NASHVILLE, TN – In a powerful testament to faith and perseverance, Nashville personal trainer, Presley Campbell shares how his journey from drug addiction to recovery was guided by divine intervention and a newfound purpose through fitness.
Presley’s journey with fitness began in his youth when his mother introduced him to the gym as a way to channel his emotions. “I started playing sports and learning how to push myself, and I got into the gym and just fell in love with it right away,” Presley recalls. “The whole mentality of you versus you and pushing yourself past your limits” became his passion.
What started as a simple outlet soon became a life philosophy. “The characteristics you learn in the gym, like discipline in your work ethic, setting goals and failing at those goals and still pushing yourself, I feel like a lot of things you learn in the gym carry over into your everyday life and just make you a better person,” he explains.
Despite his early passion for fitness, Presley’s life took a dramatic turn after a dirt bike accident in his youth. He was prescribed pain medication during a time he describes as “when the opioid epidemic kind of just started.” Doctors were liberally prescribing opioids, and Presley found himself over-prescribed and eventually dependent.
By 18, Presley had secured a well-paying job. “I had a really good job, I had a nice truck, dirt bikes, all this nice stuff. So in my head, I didn’t think I had a problem,” he shares. When doctors eventually stopped his prescriptions, he was already physically dependent and began seeking pills on the street.
His addiction escalated over the years, and at 21, Presley unknowingly took fentanyl, resulting in an overdose that nearly claimed his life. “I ended up overdosing and throwing up in my sleep and I aspirated,” he recounts. “I suffocated myself.”
After his overdose, Presley was found unresponsive by his ex-girlfriend who called 911. By the time emergency services arrived, he was clinically dead. Though they managed to revive him, he had gone without oxygen for so long that his brain had swelled significantly.
“When I got to ICU, they hooked me up to a ventilator but it popped my lungs, and therefore my lungs had collapsed,” Presley explains. He remained in a coma for over a month, with doctors telling his parents to prepare for the worst.
During this time, Presley experienced what he believes was a spiritual encounter: “I had this dream that I was in this plane crash and the plane crashed and this beam of light came down, and it’s like my soul was being sucked up to the light. I could see myself dead.”
Against all odds, his vitals began to improve. When he eventually woke up, doctors were astonished to find his brain had returned to normal size, something they couldn’t explain medically.
However, the damage from oxygen deprivation meant he had to learn to walk and talk again and immediately started rehabilitation back to a normal life.
Despite this near-death experience, Presley’s battle with addiction continued. He obtained his personal trainer certification and began working at Gold’s Gym, but success led to overconfidence and another relapse.
“I landed a big client, I ended up getting the car, having all this nice stuff, thinking I basically got everything I had dreamed of and I let it get to my head and I ended up relapsing,” he admits.
This relapse sent him spiraling further than ever before. “If you would’ve told me five years ago, I was going to end up addicted to fentanyl, living on the street, I would’ve laughed in your face,” Presley says. After losing his car and apartment, he spent about a year and a half homeless and addicted to fentanyl and methamphetamines.
Presley’s path to recovery is marked by what he describes as divine interventions. One night while homeless, he encountered a man carrying a Bible who told him, “If you see me a third time, you better hit your knees and pray and ask God to save you.”
Nine months later, after their third chance meeting, Presley was arrested the following day. While in custody, he attempted to escape by faking an overdose and jumping from an ambulance, resulting in him being pepper-sprayed, tased, and ultimately placed in solitary confinement for 90 days.
In solitary, a fellow inmate gave him the book The Case for Christ and a prayer called the Sinner’s Prayer. “I kid you not that night I just broke down in there and fell to my knees and I was just bawling like a freaking baby,” Presley recalls. “I asked God to please take my addiction away. And I swear to God, ever since that night, I haven’t even had the thought of wanting to use.”
Now nearly four years sober, Presley has rebuilt his life around fitness and faith. He operates out of Body Sculpting Fitness Studio in Green Hills, and focuses on helping others transform their lives through physical training.
“I believe God put me through all that to share my story, and I have a son to live for,” he states firmly. “Fitness is such a big part of my life because if I don’t keep my relationship with God and I don’t stay in the gym, I might relapse.”
His approach to personal training is deeply influenced by his life experiences. “My ideal client is kind of more the younger dudes getting into sports or just wanting to sculpt up and build that dream physique,” he explains, though he trains clients of various ages and backgrounds.
For Presley, fatherhood means showing up even when distance makes it difficult. While his son lives in New Mexico with the child’s mother, Campbell remains deeply involved in his life, bridging the miles between them with consistent communication, summer visits, and long-term plans for a future together.
Much of Presley’s shift comes from wanting to “make something of himself,” not only for his own future, but for his son’s as well.
Whether it’s grabbing food at their favorite spots, going to the gym together, or hitting the basketball court, Presley sees these moments as more than entertainment.
“It’s not about doing anything extravagant,” he said. “It’s about just being together and showing him what my life is like here.”
When Presley Campbell talks about his son, there’s a spark in his voice that cuts through even the most casual conversation. Living in Nashville while his son resides in New Mexico isn’t easy, but Presley has built a relationship grounded in intentional time, shared experiences, and a commitment to staying connected no matter the miles between them.
“I just want him to know I’m here, always,” Presley said. “Even when we’re not in the same place.”
Recently, Presley experienced another meaningful coincidence when he attended Crosspoint Church in Nashville and recognized the pastor, Kevin Queen, as someone whose sermons he had watched while incarcerated. The sermon that day was about sharing your story, a message Presley took to heart.
“I’ve really been trying to find my purpose and find out why, because I’ve probably lost 20 plus friends to drug addiction. I really struggle with why am I the one that survived it all?” he reflects.
For Presley, the answer lies in using his experiences to help others. “God is my number one, but fitness is the number two thing because it teaches you structure,” he explains.
Presley’s journey from addiction to recovery, from homelessness to helping others, stands as a powerful testament to resilience and redemption. His story challenges the stigma surrounding addiction and mental health, especially among men.
“It’s kind of like a frowned upon for men to talk about their feelings or their mental health,” he notes. “It’s like we have a lot of these silent battles, and I feel like we need more people to be open and talk about the struggles that we have.”
Through his work as a personal trainer and by sharing his story, Presley hopes to inspire others facing similar struggles. “If this dude was addicted to fentanyl and methamphetamines living on the street three years ago, and look at him now, if he can do this, what can I do?” he asks.
It’s a question that embodies the transformative power of faith, fitness, and finding purpose in one’s darkest moments, a message Presley carries with him every day as he helps others build not just stronger bodies, but stronger lives.
Follow Presley on Instagram and get started with your very own transformation story now.
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