52 - Mark Jennison: I Am A Comeback

Mark Jennison the founder and CEO of I Am A Comeback is here today. I Am A Comeback is a program created by Mark to help men who are high-level earners and executives get their addiction under control. He has an online component, and he holds his clients accountable by texting them everyday.

Mark helps many men get back on track. One of the interesting things about him is that he takes a very different approach than I do. His unique approach is different than AA. It doesn’t even focus on complete abstinence. Although, that is the goal. It is about the Comeback 7. Find out about Mark and his wild story and his unique program that is helping men to regain control of their lives.

Show Notes

[02:03] The whole purpose of recovery is to make sure that you get better. Addiction doesn't discriminate. [02:49] Mark is 38 years old. He had been drinking and using drugs since he was 14 years old. He has been clean and sober for four years. [03:19] Things got rocky when he was 19 or 20 years old. [03:45] He was dating a woman who became a stripper, and it broke his heart. This was the catalyst for finding ways to take away the hurt. [04:26] He moved to Southern California and drugs and drinking were prevalent. Being able to drink other people under the table to find who he was. [05:00] He drank in Southern California from 2000 to 2007. [05:39] He then began doing crystal meth. It seemed like it made him better, until it made him worse. [06:25] He then went back to Wisconsin and slept on his brother's couch. [06:51] His uncle owned a trucking company. Mark helped grow the company into a different company. [07:37] He was still involved with drugs and alcohol, but he now had the ability to make money. [08:02] He built the company into a multimillion-dollar company. He also got married and had a child. [08:17] He still drank, did drugs, and went to strip clubs. [08:52] He went from being a millionaire to his life unraveling. He went on a trip to Jamaica and when he came home his business was in shambles. [09:25] He wasn't able to make payroll, and his company failed. [09:55] He lost the business in 2013. He hit rock bottom and was suicidal. [11:35] He met a girl who was using heroin and next thing you know he started doing heroin. A friend of his joined them and then OD'd on heroin. [12:42] Mark lost everything. [13:29] He then got sober for a brief time and built another business. [14:17] He then started network marketing an sold Isagenix protein shakes. [15:36] He then started selling cars. Once he had cash, he started drinking again. [16:17] It seemed like he would always relapse between May and July after getting sober. [16:32] He went to a treatment center in Rockford, Illinois. He got out after 28 days. [18:09] He did just one shot which led to many more shots and another relapse and more heroin. [18:29] It took six hours for him to leave rehab and relapse. [21:05] After relapsing over and over, Mark decided to finally get his life back. [23:21] AA didn't work for him, so he went to a church. [24:33] He started putting pieces in place like faith, family, fitness, and making money. [25:31] His moral inventory wasn't about who he hurt, it was more about why he hurt. [30:02] There are parallels between Mark and Tom's life, because they were both in the car business. [30:36] Tom got baptized when he was 23 years old. The 12 Steps also played a big part in his life. [32:06] It doesn't make sense to mark that there is only one way to get sober. [32:58] People who have the resources go to South Florida to get sober. [33:29] People value what they put their money into. [34:57] Mark's clientele are high-level sales executives and people like himself. Making money is an important part of his program. [35:41] Mark has 81 guys in his program, and he texts each of them individually every day. He helps to pivot their mindset. [36:57] He doesn't promote complete abstinence. [37:16] At some point, the amount of people is going to outgrow his methods for accountability. He already has a plan in place to solve that issue. [37:29] His plan works because his clients are connected to him 24/7. [38:23] They have online group discussions on Tuesdays and Thursdays. [38:57] He wants to be a rival for AA. [40:23] Mark's plan is specifically for men. They go through his funnel and have to make 12 micro commitments before joining. [41:26] He is located in Wisconsin. [42:28] One of his approaches is that alcohol isn't the problem, it's the solution. The problem is really what is fueling the addiction. [43:31] According to Mark, drinking alcohol is a choice that you make. [44:51] Alcohol makes it easy not to think about stuff. [45:17] Mark works with his clients for 45 days. There is a six-week course. The first thing is mindset. Then they assess where they are.  The third thing they work on his confidence. The fourth thing is balancing your life with new ideas. [46:19] Mark doesn't believe in balance. he believes in abundance. [46:29] In week 5, they go through all of the obstacles that they are facing. Week 6 is all about discipline. [46:52] If you've successfully completed the 45 days, then you just stay in the chat group. If you need more help, you become part of the 6-month comeback alliance. [47:17] This consists of coaches with meditation, spirituality, and fitness, etc. [48:29] Then he implements the Comeback seven which is faith, finances, family, fitness, future, freedom, and foundation. [55:07] The great thing about I Am A Comeback is that it's designed for men who are at a certain place in their life where they need to be surrounded by similar people. [01:01:02] When people come to the Rock Treatment Center they know they're coming to a family environment where people really do want to help them.

Links and Resources:

I AM A Comeback The Comeback Podcast Mark Jennison on Facebook I Am A Comeback on YouTube Dave Ramsey