Michael Chernow | Wired to Win: How to Transform Addiction Into A Superpower + Become Unstoppable

Wellness + Wisdom Podcast

Josh Trent

Emotionalintelligence, Behaviorchange, Mindfulness, Religion & Spirituality, Mindset, Neuroscience, Self-improvement, Habits, Wellness, Consciousness, Anxiety, Fitness, Behavioralpsychology, Education, Health, Breathwork, Nutrition, Meditation, Organic, Strength, Mentalhealth, Depression, Spirituality, Psychedelics, Personalgrowth, Selfhelp, Supplements, Selfdevelopment, Physical

4.6 • 895 Ratings

🗓️ 25 February 2025

⏱️ 112 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Wellness + Wisdom | Episode 718

Is it possible to harness an addictive personality and turn it into a powerful fuel source?

Michael Chernow, Founder of Kreatures of Habit, joins Josh Trent on the Wellness + Wisdom Podcast, episode 718, to reveal how hitting rock bottom led him to discover the ultimate healing power of connection and self-love, why a structured routine can build the foundation for conquering life’s toughest challenges, how to break free from destructive patterns, and why choosing to show up for yourself is the first step toward lasting transformation.

"When you strip away drugs and alcohol from someone who has an addiction, they're left with this ability to commit to anything they put their mind to. They've channeled their superpower down the wrong path and so you give them a little bit of a course correction and the sky's the limit." - Michael Chernow

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In This Episode, Michael Chernow Uncovers:

[01:10] The Truth About Addicts

Michael Chernow
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Why people don't think of addiction as a disease.
How addicts have a great ability for commitment.
Why addicts suffer from chemical imbalances.
Dr. Russel Surasky

[06:55] Connection Is The Cure

What inspired Michael to start healing from drug addiction.
Why connection is what helps heal addiction.
How he wanted to impress the man who was helping him heal.

[13:00] Faith in Higher Power

Why addicts have a sense of control even though they're completely out of control.
How connection to a higher power provides a new sense of control and hope.
Why Michael talks to God every morning since he decided to get sober.
How faith gave him a second chance in life.

[17:50] Healing The Father Wound

How Michael's father struggled with extreme hoarding.
Why our father wound can become a fuel source.
How we choose our parents.
Why Michael is grateful for all of his past struggles.
How we don't need to be great at everything.

[25:45] The Consequences of Trauma

Why trauma moves emotions and decisions along a lot quicker.
How Michael first experienced drugs when he was 12 years old.
Why Fentanyl is in every drug and causes people to die.

[30:55] Why People Always Want to Win

How Josh's porn addiction was related to a lack of self-love and safety.
Why addictions are related to our parents.
How porn addiction provides us with a momentary control.
Why we're wired to want to win.
How Michael understood that he can feel like he's winning through a healthy lifestyle and exercise.
Why he was told to have a specific morning routine in order to get better.
The Big Book

[43:25] You Have a Choice

Why we have the ability to feel great and we can choose to do the things that support us.
How Michael's routine makes him bulletproof.
Why we shouldn't sacrifice our health for our strict routine.

[48:15] What Happens When You Hit Rock Bottom?

How the new lifestyle made Michael love himself more immediately.
Why he wanted to stop doing drugs after overdosing but couldn't control it.
How he almost jumped out of the window to end his suffering.

[53:10] Healing Can't Be Forced

Why it's not healthy to be outside of the present moment.
What made Michael decide not to do plant medicine healing.
Why healing can only happen when we decide to heal.
How his best friends relapsed after 10 years of being sober.
Why he convinced his friend to do a plant medicine ceremony.
How we can't force people to heal.

[01:02:05] It Starts With Children

How to Know Higher Worlds by Rudolf Steiner
Why public school systems are not giving the right example to children.
How kids should not even experiment with drugs because most of them contain fentanyl.

[01:07:15] Kreatures of Habit

Why Michael wanted to open a healthy restaurant catering to any diet.
How the pandemic ruined the plans for the company.
Why he put his children into Waldorf School.
How he runs long-distance while brainstorming ideas.
Why he decided to put oatmeal in a pouch.

[01:15:30] Habits Are Hard to Sell

Why people care more about who we are than what we say.
How Michael decided to sell not just a product but a habit to start the day with.
439 Khalil Rafati | From Homeless To Limitless: One Man’s Spiritual Journey of Learned Helplessness to Powerful Humility
How oatmeal was a catalyst for Michael that helped him heal.

[01:21:30] The Hardship in Entrepreneurship

Why entrepreneurs can live a balanced life.
How the beginning journey as an entrepreneur is usually extremely busy, but it shouldn't be like that forever.
Why Michael wakes up early to focus on himself.
How putting our business first will hurt the business.
Why performance is based on how we feel.

[01:27:25] The Key to Productivity

The only thing we can't purchase is time.
How going to sleep earlier and waking up earlier gives us more productive time.
Why we're more productive and creative in the morning.
How waking up before everybody else gives us more control.
The 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma
Why we need a "time to go to bed" alarm.

[01:35:15] Inner Child Healing

How Michael met his inner child during a breathwork session.
Why his 7-year-old inner child was frozen.
How spending time with his sons is what can heal his wounded inner child.
Why he feels like he failed in spending time with his children.

[01:42:10] Your Children Can Help You Heal

How Michael dedicates every other weekend to being alone with his sons.
Why hunting created a strong bond between him and his children.
How our children don't care about the money we earn or how hard we work.
Why children can help us heal our relationships.

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Power Quotes From The Show

Wired to Win

"We're wired to want to win. I take action every single morning to put myself in a successful position to manage whatever is thrown my way." - Michael Chernow

You Can't Buy Time

"What's the one thing in life that there is no way anyone has ever been able to purchase? Time. We're all given the exact same amount of time in a day. So if you want to to win in life, it requires an hour of self-indulgent, self-care time. Because when you can dedicate to that, you are going to show up a better human being." - Michael Chernow

Why Addicts Feel In Control

"When you are in active addiction, you have a sense of complete control, even though you're totally out of control. That sense of control comes from the ability to change how you feel. You know that there is a substance that will numb your feelings. So when you feel bad, you can easily make yourself feel good. When you feel good, you can easily make yourself feel great. And so in essence, you're playing God. You're controlling how you feel no matter what is going on around you." - Michael Chernow

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About Michael Chernow

Michael Chernow | Wired to Win: How to Transform Addiction Into A Superpower + Become Unstoppable Michael Chernow began working at the young age of 12, gaining invaluable experience as he advanced through every position in the restaurant industry.

This hands-on learning journey eventually led him to co-found The Meatball Shop, marking the start of his entrepreneurial career. He later expanded his restaurant ventures by launching Seamore's in Manhattan and growing the brand to include five locations across New York City.

After dedicating two decades to the hospitality industry, Michael faced personal challenges, including overcoming addiction, which transformed his perspective on life. Drawing from these experiences, he discovered a passion for helping others build positive habits and improve their lives.

This realization led to the creation of Kreatures of Habit, a lifestyle and wellness brand designed to provide easy access to nutritional products and support transformative personal change.

As an avid marathon runner and competitive bodybuilder, he continues to push his physical and mental limits. Michael cherishes family life while residing in New York.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	I did drugs for the first time when I was 12, immediately loved it, immediately made a decision that this was going to be my life because I found solace in it.
0:08.2	So that was propelled by trauma. It was like a faster way into the darkness.
0:13.0	Michael Chernow is a serial entrepreneur, a podcast host and professional athlete.
0:17.8	He's also been in recovery for almost two decades after years of active addiction.
0:22.5	What is the real truth about addiction? What do people get wrong about addiction? When you strip away
0:27.4	the drugs and the alcohol from someone who has addiction, they have this ability to commit to
0:34.2	anything they put their mind to. They've channeled their ability, their superpower,
0:39.0	down the wrong path. And so you give them a little bit of a course correction and the sky is the
0:44.7	limit. Human beings are wired to want to win. Winning feels good. And for years and years,
0:50.4	winning for me was getting high. When I found out that I could win by moving my body,
0:56.8	by putting healthy food into my body, I got addicted to positive wins. How did you get to that place?
1:04.0	When did the self-love come online? So one thing that's fascinated me is this concept of departure from self, and I've definitely
1:14.6	felt it in my life. I'm curious with the addiction past and gosh, with this incredible message
1:20.2	you're putting out in the world, what is the real truth about addiction? What do people get
1:24.4	wrong about addiction? So it's very interesting. People look at
1:29.7	addicts or alcoholics. I kind of bucket them into the same group, right? You're addicted to drugs.
1:36.8	You're addicted to alcohol. It's the same thing. You're looking for escape, right? People chalk them up
1:41.4	as when they see an addict or an alcoholic in active addiction, they look at them as waste of space, helpless, useless, dirty, criminal.
1:54.1	And what they really don't understand is that it is a disease. It's a mental illness. It's a disease and you you self-medicate through you know these drugs
2:03.4	or alcohol whatever it is but the interesting thing that people get wrong about addicts is they're
2:08.5	unbelievable incredible ferocious ability to commit it is, when you strip away the drugs and the alcohol from someone who has addiction,
2:26.9	they have this ability to commit to anything they put their mind to.
	...

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