Mike “The Situation” on Jersey Shore, Sobriety & His Incredible Second Act
Unblinded with Sean Callagy · 30 Oct 2026
Source: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unblindedwithseancallagy/episodes/Mike-The-Situation-on-Jersey-Shore--Sobriety--His-Incredible-Second-Act-e3re1oh
Transcript: https://podcasts.opennash.com/shows/unblinded/mike-the-situation-on-jersey-shore-sobriety-his-incredible-second-act-5c7865/ (via OpenNash Podcasts, machine-generated)

He fed the bad wolf for years. Prison, addiction, rock bottom. Then, at 24, two 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 h. He didn't kill that energy, he redirected it. Now, every day at 1111, he texts his wife three words and a heart.

I also was a troublemaker,

How?

too. In high school and college, I was a drug dealer. Uh, if you told me not to do something, I would do it, and, uh, twice and take photos. I

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. 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, and 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 behind the podcast, where he helps 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? Jersey sir, guy and Jersey guy. Now I know you thank you very were born in Staten much. Island, but you're like, you're officially, uh, in your heart, you're a Jersey guy. Or no

yes. I was born in Staten Island, but moved to moved to New Jersey when I was like six or seven. So cool? And yeah,

then Minneapple High School?

yes, Minneapple High School, yes, and then Brookdale Community College.

yeah, very, very cool. So, uh, 1st of all, I wanna say thank you for being an inspiration. And you know, inspiration like, what? Like? This man has, uh, overcome the disease of addiction. Yes, I'm a Um, and

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

yeah, and I, I wanna use your language, not my words, of how that journey is. And 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, uh, that's been damaged, and that's the Jersey Shore.

So I'm a huge Jersey Shore person.

okay, same.

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

uh, I mean, listen, it's. I wrote a book about it, uh, I wrote a book about, uh, how I overcame addiction, loss and prison. And, um, I'll be honest, which I never thought I'd be in the position that I am today. I am, uh, eleven years clean and sober in December. Uh, I own, uh, multiple treatment centers today. um, I own, um, uh, one in New Jersey, North Carolina, essentially five to seven centers right now in my 1st year.

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

that's an awesome thing. Congratulations. Um, and if, and I'll start with the end right next decade, you know what happens where Mike feels this is great stuff, and you know, I'm winning the game of life over this next decade.

over the next decade. You'd like me to run the tape on that. Um, God, ten and and like years, ten you like, not years.

concerned with anybody's thinking, like, real, like president of the United States, like addiction, Oh God, treatment centers all over the country. Like I you have it all your way, magic wand, what happens?

God, um, um, you're, you're talking ten years to a guy that's a one day at a time guy,

Understood?

uh, which I think I would like a treatment center in all 50 states. Awesome, Yeah, I would like to be the governor of New Jersey.

let's go.

Um, I live to to help, uh, as many as I can, and to save as many as lives as I can on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis. Um, I believe I have one of the biggest voices in the recovery space right now. Uh, in my 1st year, I have, uh, we're looking at maybe close to seven to ten locations, my 1st, my 1st year in the awesome, business, so in ten years, um, it, it.

It could be very feasible for me to hit 50. Um, and also because I am, um, you know, on the front lines of the disease of addiction, um, 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, uh, I'm al almost already in public service, so maybe also that next step would be governor of New Jersey.

Um, also, um, in ten years, I guess I would see my kids graduating high school,

how old?

um, my kids right now are five, uh, three and two, so or at least one.

Boys girl, boys, girls.

I have a a boy that's five and a girl that is three and two. So, um, it's all about God and family with me. Um, I think that's, that's kinda what I see right now.

Yeah, it's a good working start, for sure. It's amazing, right? So, you know, in this space, and we, we just met thanks to Aaron Prince, Aiming High Foundation. So what this show is all about? Um, I was going blind. They wanna be broke. What I'm all about is serving people and how they create some. Um, 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, you know, causing fun and mayhem, but can also save lives like it. It's all the same thing, right? In my book, this is what we talk about, teach, integrously or not. How did you become? Was it genetic? Were you like selling things in high school? Where you want it did you develop

on MTV.

your? where did you develop your communication abilities, your ability

I think it was Belief, to cause? Yes, I think it was belief in self, I okay, yeah, you believe that it was belief.

great certainty, great congruency. Have. Yeah, please,

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

where'd that come from?

it could have. I, uh, I assume that it was, um, Parents, m, m, I high school, coaches, think, uh, it. It's gotta

teachers? be upbringing. Uh, Okay,

you know, my my father was a was a big proponent to f to me, believing that I. I had what it takes to be very successful, which I did. Um,

w- dad, a business guy, or what was? did that?

um, dad, dad was an electrician, dad was an E electrician, dad was a family man. And um, I aspired to also be a family man. I aspired to have, you know, a big Italian family. And um, but I also, um, as a young man, I always believed that I could, I could achieve my dreams. So where a lot of people would, uh, not try for their dreams. And, you know, a very famous man said, You miss all the shots you don't take, uh, which I believe was Michael Jordan, who said that, um, so early on in my 20s, I always wanted to to be.

To be honest with you, like Mark Wahlberg, he was on the, uh, cover of an underwear ad, and I always thought that my abs were just as good. And um, I remember, um, um,

how did? so how did you? W- Were you an athlete in high school? or are you I, I, saying lifting

w- I, I wasn't.

training?

I was an athlete, but I was distracted by the opposite of sex, so I didn't, um, maybe hone in on some of those talents, right? Maybe, um, um, at the right time, when I should have,

I know you're lifting, working out, like, what

I was. was like I was genetically gifted and I was, you know, uh, an athlete, probably the fastest on the football team. Um, minneapple I, high school? Okay, yes, and also I just had this beautiful six pack and I really didn't have to do anything about it. So, uh, naturally. so, yeah, naturally, I just had a beautiful six pack. So I, um, I also was a troublemaker too. So, uh, how's, in how? so, in high school and college, I was a drug dealer.

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

girlf- the one I keep shucking on, that's my girlfriend now, and and so um, she was a drug dealer in high school, too. yeah, so Yes, um, you she's a troublemaker. Still. know, yeah yeah,

so I didn't take to authority too well. And uh, so uh, my father, he found, uh, 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, um, or I can take you to the military and Uncle Sam could straighten you out. And so I kind of agreed with my dad. I how old said, Okay,

were you?

I was, uh, like, 24, I was 24, and so, um, I said, all right, dad, uh. He took me to the military office. I, I, I took the ASVABs, I got a 67, which I believe was, uh, I was able to get into the the Navy. Um, I had two weeks before I was gonna leave, and I said to myself, Oh my God, I'm never gonna forgive myself if I didn't, uh, 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, it was like, 24, right? And so I said, Okay, fine, I got two weeks to throw the hell Mary. So I went online on Google and I typed up, you know, top five underwear, uh, and uh, un fitness and underwear modeling agencies in New York City, and they came up. And I took photos in my underwear with a backwards cap, you know, in my Calvin Kleins. And within 24 h, 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 wanna 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 gonna forgive myself if I didn't go for my dreams and I just settled in life. So, um, I, uh, went to the the five modeling agencies and and 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 seese. Um, there was a little bulletin board that had, uh, a little sign on it that said, The the hottest guidos and guidettes in the tri-state area. Please report to Harry'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 you said, Ital, I'm Italian, No, no, I'm a, I'm part Italian too, so I, I get I understand, so es- essentially but did you self relate as Guido? n I Like, or no?

I, I didn't, because essentially in in the Italian culture, Guido is is derogatory, it's derogatory,

It is, but I, I do know

sorry, go ahead.

certain people though, that, like, uh, like, Yeah, I mean, associate positively I it. It eventually with it, got adapted, uh, right?

in a positive way, but in in when it 1st came out in 2008, that was when the pilot happened. Um, it was sort of d derogatory. So when I saw it, I'm like, that is me. But also I hope they don't call it, you know, guidos or guidettes or something can I tell you like that. something? Okay, fun, fun It,

fact, fun fact, ready? My business partner, Adam Gagini, that will be here tonight, right? was gonna be Mike. The situation before there was a Mike, the situation. No, no, for real. VH1, Do you know the show B on VH1 that came out before you guys on MTV?

that was called, uh, the

Jersey Shore Unleashed.

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

we have to have this conversation So so because

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

that is, that is completely crazy. And so, yes,

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

later tonight, we're gonna be together. You gotta talk to Adam about this cause. This pilot that he's in came out, it was on VH1, right? Um, and he was the the number one club promoter in New Jersey at the time, he was running the Sandbar in Jersey City, right? So this would be super fun. And then then they shut that version down, whatever that was, because the the girls that were in it, their parents freaked out and they're like, no way, and then this next season,

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 gonna be a competition show. Um, and some of the contestants that were gonna move on, um, they actually, d. Some of them declined, like they were like, I'm a union worker and I'm I'd rather play it safe, and they s 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.

that is it.

And so then I got moved over to MTV, who took it over, uh, with 495 Productions, and then they started the real casting of it, and then they got everyone else. Pretty much

Oh, congratulations on that. Uh, other quick fun fact of intersection, uh, when J Wow and Roger were having some of their stuff, um, my firm represented Roger, so do you know? Roger? Obviously,

yes, I do. I do know Roger. Yes,

so Roger spent Christmas one year in my beach house with with with their child. So just at a quick fun fact. And then, and yeah, I didn't know then J Wow that. Yes, was like hitting me online and like women's group, saying, Ra, it was crazy. So I, I had my own little fun interaction

I wouldn't. I'd be honest with you,

with Roger.

I wouldn't wanna be on the opposite end of a J Wow uh altercation. Yeah, I promise, I have, I have been no joke, it, before, I

it, it didn't.

have been before.

Yeah, it didn't end as well as J Wow would've thought. So like, yes, like, yeah, for fun, but like, love J Wow, love Roger, love everybody, right? So, um, so this all goes down, it becomes this massive hit. And I biggest, here's, here,

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,

you were, you know, what

whole deal.

type of, uh, what type of guy were you growing up?

Um, I.

Are you a little surfer?

I was a football player, baseball player, I was Division I college baseball player, four year starter, captain of the baseball team,

nice. Jock.

right? So, uh, big time, like I was Division I recruit in baseball and football, right? alpha, Uh, super alpha, right? But but listen, ready? This is so I wanna, I wanna lean in on this, right? Cause th this is like the core of what I wanna talk about, ready? I have never, and listen, call me a baseball captain. No, no joke, like four year starter, I literally run a pro rookie the year, the whole deal, like football player, like winning touchdown pass He's got type stuff.

You a pedigree, know what I mean,

he's got a good resume.

I do, I do, right. Not the six 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 they were just elite.

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

always. Um, so no drinking,

uh, I. In college, I no drinking drank one month a year,

any substances.

never. I've never smoked pot, Ooh, I've never done coke, I've never done a single thing. My cause, my dad was an addiction his whole life, so I like my rebellion. No, seriously, listen,

but that's how I am with my kids.

thank you, and here's my rebellion, like, but I, but I wanna lean in, like, on a really f- two fun topics a around what fun is in the Jersey shore and all of it, right? So

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

yeah, so ready, so I'm I re. My dad, God bless, uh, was crazy about women for his whole life. My parents got divorced when I was one. My mother, who was in this building at DJ's in Belmar, when I was one year old, punched my father in the face in DJ's. My mother is nonviolent. J Wow'd him only time in her entire life she does a Bible study in prison. My mom's here at 79 years old and and dragged my father out of DJ's by his hair, So they were the right?

Jersey shore before the Jersey shore,

They were the Jersey Shore before it was J like, and then the whole thing, right? So my rebellion against my dad was to not drink and to not womanize, like those are like I, my rebellions, I, I love that, right, right,

I love that. right, and so, and That's an honorable I, man.

yeah, and so I have no judgment at all, right? Cause I had a lot of friends and my college baseball friends were lunatics, right? So, but here's what I'm I'm curious about, right? The way that you have fun now, cause I here's like, what I do to have fun. I know the I. I was surfing question. yesterday and I'll be I and I'm blind by myself, right? 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 wanna tell people to help them right in this moment because of the journey you've been on? Like that, listen, you're a stud, right? And quite humbly, I was not not a stud. Also not an underwear model, but the things I had, and because of that blessing, my father's like mess. Um, I was able to choose differently. Four years at Columbia Business hm. I love as a captain, that.

I'd never kissed a girl there, so let alone my high school girlfriend, right? 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, you know, I've had my 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 alpha ness, right, that that you have, and to find a better way to channel it, you have today. Like, what would you wanna tell people about that? I mean, uh, Is that a fair question?

it, it is a great question. Um, as a young man, I used to, I tell people all the time I I fed the bad wolf. I believe that we have a good wolf and a bad wolf inside of us. Uh, 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. Uh, how I was able to recover and have such a beautiful comeback.

Uh, I was never gonna change who I was. You know, I have an obsessive personality, I'm all in or or or nothing. Um, I was able to redirect that energy that almost killed me. Now is is now my my blessing. Um, and I would recommend to anyone watching this that, um, you know, to change your life, you can do it with the smallest of of actions. But how I did it was, um, I became obsessed with, um, self improvement, I came I, I became obsessed with, um, improving myself, whether it was mentally, physically, spiritually, personally, professionally.

And any negativity I would kick aside now early on in my recovery. Um, you know, um, you're not able to address all of them all at once, 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 know, you can. You can go to the gym, you can go on nature walks, you can do pilates, you can try different diets to challenge yourself.

Um, you know, for me, now I'm obsessed with, uh, being a good dad, being a good husband, being a good neighbor, um, being, uh,

yeah, they have a step back.

uh, achievement.

What was your 1st in the personal development space? Whose work were you introduced to, whose work were you liking? Like,

This, I mean, I always loved Tony Robbins, um, 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 I. No, I have not met Tony. I don't think so. No, Yeah, he's a yeah,

and I say this with great humility. This is part of our intro videos. Tony Robbins said of me Nobody leaves with more heart and more integrity than Sean Callagy. If you don't know his 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 wanna, I wanna just apologize to you in this moment.

Because when we're doing this, I was like, Eh, whatever? And Darren's like, you gotta meet Mike, you gotta meet Mike, and I'm like, Mike, maybe you're like the same thing, eh? I like, what am I gonna do? This? Do me a favor, I am. I am truly blown away and impressed, and

thank you.

I mean that sincerely, and 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, I mean this sincerely, I have no doubt. If you decide you wanna be the I like, I don't wanna be the governor of New Jersey. So, uh, I would be like, very interested in, like, figuring out how to maybe make you the governor of New Jersey someday.

Really, I, it's. I love thank this state, you. this will be the state, my home for the rest of my life. Um, and really, like, super impressive. I, I, I, And

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

now? uh, homedale, Nice, beautiful, yeah, homedale, awesome. So, uh, yeah, we played, is that ocean or Monmouth? that's Monmouth. Yeah, Monmouth? Okay, yeah, and yeah, me, I'm down. Lbi, so I, I'm, I'm north, and I have placed in Lbi. Super cool ocean and Bergen. Um, so you're saying, I, I interrupted you, but you d what you do for fun? Now? You're obsessed with being a great husband, yeah, I'm a great father. just, yeah, What do you like to do with your kids?

Like, I mean, what's fun?

what do I do with my kids? I mean, I am s. I'm a dad that is 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, uh, the government, you know, uh, was threatening to take away my freedom.

Yeah, and and just let's And clear this up like we don't. I don't have to. Say, she's stuff, so M and and to. To me, this is heartbreaking. Is that there was a tax thing or whatever? And that happened after he was already in recovery. So imagine, like, you overcome all this stuff and there you are, and then you gotta deal with something that from a person he no longer was right and deal with it. So, uh, and by the way,

was. It was the wreckage like, I'm of my best friend.

sorry that happened, and and it was, and and by and like, and I. I have a law firm, I don't care if you have a law firm, a hundred person law firm. This thing I'm not, you know, diminishing tax time. It, it was a, it was a f- a dumb f- like. This wasn't like a major crazy thing that happened, and so just let's leave it there. So how? But I was the 1st how?

person to stay in New Jersey to get, uh, jail time in in Zone there's n. There's Eleven.

no way. I, I will, 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, you know, grandstanding, and I and I'm, I'm not saying it to be nice to you, right? I'm saying it because it's true. You know, if it was something different, you know, I wouldn't even be on the CA. Like, this is just foolishness and it's. 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 at the end of the day, iron sharp,

Is that fair?

yes, iron sharpens iron. It, it, actually. Um, it made me a better man, you know? A. And when I was in sobriety and I had to go to prison, I never turned back. Uh, overcoming, um, uh, addiction was probably one of the hardest things that I've ever done. So when I went to prison, it kinda was like, Listen, I, uh, I conquered my own demons. I, I'm gonna be fine, you know? And I stayed the course and And in I became a better man.

prison, were you doing a lot of personal development work? Or, yeah,

in prison, I worked out two to three times a day. Um, 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. Um, and it, and, uh, te. Technically, right now, we are working on the movie of my life right now. So dude, that's awesome pretty cool. Yeah,

congratulations. So we're. We're close to time of a beautiful night with Darren aiming high tonight. Um, I ask this of everyone, right? 100 years from now, it's your final day on Earth. A Actually, I don't wanna do that. Well, if I may ask one more question, 1st, Um, 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 and I mean, child?

I'm, I'm, I'm. I'm obsessed with, um, achievement, I'm obsessed with, um, being a good dad, being in the moment, um, being good to my wife. Every day. At 11:00, I text my wife, I love you, and 11:11 in a heart to let her know that I, I love her. Um, I wanna be a good neighbor when I I it, it. It comes down to the smallest exchanges, meaning when I walk by a stranger, I make sure I smile.

Okay, I open the door for everyone because I want that energy exchange to be a essentially a a pleasant one. Cause when you're walking by people all the time, most people, if you actually look at people's eyes, like they're going through it, like they're upset, they're depressed, they're looking down. And when they see somebody, um, who's always happy and who's always positive, um, it really brightens their day. And and I, uh, 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.

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

God, Um, you know, I, I kinda love, you know, my story right now and how I have this beautiful comeback story. But if anything, um, just an inspiration, uh, for, for, for change, or or, or a industry disruptor, I think, I, I think, I I think industry disruptor sounds great, but I like, um, 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, uh, non integris or integris. 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, Uh, I was wrong. Uh, this has been a real 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 inspiration. You prove our point every day, the magic of yes, causing that dude. Master it, master as well. That's thank you, sir, my all right, thank you,

thank you.

all right.