Frank Scarso & Anthony DeBenedictis: How do you rebuild life after rock bottom?

Frank Scarso, the CEO and founder of Avanza Capital Holdings, is a former Wall Street broker and a longtime financial professional. We spoke about addiction, pressure, and rebuilding a life after years in a high-stress culture. Frank spent over 20 years on Wall Street, ranking top-five at his firm, before spiraling into severe alcoholism, jail, shelters, and losing contact with his children. Anthony lived inside the same culture but as a “functioning” professional, where “we always found a reason… to go out and party,” until sobriety gave him clarity, purpose, and healthier relationships 


The turning point for Frank came after hitting rock bottom in 2016, when he decided persistence mattered more than pride. He explains that “it’s never too late” and that rebuilding required doing “the complete opposite” of his old behavior—accepting separation, showing consistency, and letting trust return over time. Anthony describes how sobriety changed his work and mindset, saying that waking up clear meant “I’m not selling, I’m helping,” and allowed him to surround himself with people who shared the same values 


Together, they outline a grounded, practical approach to rebuilding: start from zero, learn the business end-to-end, hire slowly, and invest in people. Frank stresses heavy lifting first—“if you don’t do the heavy lifting, no one’s going to do it for you”—and building an ethical workplace with an open-door policy. The deeper “why” is family and self-respect: Frank wanted to “go home to life,” while Anthony focused on being present, grateful, and providing long-term security for his family 


This episode offers listeners a realistic picture of recovery, reinvention, and leadership built on sobriety, persistence, and earned trust.


Key takeaways

• High-pressure cultures normalize destructive habits if unchecked
• Rock bottom can force clarity and decisive change
• Rebuilding trust requires consistent opposite behavior over time
• Start businesses from zero and hire one person at a time
• Heavy lifting first creates long-term stability
• Clear mind shifts work from selling to helping