From Overdoses to 9 Figures | Ryan Zofay on REAL Mentors Podcast EP 82

Ryan Zofay started using drugs at 11. By his late teens he was incarcerated, facing a potential life sentence. Most people don't come back from that but Ryan built a 9-figure business from it.The turning point wasn't a strategy. It was his mother, newly sober herself, walking into that detention center with the 12-step program and a decision to stop abandoning her son. That moment cracked open something that anger, hustle, and failed ventures in his 20s never could.Today Ryan is the founder of We Level Up, a national addiction treatment organization he built from the ground up starting in 2013. He's also a speaker, life and business coach, and author of An Unlikely Businessman: From Overdoses to Multimillionaire. His mission is simple: help people stop reliving the past by finally dealing with what created it.In this episode, Ryan and Sean get into what it actually takes to break generational cycles, why self-acceptance is the real foundation of success, and why surrounding yourself with the wrong people keeps you stuck longer than any addiction ever could.This Episode Explores:✅ Drugs at 11, incarceration by his teens and the childhood trauma underneath it all✅ A mother's sobriety visit that changed everything✅ How the 12-step program became the foundation for a 9-figure business✅ Anger, failed ventures, and what his 20s really taught him✅ Founding We Level Up in 2013 from sales to mission-driven impact✅ Why you keep reliving the past until you meet the unmet needs underneath it✅ Falling in love with yourself as a business strategy, not just self-help talk✅ The ESOP plan: transitioning to employee ownership by 2030✅ Why who you're around matters more than what you know🔗 Connect with Ryan ZofayInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryan.zofay/YouTube: youtube.com/@ryanzofayWebsite: ryanzofay.com Book: An Unlikely BusinessmanFollow REAL Mentors PodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/realmentorspodcastHost Sean Martin: https://instagram.com/theseanmartin