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Fisticuffs With Goofy Was the Turning Point with Jonathan Durden
Manage episode 509439530 series 3579103
What happens when the wild culture of the 80s advertising world collides with addiction, loss, and eventually recovery?
In this episode, I sit down with Jonathan Durden, co-founder of PHD (the “D”), the global media group that grew into a $12 billion business with over 8,000 people in 100 countries.
With more than 40 years in the industry, Jonathan’s path has been anything but ordinary. From shaping advertising, to chairing music groups, to co-launching Below the Belt Grooming, to writing books and even appearing on Big Brother, his career has been bold, creative, and unpredictable.
His honesty about creativity, pressure, denial, and grief gives a rare glimpse into how addiction can look behind closed doors, even at the top. Jonathan’s story isn’t just about struggle, it’s about growth.
We talk about rehab, relapse, and the absurd but life-changing moment that became his rock bottom. He opens up about finding peace in service, why he now sponsors others, and how living one day at a time turned life from chaos to clarity.
This conversation is raw, funny in surprising places, and ultimately hopeful, showing that recovery can rebuild more than sobriety.
Here are the highlights
The culture of advertising’s “gym” bar (02:35)
Cocaine as a cure for shyness (05:51)
Balancing booze, drugs, and creativity (09:18)
The breaking point after his wife’s death (09:42)
Why he thought Big Brother mattered more than marriage (13:29)
The absurd fight with Goofy that changed everything (16:45)
Finding belonging in recovery meetings (17:40)
Learning to live one day at a time (22:47)
Why service keeps him grounded (24:40)
Connect with Johnathan:
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-durden-63867714
Connect with Tabbin:
This Podcast is proudly produced by Wavemakers Audio
75 episodes
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