Ko Chandetka: Pro Body Builder, Lao American Sports Hall of Fame & Recovery from Opiate Addiction

What happens when you become a pro body builder and your mother calls your body "ugly?"  How does one cope with an injury and engage in recovery from addiction?  What can you contribute to your community?   Our guest, Ko Chandetka is a Laotian American professional body builder and became one of the most notable Asian Americans in the sport, winning titles and landing a major sponsorship.  However, he suffered an injury which led to an addiction to pain killers, depression, anxiety and alcoholism, and losing his sponsorship.  He worked on his recovery from addiction and made a come-back in his 40's, earning an IFBB Pro Card and Placed 7th at the 2016 Mr. Olympia contest. He has since retired from the sport, co-founding the Lao American Sports Hall of Fame to recognize and inspire other Laotian athletes and launching the SEA4Podcaat: South East Asian Athlete Achievement > Adversity.  He is currently a bodybuilding and nutrition consultant, living in South Elgin, IL. ======================================== This episode would not be made possible without Sparxo who has the vision to build technology that helps communities connect. Their first product is an event ticketing platform that makes it easy for event producers to sell tickets directly on their brand's or organization's website. With Sparxo, it is easy to create a ticket checkout experience with multiple ticket options and add photos and videos to a customized event details page. If you're an event producer, check out sparxo.com/thecolorofsuccess/.  Mention the Color of Success during signup to receive 50% off Sparxo fees for the first event you host using Sparxo Ticketing. From Nightclubs to Yoga Retreats, brands that care about bringing people together to create great experiences trust Sparxo.