From Music Video Dancer to Recovery CEO: The Dark Side of Early Fame | Ep 294 with Amanda Marino Founder of Next Level Recovery Associates

0:03you have the fascinating story you're helping people now with addiction and rehabilitating their life becoming better. But at one point, you were a professional dancer in hip hop music videos. Yes. In like the heyday of I think the the videos, obviously, now I mean, videos, you know, back then it was like MTV and stuff like videos were the thing. Yes. And everyone was watching these. So tell me about that experience. I mean, I had some lovely experiences. But I also was, you know, a lot of the things that have been coming up now with the whole P. Diddy thing like, and then R. Kelly prior, you know, really just kind of triggered, you know, I was abused as a child and that's what brought me down my dark path, I believe.

0:49And then being in the entertainment industry, like the second I turned 18, you know, sent to auditions for hip hop music videos, a dance for, you know, a quality thing was like a Ricky Martin, She Bangs video in the Bahamas. That was on MTV making the music video. Like I was a whole big thing, right? And, but then I also did hip hop, like straight hip hop videos. R. Kelly feeling on your booty, which makes me feel nauseous video is what I was in. And I think back to that time, I think I was placed with method man and red man and thank God because they were cool and they were funny. But what if I would have been put near R.

1:20Kelly? Like, could that could my life have been different? Like, you know, and I was definitely put into some uncomfortable situations in that field. That's an interesting take around. You could have gone down two different you're you're right there at the edge of the possibilities to go down two different paths and one being very, very dark and could have traumatized you. Yeah. How does that feel knowing that, you know, the path that you did take? So, so grateful, you know, um, it had to get worse before it got better for sure. However, I think that I would have been kind of, it was around the time Britney Spears kind of went off, popped off, you know, like, I think that's when my whole, my issues were.

1:59And I just am so, so grateful that, you know, I was brought down this path and I get to help people with all kinds of things today, like anything that they're struggling with eating disorders, you know, mental health addiction, all these things. And it's like, it's such a gift. And I think because I've been in so many dark situations, I can say I've been there in a lot of ways to people. Yeah. So when you're talking to somebody and you're hearing these stories from them, I find it tough sometimes to listen to some people's stories because it almost brings up anxiety in me. How do you handle those situations when you're hearing these things?

2:32How do you like disassociate yourself or also not then take it home with you? So when I take, I mean, I just, I'm pretty good at keeping it at the, like leaving it out the door, you know, but there are times where I cross my own boundaries. It happens. I'm human, you know? So I'm pretty good at keeping it separate and not taking on people's things. because I work on energy, do energy work, spiritual work. I have to do extra, extra self-care just to be a status quo with the stuff I deal with. Because some of it's crazy, some of it's light and fun, but most of it's really hard work, dealing with families that are going through a lot for generations usually, like generational wealth and people in entertainment, athletes.

3:13It's heavy things. It's like we look up to celebrities in the sense that we all say, hey, Amanda, I want to be a celebrity. I want to be this famous person, but we probably don't realize what that person is going through. What are you finding that these people, what's the reality? So the reality is I used to think that like, that was the, that was the trajectory I was on. Like I was going to make it, I had really good opportunities that I messed up. So that was like all I wanted from age four to 22, you know? And, um, and I just started making poor choices towards the end, but, um, it's, it's a dark, it's a dark area, you know, and there, this has been going on for 20 plus years.

3:53So this is not something that's new. And like these things that are just coming to light, that's hard for me to hear, you know? Um, like how did this just come out now? These things, these things have been going on for 25 years. Um, so yeah, anyone in that space, it's harder. Like, I mean, you and I have, you know, presence on social media. That's even hard. Like I didn't, And I had comments on some video the other day about like saying you have a million surgeries. And I'm like, actually, I have no surgery on my face, which is a first for me, which I've never heard. But I have mean messages. So like they have to deal with that like on a scale of like mass, you know, and you have to have some thick skin to take some of this stuff.

4:30And you have to do work on yourself and remind yourself who you are. I would definitely want to hire somebody to manage. I would say, look, I don't even want to look at. sold. Like, don't even give me, I would take like a flip phone, like, give me a flip phone. Cause I don't want to see anything about anything because I couldn't handle it. I would not want to be mass famous. Well, I'll tell you after the show, because I worked on the show intervention, when that came out, I was warned by my colleagues and friends that have been on it for a long time. Just wait, you're going to catch some shit.

4:58And sure enough, boy, like people were coming into my website, to my, my back of my social medias and my email, like everywhere. And like say, like, you know, threatening things, call, like, just, it was wild. But I, it made me, it made me stronger. It helps me ground myself into reminding myself who I am. It only matters what I think, only matters what me and God think, you know, it doesn't matter what the world says about me. And that comes from like being bullied as a kid and like all these things, like I've gone through so much that there's nothing that anyone can say that can, that can hurt me at this point, honestly.

5:29So you were in hip hop videos dancing, which by the way, I always wanted to be in a hip video. I feel like it'd be an interesting experience. And then at some point you moved into reality TV. I always say, is it unreality TV? Is it not reality TV? Or is it legit reality TV? What is that experience like? Okay. So I had worked with the executive producer and director. I had worked with him on another show called Digital Addiction. And from anything I heard from intervention. I've heard different things over the years. However, the year that I went on digital addiction and on intervention, both on the A &E network, I knew the people and trusted the team.

6:11And I said, I have to be able to treat every single person I work with like I'm just being me and that they were my real client and I have to be able to work with their families. Like that to me is important for the authenticity. And they were so supportive of it. If they had a question about anything, like they didn't know, they relied on people like us and the psychiatric evaluations and things like that, they would ask us. And we could set boundaries. In Memphis, we almost didn't go because the clients, they were filming before we got there, were trying to run the camera people over and pulling out guns.

6:41So we almost didn't do Memphis, but we just did it in a different way. I'll never go back to Memphis, just FYI. But yeah, for my experience, it was real. But I have friends that are on other reality shows, such as Housewives and other things like that, where that's a lot of staged and a lot of trauma. So I had a great time. I mean, it's great that you had a good experience and it wasn't one of those traumatic experiences. It seems like you can also leverage that in business and stuff later on. And it's great talking points as well. You're building your personal brand, I think, online through these shows and stuff.

7:17So you have this company now and now you're dedicated to helping people. Yeah. So I have two. I have the next level, Recovery Associates, which is also, we've expanded, like I said, eating disorders, which is huge, dual diagnosis, people that are hoarding, gaming, gambling, porn, whatever you have going on, right? And you don't want to – you want to have privacy and secrecy and a customized program for you. That's what we do. We bring professionals from all around the world speaking all different languages to go live with people and to create a concierge plan for them or travel with them, whatever they need.

7:49And then my brand is Amanda Marino, which my daughter was the one that found out that I have like – I was a TV personality on Google. I guess she was trying to show a friend something. She's like, mom, you're a TV personality. And I was cracking up. So yeah, so there's two things that are going on. And I worked only in behavioral health for so long. And one day I woke up and I was like, I am in the wrong rooms. I'm in the rooms where everyone knows the solutions. Everyone knows that there's this kind of therapy and this kind of treatment. I need to get to people that have never heard that they're not alone, that there's this kind of care out there, that there's this kind of support.

8:22So that's my message now is to amplify that. like I did at your TEDx, you know, the Forbes Park was, you know, I want to get reach people that don't have any clue that there's help out there because there's a lot still all around the world. What type of help are you finding that people really need right now? Because I think we went through COVID. I think we were all pretty much traumatized. Every person on this planet has some sort of trauma. I don't think most of us ever faced it nor dealt with it. And then we just said, go back to your normal life, everything is open. And it seems like mental health is just on a sliding scale downward.

9:00So what are you finding right now is the biggest thing that people struggle with? First, I'm going to start with the downward is true, but it's also an upward because it had to smash a lot of the stigma and people being scared to reach out for mental health help, right? So people were left in a position where they had to ask for help. I had they had to find something or they weren't going to make it. So people that were healthy teetered. People that were like on the edge went over. People that were over the edge, like, you know, it was a very, but it's made the conversation about mental health.

9:28COVID actually helped us a lot because, you know, like I've been posting about it on LinkedIn for like since 2011. And I was one of the first people to talk about my personal journey on there. And so, you know, we're seeing a lot of depression, agoraphobia, people scared to like go out and leave their homes, people that used to travel a ton. So we'll go take them to the airport and have coffee with them. We'll, you know, whatever they, whatever people need, a lot of hoarding, their hoarding is a big thing. Alcohol is still number one, as far as like addiction wise and eating disorders, men and women are at a rise.

10:02So what, when somebody comes to you and says, you know, I have this, I have this problem. Is there like a, I'm thinking like five steps or whatever the steps, is there like a certain step thing that most people should go through? Or is it totally unique and custom to the individual? We customize everything. So we're because we're concierge and like, you know, white glove kind of service boutique. You know, we have a clinical expert, Dr. Jeffrey Huttman, I have a clinical psychiatrist on call, Dr. Alden Morales, and then we partner with clinical professionals and dieticians and different people all around the world, also culturally competent to go to be in different cultures and speak different languages.

10:41So yeah, it's fun and wild and it's unique to each person. So like when we go down our client list every Thursday and do clinical rounds, or every Tuesday, there's so many different things that we're talking about, right? There's wild and diverse from adolescents to 70, 80 olds, you know, we're helping. When you think about legacy and your mission in life, what comes to mind when you think of those words. My kids. I'm doing this because of that. I mean, originally because of them and now for me. You know, my son, I had my son at 24 and he's the reason I decided to, you know, work on my trauma and work on my issues and change my life.

11:22And I got to bring him to the Philippines to watch me do a TEDx. I come from living in like the hood, you know, like when I was, I was a poor, poor single mom. And I never thought in a million years I would go to all these countries and do all these things. It's been such a gift. So my kids are, I want to leave a legacy for them. I want to be able to help them buy a home. That's my dream. Like I want to help them, you know, do the things that they want to do. Not spoil them by any means, but, you know, give them great life experiences that they remember and cherish and know that mom was a woman of integrity and mom pushed herself, even if she was scared and did all these things.

11:57You know, my son, when he graduated, he said he wants to work for me and he wants to be a firefighter. So he just got accepted in the fire academy and he's done some training to work with me. So he it's, he's on the path. He's 20. You met him. He's massive. No one's going to talk about us, but our kids essentially, right? Like most people at some point, every person will be forgotten about except our kids and family. Hopefully we'll continue to talk about us in the future. Um, I know resilience is a big thing for you. It's also probably the most successful people we've had have told us resilience and entrepreneurship are pretty much tied together.

12:35So when you when you look at resilience for yourself, how have you remained? I get knocked down. And I crumble behind the scenes in my home and go into the jam of days and go through dog. I just I sit like I even my tag. So sit with it. I sit with it sometimes. That's the hardest thing to do like, and just move move through it. Like with resilience, you know, it's it's it's being scared and doing it anyways. It's it's quote unquote failing, but failing isn't failing because failing, you're actually trying. So if you try something and it doesn't work out, that's still a win. And people need to realize that.

13:09Like if you try something else, you know, if you want to leave your job and build your own company, figure out what your worst case scenario is if you put a strategy into place, right? So for me, my worst case scenario is if this doesn't work out, then I will have to get a job doing this. And that was, so I went for it with a hundred dollars in the bank account. I built a international brand in COVID. What would you say was a turning point? So you started with basically no capital. We could say$100 is basically no capital, right? What was a turning point in the company when you said, wow, this is going to be a legit thing?

13:46Well, we were, as my mother was telling me every day about people dying and people losing their jobs and businesses closing. And I was thriving because of course the need for my services, I was in the younger population, like my mentors and teachers were older and they couldn't do these things. They couldn't travel, they couldn't be in person. So it was just getting it done and doing whatever you have to do to get it done. You definitely solve a need. I feel like some people go into business because it's something that they want, but you and I know it doesn't mean other people will want it, right?

14:22Like if I'm solving a problem only I have, or I'm solving a problem, I like to say it's the supplement versus the medicine. If I'm solving a problem that's a supplement, people may or may not want it. They may or may not pay for it. But if it is a medicine to them and they absolutely need it, then that is something that I can create a thriving business from. Yeah. And COVID, it was just like I had like the survivor's guilt kind of at first. Like, oh, my God, my mom's like calling me every day. I'm telling me all these people losing the business and I'm like killing it. And, you know, I felt bad.

14:51But like, I also was like, no, I made myself a first responder in my mind. I have to help people that are in crisis that their families can't come help them because they're high risk. Like I had to show up. I was at Atlanta airport with one, like I saw one person in the whole airport. That's weird. We went to Vegas like six times or five times. No, but we got like presidential suite for free because there was nobody there. I kind of liked, I liked it a little bit. I did like the traveling then was, I did kind of like that. It was wild, but I just felt grateful to be of service in a time that was so hard, but I knew we took off right away.

15:24And then like a year later, like with the rebrand, like, do we want to like have people everywhere doing everything? No, we want to have handpicked people that we know, you know, I'm not going to just put someone in someone's multimillion dollar home that I don't know and trust and have a background check on, you know, that that's representing my company. So it's, you know, I, I feel like also when we did, we were almost bought. And once we did that, that valuation and like whatever they do with the accounting, I was like, wow, we actually are worth like something like it was really that was a cool moment because I had no idea.

15:56So I love those moments. Well, Amanda, this has been amazing. Always great to have a conversation with you again. I'm sure people want to get in touch with you because they want to follow the journey. Maybe they need help and you can you know, you can provide that. But how can people get in touch with you? They can look at Amanda Marino official. That's my Instagram and my TikTok. And then I'm also amandamarinospeaks.com to book me for any speaking gigs, motivational, inspirational. That's my thing. And then you can call me 561-735-2590. My number is everywhere at this point, so I don't even mind.

16:34You can text me and call me, schedule a call if you're struggling. I will personally speak to you. Only a few people have ever given out a phone number. So that's when you know that you are there for the people. You are a person there for the people. But Amanda, you are one of the best speakers I've ever heard. I've seen a lot of speakers. Your speech was incredible. I cried. I laughed. I learned. I mean, what else do you need to do during a conversation? But this has been great, really diving in more about your story and your life. And I appreciate you coming on today. So thank you for joining us.

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