S3 E11 Never Lose Hope with Tennille Heitkamp

Never Lose Hope with Tennille HeitkampTennille Heitkamp joins Pondoff’s Anonymous to share the long, painful, and hopeful story of walking through addiction with her son, Jacob. What starts as a conversation about Underground and finding the right support community turns into a brutally honest look at what addiction does to an entire family.Tennille talks about Jacob’s childhood, ADHD, early struggles to fit in, his exposure to pills and fentanyl, emergency room visits, detox, sober living, relapse, and the emotional chaos that came with trying to keep him alive. She also opens up about the toll it took on her, her marriage, her other son, and her own mental health as she tried to hold everything together.But this episode is not just about the darkness. It is also about not giving up. Tennille shares how Jacob eventually found real help, how Florida became a turning point, how he is now six months sober, and how hope slowly started to return. The conversation also highlights Tennille’s work with Addiction is Real, where she now helps other families recognize warning signs, find resources, and feel less alone.This episode is for parents, loved ones, and anyone who has ever felt exhausted by addiction and wondered if things can still get better.Sponsored by:McKelvey Insurance Group — https://www.mckelveyins.comLightSource Psychotherapy — https://findyourlightsource.com00:00 Sponsor message: McKelvey Insurance Group + LightSource00:56 Theme song01:30 Welcome and meeting Tennille06:48 How Tennille found Underground09:16 Trying different support spaces until something fits12:12 Creating a safe place for scared newcomers15:27 Underground becomes bigger than anyone expected17:42 Why Chris wanted Tennille to tell this story18:43 Jacob, Jayden, and the beginning of the family story24:02 Jacob’s childhood, diagnoses, surgeries, and early struggles30:38 High school football, wanting to fit in, and pills32:16 First exposure to fentanyl33:34 Moving out, chasing belonging, and things unraveling40:12 The first major fentanyl scare and ER trip42:09 Detox, sober living, and the insurance nightmare58:30 Family disease, shame, and trying to fix everything1:01:33 Learning boundaries and finding family support1:21:08 Another sober living setback1:25:39 Airport chaos and getting Jacob back to treatment1:30:54 New Jersey, sober living, and another return home1:33:21 A good stretch, then relapse again1:37:05 Hospital scare and the move to Florida1:38:05 Florida treatment and meeting Emily1:40:21 Six months sober and a different future1:42:48 Tennille’s work with Addiction is Real1:50:39 How Jacob is doing now1:53:55 Credits1:54:26 Light in the Dark coffee outro