I Help Families Stop Rescuing and Start Rebuilding.
20 years clean. 15+ years in ministry. Still learning that sobriety was never the finish line. Freedom is.
The Short Version
I was a meth addict at 15. Clean by 20. Never went back.
That was 2005. Since then, I've walked with hundreds of men through Teen Challenge programs, sat across from parents who were convinced their kid was already gone, and buried friends who got clean but never got free.
Here's what I've learned:
“Sobriety is the starting line. Identity is the game.”
Most recovery programs focus on getting people clean. I focus on what happens after. Because that's where most people fall apart.
What I Actually Do
I'm the Director of Shenandoah Valley Adult & Teen Challenge in Virginia. I preach. I coach. I walk with families who are exhausted from loving someone who keeps choosing destruction.
My wife Ashley keeps me grounded, and calls me out when I'm being an idiot. We've been married since 2008 and have four daughters. Everything I teach about rebuilding life, I'm living at home first.
If you're a parent, spouse, or grandparent trying to figure out what comes next, whether your person is still using, freshly sober, or somewhere in that confusing middle. You're in the right place.
I don't offer quick fixes. I offer the same framework that rebuilt my life: The Robe. The Ring. The Sandals. (Luke 15)
It's the Father's response to the prodigal, not behavior management, but identity restoration.
Why “Robe, Ring, Sandals”?
When the prodigal son came home, the Father didn't hand him a workbook. He gave him three things:
The Robe
Identity
You’re not defined by what you did.
The Ring
Authority
You have power to fight, not permission to beg.
The Sandals
Mission
You’re going somewhere. Maintenance isn’t the goal.
Most programs stop at sobriety. This framework moves people from clean to free, and from surviving to actually living.
How I Got Here
2005
The Interruption
Teenage meth addict. Completely lost. God showed up uninvited. I entered Teen Challenge and surrendered everything, not just the drugs, but the delusion that I could fix myself.
2007
Called to Ministry
Started as Youth Pastor at Calvary Assembly of God. First taste of leading people spiritually, and realizing I wanted to do this for the rest of my life.
2008
Built a Family
Married Ashley. Now we have four daughters. Everything I teach about rebuilding life, I’m living at home first.
2007–2019
Building From Nothing
Helped launch Shenandoah Valley Adult & Teen Challenge alongside my parents, John and Novella Franich, who founded the ministry. Grew it from zero to a full residential program. Trained leaders. Preached in churches. Learned that buildings don’t transform people, but Jesus using broken people to reach broken people does.
2020–2024
Sharpening the Message
Served in church leadership at Brookside Church in Middletown, VA. Stayed close to the families who were drowning. Realized that most people don’t need another meeting. They need someone to tell them the truth about what freedom actually requires.
2025
Rebuilding Again
Returned to SVTC during a major transition. We’re shifting from residential-heavy to digital-first. Because families need help before the crisis becomes irreversible, not just after.
The Resume Nobody Cares About
(But You Might)
- ◆20+ years in recovery, not relapsed, not "struggling," free
- ◆Former Teen Challenge graduate, now Director
- ◆Built residential programs serving 50+ men at a time
- ◆Host of Rebuilding Life After Addiction podcast
- ◆Spoken at churches, conferences, and recovery events across Virginia
- ◆Walked personally with hundreds of families through rock bottom
The Stuff That Doesn't Fit on a Resume
A few quick things that keep me human.
Fuel
Espresso. Don’t talk to me before it.
Side Hobby
I edit video. It’s weirdly therapeutic.
Comfort Watch
The Office. I’ve seen it more times than I’ll admit.
Fair Warning
I don't do polished. I do honest.
If you want someone who's going to affirm your enabling, validate your excuses, or give you a 12-step platitude. I'm not your guy.
But if you want someone who's been in the pit, crawled out, and spent two decades helping others do the same. Let's talk.
“Hope without honesty is just another form of enabling.”
For Parents Who Don't Know What to Say Anymore
Letters to the Prodigal is a short devotional series I wrote for moms, dads, and grandparents watching someone they love self-destruct.
It's not advice. It's not a guilt trip. It's the letters I wish someone had given my parents when I was the one destroying everything.
- ✔Words for when you've run out of words
- ✔Permission to grieve while they're still alive
- ✔Hope that doesn't require their cooperation
Stay in the Fight
I post regularly about recovery, discipleship, family boundaries, and what it actually looks like to rebuild after everything falls apart.
Need help figuring out what to do next?
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