Bunny Hugs and Mental Health, and a special thanks to Todd for referring today's guest.
Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Sara Marinelli
Content/Trigger Warnings: drug and alcohol abuse, opioid addiction, meth addiction, intravenous drug use, risky pregnancy and childbirth, financial ruin including home foreclosure, domestic abuse and violence, partner violence, child taken by the State, explicit language
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Intro Music: ""Illabye"" – Tipper
Music Bed: Ambient Themes
Services
If you or someone you know is struggling with the effects of trauma or mental illness, please refer to the following resources:
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Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Wondry Plus subscribers can listen to exclusive episodes of This Is Actually Happening |
| 0:05.0 | by joining Wondry Plus in the Wondry app or on Apple Podcasts. |
| 0:09.6 | This Is Actually Happening features real experiences that often include traumatic events. |
| 0:13.9 | Please consult the show notes for specific content warnings on each episode and for more information about support services. |
| 0:30.7 | Hi listeners. Today concludes part two of our two-part episode arc showcasing the incredible power of love in celebration of Valentine's Day this year. |
| 0:35.7 | If you missed it, please listen to last week's episode from Daniel's wife, Donna. |
| 0:40.6 | If you've already heard Donna's episode, today you will hear Daniel's story. |
| 0:44.7 | And what happened from his perspective? |
| 0:46.7 | In today's episode, What If Nothing Could Tear Us Apart? |
| 0:50.1 | Part 2, Daniel. |
| 0:53.9 | We like to blame and we like to point fingers. |
| 0:57.5 | At the end of the day, we're not going to find any peace in resentment. |
| 1:00.6 | We're not going to find any peace in revenge or in making other people hurt. |
| 1:06.3 | Stopping the run away from resentment and starting to run towards joy. |
| 1:13.7 | In my opinion, that's how you know that you're doing the right thing. |
| 1:27.2 | From Wondery, I'm Witt Misseldine. |
| 1:30.8 | You're listening to This Is Actually Happening. |
| 1:40.3 | Episode 350. |
| 1:43.2 | What if nothing could tear us apart? |
| 1:46.1 | Part 2, Daniel. |
| 1:52.2 | Scam Factory, the explosive new true crime podcast from Wondery |
| 1:56.1 | exposes a multi-billion dollar criminal empire. |
... |
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