End The Stigma

In this episode of the podcast, host Jen Maneely welcomes Katie Kocher and her mother, Barb Kocher, to share their heartfelt journey through addiction and recovery. Katie opens up about her feelings of isolation and misunderstanding during her youth, despite excelling academically and athletically. Barb reflects on her unawareness of the signs of Katie's struggles and acknowledges the effects of their strict parenting approach. As Katie's addiction worsened, it led to serious consequences, including expulsion from sports teams and a car accident. After 15 tumultuous years, Katie found hope in rehab, discovering the healing power of art therapy. Now five years clean, she and Barb discuss the importance of grace and understanding in their relationship, highlighting the joy of reconnecting and the lessons learned along the way. This insightful conversation sheds light on the complexities of addiction and the strength found in family support.

Another Reddit Story/Question. What was dating in recovery like for you?

Another Reddit Story for you. This one is AITA for refusing to forgive my drug addict BIL. 

I share my perspective on how to cope with a loved one's addiction, emphasizing the importance of setting boundaries.

What happens when mothers and daughters have to “adult” together? In this episode, My mom, Lynn Carnes and myself, along with another mother Christine Dickson and her daughter Lauren Martinson got together and talked about the challenges, the experiences, the memories, and some hard conversations we've experienced and how we navigated them, as well as the healing journey we've taken to mend, repair, grow, and thrive in our relationship with one another.We did something different with this podcast and invited people to listen in LIVE. So we put together a 2 hour event to really be able to dive deep into this conversation. 

Are you willing to dive into some of the things that are coming up for you in order to be the support person that your loved one needs?

Caroline Holke works with Type A, high performing women who drink more than they intend to sometimes. It wouldn't be classified as a drinking problem, but they have a problem with using it as a crutch and want to get their control back. They hire her to get rid of the shitty parts of drinking (and this doesn't necessarily mean all drinking) and this enables them to build a life that they enjoy so much that they don't want to numb out of it. Most people focus on what to DO to cut back on their drinking, Caroline helps her clients tease out what is "driving them to drink" in the first place. Addressing these underlying, root causes helps her clients create sustainable change in their relationship with drinking.

Chelsea is a Narcotics Unit Paralegal Specialist with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, and a member of Silent No More. Addiction has rattled just about every one of her family members, ultimately claiming the lives of her two oldest brothers Steven and Scott. Steven passed away from a heroin overdose in 2009 and Scott passed away from an overdose attributed to a mixture of Fentanyl and a new synthetic opioid called Isotonitrazene. Her stepdad passed away from cirrhosis of the liver caused by his decades long alcohol addiction. Chelsea's birth mother has been an addict for years, falling victim to heroin, crack, and other drugs. Her youngest brother has been on opiates since he was about 13 or 14 and is now 30. She wants to share her story and have these uncomfortable conversations to end the stigma associated with addiction.   Chelsea wants to keep Steven and Scott's stories alive, and she wants to be an example that your circumstances today do not warrant your path tomorrow. She wants her story to spread hope to those personally battling addiction and those affected by watching their loved one's battle addiction. Together, we can fight this.Topics:The power of sharing from the heart and the power of stories.What was the turning point in your life?My mom's overdose in front of me.Was there a significant change in the way you saw your mom in that moment?Growing up in foster care and the military Why did you never go down the drug abuse road?Never felt the need to escape from addiction.Bobby's brother dies from addiction.You have a choice to see the negative or the positive in life.Mental health isn't going to get fixed overnight.

Michel has lived through absolute hell and can smile on the other side of the abyss.Her life's work is to facilitate healing and to guide people back to the knowingness of their own inner strength and to not just survive, but to live their lives fully.Outline:What does it mean to live in absolute hell?At the time that you are experiencing this, what were some of the beliefs that you had about your life and why?The day she met her son's father.Looking at the problem from different angles and different ways.What were some of the layers that came up when she was looking at it from different angles?What is body talk? What does it mean?What is EMDR? How does it work?Six sessions is a good time to feel like you're getting a sense of who you are working with.Website: https://www.bodytalkwithmichel.com/Email: Michel@bodytalkwithmichel.com

Tanya D. is a Certified meditation instructor (C.MI™), Usui/Holy Fire® III Karuna Reiki® Master, Sound Vibrational Reiki Healing Practitioner, Animal Reiki practitioner, Certified spiritual life coach, and Yoga4Sobriety Teacher Ambassador / Student Liason.She uses her experience, strength, hope, intuition, and teacher trainings to help people find peace and serenity in recovery from addiction. In recovery herself, she offers a unique holistic approach to finding freedom in recovery through trauma-sensitive chakra/12-step focused meditation, chakra energy healing, and spiritual life coaching.

Know Hope North Carolina's mission is to remember those we have lost, support those in recovery and give hope to those still struggling.  Create memorial banner and billboards with faces of those lost to addiction in NC.  Refer clients to detox and treatment centers.  Facilitate grief groups.Outline of Podcast Topics·      The power of creating a space to honor your feelings in a safe way. 8:17·      Grief doesn't always have to be a direct result of a loss. 15:24·      Don't go down the road of “enabling”. 21:53·      “They weren't my answers to find.”. 24:11·      What are some of the regrets that you have? 33:40·      Life goes on, we don't move on. 37:07·      Don't quit! Find your something! 43:11·      What would you tell your loved ones that are still going through this? Website: https://www.knowhopenorthcarolina.com/Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4283060278435570

In this episode, Tracy and I get into a great conversation about what do kids need and how that translates later in life. Safety, Security, and Love are three important things and in that, creating a safe place to be heard and how important connection is. Tracy Redfearn is a Licensed Psychoeducational Specialist who is certified by the SC Board of Education as a School Psychologist II, the National Association of School Psychologists as a Nationally Certified School Psychologist, and the International Association of Trauma Professionals as a Child and Adolescent Trauma Professional. Tracy founded Child and Family Resource Center in 2012 because she was concerned with the need in Hartsville for effective intervention services to help provide children and adolescents with successful educational experiences. Tracy has been instrumental in helping many children who struggle to meet their potential in the classroom through her expertise in assessments, learning differences, and knowledge of SC Special Education practices and procedures. Her educational intervention recommendations focus on the unique social, emotional, behavioral and academic needs of each student she sees. For optimal results, she collaborates closely with parents, educators and other professionals to help create supportive learning environments while strengthening connections between home, school and the community. Tracy understands special education laws and is passionate about the rights of students with special needs. She educates parents on their rights and serves as an advocate at 504 and IEP meetings. As a psychologist in the school system for over a decade, Tracy saw firsthand how grief, loss and trauma can interfere with learning. To help hurting families cope, she has been offering grief camps ( All Seasons Grief Camp ). Through therapeutic activities that include art, horseback riding, music, movement and breathing, and classes on grief and emotional support, families are able to push past their pain. Family members memorialize their loved ones in a ceremony at the conclusion.

It can be a really confusing time when your loved one gets out of rehab. It can be confusing for you as well as them. It's emotional, it's a little chaotic and not at all what you would expect it to look like. In this next podcast, I share a little bit about what you can expect. This is generalization, so if you have questions about your own loved one, please reach out to me. jennifermconsulting@gmail.commaneelyconsulting.com

In this episode, Michele Rogers shares with us her journey of losing her son. This was a powerful conversation about what happens next as well as her experience. The biggest take away from this conversation is, this is not a parenting problem. Here is just a little of Michele's story and what she has to say:I grew up in Tidewater Virginia and later attended Saint Leo College in Florida. I had two sons, Clayton (1989) and Bradley (1992). When I divorced in 1996 I moved with my young sons to Waynesville, NC. I worked in hospitality and marketing. I met my husband in 1999 and was remarried in 2003. I became a Real Estate Broker in 2005 and worked in sales until buying a Property Management Company in 2010. My husband and I are both NC Real Estate Brokers and together with our small staff, we manage over 400 long term rental properties for our company Select Homes. When my oldest son, Clay, was in her very early 20s he had a sinus surgery and was over-prescribed pain pills. He became addicted to the pain pills and entered treatment for the first time in 2012. His pain pill addiction turned into a heroin addiction around 2015. From 2012-2018 Clay cycled in nd out of rehab, being substance free, relapsing and back to rehab. In September of 2018 after being substance free for 11 months, Clay relapsed and last his life to fentanyl.After losing my son, I knew I wanted to do something to help other family members navigate the lonely journey of having a loved one with SUD and the even lonelier grief journey after losing someone to Substance Passing. I met Lisa Falbo and we learned that we had this in common and together we started the 501(c)3 - The SHARE Project. SHARE stands for Spreading Hope and Awareness and Removing the Epidemic Stigma. We hold events including quarterly workshops to bring awareness and education of the drug epidemic. We sit on several drug awareness and prevention coalitions throughout our county and region. We facilitate two monthly support groups - SMART RECOVERY FAMILY & FRIENDS for those who have loved ones struggling with SUD and GRASP - Grief Recovery After Substance Passing. We host an annual Drug Awareness Walk and Event as well as an annual International Overdose Awareness Event. This past may we had almost 300 people attend out Annual Walk and Awareness Event.When I'm not working at my property management company  or with The SHARE Project, I enjoy traveling with my husband, Rick and spending time with my two grandsons, Elijah (8) and Wyatt (4).Additional LinksThe Share ProjectA Mother's Pledge

Lisa grew up having a great family life with 3 brothers. She moved from Ohio to NC when she was twelve 12. She has two sons from first marriage and divorced after 9 years of marriage. Lisa raised her boys as a single mom and home schooled them until they entered high school. Their high school years were full of struggles, some normal, some not. Both boys started using drugs in their mid-teens. Sam (oldest son) escalated to IV drug use and meth. He was "in recovery" on MAT (Medically Assisted Treatment) for several years into his 20's where he relapsed. He found himself in and out of trouble. Ultimately, he overdosed and passed at the age of 27. Troy (youngest son) has been in and out of active drug use for over 10 years. Currently incarcerated. Lisa remarried in 2015 and currently works as a certified personal trainer. She is an independent small "business" owner and Co-founder of The SHARE Project, an awareness/support/educational organization with the goal of de-stigmatizing addiction so it is looked at as a treatable disorder.

My next episode includes a guest that made a new year's resolution to get sober and 4 years later, she is still sober. She talks with us about her journey into sobriety and how she did it. It wasn't the typical path, and it has shown to be successful for her. She writes openly about it in her blog titled "Wishes from the Bottom"This was her first time speaking about and I am honored to have had her as a guest on this podcast. Pamela O'Leary is the Founder and CEO of Blossom Badass, an empowerment company. Previously, her background includes roles in management consulting, tech, the nonprofit sector and higher education, including work on Capitol Hill and at the United Nations.

You hear it all the time with people who have loved ones with substance abuse issues. The "Letting go". But what does that really mean. Sometimes we have a misconception on what "Letting Go" really means. It's more about letting go of our ideas of what should be or shouldn't be. This is what this podcast explores. 

Linda Sue Key is my next guest on the Unbreakable Boundaries Podcast. She is a Mother of a son who has been in his addiction for over 25 yrs. She worked for over 20 years as a substance abuse counselor, including working in a men's prison. Recently, she started a new ministry called "The Key to Recovery is a Mother's Love." She loves the Lord with all her heart and God has called her to help moms of addicted adult children overcome the chaos, confusion, and brokenness that substance abuse can bring by finding balance, compassion and hope through prayer, education, and support.Facebook Group: Moms Helping Moms of Adult Children Struggling with AddictionEmail: Linda.Sue.Key@gmail.com

When we go out to get support and our emotional needs met, we have to be careful and make sure we are going to people that can give us what we need. Some people just can't give you what you are asking for. Within that, we have to be clear about what we are asking for and who we are going to. Otherwise, we end up in a worse space going to the wrong people. 

The Exchange Principle is something I use to navigate a lot of my decisions when it comes time to help someone. I want to make sure I am helping, and that means I can't put more energy into something that the other person is willing to. When people ask for favors, help, or anything that involves putting my energy or money into the equation, I run through this thought process first. 

Creating unbreakable boundaries is really about honoring yourself and others. In this episode, Dr. Susan and I get into some really great conversations about creating awareness around the question that Dr. Susan loves to ask, "Why does this make sense?"  Having a loved one with substance abuse is complex, challenging, and it's important that we can honor ourselves and really see ourselves, hear ourselves and be willing to listen to ourselves. About Dr. SusanFor over 35 years Dr. Susan has successfully worked in the field of psychological, emotional and relationship health in a variety of settings and roles. She has helped thousands of individuals and families to improve their relationships in all aspects of their lives and achieve their goals.  Dr. Susan is a therapist, international coach, professor, mentor and thought leader. In addition to regularly being quoted in the media, Dr. Susan is the producer and host of the television talk show Your Voice with Dr. Susan.  To learn more go to drsusanbirnestone.com https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/susan-birne-stone-brooklyn-ny/300230 or contact her at drsusanbirnestone@gmail.com

In this episode, I go through some different things I look for when I sit down at a computer and look into a rehab. This is just to start narrowing down all the different options you have. *How long have they been open*How many people per room*Family Program*Detox management *Holistic Approach*Accreditations*Rehab storyReach out and ask more questions: www.maneelyconsulting.comEmail: Jennifer@maneelyconsulting.com

Working on our mental health is preventative like working on our physical health. Sometimes though, we hear mental health and we think about anxiety, depression, bi-polar, addiction, etc. It is just as important for you to work on your mental health as it is for your physical health. All that chatter in our brains if we don't learn how to quiet the chatter is like if we were waking up and eating chocolate cake for breakfast. Your mental health dealing with someone that has mental illness is so important and we don't do it alone. Reach out and get help!

"Live as if your prayers have already been answered" -Tony Robbins What would happen to your life if you started living as if your prayers had already been answered? Would you be sleeping better? Eating better? Enjoying doing the things you love more? Connecting better to your other friends, family members, etc? That's the idea behind this quote. You can have all those things NOW. Often times we get caught up into the idea that if XYZ would happen THEN I would be ok. IF this person just got better, I would be better. We don't need to wait for the external things to fall into place. When the internal things fall into place, the external things follow. Your prayers have already been answered!www.maneelyconsulting.comEmail: Jennifer@maneelyconsulting.com

In this podcast, I discuss the can of worms. What gets in our way of "going there with ourselves?" What do we need in order to go to the depths of ourselves that we need to go to? We need people in order to help us go there so we don't fall into our own shame spirals. I discuss some about my new project in order to help people feel like they can open that can of worms. This is a great place to start. https://theyanaconnection.square.site/

In this episode, I talk about why I took a step back from recording podcasts for a minute and what you can expect moving forward. I also go into the 4 non-negotiables of recovery. My Website is https://www.maneelyconsulting.com/

Adam Gunton is helping other people in recovery to tell their story. In this episode, we talk a bit about how he is doing that and why. Adam Vibe Gunton delivers a powerful message of hope for any audience. His story of overcoming homelessness and drug addiction to becoming a 7 figure business owner, bestselling author, and coach for other recovered addicts to write and publish their stories – in only two years – motivates every audience that hears him speak to take massive decisive action in their own lives. His compassion for the difficult times in life, coupled with his passionate delivery to overcome these times to become the person you have always wanted to be, is what makes his message so powerful for the audiences he serves. With confidence in his belief that anyone, anywhere, at any time, can change their life in an instant with decision and action, he drives home practical steps for any audience to take immediately to change the course of their life forever.To learn more about Adam, check out his website: https://recoveredonpurpose.com/ His book: From Chains To Saved: One Man's Journey Through The Spiritual Realm of Addiction.https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ZY5XW15/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07ZY5XW15&linkCode=as2&tag=treatalk-20&linkId=53b44d7d58fad14436efc5171d444ce1

When it comes being a family member with a loved one in addiction/substance abuse issues, we have to come at it like we are training for a obstacle course where we don't exactly know what the obstacle course is going to look like, so we need to be prepared for anything. How do we do that? One, we don't do it alone. If I had to actually train for a marathon or obstacle course, I'd have to find people to help me. This is important for self care, so when the event happens that we don't know about yet, we are going to be prepared for whatever situation it is. We may stumble still, but we will be more prepared to handle the situation. 

I met Allison as part of my Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown Book Club. Wholehearted living is so important for people who are dealing with loved ones in addiction. Through the situations we find ourselves in during this time period, it's important to connect with yourself and with others. Allison has a 5 steps to connect process to help people come back to center in the chaos. Contact Allisonwww.5stepstoconnect.comThere are two ways to work with Allison: 1. A membership with classes + LifeSaving Listening sessions2. 1:1 coaching with a free 15 min discovery session.

In this conversation we talk a lot about the family dynamic of what it means to grow up with an alcoholic parent. Family has a big influence over our lives, it can be both positive and negative as in Nicole's case. Having grown up in a home with an alcoholic, she spent many years comparing herself to her family member and deciding she couldn't have a problem because "she wasn't that bad." Only, as it goes with Substance Use Disorder, it progressively gets worse. She found her way into a fellowship and got the help she needed, largely due to the family member she watched for all these years. Now, Nicole is in recovery for 2 years and is very active in the recovery community and working with the McShin foundation and glorious recovery as well. She is passionate about showing people what happens when you put down the drink or drugMcShin Foundation: https://mcshin.org/Glorious Recovery: Website: https://gloriousrecovery.org/Glorious Recovery Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/gloriousrecovery

I sincerely doubt I will ever find another opportunity to get to interview a couple like this again. Nick is a person in recovery, his wife Kaitlin is what we often will refer to as a "Normy", meaning someone who does not has substance use disorder. What makes this so unique is Kaitlin has witnessed the very beginning of the progression Nick made along his addiction journey. Meeting in High School, and riding the ups and downs presents a opportunity to us that will be hard to come by ever again. Listen as I interview this couple about their journey together. We talk about their life today, which is not all about their challenges but more about what they are focused on in their careers, their lives with one another, and their kids together. Below is the link to their passions that give them a life beyond addiction. Nick's Linkshttps://dochelm.com/https://www.brokenhelm.com/@dochelmsauceKaitlin's Links:https://oneoakmarket.com/@oneoakmarketThis is the first episode I ever turned into a video podcast. You can go watch this on youtube at https://youtu.be/WQrMlE-NU_E

Jeff Jones is a licensed therapist, addiction counselor, interventionist and family recovery coach. He has a mission to change the conversation about addiction in the addiction/recovery space with family members and professionals alike. To that end, he’s in the process of writing a book that reframes the family member’s dilemma as looping. Through his years of experience working with families with a loved one at various stages of addiction or recovery, he’s created a 3 phase process for families to learn and practice over and over. The goal is for families to understand how to get out of the looping, and how they can best create an awesome life. Together.Website: https://thefamilyrecoverysolution.com/Email: jeff@thefamilyrecoverysolution.com

Dr. Rhoberta Shaler, PhD, The Relationship Help Doctor, provides urgent and ongoing care for relationships in crisis. She helps people on the journey from recognizing to recovering and rebuilding after toxic relationships. Even the United States Marines have sought her help!Dr. Shaler empowers the partners, exes, adult children, and co-workers of the relentlessly difficult, toxic people she calls Hijackals® to recognize emotional abuse, realize the effects, heal, and transform. She helps them see clearly, stop the crazy-making, and save their sanity.Widely published and author of sixteen books including Escaping the Hijackal Trap and Stop! That’s Crazy-Making, she is the host of the internationally popular podcast: Save Your Sanity: Help for Toxic Relationships. Her YouTube channel, ForRelationshipHelp, has reached over a half million views.WEBSITES AND SOCIAL MEDIA:Website and Blog: ForRelationshipHelp.comPodcast: SaveYourSanityPodcast.comFacebook: @RelationshipHelpDoctorTwitter: @RhobertaShalerLinkedIn: @RhobertaShalerPinterest: @RhobertaShalerInstagram: @DrRhobertaShalerClubhouse: @DrShaler

James Brown, struggled with sobriety his whole life He came from a partying family, he was abused as a child, traveled quite a bit. He had numerous DWIs, lost a home due to a fire, was stabbed by ex wife, which is the story we dive into right away. He spent 19 months in Alaskan prison for DWI and got sober and active in recovery for nearly 12 years. He had a relapse due to pain and surgeries, got 2 more DWIs and finally made his way back to sobriety. When we are in active addiction, crazy things seem to follow us. In this episode we talk a lot about this crazy and you can go read more in his autobiography "The Lines On My Face"You can get his book on Amazon Here "The Lines On My Face"

Recovery is messy, it can be awkward, weird, and totally worth it. It doesn't look the same for everyone and every family will have a different experience. In this episode, Brittany and I discuss, and not in a straight line, a lot of challenges and triumphs recovery has. Passion and finding joy for ourselves as part of our recovery is incredibly important and Brittany has found hers in podcasting and specifically her podcast called NiteCap: A podcast about true crime. I invite you to def check out her podcast. Brittany Brown is a thirty-something single mom, trying her best in Portland, OR. When she isn't watching The Office, wrangling her two children, or rescuing cats, she’s chatting on her weekly podcast Nitecap True Crime. Brittany also continues to help fight the stigma of addiction and mental health by sharing her struggles and triumphs. Enjoy this fantastic episode. Podcast: linktr.ee/nitecaptruecrimeInstagram: @brittanywontshutup

Jared Diehl is from La Verne, California and has been dealing with mental illness his whole life but has spent the last 15 years managing bipolar depression and anxiety. He also has been a suicide survivor. Out of the suffering has come a message. A message of hope for those that feel like they are alone. Jared works with the National Alliance of Mental Illness as a speaker. He helps reduce stigma by sharing his own story and how he copes with mental illness. He also has a podcast on mental health called Louder Now. For fun, he likes movies, hockey, and writing poetry. Additional Links https://linktr.ee/loudernowmhjareddiehl Podcast website: https://www.podpage.com/jared-diehl-the-louder-now-podcast/

In this next episode I am interviewing a gentleman named Sean Owens. He currently has almost 7 years clean and he loves his recovery lifestyle. In this episode, we discuss how he got to where he is at today. Sean had a rough childhood growing up with a father who was addicted to drugs. His mom worked 3 jobs to raise three kids and moved around 21 times before he was 18. I moved around a lot myself and I know the impacts it had on me as a kid but I can’t imagine 21 moves. Sean also had a brother who was verbally and physically abusive to him and sean did the only thing he knew to do, turn to drugs at the young age of 11. By the time he turned 21 he was drinking daily, using cocaine and spent his time in bars. He was whoever you wanted him to be, the chameleon effect we do so well that leaves us empty and disconnected. SO the deeper he went into his drug addiction and he evolved into opiates and was completely addicted by 22. Beaten and desperate at 25 he turned himself into jail and from there, he went to a state funded called the men’s extension for homeless men that suffer with addiction. He stayed there for a year, he did everything they asked of him and he stayed clean. Once he got out of there, he started his own journey of becoming and addiction counselor, worked at several facilities and found a mentor he learned a great deal from. After a while, he began to receive promotions and better job opportunities and even found himself in business development for a big treatment center. Now, he started his own coaching and consulting business called all heart consulting and coaching which you can find at allheartconsultingandcoaching.comIn this episode, you can hear how much Sean loves recovery and loves what he is doing with his life now. Contact Information:Website: https://allheartconsultingandcoaching.com/ Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/AllHeartRecovery/ Instagram- @seanowen8 Phone Number: 770-912-4699

Polly Jessen is a person in long term recovery. She was born and raised in Kingsport, TN and currently works in Johnson City, TN at Frontier Health as a Recovery Navigator for Crisis Services. She struggled through active addiction for 8 years of her life and Is grateful to say that today she has over 8 years of consecutive recovery time. She was one of the first Tennessee Recovery Navigators since the program began in 2018 and her day consists of meeting with and assessing overdose victims in area hospitals and those who are seeking substance use and mental health resources. She enjoys actively finding ways to help decrease the stigma of addiction in her community and helping others to meet their individual goals and define what recovery means for themselves. She is blessed to also have an amazing wife and 2 wonderful children who always keep her motivated and humble. If you are looking for resources for your loved one, check out Frontier Health.

Stacy is a 37 year old person in long term recovery. In this episode we talk about how she was born and raised in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia where she fumbled through life the best way she knew how. Her family was along for the ride. After many years of doing everything they could to try to curb the behaviors and the substance use, they were left with no other option but to let go and live their lives waiting for the day that the phone would ring or someone one would come to the door to let them know that Stacy had lost her battle with the disease. Today Stacy is a person in long term recovery, a wife, and a mother to two incredible, yet challenging, children. She is still perfectly capable of living an unmanageable life, but those moments of unmanageability are much fewer and farther between as we discuss.

Andrew found out his mom was an alcoholic when he was around 12. In this episode we talked about how he has been affected by his mom's addiction, and some of the resources he uses to cope. He has some great coping strategies and resources he shared with us in this episode that will benefit a lot of other families out there that are experiencing having loved ones with substance abuse issues. But he is more than just an adult child of an alcoholic. He is also a mechanical engineer working in the medical device industry. He leads a sober lifestyle, and attends weekly Al-Anon support groups for family members of alcoholics. He is also an avid rock climber and ice hockey player

In her late 20’s, Bekah could not stand to look in the mirror. She couldn’t stand to look her loved ones in the eye and see their disappointment. After nearly ten years of being broken with addiction, she had the sudden revelation that if she continued the way she was going, her life would surely end. She had destroyed her relationships with her family, and shamefully avoided all her friends that mattered most.She went into a wilderness therapeutic program for just shy of 90 days. At around two weeks in, she began to love the things that once brought her joy. These things were hard to discover, because they had been gone for so long. Her sober living aftercare protected all that she learned in treatment. Since 2010, she has been sober and getting back what addiction took away from her. She has worked in the recovery field in many areas, including direct care at multiple primary treatment programs, bedside in a psychiatric unit as a certified nursing assistant, and more recently working with clients and families as an admissions counselor for a young adult program.Her life now is something she would have only dreamed of having years ago. The rewards of her recovery keep coming daily. She now shares her wisdom and supports young women finding their own path of recovery through Ember Lodge.Learn more about Ember Lodge Here

Dr. Meadows is an Honors graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and studied at Duke University. He later held faculty positions at both institutions. He was recognized internationally for his work in cancer research, receiving both grants and awards; he authored numerous scientific articles. He was designated a Clinical Investigator of the National Cancer Institute.His recovery from addiction to drugs and alcohol began May 7, 1997. Since then, he has counseled a large number of addicts and alcoholics striving to get clean and sober. His observations and study over the last 20+ years form the basis for A SPIRITUAL PATHWAY TO RECOVERY FROM ADDICTION, A PHYSICIAN'S JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY.“I woke up on my 49th birthday and realized that I was addicted to drugs and alcohol and that my life was spinning wildly out of control. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop. Some days I wanted passionately to quit and some days I just didn't care. I had reached a point where I could no longer use and live. It was either quit or die, and then something happened. I found recovery.”He and his wife live on a hobby farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. In the barnyard, you will find 2 sheep, 3 alpacas, 1 donkey, and numerous birds including turkeys, ducks, geese, and a bunch of chickens. An organic garden sits nearby. He is an avid photographer and plays bluegrass guitar. Website devoted to Lin's bookhttps://www.spiritualpathwaytorecovery.com/Lin's bloghttps://www.spiritualpathwaytorecovery.com/lins-recovery-blogLin's website devoted to addiction and its treatment https://www.theanswerisrecovery.com/ SOCIALhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/67681585/admin/https://www.linkedin.com/in/linville-m-meadows-m-d-46006715/https://www.facebook.com/linville.meadows.5https://www.facebook.com/LinsRecoveryBlog/?modal=admin_todo_tourhttps://www.instagram.com/linville_meadows/https://twitter.com/meadowslinhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjTOgcSK5C64fHigTGHCthg?reload=9&view_as=subscriber

Kawan Glover is a Survivor because he has lived through a stroke and three brain surgeries. He also dealt with suicidal ideations, one attempt, opioid addiction, depression, and been $1.2 million in medical debt. Despite these hardships, he has started his own company called Overcome Adversity, which leverages his ordeal to help others, as the name says, Overcome their Adversity no matter the shape or form. He is also a writer, public speaker, and a self-published author of a memoir entitled “Favor: How Stroke Struggle and Surgery Helped Me Find My Life’s Purpose”In this episode, we talked about he overcame his struggles into a new way of lifeBook link: http://bit.ly/FavorthebookSocial Links:Facebook: www.Facebook.com/OvercomeAdversityWithKawanInstagram: www.Instagram.com/kawanglover - @kawangloverTwitter: www.Twitter.com/kawan_glover - @kawan_gloverLinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/kawanagloverCalendar link to schedule free consultation:https://calendly.com/overcomeadversitytoday

Alison Jane Ryan spends her days empowering mamas to step into the fullest expression of who they are and who they’re meant to be by creating a Morning Practice. She’s passionate about supporting you through the foggy seasons of motherhood so you can emerge as the woman and mama that feels true and nourishing for you! Alison is an example of what's possible when mothers put themselves FIRST and intentionally make time to prioritize their needs, dreams & desires.Many members of my audience struggle with remembering their own dreams and ambitions as their loved ones dive deeper into their substance abuse. But remembering to put yourself first is essential for your well-being and your loved ones. As the founder of the Mornings for Mamas Movement, Alison supports mothers as they bravely step into the fullest expression of who they are, show up confidently in all areas of their life, put themselves FIRST and hold strong boundaries within themselves & with others to create a life they truly desire. She provides the help you’ve been looking for to not just survive as a mama but to thrive!Quote: “Create space and time for YOU to reconnect with who you are & what you want so you can build a life you desire!” - Alison Jane RyanLinks:Facebook @AlisonJane Ryan (https://www.facebook.com/alison.j.ryan.1)Instagram: @iamalisonryan (https://www.instagram.com/iamalisonryan/)Website: www.morningsformamas.comEmail: info@alisonjaneryan.comPodcast: http://www.morningsformamaspodcast.com/

This one goes out to all the dads out there. Jason Palmer was raising his wife's younger sister alongside his sons as their child, him and his wife watched her as she fought a battle against a nasty disease HLH. When she lost her fight, Jason picked up a whiskey bottle and dove in. He swam around the bottom of a bottle for a while until he realized it was time for to sober up. It's been 4 years since his last drink. This episode goes into details about how he got his life back. As a foster and adoptive family him and his have grown and become better humans after finding a better path to be on.

When families are in the chaos of helping their loved ones, we can often find ourselves in unhealthy patterns such as drinking a little too much ourselves. Not alcoholically but enough to impact our minds, our sleep patterns, and so much more. In this episode, I brought on Helen Hanna, a Transformation coach helping overwhelmed women and no one is more overwhelmed than a mother who fears losing their child. www.helenhannahcoaching.com

In this episode, I discussed with a good friend of mine, Marcus Shumate, what he notices in the recovery community of who "makes it" versus those who don't seem to do so well with the recovery journey. Marcus Shumate did his undergraduate studies in Philosophy and Psychology and completed a masters degree in mental health counseling. He previously worked his way through a residential co-occurring disorders program until he was tasked with developing a program specifically for young men. In that role he grew to really enjoy networking and collaborating with other programs. This eventually led him into getting offered a marketing role with the Green Hill Recovery Team. They are a clinically-driven transitional living program in Raleigh, NC and a Community-Based Outpatient Program. They work with 18-27 year old males that are seeking help with their addiction and mental health issues and are looking at getting extra clinical emphasis on building out their lives. Their clients are focused on trying to complete school and/or launch into a meaningful professional pursuits. They put a lot of emphasis on individual care that is designed to help a client develop skills that let them cultivate a truly meaningful life instead of setting artificially low-expectations for what they can accomplish. They want their guys to come out of programs ready to be independent and able to direct their lives in a way that cultivates flourishing. A lot of their clinical curriculum is focused on tasks of being a successful adult. Go check out this great resource at https://greenhillrecovery.com/

Parents want to protect their kids and many times they do this by not telling them everything. The parents maybe waiting for the kids to become more emotionally mature to handle certain information. Maybe parents fail to realize it is important information. We don't often get to know how the information will impact our lives. For Sharon, her family kept a secret and she found out. It started making her realize a few things about herself, about her life, and about her family's secrets. Find out what they hid from her for so many years until she found out.

We are whoever we need to be while we are in active addiction. We don't often know how to be anything else other than a chameleon. Rhett shares with us about his journey into finding himself and being comfortable with who he really is. He also continues to help other recovering addicts working in a great rehab in North Carolina. To hear a great story of overcoming obstacles, challenges and finding oneself, listen to this episode now. I've also put something together from this series. Throughout this series, one thing became clear. Early recovery is messy and confusing. So I have started focusing on the needs for both the families and their loved ones who may be either in early recovery or thinking about starting this journey into a new way of life. There is a big leap of faith that has to happen when thinking about entering into early recovery. It’s scary. Mostly because we don’t know what to expect and how to navigate through it. But what if you did know what to expect and what if someone told you how to navigate through it. That’s why I put together the early recovery program. It’s a program that lays out the expectations and what you are going to be experiencing. It goes through things like how do you deal with triggers, the overwhelming emotions, the complicated family dynamics, and so much more. If you want to learn more about the program go to www.theearlyrecoveryprogram.com

The desire for us to fit in somewhere is so strong that we will almost destroy ourselves to find our place in the world. Jamie shares with us the challenges she faced long before the drug abuse and how she coped with the world around her. Growing up, she always felt a little different than the rest of her family. Later, she found out why and it was surprising. She felt like she had been living a lie for her whole life. Find out what her family was hiding from her in this episode.

Sarah's journey through recovery is both the same and different than most. She came from a good family, two loving parents, two siblings...it seems like the American Dream, and yet, Sarah battled with her own addiction. What would make her turn to drugs? And how did her family handle it? Find out in this episode.