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

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/real-mentors-podcast-7081727/from-overdoses-to-9-figures-ryan-zofay-on-real-mentors-podcast-ep-82
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/real-mentors-podcast-7081727/from-overdoses-to-9-figures-ryan-zofay-on-real-mentors-podcast-ep-82.md
Podcast: [REAL Mentors Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/real-mentors-podcast-7081727)
Published: 2026-04-28T12:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/from-overdoses-to-9-figures-ryan-zofay-on-real-mentors-podcast-ep-82--71704617
Audio file: https://api.spreaker.com/download/episode/71704617/57c93995_4a07_4cea_b5b6_b8cd237ab03f.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/real-mentors-podcast-7081727/episodes/from-overdoses-to-9-figures-ryan-zofay-on-real-mentors-podcast-ep-82
Duration seconds: 3344

## Resource

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/@ryanz…

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