Character
By Ben Grynol
CharacterJun 19, 2020
#39 – Death of Me
In the final episode of Season 3, Skyler talks about overcoming drugs and a recent relapse that lasted until the end of 2019.
Skyler is working on his health daily, and is trying to stay clean by surrounding himself with a support network to do so.
#38 – The Relapse
Life changed drastically for Skyler after his story was featured on Startup – a podcast by Gimlet Media – in an episode called Just Hit Record, which had a wide reach around the world.
What he had hoped for in sharing his story, didn’t turn out the way he thought it would.
In Season 3 of Character, Skyler Gronholz tells the story of how he went from being a creative kid with a loving and supportive family, to a detour in life that he is still trying to make sense of.
#37 – Life On The Outside
After Skyler got out of prison, he started to see the world in a new light. Everything was vibrant and colourful.
But, his optimism didn’t last for long and he ended up relapsing.
In Season 3 of Character, Skyler Gronholz tells the story of how he went from being a creative kid with a loving and supportive family, to a detour in life that he is still trying to make sense of.
#36 – Vouching For A Friend
When Skyler first landed in Cedar Creek, he went straight to The Hole. But, it wasn’t the only time he’d head there while incarcerated. After the second time he got out, rumours started to spread around prison that he was a snitch.
This didn’t sit well with Skyler, or some of the people who were looking out for him. After reflecting on the things that people did to give him guidance while in prison, he realizes how important those relationships were, and still are, to him.
In Season 3 of Character, Skyler Gronholz tells the story of how he went from being a creative kid with a loving and supportive family, to a detour in life that he is still trying to make sense of.
#35 – Pulling Strings To Get Some Strings
When Skyler was serving time at Cedar Creek Corrections Center, he longed for playing music again. All he wanted was an acoustic guitar to feel free. But, getting one wasn’t that easy.
With the help of an inside source and his dad, he was able to reunite with a 6-string.
In Season 3 of Character, Skyler Gronholz tells the story of how he went from being a creative kid with a loving and supportive family, to a detour in life that he is still trying to make sense of.
#34 – They Still Didn’t Know It Was Me
Skyler reflects on the decisions he made, which eventually landed him in prison. What started out as small steps of self-medicating with prescription pills, turned into a slippery slope of burglary and hard drugs.
In Season 3 of Character, Skyler Gronholz tells the story of how he went from being a creative kid with a loving and supportive family, to a detour in life that he is still trying to make sense of.
#33 – Making Sense of the Story
Skyler Gronholz grew up in Kent, Washington. As a kid, he loved being creative and immersing himself in the world of art.
As he got older, he felt himself drifting away from his true identify. He began doing things to please others, and eventually got lost on his own path in life.
In Season 3 of Character, Skyler Gronholz will tell the story of how he went from being a creative kid with a loving and supportive family, to a detour in life that he is still trying to make sense of.
#32 - Anything But The "H" Word
#31 - Six Years of Pokemon
#30 - Gimme Shelter
#29 - Twenty-Three F's
#28 - What's Love Got To Do With It
#27 - I Saw The Sign
Even though he felt like an outcast, he figured out ways to fit in and make new friends in - what he once considered to be - a podunk town, and later felt was right where he belonged.
Check out Rex's podcast The Maven Show!
----------------------------------
Character is brought to you by:
Onnit - Supplements for total human optimization
EPH Apparel - Enter promo code: character to get 20% off your next order
#26 - Sewing The Safety Net
However, his new path in life led him to the world of audio, where he quickly became recognized for his talents in radio.
Follow the story on Instagram! @characterpodcast
Subscribe to The Word of Wheeler on Apple Podcasts!
----------------------------------
Character is brought to you by:
EPH Apparel - Enter promo code: character to get 20% off your next order
Emtek - Door hardware that makes a statement
#25 - Making It On YouTube
#24 - The Pinball Wizard
#23 - The Maven of Manhattan
#22 - Landing Somewhere Else
#21 - Black Sheep in Navy Clothes
#20 - The Path to Somewhere
#19 - Two Different Worlds
#18 – The Puke Shoe
#17 – The Delinquent Days
Somehow, his delinquent behaviour ended up getting him promoted.
Follow the story on Instagram! @characterpodcast
Character is brought to you by EPH Apparel. Enter promo code: character to get 20% off your next order.
Production assistance by Samurai Guitarist.
Theme music by Me and Molly.
Be sure to check out Daughter Podcast and show them some love!
#16 – Close to Home
In the game of life, you never know what your next hand will be.
#15 – Accidents Happen
He was pretty sure of the direction that he was headed in University; however, the career path that he thought he was going to take ended up being quite different from the one that he ended up pursuing.
------------------------
Follow the story on Instagram! @characterpodcast
Character is brought to you by EPH Apparel. Enter promo code: character to get 20% off your next order.
Production assistance by Samurai Guitarist.
Theme music by Me and Molly.
Be sure to check out Beginner Podcast and show them some love!
#14 – Grabbing Pennies
When he finally made his way back to Winnipeg, it wasn't by choice. Chris refers to this period as rock bottom - the time when he felt the most alone in his life.
------------------------
Follow the story on Instagram! @characterpodcast
Character is brought to you by EPH Apparel. Enter promo code: character to get 20% off your next order.
Production assistance by Samurai Guitarist.
Theme music by Me and Molly.
#13 – The Dropkick
After going on tour 12 separate times, and living in the close quarters of their unreliable van, many band members began to think differently about their future together.
------------------------
Follow the story on Instagram! @characterpodcast
Character is brought to you by EPH Apparel. Enter promo code: character to get 20% off your next order.
Production assistance by Samurai Guitarist.
Theme music by Me and Molly.
#12 – From the Outside In
However, despite the warm welcome he received, he never felt like he was truly "part of the group".
As time passed, Chris's friends - one of whom was infamously named "D-Bag," of course - let him into their world. Chris no longer felt like an outsider - but that didn't last long.
------------------------
Follow the story on Instagram! @characterpodcast
Character is brought to you by EPH Apparel. Enter promo code: character to get 20% off your next order.
Production assistance by Samurai Guitarist.
Theme music by Me and Molly.
#11 – The Crack House
However, on multiple occasions, Chris almost picked up and left the small town that he was finding comfort in.
Although Chris had become straight-edge for a number of years, the freedom of living on his own exposed him to drugs and alchohol, once again, for a second time in his life.
------------------------
Follow the story on Instagram! @characterpodcast
Character is brought to you by EPH Apparel. Enter promo code: character to get 20% off your next order.
Production assistance by Samurai Guitarist.
Theme music by Me and Molly.
#10 – The Phone Tap
Each conversation paints a picture, first-hand, for some of the characters that we've heard about from Chris. As well, we learn that most people - including Chris, himself - know very little about his past.
Don't forget to follow the story on Instagram! @characterpodcast
#9 – Dirty Ice Cream
For Chris, however, moving to Gimli became another eye opening experience into the way in which he had naively lived his life up until that point.
As Chris reflects on his Gimli-life, he discusses the responsibility that he had to take on as he went from being unemployed, to having three jobs - all at the same time.
Follow the story on Instagram! @characterpodcast
Character is brought to you by EPH Apparel.
Enter promo code: character to get 20% off your next order.
Production assistance by Samurai Guitarist.
Theme music by Me and Molly.
#8 – Your Turn To Ask
Episode 8 is a question and answer format, co-hosted by Steve Onotera (Samurai Guitarist) and Declan McGarry (Me and Molly), where Chris answers some of the questions submitted by listeners.
In this episode, Chris reflects on the way his story has unfolded through the podcast. As well, he tells us more about some of his interests - like music and video games - that make him who he is.
Character is brought to you by EPH Apparel.
Enter promo code: character to get 20% off your next order.
www.ephapparel.com
Production assistance by Samurai Guitarist.
www.youtube.com/user/samuraiguit
Theme music by Me and Molly.
itunes.apple.com/ca/album/old-friend/id1199510671
#7 – Lifting The Rug
After digging deeper into Chris's past, more details are uncovered about his childhood. Chris learns new information about his mom - for first time ever.
Character is brought to you by EPH Apparel.
Enter promo code: character to get 20% off your next order.
www.ephapparel.com
Production assistance by Samurai Guitarist.
www.youtube.com/user/samuraiguit
Theme music by Me and Molly.
itunes.apple.com/ca/album/old-friend/id1199510671
#6 – Brass Knuckles
It wasn’t long after this period that Chris and his Grandfather no longer saw eye to eye on many issues. Eventually, Chris left his Grandpa’s house - for good, and never returned home.
Character is brought to you by EPH Apparel.
Enter promo code: character to get 20% off your next order.
www.ephapparel.com
Production assistance by Samurai Guitarist.
www.youtube.com/user/samuraiguit
Theme music by Me and Molly.
itunes.apple.com/ca/album/old-friend/id1199510671
#5 – Jesus Land
The deeper we go into exploring many of Chris’s stories, the more he becomes quite open about some of his past experiences, which he isn't proud of at all.
Character is brought to you by EPH Apparel.
Enter promo code: character to get 20% off your next order.
www.ephapparel.com
Production assistance by Samurai Guitarist.
www.youtube.com/user/samuraiguit
Theme music by Me and Molly.
itunes.apple.com/ca/album/old-friend/id1199510671
#4 – The Sandlot
In this episode, we learn more about his childhood friends - Miki, Brad, and Alfredo - and how they impacted his first encounter with marijuana.
#3 – Final Fantasy
We learn about "when he got out," as well as his relationship with both Stacey and Matthew. Chris has always loved gaming, but he didn't realize that a love affair with Final Fantasy would change his life forever.
#2 – Life's A Hardflip
Chris knows some of his family members well, or so he thinks. And others - he doesn't know at all.
#1 – Speedballs
An epic tale and true story about the life of Chris Friesen. Although Chris is recounting and telling his life story in real-time to the host, Ben Grynol, neither Chris, Ben, nor the listeners know where his story will end up. Each week, new details unfold in the story and listeners learn of things that happened in Chris's life, which will have unknown outcomes moving forward. Episode 1 discusses drugs, Chris's relationship with his mom, and the self-dependent life he lived throughout his pre-teen years.