Determined Society with Shawn French | Adversity & Mindset

In this powerful episode of The Determined Society, Shawn French sits down with Eric Spofford — entrepreneur, recovery advocate, mentor, father, and founder who built and sold a recovery business for $115 million.

Eric opens up about surviving addiction, his fifth overdose, the moment of surrender that led him to sobriety on December 7, 2006, and the deeper work it took to rebuild his life. He shares how recovery became more than abstinence — it became a path of spiritual growth, personal development, service, and purpose.

From opening sober houses to building treatment centers and scaling a company to a nine-figure exit, Eric's story is one of relentless reinvention. But this conversation goes far beyond addiction and business. It explores the loneliness of success, the relationships you lose when you grow, the truth about money and fulfillment, and the character it takes to keep moving forward when life tests everything in you.

In this episode, we dive into:

Eric's fifth overdose and the reality of late-stage addiction

Getting sober on December 7, 2006

What surrender really meant for him

The difference between abstinence and true recovery

Losing friends to the opioid epidemic

Building sober houses and treatment centers

Scaling a recovery business to a $115M exit

Learning business through relentless self-education

The loneliness that comes with success

Why money and material things do not create fulfillment

Fatherhood, character, loyalty, and human connection

This is a raw conversation about addiction, recovery, loss, leadership, success, money, loneliness, and the determination to rebuild a life that once felt impossible to save.

Connect with Eric Spofford

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericspofford/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjv2eT-tACaCYO18wSllyNg

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-spofford-grc

Connect with Shawn: https://link.me/shawnmf32

Newsletter + more: https://thedeterminedsociety.com

Follow The Determined Society

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/determined-society-with-shawn-french-adversity-mindset/id1555922064

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5kS9tkLGQLcVyRgB3mDznw?si=184c18d1b9d44f53

The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms.

Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave a review. It helps more than you know.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Karlton Dennis, CEO of Tax Alchemy and former athlete turned tax strategist, reveals the discipline and identity shift required to build lasting wealth. In this conversation, Shawn French and Karlton explore the mental toughness that helped him transition from sports to entrepreneurship, the tax strategies high-earners use to keep more of what they make, and how breaking norms around money shapes your financial legacy. A powerful conversation on discipline, overcoming obstacles, and the authentic conversations that change lives.

Connect with Shawn:

 https://link.me/shawnmf32 

Subscribe to our newsletter for all updates and heavy doses of DETERMINATION: https://thedeterminedsociety.com 

Subscribe on Apple/Spotify:

Apple- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/determined-society-with-shawn-french-adversity-mindset/id1555922064 

Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/5kS9tkLGQLcVyRgB3mDznw?si=498fc35ecc814a9e

The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms.

Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave a review. It helps more than you know.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On The Determined Society, authentic conversations and hard questions separate growth from stagnation. Ben Swann—journalist, truth-seeker, and cultural disruptor—sits down with Shawn French to explore why asking difficult questions takes real discipline, how breaking norms demands determination, and what happens when you refuse to accept surface-level answers. Discover the mental strength it takes to challenge the status quo and the resilience required to stand by your convictions. Perfect for anyone tired of shallow discourse and ready to dig deeper.

The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms.

Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave a review. It helps more than you know.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jake "Brutal" Bostwick grew up surrounded by violence in Southeast London. Now a bare-knuckle champion, he reveals how adversity and overcoming failure became his greatest assets. In this raw conversation, Jake shares the discipline techniques, mindset shifts, and unforgiving lessons that transformed survival instinct into elite fighting performance—and why loss was never the end.

Connect with Jake Bostwick: 

Instagram:

 https://www.instagram.com/brutalbostw...

Connect with Shawn:

https://link.me/shawnmf32

 Subscribe to our newsletter for all updates and heavy doses of DETERMINATION: 

https://thedeterminedsociety.com

The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms.

Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave a review. It helps more than you know.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this raw conversation with Tyrese Gibson and Cody Walker, Shawn French explores how determination and authentic faith transform adversity into global impact. Discover how FuelFest grew from a simple tribute into an international movement celebrating car culture, music, and human connection—and what it really means to build something bigger than yourself when grief threatens to define you.

 In this episode, we dive into:

• The story and mission behind FuelFest 

• Honoring Paul Walker’s legacy through action 

• How Reach Out Worldwide continues Paul’s heart for helping people

 • Why cars and music bring people together across cultures 

• Building a global community through passion and purpose 

• Cody Walker’s journey after losing Paul 

• Tyrese Gibson on faith, determination, and doing something with your life 

• Why you do not need to have everything figured out to start

 • The power of showing up, failing, learning, and moving forward

 • Creating experiences that impact people far beyond the event This is more than a conversation about cars, movies, or music. 

It is a conversation about legacy, brotherhood, purpose, service, and the determination to create something that continues to impact the world.

 • Connect with Shawn: https://link.me/shawnmf32

• Subscribe to our newsletter for all updates and heavy doses of DETERMINATION: https://thedeterminedsociety.com

 

The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms.

Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave a review. It helps more than you know.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.