I Was Addicted to Hate with Chris Buckley

In a riveting tell-all, Chris Buckley is a former veteran and Ku Klux Klan white supremacist with a dark past framed by childhood sexual abuse and an absent father.

His story chronicles a movement from one toxic state to another, professing an obsession to ‘hate.’ Chris’ pain is vivid as he recollects his childhood sexual abuse, a yearning to be loved by his father, the hurt of losing his ‘Jumpmans’ shoes, and how the war in Afghanistan triggered his Islamophobia. Beneath his layers of pain, Chris shares the lights of his life: his grandmother’s unfathomable love, his mother’s resilience and his ever-supportive wife.

When substance abuse and hatred sent Chris spiraling out of control, a life-changing hug from Arno Michaelis, a former white supremacist, helps to bring him back to life. In this interview, Chris shares how Arno connected him to his new purpose with Parents4Peace, a non-profit that saves people from extremism.

Towards the end of the podcast, we appreciate Chris’ ‘full-circle’ journey when he says “ I am addicted to knowing that someone is benefiting from my pain.”