She Was the Crystal Meth Queen of Waikiki. Then She Became a PTA Mom in New Jersey.

About this episode

Nikki Mammano shares her journey from being the Crystal Meth Queen of Waikiki to a sober PTA mom in New Jersey, discussing her struggles with addiction and recovery.

Nikki Mammano arrived in Hawaii as a college student and, within months, was running crystal meth in Waikiki. She became known as the Crystal Meth Queen of Waikiki — until it all came crashing down. Today, she’s a PTA mom in New Jersey and the author of Breaking Good, a brutally honest memoir about addiction, trauma, and the long road to healing. In this episode of The Hidden Third, we trace Nikki’s journey from an abused child and teenage addict to a meth dealer in Hawaii’s underworld, and eventually to a sober life built on therapy, accountability, and telling the truth about her past. She talks candidly about prison, homelessness, sex work, parenting with a criminal record, and what recovery really looks like years after the last high. In this conversation, we cover: Childhood abuse and the early wounds that shaped her Her teenage struggle with addiction How a college move to Hawaii spiraled into full‑time meth dealing Life as the Crystal Meth Queen of Waikiki and the rules of that underworld Violence, paranoia, and the moment everything collapsed Prison, shame, and confronting buried trauma Homelessness, sex work, and the cost of survival Parenting, PTA meetings, and living…

People in this episode

Host: Mariana van Zeller

Guest: Nikki Mammano

Topics covered

• addiction
• recovery
• parenting
• trauma
• meth dealing
• homelessness
• mental health

Keywords

• crystal meth
• Waikiki
• addiction
• PTA mom
• memoir
• recovery
• trauma
• homelessness
• sex work
• parenting

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Breaking Good

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