From Addiction to Million Dollar Hat Brand (The Aug11 Story)

Welcome back to another episode of The One Percent Podcast. In this week's episode, we sat down with Johnny Persón, founder of the hat company Aug 11, one of the fastest-growing hat brands in the world. Behind the seven-figure brand, Johnny faced numerous struggles in his life. We sat down and spoke about his early childhood struggles of childhood trauma and using the void he felt early on to escape from his reality due to drugs. We discuss what addiction actually feels like from the inside, to facing jail time and almost losing it all. This is the untold story of how one conversation with his little sister completely changed his life. Johnny's Social Mediahttps://www.instagram.com/jrp.cohttps://www.instagram.com/aug11coInstagramhttps://www.instagram.com/aviwizwerhttps://www.instagram.com/theonepercentpodcast_TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@theonepercentpodcastSpotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/5f7aErUSHmHH81NULrRy9O?si=QcDy2tTlQIuRU_nFQoDNhwhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-one-percent-podcast/id1627816697Timestamps:00:00 - Why This Episode Matters2:00 – A God Moment That Confirmed This Conversation4:26 – Building a Successful Brand While Feeling Empty7:30 – The “God-Shaped Hole” Behind Addiction9:07 – Why Two Kids From the Same Home Turn Out Differently10:52 – Genetics, Environment, and Predisposition to Addiction13:36 – Growing Up Around Prison, Alcohol, and Instability16:20 – The Heavy Responsibility of Becoming a Man17:10 – How Choosing the Wrong Woman Can Derail Your Life20:57 – How Alcoholics Anonymous Taught Him Discipline & Manhood22:46 – What Addiction Actually Feels Like From the Inside23:35 – “This Is What Normal Feels Like” (First Pills)27:52 – When Addiction Stops Being Manageable30:00 – The Lowest Nights and Loss of Control32:47 – The Phone Call From Jail That Changed Everything34:27 – Hearing His 7-Year-Old Sister’s Voice36:08 – Realizing He Became the Man He Swore He’d Never Be40:53 – Fear of Repeating Your Parents’ Mistakes43:24 – Divorce, Betrayal, and Family Chaos46:58 – How Childhood Trauma Shapes Adult Relationships52:30 – Seeing Your Parents as Human for the First Time54:23 – Abandonment Wounds and Relationship Patterns57:42 – Why Love Doesn’t Need Chaos1:03:16 – Rebuilding Self-Worth After Heartbreak1:30:00 – Healing Without Losing Your Edge as a Man1:55:00 – Final Lessons on Purpose, Discipline, and Growth