The Crisis Victory Podcast

 Tim McBride used to smuggle mega loads of marijuana in Florida. His who town, and island in Fla was in on it. For nearly 2 decades, Tim and friends transported, help and trafficked tons of weed. They moved so much product that handling cash became the main problem. Think about that...how do we get rid of all this case.   Dr Hal Bradley hosts Tim in their first conversation, of what will clearly be many between these two smugglers. TIm McBride captured his story in Salt Water Cowboy.   Get Saltwater Cowboy on Amazon at amzn.to/3Z5u8xo  The blurb from Tim's book In 1979, Wisconsin native Tim McBride hopped into his Mustang and headed south. He was twenty-one, and his best friend had offered him a job working as a crab fisherman in Chokoloskee Island, a town of fewer than 500 people on Florida's Gulf Coast. Easy of disposition and eager to experience life at its richest, McBride jumped in with both feet.  But this wasn't a typical fishing outfit. McBride had been unwittingly recruited into a band of smugglers--middlemen between a Colombian marijuana cartel and their distributors in Miami. His elaborate team comprised fishermen, drivers, stock houses, security--seemingly all of Chokoloskee Island was in on the operation. As McBride came to accept his new role, tons upon tons of marijuana would pass through his hands.  Then the federal government intervened in 1984, leaving the crew without a boss and most of its key players. McBride, now a veteran smuggler, was somehow spared. So when the Colombians came looking for a new middle-man, they turned to him.  McBride became the boss of an operation that was ultimately responsible for smuggling 30 million pounds of marijuana. A self-proclaimed "Saltwater Cowboy," he would evade the Coast Guard for years, facing volatile Colombian drug lords and risking betrayal by romantic partners until his luck finally ran out.  A tale of crime and excess, Saltwater Cowboy is the gripping memoir of one of the biggest pot smugglers in American history. 

 Gunner Lindbloom - Gunner grew up in a mob connected family. Thuggery and violence were the norm. Gunner and Dr Hal Bradley talk about Gunner's journey into the depths of violence, and addiction. Gunner's salvation comes with pen, paper and solitary confinement in Michigan solitary confinement cell. Life takes unexpected turns. Gunner found his way out through words and love.   From Gunner's own bio... get more on Gunner at gunnerdetroit.com Get his book To Be a King https://amzn.to/3AoVOVX  My childhood was tumultuous to say the least. My father was a violent alcoholic who beat and mentally abused my mother. As a result, my mother’s mind broke. She became mentally ill and had to be institutionalized. When I was 5, my sister and I moved in with my grandparents. This would have a profound effect. For starters, my grandparents were too old to be surrogate parents. And our family was associated with the mafia. Worse still, my grandparent’s  youngest son, Peter Jr., who still lived with us, was a young hustler would ultimately be a very bad influence on me.  I grew up in a strange world, almost exclusively Sicilians, some of whom were mobsters. The mafia became my normal. My uncle quickly taught me that bending the rules was encouraged and bad behavior was rewarded with acceptance. I was constantly in trouble and getting expelled, usually for fighting, as I hated bullies. By the time was 12, I caught my first felony for malicious destruction of property. I failed 8th grade the first time around and was expelled during my 2nd attempt. The following year, at only age 14, I was expelled permanently from school and took straight to the streets as a drug dealer, hustler, and young criminal. By age 16, I had racked up 6 felonies, from possession of pipe bombs and weapons, to possession of stolen property and assaults. At age 17, I was busted for selling steroids to an undercover cop. I fought the case until my grandfather bribed a judge to keep me out of prison. 

 Pete Polis had lots of opportunities when he was young. He had talent in baseball. He was powerfully motivated. He didn't mind hard work. He had an entrepreneurial disposition.   That brilliance was recognized by the cartels that push drugs. Polis, it turns out, was good for business. Then the business grabbed him. Deeply addicted, Polis gave everything to God and came through a changed man.   Pete invested in his and the recovery of others and it worked. He started Seasons a non-profit focused on fostering recovery. To learn more about Seasons head to easonshousing.org  At Seasons Housing, we understand that the journey toward recovery can be a difficult and emotional one. Our recovery residences, named "Seasons Housing", is a safe and supportive environment where individuals can begin to heal and rebuild their lives. We believe that everyone deserves a chance to recover, and that's why we created this community.  Remember, "It's only a season," 

Richard Caruso's story is straight out of a movie. Actually, the movie Felon is based loosely on Richard's person story. Caruso was a corrections officer in California. During his time in the "SHU" Security Housing Unit. Life in the SHU is dangerous for the guards and the inmates. Richard, given his size, 6'4" 250 and a former Marine, was the ideal for an imposing force. The kind of guy who knew how to control other men.  

Yet, that was not enough. murders and violence at Corcoran reached epidemic levels. The prison, by a long measure, lead the nation in deaths. The deaths were preventable. The guards out of control. Rather than take it, Richard's character was such that he began to collect information about the crimes he was witnessing inside Corcoran.  He went to his warden...then the feds...and that's when things got serious. One man, took on a system, a state and the federal government. Who benefitted? Men in prison for crimes. Richard saw the craven lust for violence & stopped it. 

Our guest on the Crisis Victory Show is Karl DiLorenzo. Karl was abducted in Tijuana Mexico at 14.5 years old. He was chained by his neck and kept in a dirty room. Karl was not alone, other children were also kept and used as sex slaves at the same location. 

This show chronicles survivors of "EXTREME" crisis events. These folks pushed through, and despite all the pain and hardship, they  have emerged victorious. We examine these incredible stories.