Episode 04: From a Drug Problem & Prison Sentence to Country Music Star: Josh Scott on Transformation & Second Chance to do Right

by Peter Meyerhoff

Peter “Chappy” Meyerhoff sits down with country music superstar Josh Scott.

After losing his dad due to medical malpractice, Josh turned to meth, which “made everything in life that was important unimportant, and all the dumb shit that’s unimportant really important.” He proceeded to go “off the deep end” and ended up in prison in 2005 at the age of 27.

Josh went straight back to drugs after he was released and, soon after, he came across a string of opportunities that eventually led him to a breakthrough gig in Las Vegas. At that point, the majority of Josh’s life was a terrible combination of showbiz, and drug and gambling addiction. He lived a double life: performing three days, committing felonies and rubbing shoulders with the mob the other four days.

As fate would have it, Josh found himself in jail for another nine years and ended up missing out on countless milestones in the lives of his family, including his son’s graduation. His lengthy time behind bars was a transformative period in his life and taught him lessons he would never forget.

Today, not only is Josh a successful country music artist, but he also dedicates his time to doing good in the lives of others, from his various philanthropic initiatives to coaching her daughter’s high school basketball team.

“God gave me a second chance,” says Josh. “He gave me an angle to do some good, and that’s all I want to do.”

Topics Discussed: 

  • [02:11] Josh’s upbringing and why he ended up in prison
  • [12:05] Going back to drugs after a year-and-a-half in prison
  • [14:52] Another nine years in prison
  • [22:22] Why gratitude is the key to thriving in life
  • [27:00] The profound meaning behind Josh’s song, This Time
  • [31:24] Finding success after prison
  • [44:48] How prison changed Chappy and Josh’s approach to life and career
  • [58:25] Josh’s thoughts on money

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Key Quotes:

  • I’m not proud of my past, but I’m also not ashamed of it because it molded me into the individual I am today. ~Josh

  • The higher my gratitude level is, the better off I’m going to be and the more success I want to have and the more people I want to be able to help. ~Chappy

  • God’s not going to get you out of it, but He’ll get you through it. ~Josh

  • Anything is possible. There are no limitations to what you can do because you’ve been to prison. The people who have limitations are those who put the limitations on themselves. ~Josh

  • If you’ve never helped anybody or done something not for yourself, go try it one time. I promise you, you won’t regret it and you’ll want to do it more. ~Chappy

  • Throw caution to the wind. Give it everything you’ve got. Don’t have a backup plan. Go all-in on what you love because you don’t know when your time’s up and you don’t want to leave any what-ifs on the table. ~Josh

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