More Life with Carl Radke

KJ Dillard sits down with his friend and Summer House castmate Carl for one of the deepest conversations on More Life. He opens up about the mental health crisis that followed last summer, being hospitalized, getting diagnosed with BPD, and how recovery gave him a whole new way to live. KJ also gets real about growing up too fast, losing the brother he never got to meet to addiction, the pressure of navigating reality TV as a Black man, and finding purpose on the other side of rock bottom. KJ Dillard is a professional skateboarder, model, musician, and cast member on Summer House. Originally from Kansas City, he's built a career across skateboarding, fashion, music, and reality TV - all while openly sharing his journey with mental health and recovery to help others feel less alone. About The Release Foundation: The Release Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding access to life-saving addiction and mental health treatment for individuals and families in need. Through treatment scholarships, community partnerships, education, and advocacy, the Release Foundation works to remove financial barriers to care and create pathways to lasting recovery. Founded by leaders with lived experience, the Release Foundation is committed to breaking the stigma surrounding substance use and mental health challenges while ensuring that hope and healing are accessible to all. No matter where you or a loved one is on the recovery journey, help is available. Learn more or support our mission at ReleaseRecoveryFoundation.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Carl and Tom Schwartz have known each other for a decade, and it shows. Tom Schwartz (Vanderpump Rules, The Valley) joins Carl on More Life to get into his return to Bravo and how he’s changed post-Vanderpump Rules, the new love bringing his sparkle back, closing TomTom, and the family chapter unfolding off-camera. It's vulnerable, funny, and full of the kind of hard-won wisdom only Tom Schwartz can deliver. This one’s a good reminder that reinvention is always possible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mike ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino sits down with Carl to share the story behind the ‘Jersey Shore’ icon America thought it knew. Mike opens up about hiding a debilitating pill addiction on the biggest reality show in the country, the on-camera moments fans remember, and how he went from owning a vodka company to running Archangel Centers, his nationwide network of treatment facilities. Now nearly 11 years sober, Mike talks about redemption, fatherhood, fame, and why the comeback is greater than the setback. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shea Gomez has built a community helping women rethink their relationship with alcohol. She joins Carl to talk about her journey from blacking out at open bars to building No Booze Babes - and how getting sober opened the door to a life she never saw coming. She joins Carl to get honest about the gray area drinking that consumed her early 20s - the blackouts, the bartenders she made out with, the conversations she couldn't remember with the people she loved. And what happened when she finally stopped: she had to face everything she'd been numbing, including feelings about her sexuality she hadn't let herself sit with sober. She shares what it was like to start dating sober, explore her attraction to women for the first time, and navigate the confusion, fear, and freedom that came with it. They also talk about people-pleasing, shame, and why learning to trust yourself is hard work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Carl is joined by Maddi Reese, DJ and star of Bravo’s Southern Hospitality, for an honest conversation about sobriety, reality TV, and the mutual respect they share. Maddi opens up about getting sober at 16, building a career in nightlife without drinking, and why confrontation is essential to protecting her recovery. They bond over past experiences with alcohol and cocaine, what it’s like to feel everything while sober on camera, and navigating relationships under public pressure. From breaking family cycles to finding euphoria through music, Maddi shares her journey with anxiety, resentment, and building an authentic life 12 years into sobriety. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dorinda Medley opens up about life beyond The Real Housewives of New York, sharing what grief really looks like after losing her husband, Richard, and how it’s shaped who she is today. She reflects on love, anger, healing, and why she’s finally ready to date again. This is a raw conversation about loss, resilience, and finding more life through every chapter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Carl welcomes Ciara Miller - nurse, model, Summer House star, and one of his closest friends - for a deep conversation about depression, Prozac, being a Black woman on a predominantly white show, and the moment she realized she was finally feeling like herself again. She reflects on the pressure of life on balancing reality TV with her background as an ICU nurse and what it’s like navigating fame while staying grounded in the real world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Carl is joined by psychotherapist and bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, Lori Gottlieb, for an honest conversation about relationships, self-awareness, and the stories we tell ourselves. Lori shares insights on love, attachment, grief, and why discomfort is often the doorway to growth. This episode is about radical honesty, emotional courage, and finding more life through deeper connection - with others and with yourself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Carl sits down with his good friend Zac Clark (The Bachelorette) for a raw, honest conversation about addiction, recovery, and vulnerability on reality TV. Zac and Carl both open up about their lowest moments, the discipline of staying sober, and how accountability and purpose continue to shape their journeys toward more life. About Release Recovery: Release is a nationally recognized, New York–based behavioral healthcare community offering safe and confidential support for substance use and mental health nationwide. Founded by a leader with lived experience in long-term recovery, Release is committed to breaking the stigma around addiction, alcoholism, anxiety, and depression. Through a blend of clinical expertise, real-world understanding, strong community, and an environment built for sustainable change, meaningful recovery is possible. No matter where you or a loved one is in the recovery process—call Release. Release is here to help. 914-588-6564 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of More Life, Carl sits down with longtime friend, 'Summer House' castmate, and Loverboy founder Kyle Cooke for a candid conversation years in the making. From becoming the “King of Summer” to building a business in the public eye, they reflect on a decade of friendship, sobriety, addiction, and the moments that tested their friendship. An honest look at growth, accountability, and choosing more life on and off camera. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices