Vinsent Franke: Person of the Week

July 28, 2026 – Vinsent Franke is a dedicated healthcare professional and an industry leader in behavioral healthcare, rooted in the belief that everyone has the potential to rediscover their purpose. Raised in California and inspired by the lessons learned through his own experiences, Vinsent has transformed his life from overcoming personal addiction to helping others navigate their own journeys of healing and self-rediscovery. He asserts, “Being prepared for what we were made for,” as both a personal mantra and a guiding principle in his work, emphasizing the significance of purpose in recovery.

With over two decades of experience, Vinsent has developed a comprehensive skill set in various roles, including C-Suite executive, consultant, interventionist, pastor, counselor, and therapist, complemented by degrees in theology, liberal studies, and clinical psychology with a specialization in addiction recovery.

In addition to his clinical expertise, Vinsent is renowned for his strategic management skills, having successfully consulted for approximately 31 healthcare startups. A firm believer in active listening and empathy, he attributes his success to consistent time management and a patient, helpful demeanor. Outside of work, Vinsent treasures time spent outdoors, especially in serene places like Glacier National Park, where he enjoys the company of those willing to get dirty or lost. A devoted husband, proud father, and dog lover, Vinsent is passionate about creating meaningful change in both personal and professional spheres, ensuring that those he serves are not only heard but empowered towards transformation.

https://www.facebook.com/vinsent.franke

Q. If you are in recovery, what was your drug(s) of choice and when is your sobriety date?           

A. 5.5.2004.
I had my first drink when I was nine and my first drug when I was 11 and discovered that my drink bone connected to my drug bone. I was struck Clean and Sober and I participate in both AA and NA weekly.

Q. Is there anything special in your sobriety toolkit that helps keep you sober?                 

A. I generally love people and believe each of us was created with godly attributes. Therefore, my relationship with God is strengthened when I seize every opportunity to help those who are hopeless and helpless.

Q. Do you think addiction is an illness, disease, a choice, or a wicked twist of fate?         

A. I believe addiction is a chronic disease triggered by the brain’s reward and survival system. Trauma amplifies this dysfunction, making substances a learned response to emotional pain, it also affects higher brain regions responsible for judgment, decision-making, and self-control, including the prefrontal cortex.

Q. Where are you from and where do you reside now?            

A. I am from Los Angeles and reside in Santa Susana Pass, CA.

Q. What is one word you would use to describe yourself?       

A. Authentic.

Q. Describe how you came to your “rock bottom” point.         

A. I came to my rock-bottom point shortly after my older brother-in-law passed from an overdose. Shortly thereafter, my mom passed away from an aneurysm. I had found everything about my life lacking purpose, meaning, or value, and I had a spiritual experience that rocked me out of the bondage of addiction.

Q. If you ever retire, would you prefer to live by the ocean, lake, river, mountaintop, desert, or penthouse?           

A. When I retire, I prefer to live in a penthouse on a mountain top with a desert behind me, the ocean in front of me, and a lake with many rivers to the north and south of me.

Q. How do you measure success?  

A. I measure success on an individual, strength-based scale, as every person has their own separate vulnerabilities to overcome.

Q. What is your biggest pet peeve?                 

A. My biggest pet peeve is when an adult prefers whining as a form of communication.

Q. If you had an extra million dollars, which charity would you donate it to?     

A. If I had an extra million dollars, I would donate it to the Salvation Army.

Q. Who has been the biggest influence throughout your life?

A. My mother, who was a forever student and gifted artist, worked around the clock to provide for her children, while maintaining an active role and higher education, even though my addiction led me to disrespect her and her home repeatedly.

Q. If you could give advice to your younger self what would it be?

A. You’re not invincible, so please slow down and proceed with caution and take the advice of others who have survived what you have gone through.

Q. Who made you feel seen growing up?     

A. My uncle Dave often let me stay at his house and hang with my cousins for great lengths of time and he made me feel seen growing up.

Q. What major event or realization shaped who you are?       

A. I had a spiritual experience that interrupted my outlandish lifestyle and showed me how far from hitting the mark I was.

Q. What sound or sounds do you most remember from your childhood?             

A. My dad’s Harley has it would come and go as he would leave and return from the military.

Q. What do you love most about living sober?            

A. I love being of service as a result of being sober more than anything else.

Q. Which part of your treatment and recovery do you feel was the most interesting or unexpected?         

A. The most unexpected add interesting piece of my recovery journey was returning to school where I became a pastor, and then I became a certified counselor. I earned a masters degree in healthcare administration and business, and then I earned a second masters in clinical psychology and became a therapist—all after spending most of my life thinking I was not good at school.

Q. What’s your concept of a Higher Power?

A. My concept of a higher power is based in the God above all gods, and the love greater than all loves and the light brighter than any darkness.

Q. What is your Astrological sign?  

A. Sagittarius.

Q. Who is your favorite celebrity in recovery?             

A. Lamar Odom, his recovery of the last eight months reminds me that the power of healing is real.

Q. What book(s) have you read more than once?      

A. Drop The Rock.

Q. What books are you reading now?            

A. The Bondage Breaker.

Q. If you were giving a dinner party for your 3 favorite authors, living or dead, who would they be? (You can choose a 4th if you think one might be too drunk or stoned to attend.) 

A. E. A. Poe (To Helen).
John (Book of Revelation).
Noam Chomsky (Manufacturing Consent).

Q. Which film have you watched the most?

A. Reservoir Dogs.

Q. Who is your favorite film director?            

A. Quentin Tarantino.

Q. Are you binge watching any TV series?    

A. All things Taylor Sheridan (Dutton Ranch/Lioness).

Q. What is your favorite App?          

A. One Day At A Time.

Q. Who are your heroes in real life?               

A. Duanne Duke, Andre Bryant, Fred Morales.

Q. What are some of the most memorable songs in your life?                 

A. I Love Living in the City by Fear.

Q. What is your favorite city?           

A. Nashville.

Q. What is your favorite cuisine?    

A. Tex-Mex.

Q. What is the best concert/performance/play you’ve ever attended?                 

A. Pageant of the Masters.

Q. What are five things you always carry with you (not including cell phone, keys, wallet, or lipstick)?      

A. Keys, wallet, cell phone, insulin, pen.

Q. What is the best and or worse piece of advice someone has given you?         

A. Best advice I was ever given was that I have been prepared for what I was made for!

Q. What is the best piece of advice you’ve given someone else?            

A. As a person in recovery, we are responsible whenever the hand of the helpless or hopeless
reach out.

Q. What is your most treasured possession?                

A. My home.

Q. What do you value most in a friendship?

A. Integrity.

Q. What do you consider your greatest achievement?               

A. My greatest achievement is honoring my wife, and our relationship is the most sacred and valued connection I have with any other person on the planet.

Q. What is your biggest fear?           

A. My biggest fear is loss of limb.

Q. Where do you go when you’re seeking solitude?  

A. I go for rides on a Harley and sit at the beach.

Q. If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be?   

A. If I could wake up tomorrow, having gained the ability to successfully trade stocks I would be excited.

Q. What would constitute a “perfect” day for you?   

A. A perfect day for me is spent with family, and pets at home caring for our land eating very well and snuggling on couch after so we can argue what movie to watch!

Q. What is your biggest regret?       

A. My biggest regret is separating myself from my oldest son as a result of addiction, even though we did rekindle before he lost his life to overdose at 21 years of age.

Q. What is the greatest risk you’ve ever taken?          

A. The greatest risk I’ve ever taken was accepting a job of high value with little to no education yet my willingness to learn insured, I would stay engaged and learn the processes.

Q. What is something you’ve learned about yourself in the last six months?      

A. I’m the oldest I’ve ever been and the youngest I’ll ever be; health matters now more than ever (reality check).

Q. What is something you are currently curious about?            

A. Creating a sustainable peer-driven healthcare model.

Q. What do you love most about yourself? 

A. I share in everything.

Q. What is your greatest extravagance?       

A. A week in Xcaret, Mexico (two or three times a year)!

Q. When did you realize you were a grown-up?          

A. When I was seventeen in a police car.

Q. How important are your pets to you?      

A. My pets give me more love, keep me warm at night, and provide our family more joy and are two of the most important creatures on the planet!

Q. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?    

A. The f word (it is a perfect adjective that defines what I’m trying to say when I block the ability to identify my emotion in the moment) and bro (usually because my 11 year-old son likes to call everybody, bro).