Ep 117. Learning to Grow Through What You Go Through, with Rod Butterss

Behind The Smile with Ash Butterss

Apr 06, 2025•58 min•Season 4Ep. 117

--:--

Listen in podcast apps:

Listen to this episode in Metacast mobile app

Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episode description

In this deeply personal episode, Ash sits down with her dad, Rod Butterss, a seasoned entrepreneur, former AFL club president, and long-time member of the recovery community.

Together, they reflect on life in recovery, the reality of relapse, cultivating self-awareness, and what it means to truly reinvent yourself at any stage of life.

Rod opens up about his recent relapse after more than a decade of sobriety and the humility and courage it took to come back and start again. With honesty and warmth, he shares stories from his life, including his busy childhood in a household of 12, navigating trauma, addiction, enormous success, financial loss, and rebuilding with purpose.

Ash and Rod explore the emotional landscape of identity, love, intimacy, and grief, and how Rod is using this chapter of his life to reflect, heal, and deepen his spiritual practices. They also discuss his ambitious new venture in biotechnology and why he's more committed than ever to living in alignment and being of service.

This is a story about second chances, self-reflection, and the power of choosing to grow through what you go through.

The episode highlights are:

00:00 Introduction to Transformation and Recovery

02:59 The Importance of Family Bonds

05:49 Navigating Recovery and Self-Education

08:56 Public Perception vs. Personal Struggles

11:59 The Role of Vulnerability in Recovery

15:01 Understanding Relapse and Its Impact

18:06 Exploring Childhood Trauma and Relationships

20:54 The Journey of Self-Discovery and Acceptance

23:56 The Power of Intuition and Energy

26:50 Grief, Masculinity, and Emotional Expression