Transcript of Mike “The Situation” on Jersey Shore, Sobriety & His Incredible Second Act

He fed the bad wolf for years. Prison, addiction, rock bottom. Then at 24, 2 weeks from shipping out to the military, he Googled modeling agencies, took photos in his Calvin Kleins, and every single one wrote back within 24 hours. He didn't kill that energy. He redirected it. Now every day at 11:11, he texts his wife 3 words and a heart. I love you.

I also was a troublemaker too.

How so?

In high school and college, I was a drug dealer.

Wow.

If you told me not to do something, I would do it twice and take photos.

You have it all your way, magic wand, what happens?

I would like a treatment center in all 50 states.

Awesome.

I would like to be the governor of New Jersey. I believe that we have a good wolf and a bad wolf inside of us. As a young man, I fed the bad wolf and I eventually was sent to prison. Iron sharpens iron. It made me a better man.

There's no way if he's not famous that they prosecute this.

Please welcome Mike Sorrentino.

Sean Callagy on Behind the Podcast, where we help people see what they don't see about the exponential acceleration of financial abundance, time freedom and scaling, and magic and impact overall. We're here with Mike the Situation. Mike, how are you? Yes, sir. Jersey guy and Jersey guy. Now I know you're born in Staten Island.

Yes.

But you're like, you're officially in your heart, you're a Jersey guy or no? Yes, yes.

But moved to New Jersey when I was like 6 or 7. Cool.

And then Manalapan High School?

Yes, Manalapan High School, yes. And then Brookdale Community College.

Yeah, very, very cool. So first of all, I want to say thank you for being an inspiration. And you go, inspiration? Like what? Like, this man has overcome the disease of addiction.

Yes, I'm a survivor in the sense of the word, right?

Yeah. And I want to use your language, not my words, of how that journey is. And today helps other people do the same. So we'll maybe start with today and have a little fun working backwards. I do have a beef with this man, which we're gonna clean up, but it's not, it's gonna be, it's not gonna be anything he's ever talked about before. And you're gonna like it. And it's gonna be fun, I think, 'cause we're gonna restore a reputation that's been damaged. And that's the Jersey Shore. Okay. So I'm a huge Jersey Shore person.

Same.

So we're gonna talk about the magic of the Jersey Shore in a minute. Yes. But please tell us about what you're doing for people. Tell us about your journey, you know, overcoming.

I mean, listen, it's, I wrote a book about it. I wrote a book about how I overcame addiction while I was in prison. And I'll be honest with you, I never thought I'd be in the position that I am today. I'm 11 years clean and sober in December. I own multiple treatment centers today. I own one in New Jersey, North Carolina, essentially 5 to 7 centers right now in my first year.

Congratulations.

I feel like I was amazing at TV. I've been in TV for almost 17 years, but I feel like my real purpose is where I'm at right now, sharing my story, my experience, my strength, and my hope to inspire others to maybe change the trajectory of their life from active addiction into recovery.

That's an awesome thing. Congratulations. And if— and I'll start at the end, right? Next decade, what happens where Mike feels this is great stuff and I'm winning the game of life over this next decade?

Over the next decade?

Yeah.

You'd like me to run the tape on that? Yeah. God, 10 years.

And like, not concerned with anybody's thinking, like, real, like, President of the United States, like addiction treatment centers all over the country. Like, you have it all your way, magic wand, what happens?

God, you're talking 10 years to a guy that's a one day at a time guy. Understood. Which I think I would like a treatment center in all 50 states.

Awesome.

I would like to be the governor of New Jersey.

Let's go.

Um, I live to, to help as many as I can and to save as many lives as I can on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis. I believe I have one of the biggest voices in the recovery space right now. In my first year, I have— we're looking at maybe close to 7 to 10 locations my first, my first year in the business. Awesome. So in 10 years, it, it could be very feasible for me to hit 50. And also because I am on the front lines of the disease of addiction and I own treatment centers, that means I am very close to the police, I'm very close to the firefighters, I'm very close to local and city and state governments already. So essentially, I'm already doing— I'm almost already in public service. So maybe also that next step would be governor of New Jersey. Also, in 10 years, I guess I would see my kids graduating high school.

How old?

My kids right now are 5, 3, and 2. So at least one—

Boys, girls?

I have a boy that's 5 and a girl that is 3 and 2. So it's all about God and family with me. I think that's, that's kind of what I see right now.

Yeah, it's a good working start for sure. It's amazing, right? So in this space, and we, we just met thanks to Aaron Prince, Aiming High Foundation. So what this show is all about— I Was Going Blind, They Want to Be Broke— what I'm all about is serving people and how they create some, well, with the superpower of causing yes. I think it's the only human attainable superpower. So what I'm super clear about already is that you're an incredible yes-causer, right? And that yes-causing capability can be used for lower vibrational things, truth, like hooking up with girls, causing fun and mayhem, but can also save lives. It's all the same thing, right? In my book, this is what we talk about and teach, integrally or not. How did you become Was it genetic? Were you selling things in high school? Where did you develop your communication abilities? Your ability to close guests?

I think it was belief in self. Okay.

Great certainty, great congruence you have. Yeah, please.

I think it was belief in self, confidence that I can essentially achieve anything if I put my mind to it and put the work in.

Where'd that come from?

It could have— I assume that it was—

Parents, high school, coaches, teachers?

It's gotta be upbringing. My father was a, was a big proponent to, to me believing that I, I had what it takes to be very successful, which I did.

Dad a business guy, or what was— did

that— Dad was an electrician. Dad was an electrician. Dad was a family man, and I aspired to also be a family man. I aspired to have a big Italian family and But I also, as a young man, I always believed that I could achieve my dreams. So where a lot of people would not try for their dreams, and, you know, a very famous man said, you miss all the shots you don't take.

Mm-hmm.

Which I believe was Michael Jordan who said that. So early on in my 20s, I always wanted to be, to be honest with you, like Mark Wahlberg. He was on the COVID of an underwear ad, and I always thought that my abs were just as good. And I remember—

So how did you— were you an athlete in high school, or you just lifting?

I wasn't— I was an athlete, but I was distracted by the opposite of sex.

Yeah.

So I didn't maybe hone in on some of those talents, right? Maybe at the right time when I should have.

I mean, you're lifting, working out, like—

I was, I was genetically gifted, and I was I was an athlete, probably the fastest on the football team.

In Alvin High School?

Yes. And also I just had this beautiful 6-pack and I really didn't have to do anything about it.

Naturally?

Yeah, naturally. I just had a beautiful 6-pack. So I also was a troublemaker too.

How so?

In high school and college, I was a drug dealer.

Wow.

And if you told me not to do something, I would do it twice and take photos.

Nice.

So

the one that keeps chuckling over there, that's my girlfriend Bella.

Yeah.

And she was a drug dealer in high school too.

Yeah. So, you know— She's a troublemaker

still.

Yeah. Yeah. Right.

So

I didn't take to authority too well. And so my father, he found like a pound of weed in the ceiling in our family home, and he had to put his foot down and he said, I'm kicking you out or I can take you to the military and Uncle Sam could straighten you out. And so I kind of agreed with my dad.

How old were you?

I was like 24.

Okay.

I was 24. And so I said, all right, Dad. He took me to the military office. I took the ASVABs. I got a 67, which I believe was— I was able to get into the Navy. I had 2 weeks before I was going to leave. And I said to myself, oh my God, I'm never going to forgive myself if I didn't go for my dreams. And everyone would always say, oh my God, you have a beautiful body, you should have done something with it. Like I was past tense. I was like 24, right? Right. And so I said, okay, fine, I got 2 weeks to throw the Hail Mary. So I went online on Google and I typed up, you know, top 5 underwear and fitness and underwear modeling agencies in New York City. And they came up and I took photos in my underwear with a backwards cap in my Calvin Kleins. And within 24 hours, all the, the modeling agencies that I hit up, they all hit me back. And when I at least got that response, I was like, oh my God, like, this is a sign that I shouldn't be going to the military right now.

Like, I want to do what my dad says to do because I'm a young man and I'm essentially troubled or not going in the right direction, but I'm not going to forgive myself if I didn't go for my dreams And I just settled in life.

Mm-hmm.

So I went to the 5 modeling agencies and again, one of them ended up signing me for no money. But for me, that was a sign that I was going in the right direction. Within about a couple months of going to Go-See's, there was a little bulletin board that had a little sign on it that said, the hottest guidos and guidettes in the tri-state area, please report to Harrah's in Atlantic City. And I was like, oh my God, that's me. And so,

and by the way, did you like self-relate as Guido? Was that like—

Well, I'm Italian.

No, no, I'm part Italian too, so I get it. But did you self-relate as Guido?

Like, I, I didn't, because essentially in the Italian culture, Guido is derogatory. It's derogatory. But I do

know certain people though that like, like,

yeah, it eventually got adopted in a positive way. But when it first came out in 2008, That was when the pilot happened. It was sort of derogatory. So when I saw it, I'm like, that is me. But also, I hope they don't call it Guidos or Guidettes or something.

Can I tell you something? Okay, fun fact, fun fact. Ready? My business partner, Adam Gaggino, that will be here tonight, right, was gonna be Mike the Situation before there was a Mike the Situation.

Yeah.

No, no, for real. VH1.

Yes.

Do you know the show on VH1 that came out before you guys on MTV?

That was called the Jersey

Shore Unleashed.

I don't, I don't know that I was— I did the pilot for VH1 in 2008.

We have to have this conversation.

So, so there's a possibility that he did the pilot with me.

That is, that is completely crazy.

Yeah. And

so,

so I'm the only one that did the pilot that got it adapted to MTV, the next stage where they casted everyone else.

Later tonight we're gonna be together. You have to talk to Adam about this because this pilot that he's in came out. It was on VH1, right? Um, and he was the number one club promoter in New Jersey at the time. Yeah, he was running the Sandbar in Jersey City. Yeah, right. So this would be super fun.

Yeah.

And then, then they shut that version down, whatever that was, because the, the girls that were in it, their parents freaked out. Yeah, like, no way. And then—

It might be, it might be, it might be slightly different. I, I did do the pilot for Jersey Shore. It was not called Jersey Shore. It was called like— it was going to be a competition show, and some of the contestants that were gonna move on, they actually— some of them declined. Like, they were like, I'm a union worker and I'm— I'd rather play it safe. And they, they actually declined. I was like the dreamer, and I was like, let's, let's let this ride and let me see what happens. And so then I got moved over to MTV, who took it over. with 495 Productions, and then they started the real casting of it, and then they got everyone else pretty much.

Oh, congratulations on that. Other quick fun fact of intersection, when JWoww and Roger were having some of their stuff, my firm represented Roger. So do you know Roger?

Yes, I do know Roger. Yes.

So Roger spent Christmas one year in my beach house.

Oh wow.

With their child. Okay. So just had a quick fun fact. And then, and then JWoww was like hitting me online and women's groups saying, Roger, it was crazy. So I had my own little fun session.

Yeah, I'll be honest with you, I wouldn't want to be on the opposite end of a JWoww altercation.

Yeah, I promise.

No joke.

I

have been before.

It didn't end as well as JWoww would've thought. So yes, for fun, but love JWoww, love Roger, love everybody. So this all goes down, it becomes this massive hit.

Biggest show.

Here's my beef. Here's my beef. My beef is I love the shore. I'm blind. I surf. LBI growing up, Seaside in high school.

What type of guy were you growing up?

Were you a surfer? I was a football player, baseball player. I was a Division I college baseball player. Very nice. 4-year starter, captain of Columbia baseball team. Nice.

Jock?

Big time. I was Division I recruit baseball and football. Alpha? Super alpha.

Right.

But listen, ready? This is— so I want to lean in on this. Yeah. Right? Because this is like the core of what I want to talk about. Ready? I have never— and listen, call me a baseball captain. No joke. Like 4-year starter, Ivy League runner-up for Rookie of the Year. The whole deal. Like football player, like winning touchdown passes as a junior.

He's got a pedigree. He's got a good resume.

I do. I do. Right? Not the 6-pack abs that you do, but I got a great chest.

I'll be honest with you. When I would walk into any room, I wasn't able to be touched. These things over here, they were just elite.

But here's the fun part, right? So I chose to be a good boy.

Yes.

Always, right? Always.

So no drinking?

In college, I drank one month a year.

No drinking. Any substances?

Never. I've never smoked pot. I've never done coke. I've never done a single thing. Because my dad was in addiction his whole life. So like my rebellion— no, seriously, listen.

But that's how I am with my kids.

Thank you. And here's my rebellion. But I want to lean in like on a really 2 fun topics around what fun is and the Jersey Shore and all that, right? So—

That's what I'm hoping for my kids.

Yeah. So ready? So I'm— I remember my dad, God bless, was crazy about women for his whole life. My parents got divorced when I was 1. My mother, who was in this building at DJ's in Belmore when I was 1 year old, punched my father in the face in DJ's. My mother is nonviolent. JWoww'd him. Only time in her entire life. She does a Bible study in prison. My mom's here at 79 years old and dragged my father out of DJ's by his hair.

So they were the Jersey Shore before the Jersey Shore.

They were the Jersey Shore before the Jersey Shore. Like, ended the whole thing, right? So my rebellion against my dad was to not drink and to not womanize. Like, those are like my rebellions.

I love that. I love that.

Right? And so—

That's an honorable man.

Yeah. And so I have no judgment at all because I had a lot of friends. And my college baseball friends were lunatics. But here's what I'm curious about, the way that you have fun now. Because here's what I do to have fun.

Yeah. I'd love to hear.

I was surfing yesterday in LBI, and I'm blind, by myself. I ski double black diamonds. I do what I would call higher vibrational activity. Clearly, you've converted to higher vibrational activity for fun. What would you want to tell people to help them in this moment because of the journey you've been on, Mike? Listen, you're a stud. And quite humbly, I was not a stud also, not an underwear model, but the things I had. And because of that blessing, my father's mess, I was able to choose differently. 4 years at Columbia baseball as a captain. I love that. I'd never kissed a girl there. I was loyal to my high school girlfriend. My son's here, that's his mom. And I'm not making myself better. I've done a lot of dumb things. I've made dumb mistakes myself. But what would you wanna tell people that supported you in converting, right? Business people watching this who are 45 years old right now doing dumb things, 18-year-olds that might be watching this, 'cause you've made this incredible journey, right? To take that studliness, that alphaness that you have, and to find a better way to channel like you have today.

What would you wanna tell people about that?

Yeah, I mean—

Is that a fair question?

It is a great question. As a young man, I used to— I tell people all the time, I fed the bad wolf. I believe that we have a good wolf and a bad wolf inside of us. The good wolf is love and hope, and the bad wolf is darkness and despair. As a young man, I fed the bad wolf, and I eventually was sent to prison. How I was able to recover and have such a beautiful comeback— I was never going to change who I was. You know, I have an obsessive personality. I'm all in or nothing.

Yeah.

I was able to redirect that energy that almost killed me. Now is, is now my, my blessing. And I would recommend to anyone watching this that, you know, to change your life, you can do it with the smallest of, of actions. But how I did it was I became obsessed with self-improvement. I came— I became obsessed with improving myself, whether it was mentally, physically, spiritually, personally, professionally, and any negativity I would kick aside. Now, early on in my recovery, you know, you're not able to address all of them all at once. Mm-hmm. But I guarantee you that you're able to get inches somewhere in one of those categories throughout your life. So sometimes, you know, you're able to easily address the physical. if you'd like. You can go to the gym, you can go on nature walks, you can do Pilates, you can try different diets to challenge yourself. For me now, I'm obsessed with being a good dad, being a good husband, being a good neighbor, being—

Can I take half a step back?

Achievement.

What was your first in the personal development space? Whose work were you introduced to? Whose work were you liking?

This, I mean, I always loved Tony Robbins, but this was all kind of from my own intuition. I was really in a dark place.

Have you ever met Tony?

I have not. I don't think— no, I have not met Tony. I don't think so. No.

And I say this with great humility. This is part of our intro videos. Tony Robbins said of me, nobody leads with more heart and more integrity than Sean Callagy. If you don't know what he's up to, you need to. Tony has had a massive impact on my life as well. I've spoken on his stage 19 times. I have the privilege of breaking every sales record on his stage. And I want to just apologize to you in this moment because when we're doing this, I was like, eh, whatever. And Darren's like, you got to meet Mike. You got to meet Mike. You got to meet Mike. And maybe you're like the same thing. Eh, what am I going to do this, do a favor? I am truly blown away impressed.

Thank you.

And I mean that sincerely. And you don't need me to say that. You're an incredibly impressive person. But what I expected was something different. and your communication skill sets clearly are masterful, and that allows you to be the governor of New Jersey someday. And I mean this sincerely, I have no doubt if you decide you want to be— I don't want to be the governor of New Jersey. So I would be very interested in figuring out how to maybe make you the governor of New Jersey someday.

Yes, yes.

Really, I love this state. This will be the state, my home for the rest of my life. And really, Like, super impressive.

I appreciate it. I'll be honest, I live to— as of right now, I live to help as many people as I can. And I feel like I have a very big voice in the community of recovery.

Where do you live now?

Holmdel.

Nice. Beautiful. Awesome.

Holmdel. Yeah.

Is that Ocean or Monmouth?

That's Monmouth.

Monmouth.

Yeah.

Okay. I'm down in LBI, so I'm north and I have a place in LBI. Super cool. Ocean and Bergen. So you're saying— I interrupted you, but what you do for fun now? You're obsessively a great husband, great father. What do you like to do with your kids? What's fun?

I mean, what do I do with my kids? I mean, I am a dad that is super mindful. I mean, I know it's very hard for people to be mindful, and if I tell you to be mindful and you're not, and you don't even know the definition or how to be it— I was forced to be mindful, you know, when the government, you know, was threatening to take away my freedom.

Yeah. And just let's clear this up. I don't ask salacious stuff. And to me, this is heartbreaking is that there was a tax thing and whatever. And that happened after he was already in recovery. So imagine you overcome all this stuff and there you are, and then you got to deal with something from a person he no longer was.

Yeah. Right?

Deal with it. So, and by the way—

It was the wreckage of my past.

I'm sorry that happened. I have a law firm. I don't know if you have a law firm, a 100-person law firm. This thing, and I'm not diminishing tax time, it was a dumb— this wasn't a major crazy thing that happened. And so just let's leave it there.

Yeah. I was the first person in the state of New Jersey to get jail time in Zone 11.

There's no way, I will say this as a lawyer, there's no way if he's not famous that they prosecute this. So it's ridiculous. It was grandstanding. And I'm not saying it to be nice to you, right? I'm saying it because it's true. If it was something different, I wouldn't even be on the couch. This is just foolishness. And it's really unfair how laws are enforced, how things are prosecuted. And I'm not saying you're saying it, I'm saying it.

At the end of the day, iron sharpens— Is

that fair?

Yes. Iron sharpens iron. It actually made me a better man. And when I was in sobriety and I had to go to prison, I never turned back. Overcoming addiction was probably one of the hardest things that I've ever done. So when I went to prison, it kind of was like, listen, I conquered my own demons. I'm going to be fine. And I stayed the course and I became a better man.

And in prison, were you doing a lot of personal development work?

Yes. In prison, I worked out 2 to 3 times a day. I was reading books. I was taking notes because I eventually wanted to write a book one day. Which I eventually did write a book one day. And technically right now we are working on the movie of my life right now.

Dude, that's awesome.

Pretty cool.

Yeah. Congratulations. So we're close to time. We have a beautiful night with Darren aiming high tonight. I ask this of everyone, right? 100 years from now, it's your final day on earth. I actually don't want to do it yet. If I may ask one more question first. How do you do being a great husband and anything else you do for fun besides The beautiful things you do with your wife and children.

I mean, I'm obsessed with achievement. I'm obsessed with being a good dad, being in the moment, being good to my wife. Every day at 11:11, I text my wife, I love you, and 11:11 and a heart to let her know that I love her. I want to be a good neighbor. It comes down to the smallest exchanges. Meaning when I walk by a stranger, I make sure I smile. I open the door for everyone because I want that energy exchange to be essentially a pleasant one. Because when you're walking by people all the time, most people, if you actually look at people's eyes, they're going through it. They're upset. Mm-hmm. They're depressed. They're looking down. And when they see somebody who's always happy and who's always positive, It really brightens their day. And, and I— and, and so I'm trying to like describe to you, give you an example of, of how I run my life through the smallest of exchanges.

Amen. Well, we're at time. So legacy, right? 100 years from now, whether you call it legacy, whether you call it lessons that you'd be remembered for, what might that look like if you had the dream of knowing this is your final day?

God, you know, I kind of love, you know, my story right now and how I have this beautiful comeback story, but it's If anything, just an inspiration for change or an industry disruptor. I think industry disruptor sounds great, but I like being the example of change or inspiration.

Awesome. So here's what I'm taking away from Mike is this is the magic of yes-causing, and it can be pointed at the negative or the positive, non-integrous or integrous. and also an incredible story of resiliency because somebody like Mike could have had every reason in the world to cash it in and say, hey, I had a moment and now I don't anymore, and be done. And he is using this entire journey in a beautiful, powerful, seemingly very integrous way to impact lives incredibly. So Mike, I was wrong. This has been a really inspirational moment. I don't— she'll tell you, I don't say what I don't mean. I wouldn't be rude, but I wouldn't say it if I didn't believe it. Thanks for being an inspiration. You prove our point every day, the magic of yes causing. That dude mastered it, master it as well.

Thanks so much.

Thank you, sir. All right. Thank you. All right.