Bruce Brackett's Remarkable Recovery and Rise to Fame

Rich Bennett 0:00
Thanks for joining the conversation, where we explore the stories and experiences that shape our world. I'm your host, Rich Bennett. And today we're joined by the remarkable Bruce Bracket, a beacon of resilience. Bruce transitioned from battling addiction in the bustling streets of New York City to becoming an influential social media personality, celebrated author and self-taught visual artist. His journey is a testament to the power of recovery and positivity. With over 1.2 million followers, Bruce, his story and art inspire many across the globe. We'll dive into his experiences, the impact of his online community, and his upcoming book, How to Breathe While Suffocating. I'm not going to read the whole title of the book. 

Bruce Brackett 0:46
But that's fine. 

Rich Bennett 0:47
How you do, Bruce. 

Bruce Brackett 0:49
Hi, Rich. I'm doing. I'm doing pretty well. Hello, everyone. Conversation. Conversations with Rich. It's great to be here with you. And yeah, it's a beautiful day. I woke up sober, I went to bed sober, and I am enjoying my cup of love here. And I'm just really nice here. 

Rich Bennett 1:08
Yeah. So how long? How long have you been sober? Now? What are you celebrating? 

Bruce Brackett 1:12
So I have different sobriety dates, which. Okay, you know, which is kind of frowned upon within the community. But I say do whatever works because, you know, I had a sponsor once. Tell me we quit the addictions in the order that they will kill us. And so I'm still I'm still trying to quit smoking cigarettes. I knew that alcohol was going to take me out way faster and above and beyond all of that, my hardcore drug addictions with meth, cocaine, crack, all of the other, I did basically everything. So I will be sober ten years from hardcore drugs. 

Rich Bennett 1:50
Wow. 

Bruce Brackett 1:51
June 13th. That was June 13th of 2014. I put those down and I'm still within my first year of recovery from alcohol and weed and still trying to kick the bucket with the cigarettes. So. 

Rich Bennett 2:05
Well, you know what? At least you did stop the hard stuff. So congratulations on that. 

Bruce Brackett 2:11
Thank you. 

Rich Bennett 2:11
You know, the cigarettes. And that may take some time. Yeah. Look, just don't try to go from the cigarettes to the vaping yet. 

Bruce Brackett 2:22
No, no, I agree. That's. Yeah. No, I want to. My goal is 100% 

as they say, Rob da Rob talking life. 

F1 S3 2:34
As you. 

Rich Bennett 2:36
Know, actually, one of the things that helped me to quit tobacco was and I knew they may now I chewed but I know they make it in cigarette form and it was I want to say the the I can't remember the brand name but they were cigarettes. But it's not tobacco, it's tea leaves. 

Bruce Brackett 2:56
Okay. 

Rich Bennett 2:57
Oh, which, which helps. So they made the same thing in the pouches for when I was chewing tobacco and oh wow, it made a bit and it tasted a lot better than tobacco. 

Bruce Brackett 3:09
Oh, I can imagine. 

Rich Bennett 3:11
Yeah. Oh, yeah. But yeah, I wouldn't look into them. It's definitely worth you. Oh, yeah. 

Bruce Brackett 3:17
Yeah, yeah. Wow. That's great. 

Rich Bennett 3:19
And I did it for you 

over 20 years is what I was chewing tobacco for. And one of the main reason I quit is I'll never forget this. At the time, my niece and daughter were very, very, very young and I was headed somewhere sized. All right, come here. Give me a kiss. I wanted to give them a kiss and they turn their heads like your breath stinks. 

Bruce Brackett 3:47
Oh, yeah. 

Rich Bennett 3:48
That'll hit you hard, man. 

Bruce Brackett 3:50
Yeah. Oh, I'm sure. 

Rich Bennett 3:51
And it did. And I. That's why I started doing my research, and it's. I just. Nope, I'm not buying it anymore. 

Bruce Brackett 4:01
Good for you. 

Rich Bennett 4:02
I started doing the things, and then I got addicted to chewing gum. 

F1 S3 4:06
Wow. 

Rich Bennett 4:07
Well, you know, it's. Yeah, but it's better to. Yeah, Yeah. So it's definitely better than, I guess, chewing tobacco. I'd rather chew gum than tobacco. 

Bruce Brackett 4:20
Yeah, absolutely. 

Rich Bennett 4:21
All right. I got to ask you first. So growing up, I guess it was your dream to always do what, Broadway or off-Broadway? 

Bruce Brackett 4:31
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 4:32
Yeah. Okay. So when you were in high school, were you taking the acting classes in Drama Club? Whatever? Yeah. Yeah, I. 

Bruce Brackett 4:39
Was. So my history with theater began when I was very young. I grew up in a very small ranching community called Twin Bridges, Montana, that had nothing except cows. Cattle, right? Yeah. Football. You know, we had more cows than people in the whole in the whole county. So I was relentlessly bullied and teased because I was very fortunate in my upbringing. When I was adopted, my adoptive parents were very loving and accepting. And from San Francisco, my adopted Oh, wow, brother is gay. So when I came out to them, they were like, Yeah, we know. We you don't have to hide it. We we know that you're gay, so I was really accepted at home. But in the public and at school. No, not at all. You know, if you were a different color or if you had a disability, if you were different in any way in that community or an outsider moving into that community. 

Rich Bennett 5:37
Right. 

Bruce Brackett 5:38
You weren't welcomed at all. So you got to a point where my parents, they were like, there's an audition happening in the town next to us with the Missoula Children's Theater. Are you interested? And I was like, Okay, yeah, sure. And I went, and that was my first experience. I think I was like eight years old, and the first role I played was in Treasure Island as Sing Sing. Sam and I instantly just fell in love with it. And then we started commuting to the larger city of Butte, which eventually we moved to because I was in a production every other month and the commute was just nonstop and my parents were getting sick of the commute and they hated the school system and twin bridges and how they were handling the bullying. So we just moved. W And I continued throughout all of my high school career, being in many different musical roles and plays and also in a dance academy called Dynamic Dance and Tumbling Academy that's located there. And it just really fueled my fire. It's beyond Broadway and moved to New York City, and so when I turned 18, I packed my bags and that's exactly what I did. 

Rich Bennett 6:49
Move that to New York City. Yeah. The rest is history. 

Bruce Brackett 6:52
Yeah. A very bumpy a very bumpy history. 

F1 S3 6:56
But yes. 

Rich Bennett 6:57
I say so. Deal with the I mean, deal with bullies is tough enough as it is. How did you navigate through those situations and what kept you resilient? 

Bruce Brackett 7:09
Well, I actually talk a lot about this in my book, but my mom, there's one when you read the book, you'll come across this. But there's this one time after so many nights of coming back from school programs, because I was in the band in school, too. And there was one night in particular, we had a spring fling, and I ended up getting pushed around by a group of boys on the dance floor. And I just I was like, I'm done. This isn't fun for me anymore, right? So I ran home and my mom was fed up with that. You know, there were teachers in the room and no one there were adults. The whole community was there and no one stepped in and did anything. So she did some research online and she found a a prevention of bullying pamphlet and how to deal with that. And so she did her research on that. When I came home that night, she was like, okay, we're going to role play and I'm going to I'm you're going to have to bear with me and trust me on this, but I love you and I'm going to push you around the living room as a bully. And we're going to learn how to combat this. And a lot of it was this is very weird to say because there's different levels of bullying, but for which I experienced all of them, but go along with it, 

start to make fun of yourself when they make fun of you. Yeah. Okay. Join in on the program. Make fun of yourself, too. And what happens when you do that is you're actually putting out their fire and making it less fun for them to make fun of you because what they want you to do is get angry and react, right? Become hurt, and they want to see you hurt. Because the only reason why they're bullying you is because they're hurting you or, you know, they're being bullied at home. And that's where they learn it. So they bring it. And so to go along with that and eventually started doing that in school and it really reduced it didn't stop, but it reduced to the point where it was manageable. And I actually didn't hate going to school anymore because I wasn't getting locked in a locker or shoved downstairs or having a bag of pee thrown on me. I mean. 

Rich Bennett 9:28
It was. 

Bruce Brackett 9:29
Oh, yeah, there was there was a whole. 

Rich Bennett 9:32
A whole. 

Bruce Brackett 9:33
Spectrum of fights and just yeah, it was rough. It was really rough. But when we moved to Butte, that really it changed for me. My whole life changed is the city. It's a lot more liberal, more accepting. And when I moved to BU, we my parents put me in Central Catholic High School, which again wasn't necessarily the right fit for me. 

Rich Bennett 10:05
Right. 

Bruce Brackett 10:05
But still having that transition, it was so much better. I didn't have my first friends outside of the theater community. I had my first friends in school like it was. It was night and day. It was. It was really, really amazing. So that's my advice. If someone is making fun of you, one realize that they are hurting and they want you on their level and go along with it until eventually they realize that you're no longer fun to make fun of. And then they'll it's unfortunate they'll move on to someone else. 

Rich Bennett 10:38
So have you talked to any of them since then? Any of the bullies? 

Bruce Brackett 10:43
I'm the one I have had a communication with. But that was years ago and 

I have had someone reach out to me since I started becoming a little popular online and they reached out and my DMS and they were just like, Hey, just wanted to say like, I'm so proud of you to see where you're at and what's going on. And you know, I'd love to catch up. And this was the person that was like the top notch bully, like y you know, did a lot. And I did not reply. But later on I did reply in a video and I was just like, you know, I gave my little inspiration in my positivity post. And then at the end of it I was like, Oh, into the bully that slid into my DMS. I see you. And no, I just left it at that. I was like. 

Rich Bennett 11:39
Wow, good. How good that? Yeah, because that's 

I mean, when I was growing up, 

dealing with bullies was a lot different than now because, you know, you didn't realize that. Yeah, most of all I going to say probably 99% of them have other problems going on at home. Oh, yeah. We we were taught if somebody is bullying you just with their ass, then I remember when my son was in school, he was getting bullied and I told I said, Dude, if he keeps bullying, you just stand up to him. It would be easier. So to Well, I'll never forget this. I got yelled at by my extras. 

I got a call. I had to go to the school and handle this situation because apparently this bully door lunch started picking on my son, and my son grabbed the boy's head and slammed it down into the table. Now, keep in mind, I said something to the school before this ever happened. I told them they had to defuse the situation. 

Bruce Brackett 12:43
Yeah. Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 12:45
Which they never did. 

Bruce Brackett 12:46
Of course not. 

Rich Bennett 12:47
So when I went to the school, they told me what happened. I said, Well, good. They're like, No. Then I said, Well, I've been telling you all here that you need to do something. You have it been. So he took matters into his own hands. I mean, granted, the boy never messed with him again afterwards, but you can't do that nowadays. 

Bruce Brackett 13:06
Yeah, No. 

Rich Bennett 13:07
Because then you're the one who gets in trouble. Yeah, you're right. A lot of them are going through issues at home or somewhere else. Yeah, you. You never know. You never know. Oh, actually, growing up in Montana and being openly gay, how did that shape your early experiences besides the bullying? 

Bruce Brackett 13:29
Well, you know, again, staying at home in my family life, it was it was fine. I had my own challenges from my birth family and being removed and going through foster care and adoption and trauma that happened in my early, early childhood. So I was in therapy for that. 

And again, you know, it wasn't until we moved to Butte that things started to get easier, but when I started going through puberty and there there wasn't much, you know, sure, I had the theater community and there was a few people that were gay, one one girl that was even transgender, but no one that I could really connect with, no one that, you know, I dated one of them and that lasted a week because it just wasn't a fit and there weren't many options, you know, So I didn't really have a lot of people that I felt like were in my my community. So that made it harder. And when I went through puberty, started going through puberty, especially the what, the peak of it, I lost my mind. I disassociated. And that's actually a huge part of the book. A big chunk of the book is somewhere that I ran away from home. And because I just I didn't find my own people I wanted out of Montana, I, I was looking for something else. And so, you know, six years old, I know it all. And that's the attitude that I think we all had when we're 15, 16, 17, 18 years old 

until we move out of the house. And we realized, oh my God, Mom and dad were right. Like, you know. 

F1 S3 15:19
Right. 

Bruce Brackett 15:20
So, yeah, it was it was challenging. It wasn't without its challenges, but I am very grateful to be from Montana, especially now. Looking back, I love Montana. The majority of the people there are really, really lovely. The Mother Nature there are beautiful. Absolutely incredible. Yeah. So it's very near and dear to my heart. Would I move back and. I don't think so. 

F1 S3 15:51
Right? I don't. 

Bruce Brackett 15:53
Think so. But yeah, it it was it was a fun place to grow up as equally as it was just incredibly difficult to be there. 

Rich Bennett 16:04
And how old were you when you were adopted? 

Bruce Brackett 16:07
I was removed from my birth home at the age of three. We went through one foster care sister, a foster home, and then the rest of my sisters and I, except for one sister, ended up being adopted and the second foster home. So I was adopted at the age of six and a half, six years old. 

Rich Bennett 16:28
So were your sisters adopted with you as well? 

Bruce Brackett 16:31
Four of the four of them. Three I'm sorry, Three of them were one was not. There's five of us in total. 

Rich Bennett 16:38
Okay. And have you have you spoken with the other one that wasn't adopted with you? 

Bruce Brackett 16:43
Yes. Yes. Okay. 

Rich Bennett 16:44
Good, good. Yeah. 

Bruce Brackett 16:45
No, they, they kept us in contact. She went through the foster care system a lot more than we did and ended up being adopted out in Washington, DC by very women. But yeah, no, we, I, we've stayed in contact. It has been close contact. But Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 17:04
Right. And what about, what about your birth parents? 

Bruce Brackett 17:08
I no longer have a relationship with them. For a long time I was working on a relationship with my birth mom. Yes, my birth father was never in the picture, and we all had different birth dads, so I made it very muddled. 

And it wasn't until I was about 20 years old when I was sitting down on the couch in my apartment in the seaport in Lower Manhattan, and I was just reminiscing over some therapy conversations that I had with the previous therapist about how to find my birth dad. And I sat down and he got on social media Facebook at the time and Instagram and typed in his name. Nothing really came up and it was like, okay, well, I'm going to try Yellow Pages. For some reason. Yellow Pages? Just what is. 

Rich Bennett 17:57
That? Right? 

Bruce Brackett 17:58
I know, I know. Oh, my gosh. To be both a journalist, I'm not sure. 

F1 S3 18:02
But so. 

Bruce Brackett 18:05
I did. I got on yellow pages dot com and I typed in, I typed in his name and, and Montana because I knew roughly that he was from the Northwest and I knew his name. So I just typed it in and a few, a few of the gentleman's name, I'm not going to say his name, but a few of the same names popped up and I just clicked on the first one and it said, you know, Oh, Great Falls, and here's the phone number. And I called it and this guy picks up and I was like, Hey, this is going to sound really weird, but did you ever know a woman named so-and-so? Right? And Dead Silence. And he just started naming off my sisters names and started I'm like, you know, And I was like, Oh my God, I found you after all this time, like, And I started to freak out and I was like, I'm sorry, I have to hang up the phone. I will call you back, but I need to kind of take. 

Rich Bennett 19:11
Care of it. 

Bruce Brackett 19:11
Yeah, you know? Yeah, So I did. And 

I reached out to my my parents and let them know that I found him after all this time. And because I was still trying to have a relationship with my birth mom, I let her know as well through Facebook. And I called him about two weeks later and my birth mom picks up the phone what she found him through, just being, you know, through the connection of like, hey, just so you know, I found him and I think I even said that he was in Great Falls. So she, like, got online and figured it out. Come to find out they haven't been together. I mean, they were never together while I was growing up. So we're talking 20 something years that they haven't spoken or been together. And then I find him. She moves back in with him the next married. And then four. 

Rich Bennett 20:10
Years. 

Bruce Brackett 20:11
Four years after they got married again, they separated. So. 

Rich Bennett 20:15
Oh, good Lord. 

Bruce Brackett 20:15
Just, I mean, the rollercoaster. Such a rollercoaster. So long story short, to answer your question, 

they are in very different places in their life, right? They are very much in denial of the abuse. And what happens. My birth mom will never admit it. She'll never apologize. She'll never come through. She will always say that I would be better off with her than I was with my adoptive parents, which is very false. I would not be me if I was still with her. Hell, I may not even be alive if I was still with her just because of the drinking and the drugs. 

Rich Bennett 20:53
Wow. 

Bruce Brackett 20:54
So, yeah, there's they're in a very different place, very toxic. And I am all about negativity. Begone. 

Rich Bennett 21:01
So I love that. And actually, when did the addiction start? Was it in Montana or when you moved to New York? 

Bruce Brackett 21:10
I was born into detox. Yeah. Yeah, I was born into detox from drugs and alcohol. And I was in 

detox in the ICU for a while when I was first born. And then that complicated things and I had a double hernia operation within the first six months. So I was born into it. I didn't reintroduce myself to my addictions until I was 16 when I ran away from home and then again around 20 years old. You're in New York, so I've had different phases of my addictions, but hardcore drugs didn't really enter my life again until I was 16. 

Rich Bennett 21:53
Okay. Wow. Okay. And in the book, How to Breathe. Well, you know what? I'm just going to tell everybody the whole title. 

F1 S3 22:01
Okay. 

Bruce Brackett 22:03
So it's my memoir is called How to Breathe While Suffocating a Story Overcoming from Addiction, Addiction, Recovering from Trauma and Healing My Soul. And it basically wraps up the whole 

23 years, 24 years of my life from the very beginning, being born into detox, going through foster care, being adopted, going through trauma therapy, being openly gay in Montana, finding theater, running away from home that whole summer, and all of the different cities I went to reintroducing myself to drugs and alcohol, 

going through identity crisis and transitioning and just growing as a person and those growing pains and trying to run from my problems instead of facing my problems. But yeah, what a lot of it was and it follows through with coming back and to Butte after being put into juvenile detention center, after running away from home and going through a group home and then entering Dynamic Dance and Tumbling Academy, because my parents were like, You clearly need a lot of discipline and ballet is going to give you that. So there you go. You're going to be doing that the day after, after school, and that's going to be your life. And that's what it was for four years, which I loved. Like, yeah, actually was not a punishment. It turned out to be another avenue of expression and release that I could really hold on to. 

Rich Bennett 23:43
They were looking out for you. The I have a funny feeling they knew that. 

Bruce Brackett 23:46
Yeah, absolutely. They've always and that's what they've always done, you know, that was all they wanted to bring in us and adopt us and raise us to adulthood safely and make sure that we got there. And they most definitely achieve that goal. 

And then graduating high school and moving to New York and working really hard and auditioning all the time, taking classes at Broadway Dance Center in Times Square, and then eventually finding through the rejection because they listened to the rejection more than I listen to that direction. Rejection is not rejection, it's redirection towards your. Yes. So keep going. Yes. And I just I wasn't mature enough at that time to understand that. So I really gave up and entered the nightlife again. I was like, Well, I can be a club dancer and I can make money that way. And going back into the nightlife, what did I find? Drugs and alcohol. Yeah. 

F1 S3 24:48
Oh. 

Bruce Brackett 24:49
And then it really spiraled, especially 

because backtracked a little bit. When I was 16, I was also working as a sex worker so that I could get money and also so that I could get food and shelter and a place to stay. So when when things started to get really rough in New York, I turned back to that and I turned back to sex work. And that became my my full time job as an escort. And of course, drugs and alcohol go hand in hand if you're not in the right mind frame and you know how to say no, obviously, you know, shit's going to hit the fan. And it did. And I got diagnosed with every study and HIV. Oh, yeah. Oh, well, yeah, because I was an idiot. 

Oh, yeah. So I got diagnosed with HIV. And after that, I drove so deep into drugs and I mean, it it was to the point where I was hospitalized a few times. And on the last the last time I was hospitalized, I had acute hep C pneumonia and borderline AIDS all at the same time. And I knew in that moment I had to give up. I was dying. There was there's just no moving forward with that. There's moving forward without that. So I it took me a few more times. I relapsed a few more times after that, but it was pretty soon after that that I sobered up. 

Rich Bennett 26:27
Wow. Holy cow, man. Damn it, Look at you now. And now you sober and kicking ass. 

Bruce Brackett 26:37
And I really. And you just gave me goosebumps. 

F1 S3 26:42
Yeah. 

Bruce Brackett 26:43
I wouldn't have it any other way. I wouldn't be here without the support system of my friends and my family. Therapists, counselors, rehabs, 

psychiatrists, 12 step programs like those are the things that I turn to. When I knew that I. I really didn't want to live that way anymore, and I really needed help, but I knew I couldn't do it alone. So I did. I went to outpatient rehab programs, inpatient rehab, 12 step meetings, getting a sponsor, a therapist, the whole gamut. And I just used every resource that I could and and good, especially in the beginning, because I couldn't afford it. You know, I had the free resources and they're out there. You just have to look. 

Rich Bennett 27:31
Yes. Go to departments. 

Bruce Brackett 27:33
Yeah. Go go to your community health center and they will point you in the direction that you need to go. And that's what I did consistently. I would always go to the community health center and they would they have the resources that I didn't even know to ask for or look up on my own. 

Rich Bennett 27:52
So I found out about it like peer recovery specialist. I had no idea what a peer recovery specialist was. And the local health department here is a sponsor of mine and we do roundtable discussions and they say, Why don't we do one with the peer recovery specialist? I'm like, okay, sure. No idea what a peer recovery specialist was. And they had at the time that when we recorded they had four peer recovery specialists in their Bruce eight linemen. When they told their stories, I was in tears. I was crying because I had no idea. I had no idea what a peer recovery specialist was. That was my introduction to the recovery world. And then I found, I found and then I was introduced to Wendy Beck, who started Rage Against Addiction, a local nonprofit. And we cover addictions that were not actually number one for addiction. In the podcast category. Beat out. Wow. MSNBC's American Radical. Yeah, that's on. GUPTA Oh, I'm so proud. I'm telling you, man, this this recovery circle. I want to I don't even want to say circle. I want to say family is so huge. The funny thing is the addiction family is huge, but they don't look after each other. The recovery family does know that. Oh, my God. You mentioned your therapist. Did your therapist suggest that you start journaling? And if so, is that how the book started? 

Bruce Brackett 29:33
All all of my. Okay. Have suggested that I, i journal even create an art piece where you don't have to necessarily write, you just draw your feelings and all of that. But yes, every therapist and many therapists, I all of them have suggested that and it it kind of is how my book came to be When I moved to New York City when I was 18, I started to write my book and I got pretty far. And then of course, I got distracted with. 

Rich Bennett 30:09
Write poor. 

Bruce Brackett 30:10
Choices. So I put I put that dream up on a shelf. And it wasn't until about a year and a half ago after because I've now been on social media, I've been on Tik Tok for almost three years and Instagram over a year. I mean, really being on Instagram over a year and just the love and support and encouragement that I receive from the community really lit that fire in me again. So 

if you know who I am and if if you do follow me, I just want to say thank you. You're a huge reason why this book has come to completion 

and yeah, I just I thank you so much. It really lit that fire again. So I sat down and I started writing and just with the manifesto, the manifestation and putting in the work, the publisher came to me. I didn't have I didn't really submit it to any anyone. Yeah, it was a really it, I mean, it's pretty unusual for this to happen this way, but Wiley Wiley's my publisher, and they found me and they reached out and it wasn't more so like we're thinking about this. It was more like, Hey, we want to do this with you. Or if you've ever wanted to do that. It was like, little did you know I'm actually in the middle of writing one. So and then once I signed the contract, that solidified everything and I stayed up many and I just yeah, typing away. You get. 

Rich Bennett 31:45
It, man. And it just stuck. Yeah. 

Bruce Brackett 31:49
Yeah. So, yeah, from the beginning of writing it to completion is a period and. 

Rich Bennett 31:57
It's going to be released in April, right? Yeah. Please. 

Bruce Brackett 32:01
Yes. Yeah, it'll be on the shelves. 

Rich Bennett 32:03
Please don't say April 1st. Okay, good. Yeah. 

F1 S3 32:08
No, I think you're kidding. 

Bruce Brackett 32:11
I actually didn't write it, but can you imagine? This is all. 

F1 S3 32:14
You. 

Bruce Brackett 32:15
Know. Oh, God. That. That that would probably be harmful. 

Thank you. 

Rich Bennett 32:23
Oh, God. 

Bruce Brackett 32:25
Yeah. No, it's. It's available. It's available anywhere right now where you can preorder. So your local bookstore, you can go ahead and have them pre-order at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Walmart, Target. There's many different places. And the audiobook version I'm the narrator for that will be. Yeah, that'll be coming out in June. Okay, June or July. So there's a lot of there's a lot of things happening over the year with this book. And once that's out, then I'll start doing my book tour and book signings. 

Rich Bennett 33:01
So then when you're going to start on the second book. 

Bruce Brackett 33:07
After I take a vacation for myself, once all of that is over, then I will sit down and I and there is going to be a second book because again, this is only the first 23, 24 years of my life. Since then, there's been a lot of other I mean, I found like really found alcohol because that wasn't my problem before, right? 

F1 S3 33:32
Yeah. 

Bruce Brackett 33:33
You know, so I found that off-Broadway happened meeting my amazing fiance Teo and purchasing to home to the pandemic and leaving. Yeah, yeah. Where we've been really, we've been really fortunate, but we've also worked very, very hard. And again, none of this would be happening. I wouldn't have my popularity online, I wouldn't have my own art business. I wouldn't have sold all of my fans all over the world. And I you know, I wouldn't have I wouldn't have this amazing relationship with Teo. I wouldn't have anything if it wasn't for my sobriety, let alone materialistic things like a house, you know, like that, that that is a necessity. We need shelter. But yeah, I So. 

Rich Bennett 34:25
You mentioned your book tour. Where do you plan on going for the book tour? 

No, I meant like libraries or what. Yeah. Are you, are you focusing on certain things to go and ask if you could come present your book besides libraries? 

Bruce Brackett 34:43
Yes. Yes, I am definitely. Yes, libraries. I'm sure that Barnes and Noble will be on that list as well, but I really want to focus on LGBT owned local bookstores or even coffee shops and support people within the LGBT plus community. And if not that, but just smaller businesses hanging out with that group, I. 

Rich Bennett 35:08
Would look into some recovery centers to. 

Bruce Brackett 35:10
Where to go and oh yeah, recovery centers, definitely going to rehabs and speaking. I've got many different, many different and I'm so grateful for Wylie and my publicist with 

48. They're incredible and they're helping me put together all of this. So I'll be touring all over the U.S. nice later on this summer. And they want to release the book and like tender front languages, which brings the international and going overseas the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Australia, Brazil, Mexico. It's really going to and for everyone in those countries, if you're listening, that. 

Rich Bennett 35:57
Is freaking awesome, man. I'm proud of you. That is good. That is really good. Yeah. Thank you. Yeah. And yeah, definitely stay in touch with me because I could put you in touch with some places down here. I'm doing great. I don't know if all of them would do stuff like that. Like, I don't know if. I don't know. Have you ever heard of, like, Ashley Addiction treatment that is really big down here in Harford County in Maryland? I don't know if they do it, but I do know that they have like things they do so or that may 

your art and negativity be going Hey and fans, they carry a powerful message. How do you hope they influence or support those that them? 

Well, I love the parents. 

Bruce Brackett 36:51
I thank you. Yes. And and the fan is my artwork, right? The background that that's a painting. The rainbow painting that I created a long time ago and negativity be gone. Just kind of flew out of my mouth in one of my videos. And that's what made my platforms go viral and that's what made 

BWB positivity. Many people, many people get the message and they understand what negativity begone means. And there are also people on the other side of that coin that think that's toxic positivity and that I'm denying negativity when it really exists in life. And I'm like, No, no, no that's the whole point. That's the whole point. I'm not saying negativity doesn't exist and that I would just deny it and ignore it and shove it down into it. That is false because you will explode and many different ways that it's not going to be beneficial. But I am pulling focus towards positivity so that people can start looking at the silver lining, so people can look at something a little bit more cheerful, more positive to pull them away from just saying in a negative place, because what we put out, what we listen to, who we hang out with, what we ingest, we become. And if you're going to keep putting out all of that negativity or you're going to keep receiving all of that negativity, guess where you're going to stay? You're going to stay really dark corner. You know. So I it's not about that. It doesn't exist. It's very much that it exists. I say it and every single video, if I didn't think it existed, I wouldn't even bring it up. You know. 

Rich Bennett 38:41
Like I've always said, negativity brings negativity faster than positive positivity. 

Bruce Brackett 38:50
Absolutely. Absolutely. So it it's been really it's been an amazing journey. And I'm so grateful for it. I you know, what people do with the fan once they order it, that's entirely up to them. Many people have just hung out on the wall as a piece of art. Many people actually use it. I know that the majority of my following are people who identify as female and with women that go through Oh, hate. They send me that all the time. They're like, I am going through menopause and I can't tell you how grateful I am for your fan because, I mean, really. 

F1 S3 39:31
It gets in the way, you know, like it's great. 

Bruce Brackett 39:35
So as long as as long as someone can see joy in the fan and in that message. Yes. 

Rich Bennett 39:42
Mission accomplished. And your art, besides the fan, your portraits, the the animal, everything that you did, all that stuff for your website you've done right there. You're a hell of an artist. You're amazing. Thank you. I'm those of you listening, you have to check out his website, which is easy to find. BWB art dot com but oh my God. When you look at his stuff, you're going to be blown away right away. I mean, it is. Thank you. It's amazing. I love it. 

The social media What made you decide to Tik Tok was first right? What made you decide to jump on the Tik tok and start putting these videos out? 

Bruce Brackett 40:33
I did not want to. I was not interested in Tik Tok. I was very late to the game. I joined Tik Tok February 3rd of 

2021, so we were still kind of in the midst of the pandemic. A lot of people were still staying home and Tayo because at that time that the year prior to that. 

Rich Bennett 40:59
Right. 

Bruce Brackett 40:59
We were isolated, we were at home, nothing was really happening. You know, and I was doing a lot of painting. I was doing a lot of painting during that time. I mean, I was almost doing a painting a day. I was just that that was my focus. That's what got me through. That's what helped keep me sober. And I was filming time lapse videos of me painting it. So you can see from start to completion within 30 seconds, right of the thing, you know, very, very fast, fast forward video. And then he was like, You should you know, you should post these on on Tik tok and you might get more commissions and blah, blah, blah. And I was like, okay, well, I don't know why I would do that. I already have Instagram and at that time on Instagram I have like 300, maybe 400 people on my account. And I did finally, I just posted it on Tik Tok and then I started to do voice overs with those videos of me speaking. And then I started sharing a little bit of my story and I noticed that there was more traction. And then eventually one video I just I got in front of the camera as me talking and sharing a little tidbit about myself and my journey, and it got a lot more traction. And so I was like, okay, well this might be an avenue that I can market. And I kept doing that. And then a few videos just exploded, and within the first year I had several hundred thousand followers and it's just grown since then. So on Tik Tok, you know, over the three years on TikTok and Instagram combined, I gained one point to almost 1.3 million followers. 

Rich Bennett 42:42
It's nice. Bear with me, man. I just heard a loud crash. 

Bruce Brackett 42:47
Oh, no, 

I hope everything's. 

Rich Bennett 42:52
Okay. 

Bruce Brackett 42:53
And everyone who's said 

so, I guess I'm going to talk to conversations with Rich listeners. Hi, everyone. Thanks for being here. I hope everything's with that crash. I hope that you're having an amazing day today. Really do. It is February 1st and that is such an opportunity. We made the wake up list, so let's take full advantage of this day, even if that means that we're resting and that we're watching our favorite TV show, that is okay. Rest is a huge part of recovery. So do what you need to do to get through the day. But do keep in mind that you made the wake up list today and that you have opportunities that yesterday no longer exists. Tomorrow doesn't exist. So stay in the now stay in the present. And I promise you, you will have the opportunities throughout the day that will follow into tomorrow. 

And definitely, if you're having a hard time just trying to remember to breathe, remember to breathe. Check in with yourself. And if you need to, it's okay to ask for help no matter what it is that you're going through. I know that's really, really hard for a lot of people to sit down and ask for help, But you know what? At the end of the day, would you rather have some help or would you rather struggle your way through it, maybe fail a lot more than you would without asking for help than you would with asking for help? It's all about community. 

Rich Bennett 44:27
Normally, I would have cut all of that out. Actually, it's never happened to me, so I definitely would have cut all of that out. But Bruce's message right there, I believe, is very important. So of course, I wanted to keep that in. Now let's get back to the conversation with the Tik tok and I am surprised how big tiktok's. Com. I think my son's on it. He's all excited because he's finally making money off of it. But but social media can be a double edged sword. So what key lessons have you learned from your extensive experience in the social media world? 

Bruce Brackett 45:06
It's okay to keep scrolling and I mean that. And yeah, it's okay. It's okay to keep scrolling. If you see something you don't like, you don't have to because when you if you see something that you don't like and you interact with that, it's going to bring it back to your profile, to your for you page. If you comment that tells the algorithm that you want to and if you really don't like it and you are the person that is commenting and spreading hate, at the end of the day, that's your problem. And like, you know, that's that's your own problem. But if you don't like something, keep scrolling and get away from it. Because if it's not for you, it's not for you. Also, it can be very exhausting, especially if you are content creator, which I headed this way very recently, especially with everything that's with my family at home. I really needed to step away and take a break. Right. But you can become which. 

Rich Bennett 46:07
Is okay to take a break. 

Bruce Brackett 46:09
It's okay to take a break. That's where you break. 

Rich Bennett 46:12
Yeah. 

Bruce Brackett 46:13
It yes, absolutely. And over the last year and a half, I have I've taken advantage of that many times of taking a break and stepping away. And because I'm not going to be able to fill up anyone's cup of love that my cup is empty. That's just not how it works. 

So yeah, I take things with a grain of salt. The majority of things that you see online of people posting their perfect life, it doesn't mean that they have a perfect life. A lot of that is just for the post, and I hate to say that, but it's very true. Not everything that you see online, I know that we've heard this so many times. Don't trust what you see online. Don't you know, do your research, make sure it is legit. But one thing that I really have learned and especially for myself, but also hearing from other people and my followers that reach out to me and they start comparing themselves. And the thing is, don't compare yourself to anyone, whether it's in-person or it's online, because if you compare yourself to someone else going to become better, compare yourself to yourself, you will become better. So stop the comparison. Stop that comparison. Live your own life, Put the phone down, unplug, go for a walk. Put the phone down. When you're at a dinner table with your friend, you're just you're not there to be on your phone. You're there to be with your friends. So when you're around other people, put the phone down, unplug. You don't have to be online all the time. Yeah, these are all lessons that I've learned throughout the history of me being attached to my phone, right? That's where I work from. But yeah, unplug step away from it for a little while. That's one. One thing that I'm really focusing on is take a break before you break. 

Rich Bennett 48:07
Just I love that. Yeah, I love that. And I think if people even schedule it, I think I would help out a lot. Yeah. So. Yeah. Oh yeah. If you have to be on every day, you know, like some like me because of the business and I do, I schedule it. This is what I'm doing this time of the day and so forth. Just like with the podcast, I set aside certain hours to just record the podcast. 

Bruce Brackett 48:33
Yeah. And then that's, that's very helpful to. 

Rich Bennett 48:35
It is. 

Bruce Brackett 48:36
Easy to do. 

Rich Bennett 48:37
Oh, that's why I only look 25, right? 

Bruce Brackett 48:41
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 48:41
Yeah. 25 Don't agree with me, Bruce. You too. 

F1 S3 48:45
Are you sure you're 25? 

Bruce Brackett 48:47
I don't. I don't know. I just don't. When you aiming for 20. 

Rich Bennett 48:51
Oh, I love you, man. 

So in advocating for recovery and mental health, what's one common misconception you encounter and wish to dispel. 

Bruce Brackett 49:06
That recovery treatment is just for addicts. No, it's not. It's not. Therapy is not just for people that are suffering or struggling or going through a really bad time. Therapy is for everyone. Recovery is for everyone. Whether you are going through trauma, mental health, addiction, PTSD, the list goes on and on, recovery. And even if you're an amazing human being and the only issue that you've ever had in your whole entire life was you slept through your alarm clock. Okay, great. You know, if your life is that hunky dory one, what's your secret? What the hell? And that's not reality. But still, that person who has a fantastic life, whether they know or not, recovery is life. Recovery is a journey every single day. If we are not trying to be better than the person we were yesterday or the person that we were five years ago or even 5 minutes ago, if we're not trying to grow and evolve as an individual, guess what? You're going through a phase of recovery and growth. It's for everyone. If you want to be a better person in your life so that you can be a better person for others. Those are the steps you take actually. 

Rich Bennett 50:29
From your perspective, what are some signs that someone might need to seek help when it comes to mental health and even addiction? 

Bruce Brackett 50:39
Well, for me, for a long time it was pushing away what others saw in me, but they could see that I needed help. I would reject it because I was in a huge place of denial. So denial or isolation, 

I get it. Not everyone is a people person, right? You know, some people might actually thrive, isolate eating, but as a human species, I do believe that we we do in some form need connection and seek connection from others or other environments and other places and things. 

Yeah, I think that if someone is 

not asking for help and they're allowing themselves to repeat the same issue or repeat the same problem over and over again, but yet they still may not be in the mental capacity to realize what it is that they're doing, that's that's a sign that they need help in some way. Right. Not asking for help. I know that asking for help is a very huge. 

Rich Bennett 51:53
Yes. 

Bruce Brackett 51:54
The stigma that we need to get over, whether it's with addiction or whatever it is in life, you know, an example I use all the time, when you start a new job, you don't know everything. You have to ask questions to learn how to do that job, you know, And you might ask your boss and they might look like they know what they're doing, but guess what? They have to go to the person above them to ask, Hey, is this actually correct? No one knows what they're doing. So let that go and ask for help. It's okay to ask for help when we don't and we get in our own way because we're afraid of asking for help because we might look weak or that that self judgment, that self-doubt, low self esteem, whatever the reason might be, that's not going to help us grow. And it's a practice to it. It just doesn't become easy to ask for help. It takes time of building that tool belt and then eventually, you know, once you get the ball rolling, yeah, it becomes easier. Yeah. Oh, my God. That's a really excellent question. What is something that you would say is a sign? 

Rich Bennett 53:09
Oh, 

for addiction 

know and there's all different types of addiction. Yeah, a lot of times, especially if it's a friend or family member, you can 

look, you know, if they're staying out later than normal, if they're coming home. And a lot of times I've even seen hi, like going right to their bedroom or just ignoring you going away. As far as the mental health part, God and like I said before, we started recording and I went through anxiety, depression and was suicidal and I never asked for help. I, you know, I, I looked elsewhere and helped myself. I wish I would have asked for help earlier, but I would some it's it all depends on what it is. Anxiety. Depression is probably one of the easiest ones to tell if somebody is going through depression. Yeah, you could just look at their face a lot. Yeah, tell it. Thank God. Now you had that. That. What is it, 980? 

Bruce Brackett 54:24
Yes. Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 54:25
Thank God you had that now. But the other thing I would and I hope everybody listening, you know, keep this in mind, if somebody is going through anxiety and somebody is going through depression, if somebody is, you know, going through addiction or even recovery. Well, let me say this first. If they're going through recovery and you know they're going through recovery, don't offer them something. Oh, do not offer them a drink or anything. That is the worst thing you can do. And I've seen people do that. And I feel like just reach across is smack in the shit out of my. 

Bruce Brackett 55:04
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 55:06
When it comes to anxiety, depression and addiction, don't try to be a professional you do not know how everybody's different. You do not and tell them oh it's just in your head or no shit. It's in their head. 

Bruce Brackett 55:24
But yeah. 

Rich Bennett 55:27
They can't just get it out of their head. It's not that simple. And I think that's 

too many people are quick to judge and think they know the solution. And the solution is not the same for everybody. 

Bruce Brackett 55:46
Plain I 100% agree with you and I really appreciate the fact that you brought up nine eight and there are so many different resources out there. And so for anyone who is listening or, you know, someone who's going through through a crisis of anxiety, depression, addiction to suicidal ideation or just if they're suicidal, you can reach out to nine AA, You can call them or you can text them. I you're going to have to Google that because right now it's escaping my mind. But there's also SAMHSA, which is a great organization. There's so many is there for me or. Yeah. NAMI Yep, exactly. Um, there's a lot of different and I have a lot of them on my link trees and the bio of my profiles on Instagram and TikTok. Okay, scroll down towards the bottom of them. There's a lot of different resources. 

Rich Bennett 56:40
They're good on that. 

Bruce Brackett 56:42
And I really appreciate the fact that you're you said, Oh, it's just in your head. Well, of course it's in your head. You know, when you see someone struggling and going through something, when you see someone crying, don't say to them, Oh, don't cry. No, let them cry. 

Rich Bennett 57:00
Yes. 

Bruce Brackett 57:00
If you see someone that's angry, let them be angry. Let let them, because that's the only way that they're going to get through it is by going through it. If we tell them, Oh, don't don't be sad. Screw you. Let me be sad. 

F1 S3 57:15
You know, like. 

Bruce Brackett 57:16
Let me be sad right now. Now, if you start to see that I am not getting out of the sadness and I'm just staying comfortable there and that's where I'm at. Okay, then maybe start to step in and be like, Hey, I know, how can I help you? What can I do for you to help bring a little bit more joy or to just help you get out of where you're at? 

Rich Bennett 57:38
Yeah, I way to do it. It's funny you say that, and I've told this before. I mean, a buddy of mine went to a store here, and as we're walking out, there's somebody there always checking your receipt and. Yeah, I'm. I'm the type. I'll talk to anybody. I don't care. And as we're walking out, she said, Did you find everything okay? And I'm like, No. And she said, she back. She was. I'm sorry, what can you find? And I was wearing a hat and I took off my hat. I said, I haven't been able to find my hair anywhere. And she she lost it. She started laughing her ass off. I went back I think it was the following following week as she was working there and she recognized me and she thanked me and gave me a big hug. I said, Wow. She goes, I was seriously thinking about going home after work and ended it all. Oh, she goes, But you just you make me laugh. It's saved my life. And I tell everybody this, there's nothing wrong with saying hi to strangers. No, you can. Or even if you don't want to say hi, smile at them because you may saved her life. You could change their world and that's something that people are getting away from as well. It's just it's ridiculous, actually. Look, in the looking back, I've never asked this question before. This feels weird. But looking back, what advice would you give at least? I don't think I've ever asked it. What advice would you give to your younger self at the most challenging point in your life? 

Bruce Brackett 59:14
Give up. It's never going to work out. Just quit. 

F1 S3 59:17
Now. Oh, no, no, no, no, no. 

Bruce Brackett 59:22
Not that. Not that kind of habits. Old habits 

to keep going to not give up. It will work out. It'll be better than what you have even ever imagined. And I will make you so proud. You will show up. You will conquer your fears, you will conquer your dreams. And they're going to be different than what you imagine them to be right now. They're going to be better in so many different ways that you can have even imagined. And to take your time and enjoy the ride because, Oh my God, does it fly? Yeah. Does Liz buy? So have fun, make mistakes, learn from those mistakes and have fun along the way. 

And it's going to be okay and it's going to work out 

now. Now, hearing myself say that and thinking back to the version of myself that I'm talking to, I don't know if I would have listened mm to that because I was in such a dark place. But that's, that's what I would say. And just to remind them that no matter what I was going through at that time, I'm so very proud of them and that I love them. 

And just to have that encouragement that it is going to work out and it is going to be okay, it won't work out if I give up. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:55
Yep, I love that. So before I get to my last question, tell everybody why they need to purchase your book when it comes out and give the whole title again. 

Bruce Brackett 1:01:09
Why you should Purchase My book. How to Breathe While Suffocating a Story Overcoming from Addiction. Recovering from Trauma and Healing My Soul, Which for just in case you do use video, here's the cover of it right here. It's like an actual book. 

Rich Bennett 1:01:27
Well, I can I'll also put the picture in the show notes, too. 

Bruce Brackett 1:01:30
Oh, great. Okay. Thank you. Why you should purchase the book is because you will be able to see yourself in it. You will be able to see the struggles that you have already overcome, even if it's a different version and it's a different way. My goal my whole goal of writing this book is so that you're able to allow yourself and to forgive yourself, to allow yourself to set yourself free from your past, no matter what's happened in the past. It doesn't define who you are now, and it definitely doesn't define your future. Why would you deny your future? Because of your past. That's a huge lesson within book. And I just so that you know that you're not alone, no matter what struggles that is that you've gone through. I'm sure that anyone that's listening or anyone in today's day and age has overcome from some sort of trauma, has overcome from addiction, or they know someone who has gone through that and it might help from the other side from a different perspective of what it is that they actually might be going through and it might be able to help us sit back and listen just a little bit more. 

Rich Bennett 1:02:43
Tell everybody again the website and of course, where they can find you on social media and purchase all that great art. Well, all the arts, all your websites and everybody get the website where they can find you on social media. 

Bruce Brackett 1:02:56
So my website is BWB Art dot com and commissions are open. If you have a loved one that you want a portrait for Animal portrait, human Portrait and memorial portrait. I've done a lot of memorial portraits or just some contemporary art. Whatever idea you have, commissions are open and on all social media. I am BWB dot positivity. That's Instagram, Tik Tok, YouTube and threads. 

Rich Bennett 1:03:25
And trust me, when you follow him on social media, you will not be disappointed that he has some awesome freaking that some. All of the videos are awesome. 

Bruce Brackett 1:03:37
Thank you. 

Rich Bennett 1:03:38
Stretch before I get to my last question, is there anything you would like to add? 

Bruce Brackett 1:03:46
My father's three dudes. If there's anything that you take away from this, it is to do your best to do no harm and do for yourself every single day so that you too can eventually do for others. If you can't do for others right now, that's okay. That just means that you need to be doing for yourself. Rest is a huge part of recovery, so take your time and enjoy the ride. And I love you and keep moving forward. And of course, there's always negativity be gone. 

Rich Bennett 1:04:15
I got to get me one of them damn fans, man. 

So actually, do you know how many podcasts you've been on yet? 

Bruce Brackett 1:04:24
Oh, my goodness. I don't know. 

Rich Bennett 1:04:27
So a lot. A lot. Okay, good. Then this question is going to be perfect. 

Bruce Brackett 1:04:32
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:04:32
So is there anything that a house has never asked you that you wish they would have asked you? And if so, what would be that question and what would be your answer? 

Wow. 

Bruce Brackett 1:04:44
Now, that question right there. 

Rich Bennett 1:04:46
No, that's not allowed. Bruce, come dry day. 

Bruce Brackett 1:04:51
No one's asked me that. So thank you for that. Put me on the spot. Make me think. 

I think a question that I have not been asked that would be of importance would be 

what? What mistakes and struggles am I going through currently? 

Rich Bennett 1:05:21
Oh. 

Bruce Brackett 1:05:22
At this time. 

And the answer to that would be, 

well, okay, let's go back just a second. The reason why that question came to me is because I think it's very real and honest, especially for someone who for the majority, I post uplifting positivity, affirmations, some funny videos. Do I show the negative side of recovery and the negative side of life? Yeah, I do sometimes because I think it's very it it's real, it's authentic. And that's that's one of the reasons why my platform is working in the first place is because I'm not lying to you. But the reason why that question is because it just makes it so much more real. When people see 

someone like me or I look at someone that I look up to or, you know, we that comparison thing, when we start comparing, we become better. So they might think that I've got it all figured out that I am doing really well and it just makes it so much more real and authentic. When I feel like I can be as raw, open and vulnerable in the moment as possible, it makes us feel less alone as humans. So the answer to that question would be I'm struggling. I winded. I am feeling like I'm not in a creative space where I can come up with new content, which is, okay, maybe I don't need to. Maybe there's a message that I can repeat just for my own self to hear it, let alone someone else to hear it. I'm struggling with not so much of sobriety, but keeping a sober mindset so that I don't relapse. I'm struggling with family health issues. My mom is in hospice. She's entering the end of this journey and trying the new journey, which is incredibly painful and so I have taken a big step back just to recharge, rest and get back on my own track. So that I can keep moving forward, you know? 

Yeah, it's it's not easy right now, but I, I do the next great thing and I have conversations with people like you that uplift me and help to recharge me. So thank you so much, Rich, for having me as my partner, my honor. 

Rich Bennett 1:08:01
And just remember something, man. It's you have changed a lot of lives, so it's okay for you to take a break and work on yourself as well with especially with everything that you're going through right now. That's okay. Thank you. Because we know your ass is going to be coming back on social media and uplifting all of us again. Man. Oh, yeah, I know it's going to happen. And I have a funny feeling within I want say within a year, I think you're going to be on the other side of the mic as a host with your own podcast. 

Bruce Brackett 1:08:38
I have definitely heard the winds whispering something. Yes. 

Rich Bennett 1:08:45
How did and how did I not know it just let you all know? No, we did not mention this before anything. I just know his ass would be very good at it and I know it would be a fantastic podcast. Oh, damn it. Yeah. And if you ever want to do start one, let me know. I'll help you however I can. 

Bruce Brackett 1:09:05
Oh, thanks very much. Thank you. 

Rich Bennett 1:09:07
Thank you so much. It's been an honor. It's been a true pleasure. And I can't wait to talk to you again. 

Bruce Brackett 1:09:14
Thank you. You too. Thank you so much.