BONUS: Cristina Preston Re-Release

Pondoff’s Anonymous – Cristina Preston Episode Who this episode is for: Anyone outworking pain in the gym Folks from good homes who wrecked their lives People with pasts they swore they’d never share Anyone who’s felt like a fraud—addict or not Church kids hiding chaos behind smiles Chris is on a Staten Island ferry, pizza grease on his fingers, yelling at Lady Liberty and eating humble pie ‘cause the remote-record plan tanked. But that tech fail is your gain—because we’re re-dropping a raw convo with Cristina Preston: fitness model, news junkie, steroid-using bodybuilder, trafficking survivor, and miracle in motion. She leads Celebrate Recovery in Fenton, MO, but she’s lived the wreckage—bullying, self-harm, covering a school shooting, being trafficked during addiction, shady doctors, and a Vegas wedding that made her dad cry the wrong way. This one’s heavy and holy. Laugh. Cry. Throw a chair. Hug your mom. ⏱️ Full Timestamp Breakdown 00:00 – Ferry intro: busted tech & grandma’s 100th 01:50 – Why this is a re-release 03:20 – Goldberg tease: Ducks, meth, mayhem 04:05 – Cristina joins: war-tested & real 05:30 – How Chris found Cristina’s testimony 06:45 – Celebrate Recovery ain’t just AA 08:15 – Codependency, food, image issues 09:20 – Why “grateful believer” hits different 10:30 – Honesty over polish 11:15 – CR outnumbers Starbucks?! 12:20 – Church-run, same vibe everywhere 13:45 – Big lessons, big tears 14:50 – Pondoff talks real recovery spaces 16:05 – Why safe doesn’t mean soft 17:45 – Losing a dog in sobriety 20:00 – Sitting in pain instead of escaping 22:00 – Cristina’s “perfect” upbringing 23:30 – Bullying & broken stalls 25:30 – Before we knew “anxiety” 27:15 – The high-achieving mask 28:10 – Speech team nerd to newsroom 30:00 – Covering the NIU school shooting 32:45 – Trauma, Valentine’s, heartbreak 34:20 – Cancelled wedding, lost faith 36:50 – Panic attacks & silence 38:45 – Gym life as addiction in disguise 40:30 – Attention, abs, and adrenaline 42:00 – Bikini comps & pressure 43:45 – First steroid cycle 45:00 – “Helpful” doctor + real side effects 46:30 – Vegas wedding, mall ring, regrets 48:15 – Cocaine enters stage right 50:10 – Using on the move 51:30 – Broke, exposed, unraveling 53:00 – Dependent and out of options 54:10 – Doctor with blank-label pills 55:30 – Lies, performance, denial 57:10 – Who even am I? 58:45 – Comfort in chaos 01:00:00 – From worshipped to wasted 01:01:30 – Realizing it’s all a façade 01:03:00 – Surrender & grace 01:05:00 – Truth through accountability 01:06:20 – Living life again 01:07:45 – Family healing 01:09:00 – Second marriage, no lies 01:10:15 – Parenthood post-recovery 01:12:00 – Telling your kids the truth 01:13:20 – Sharing to save others 01:14:40 – Message to the struggling 01:16:00 – How to plug into CR 01:17:30 – Church ≠ performance 01:19:00 – What healing really means 01:20:20 – Sobriety doesn’t erase shame 01:23:00 – Self-forgiveness is brutal 01:25:00 – Cristina opens up: trafficked in addiction 01:27:30 – Manipulated, silenced by shame 01:29:00 – Her son asks the hard questions 01:32:10 – Even now, cravings sneak in 01:34:45 – Triggers: mirrors, songs, stores 01:38:20 – Faith in the ugly middle 01:40:50 – Leading while healing 01:44:10 – Routine, friends, raw prayer 01:47:00 – “You’re not too far gone” 01:50:30 – Chris on public shame & honesty 01:53:00 – Jakob & Jeff on spiritual BS 01:55:45 – Cristina hated “Christianese” too 01:58:20 – Healing doesn’t follow rules 02:00:10 – Why CR keeps her grounded 02:03:30 – Sobriety is sacred and simple 02:06:00 – Stories evolve—they don’t end 02:10:00 – Gratitude for lifelines 02:12:45 – “Stay here”—for anyone slipping 02:15:30 – Chris signs off from the ferry 02:17:40 – END 🙏 Sponsor Shoutout: Illinois Recovery Center – Putting broken pieces back together. 👉 https://illinoisrecoverycenter.com/ Bertarelli Cutlery – Blades that slice through your bullshit. 👉 https://bertarellico.com/