Ezra Vancil got signed to a music label as a teenager and spent the years that followed living the life of a rock star. By 21 his label had dropped him with no plan B, and the next two decades were a collapse into addiction and isolation that nearly cost him his life more than once. The night he hit bottom at 40, he woke up on the kitchen floor to the realization that his life had to change. This conversation is the story of what happened next: how Ezra stopped running long enough to do the work of acceptance, and how that recovery became his next great act. During this episode, he picks up his mandolin and plays a brand-new song live, written with this conversation in mind.
Links, resources, books mentioned:
Follow Ezra Vancil - https://ezravancil.com (shop, book, vinyl, music), Instagram @ezravancil, search “Ezra Vancil” for his music on all streaming platforms
Topics we are covering in this episode:
Growing up in a traveling gospel band
Getting signed to a record label as a teenager
Twenty years of addiction and the slow collapse
The kitchen-floor moment at 40 that changed everything
Why Ezra calls acceptance a strength
Walking away from a new record deal to choose family
Making music with his daughter and building a business with his son