19. Grief, Addiction and Losing His Brother: A Journey Out of Silence with John Mabry

In this episode of the Men Need Love Too podcast, Kat Anna sits down with John Mabry, a speaker, storyteller and creator of the Unsilenced Movement, to discuss grief, addiction recovery and breaking the silence so many men carry. Through John's personal experiences, we explore loss, sobriety, asking for help and practical ways to start speaking up, including his ACT method. John has faced more loss than most people could imagine, including losing his leg and losing his brother, and for years he carried it in silence. Today he's sober, healthier than he's ever been, and helping others find the courage to speak up. John believes silence is often the only thing standing between where we are and where we want to be, and he shares his ACT method for breaking it: acknowledge, communicate, tell them now. Because everybody loves a comeback story. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:28 Meet John Mabry 03:48 Silence is the gap 05:00 A kid named Crash 06:07 Medical trauma and becoming the class clown 08:22 Seven seconds that changed everything 10:48 "Good thing it happened to John" 11:59 Numbing the pain 13:11 Hollywood and the first TV show about Iraq 14:22 Losing his brother 15:37 He died of silence 17:36 The ACT method 18:35 Hitting a turning point 20:34 The silent journey 23:39 Starting over 26:07 The Navy SEAL and the shower 28:44 Being allowed to be human 31:01 The opioid perfect storm 33:27 Silence and men's suicide 35:52 Building your own team 39:28 John's non-negotiables 43:31 Adventure close to home 48:39 Where to find John CONNECT WITH JOHN John Mabry is a speaker, storyteller, and advocate for breaking the silence that keeps people stuck. After losing his leg in a car accident, losing his brother to addiction and silence, and rebuilding his life from the ground up through sobriety, faith, and radical honesty, John has turned his greatest setbacks into a powerful message about connection, vulnerability, and the courage it takes to share your story. He is the creator of the Unsilenced movement and works with leaders, organizations, and everyday people to help them step out of silence and suffering by sharing their story to find healing and connection. John believes everybody loves a comeback story — and that yours is worth telling. Contact info: Email: John@johnmabryconnects.com Website: JohnMabryConnects.com Instagram: @johnmabryconnects LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-mabry-m-s-942029b?utm\_source=share\_via&utm\_content=profile&utm\_medium=member\_ios CONNECT WITH MEN NEED LOVE TOO Website: https://menneedlovetoo.org Kings Academy Link: https://menneedlovetoo. org/kings-academy/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/share/1Bh9FgzbxR/ Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/men.need.love.too?igsh=MTR2dXNieDE3ZngyNw== Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/@MenNeedLoveTooPodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in /kat-anna-1a7bb0358 TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@menneedlovetoo.org?\_r=1&\_t=ZS-97LearC7OJb TAKE ACTION Sign the petition to include men in global domestic violence data: https://www.change.org/includemenglobaldvdata If this conversation resonated with you, subscribe, leave a review, share this episode and help more men discover these conversations. #MenNeedLoveToo #RecoveryIsPossible #BreakTheSilence