Breaking Cycles: From Abandonment to Healing, Faith & Fitness with Luis Guzman

Breaking Cycles – Luis Guzman’s Journey from Abandonment to Healing and Redemption

In this powerful premiere episode of Grace Through Storms, host Jessica Webb welcomes entrepreneur, podcaster, and speaker Luis Guzman for a raw, deeply personal conversation about father wounds, addiction, trauma, and the long road to emotional and spiritual healing.

Luis, host of I’m an Artist, Not a Salesman, opens up about his childhood growing up in Newark, New Jersey, in a single-parent home after being abandoned by his father at a young age. He paints a vivid picture of the day his father walked out—a moment that became the root of years of unprocessed pain, masked by achievement, addiction, and toxic relationships. Raised by a fiercely loving but overwhelmed Puerto Rican mother, Luis internalized the trauma of being left behind, carrying emotional wounds that influenced every area of his adult life.

Throughout the episode, Luis and Jessica dig deep into the legacy of generational trauma. Luis shares how the same abandonment he experienced had also shaped his father—who was rejected by his father in an eerily similar way. It’s a cycle that, for decades, defined the men in his family. But Luis made a courageous decision: to be the one who breaks it.

This episode unpacks the many ways unresolved trauma can show up—through addictions to alcohol, marijuana, toxic romantic patterns, and even food. Luis speaks candidly about reaching 330 pounds, using overeating as emotional comfort, and falling into a spiral of unhealthy habits masked by outward success. Despite working hard and appearing put-together, Luis confesses that inside, he was broken and hurting, operating from ego, fear, and deep insecurity.

But grace found him.

Luis shares how therapy—especially one rainy, life-altering session—opened the door to healing. With honesty and humility, he recalls the moment he realized his need to grieve, forgive, and face the emotional wounds he had carried since childhood. He breaks down the tools that helped him transform his life: therapy, accountability, spiritual growth, and discipline. He talks about losing over 100 pounds through fasting, prayer, early morning workouts, and completely restructuring his approach to health and wellness—physically and spiritually.

Jessica and Luis also examine the role of faith in healing trauma. They talk about God’s pruning process, the power of isolation, and how grace often meets us when we feel the most discarded. Luis reflects on how God used his wife, his therapist, and his own inner resolve to guide him from survival into wholeness.

This isn’t just a story of personal transformation—it’s a blueprint for anyone who’s felt stuck, abandoned, or ashamed of their past. It’s a call to examine what you’ve inherited, challenge what you’ve normalized, and trust that healing is not only possible—it’s promised.

By the end of the conversation, Luis reminds listeners that cycles can be broken, lives can be rewritten, and God can turn even the most painful stories into testimonies of strength and redemption. His journey is a testament to the truth that we are not bound by where we come from—but rather, empowered by where God is taking us.

If you’ve struggled with parental wounds, addiction, or emotional numbness, this episode will meet you right where you are. It’s a deeply moving, grace-filled invitation to begin your own healing journey—one step, one prayer, one honest moment at a time.

Don’t forget to subscribe to Grace Through Storms and share this episode with someone who needs a reminder that healing is real, and grace is always within reach.