Steve Madden: Overcoming Addiction & Building An Empire

Steve Madden: Overcoming Addiction & Building An Empire

From Angie Martinez IRL by iHeartPodcasts and The Volume

March 5, 2026 · 53 min

About this episode

Steve Madden discusses his journey from addiction to building a successful shoe empire with Angie Martinez.

Fashion icon Steve Madden sits down with Angie Martinez to talk about growing up with nothing to being the name and face of a shoe empire. Steve explains what it’s like living life as an addict and how coming out of prison reshaped his view on life. Then he explains how different the music industry is compared to the fashion industry, as well as what it’s like to meet hip-hop royalty such as Jay-Z, Beyonce, and T.I. Finally, Steve answers questions from our IRL Bowl of Questions, and reconnects with an old employee (who now works for Angie). Visit your nearest Boost Mobile store or https://promo.boostmobile.com/webuiltanetwork/ytb/ All lines provided by ‪ Hard Rock Bet Visit Walden  https://waldenu.edu to learn more! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Host: Angie Martinez

Guest: Steve Madden

Topics covered

  • addiction
  • fashion industry
  • music industry
  • personal growth
  • celebrity encounters

Keywords

  • Steve Madden
  • addiction
  • fashion
  • music
  • celebrity
  • empire
  • prison
  • Jay-Z
  • Beyonce
  • T.I.

Sponsors

Boost Mobile

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Hard Rock Bet, Walden

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