Johnny Chaillot - PTSD Survivor, Former Drug and Alcohol Addict and Ex-Husband of an Olympic Legend

This week Laura and Todd have the pleasure of sitting down with Johnny Chaillot, a Trauma and PTSD survivor, former drug and alcohol addict and ex-husband to an Olympic Gold Medalist. Johnny has such an incredible story of overcoming grief, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, addiction and divorce and his biggest hope is that his story can help others that may have experienced similar hardships. In this episode we learn all about Johnny’s childhood growing up with 9 siblings in rural Louisiana. Raised by his mother and an alcoholic father, Johnny had his first drink and his first drunk at 11 years old. While he remembers a happy childhood, in his early twenties he developed a full-blown addiction to drugs and alcohol. At the age of 29 Johnny managed to get sober, come out of the closet and went on to help other gay and HIV positive addicts stay sober in the height of the aids epidemic. But that was only the beginning of Johnny’s story; in the early 2000’s Johnny lost his Mom to Vascular Dementia and to his family’s horror, his Mother’s body went missing for 8 months in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. While Johnny and his family were reunited with their Mother’s body serendipitously on Mother’s Day, the compounded grief of losing her, as well as his hometown, manifested itself both mentally and physically in the form of anxiety, depression and painful sebaceous cysts. Once Johnny moved to LA he realized that despite his sobriety he still needed help and was ultimately diagnosed with PTSD. We learn that as he begins to heal, he also meets his former husband Olympic Gold Medalist Greg Louganis, someone Johnny has immense respect and gratitude for and the person who has ultimately and truly helped him with his unresolved trauma. The trio also discusses the importance of mental health, the pros and cons of being in a relationship in the spotlight, personal accountability and forgiveness. Just this small synopsis of Johnny’s story does NOT do it justice, so make sure to check out Episode 26 of Next Page with Johnny Chaillot out now!

Johnny's Instagram

Johnny's IMBD

CNN Article About His Losses During Katrina

E! News Article About His Divorce to Greg Louganis

Back On Board - The Documentary

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