Recovery Talks: The Podcast

Akron vocalist, guitarist, bassist, and music-archivist Jimi Imij joins Bob and Nick for Akron music talk and more!

To most people, yet another opioid death might seem like just another statistic. But for Ed and Brighid Hillmuth, the tragic end of their son, Christopher, shattered their world, leaving them with the enormous task of trying to make sense of it, understand it, and use those discoveries to help others.   This is a deeply personal, honest, and raw episode. Marc and the Hillmuth's trace their son's impactful but shortened life. We learn that, like many who have died from opioids, nobody necessarily plans to end their life by way of ingesting fentanyl. But this powerful, dangerous substance knows no allegiance to anyone, nor does it play favorites. This brutal truism sent Ed and Brighid on a long path of recovery, chronicled in harrowing detail.   "His worst decision wasn't going to define his life."   Brighid's words are poignant and act as a jumping-off point where grief and tragedy lend themselves to healing and helping. The Hillmuths talk at length about their journey, that tragic day, and their foundation, created in honor of Christopher and designed to be a help and a resource to others experiencing the same trauma.   Your feedback is important to us, please take our show survey here.  Find out more at RecoveryTalks.org — 

Get ready for a high-energy, rapid-fire episode of genuine, forthright conversation on faith-based recovery! In substance-use recovery herself, Angel Nichols is the Clinical Coordinator for Arc Recovery Services in Akron, Ohio. She and Marc engage in a feverish, high-octane discussion on 'stigma' and God's role in helping a person like Angel to fight it. "As much as I wanted to stop, my body was on auto-pilot."   Angel's story is jaw-dropping. Raised by parents who were addicts, it took years for her to arrive at a place in her life where she could finally start to recover from, in her words, "the things the world told me that I am." She also talks at length about discovering a place where she felt at home and where "she wasn't a leper, where I belonged somewhere." Marc and Angel also talk about her role as a peer-recovery supporter and how her faith-based approach within her role at Arc has become her life's mission: to assist others in fighting stigma and finding that same feeling of inclusion and acceptance. Your feedback is important to us, please take our show survey here.  Find out more at RecoveryTalks.org

Danica Adams doesn't mince words, and when it comes to telling her recovery story, she is not shy. Honesty is not in short supply. It takes profound courage to describe such a complex and deeply personal narrative.     At 14, her sister died of brain cancer. That same year, Danica became pregnant and continued life as a teen mother. Only a couple of years later, she began to use drugs, a decision which would later prompt both an arrest and a felony conviction.   “I was physically, emotionally, and spiritually dead.”   In this dynamic episode, Marc and Danica explore her early life, one filled with excerpts that most adults will never experience, including events involving human trafficking, being a victim of domestic violence, multiple incarcerations, multiple overdoses, homelessness, and prostitution. And none of those events produced a sober life. Danica finally reveals to Marc the game-changing moment that ultimately set her on the road toward ongoing recovery.    Listen now to this powerful, blistering episode with two peer-recovery specialists digging for the truth in the hopes of that truth eventually helping others.   Your feedback is important to us, please take our show survey here.   Find out more at RecoveryTalks.org

Ten years. Ten years of ‘skill-building'.  That's a good amount of time. Musician and writer Kevin McManus built up a decade of the ‘skills' that enable those with a substance-use disorder to hone their craft. The craft of being dishonest. The art of perfecting the ruse.  And then it finally all caught up to him. It what may be the singular most unique episode of this podcast, Marc speaks honestly and directly with Kevin who, at the time of this recording, was in substance-use disorder recovery for exactly 152 days.  Kevin opened the door and let us into his world, one that slowly and perilously moved him ever closer to a place where he had no other option than to ask for help.  In his words, “I didn't want to die, but I didn't care if I lived.” This is a blatantly revealing episode, a tour de force of transparency and candor.  And it's even more revealing because this episode also has a ‘video' companion, so subscribers can listen to and watch the interplay as Marc and Kevin discuss his emotional journey…now 152 days and counting.     Your feedback is important to us, please take our show survey here.   Find out more at RecoveryTalks.org

Just the memories and a microphone. No safety-net. Nothing to fall back on. Just like that decision to finally ask for help, sometimes the realization that the time has come and it is now can only be arrived at by oneself.   In this explosive, gripping episode, Marc rides solo. He recounts his story, where he migrated from the successful corporate-executive lifestyle to the alcoholic and addict who had no other recourse but to mutter those three critical words: please help me.   "My durability had worn through."   Follow Marc's captivating journey, from sought-after L.A. session-guitarist to high-earning corporate sales leader to cherished friend and musical colleague for Michael Stanley and The Resonators. Throughout these different chapters, Marc reflects on the role that drugs and alcohol played, how they dominated his life, how his addiction nearly toppled everything, and how one important event finally provided the impetus to stop the madness.   This is a spellbinding episode with no details spared, and it's a riveting reminder that, as Marc says, "When you get out of the way, the right stuff comes through.”

"Be the change that you want to be."   It was a seemingly simple decision to change schools that moved the momentum of a young person's life trajectory. It would be easier, he thought. Closer to home. That fateful choice would take his early adult life off course into a world complete with bewildering delusions, bad decisions, and a big bend in the road.    Kenny Lambert is one of the reasons this podcast exists. And while his story is no more or less important than any other journey that we have featured on this podcast, it does seem simply perfect that this Kenmore native represents the 50th episode—living proof that recovery is possible.    Kenny Lambert explains to Marc in gritty, authentic realism and in no uncertain terms that substance use disorder had its grip on his life and that his life was descending in flames. In fact, at one point, Kenny Lambert pleaded with the Divine: "If you're really God, put me in jail."   How does a person who is seemingly at Death's doorstep arrive at becoming both a dedicated father and a successful businessperson? Kenny's ongoing journey is a case study in moving from crash-and-burn to redemption. It's a profile featuring someone who could not have gone any lower than the bottom and eventually worked his way into sobriety and a re-imagined version of himself. He created a business that supports artists and those in the day-to-day work of supporting sobriety and positive change in his community. He is Just a Dad from Akron   https://justadadfromakron.com/   This is a breathtaking story, and it's a perfect one for this 50th episode.   Your feedback is important to us, please take our show survey here.   Find out more at RecoveryTalks.org

It's the front line of tomorrow's America, and being on the front lines can be tiring and messy. It can be lonely yet crowded and chaotic. The front lines in the life of a middle-school student are like a minefield. The students confront, dodge, fix, and try to understand the obstacles placed in their daily lives on the edge of being an adult yet with a child's life experiences. Never really knowing how it impacts them and what the future implications might be down the road. Enter the middle-school counselor James Shannon. In this frank episode, James talks about the myriad of issues that confront our next generation and how he helps them navigate the choppy waters of early teenage adolescence. James also reminds adults that while the problems experienced by middle-school students may not seem critical, they are of paramount importance to the student, and those problems can be life-altering events. Marc and James also discuss some warning signs where anxiety and depression can trigger more complex situations and how family and mentors can be on the lookout for them. This practical, sometimes severe, and nuts-and-bolts discussion can impact anyone connected to a young person's challenging, rewarding, and tumultuous life.

“I just wanted to feel better. I didn't want to feel bad.” These words from Summit County Domestic Relations Court Magistrate Cheryl Wear make it challenging to understand how someone brought up in a well-to-do, loving, well-adjusted Christian home, who never experienced a drop of alcohol, could arrive at this place. A place where simply aspiring to drink until you blackout meant successful relief. Marc welcomes Attorney Cheryl Wear as she speaks at length about her journey. It is an experience that includes the downward spiral of substance abuse, disrupted family events, lost jobs, and finally being exiled from her husband and children. At the moment of  ‘rock bottom,' she knew that her previous conception of an alcoholic ‘being some toothless guy who lived under a bridge' was false, erroneous, and now completely altered.  In this episode, Cheryl chronicles her climb out of the hole. She reflects on her re-connection to the importance of Christianity in her life. She vividly explains how her strength allowed her to finally find a new relationship with her children. And she confirms the fact that this disease called ‘alcoholism' can sink its fangs into anyone and anybody. It's a powerful episode and a unique story of redemption. 

In childhood, Crissy Youngblood was surrounded by grown-ups who struggled and suffered from alcoholism and drug abuse. She is a survivor of the consequences of what is known now as a Mental and Physical Heath Disorder. Born to a mother who was only 16 and later died from complications of her disease, Crissy realized early on that her world lacked healthy boundaries. Her relationships with relatives and friends were absorbed in a life that was not like her friends at school and, later, sometimes included very inappropriate attention from men with the wrong intentions.  But strength and perseverance have a way of polishing a shining star with a kind soul, helping them to find courage, to dig deep, and to rise. After becoming a mother herself, Crissy found an alternative path, from what was her childhood to her reality. She dedicated herself to breaking the chain of trauma and committed her life to achieve through adversity. She never gave up.  Today, she has overcome and has a family life, a working farm, and a life with a partner with whom she walks together along the path of sobriety. Join Marc as he shares Crissy's fantastic journey from pain and despair to hope and a future. Discover how Crissy found an exhilarating strength that we may not know we possess.  

At 24 years of age, most young people have moved in a career direction. Some have even chosen marriage. A few are giving birth and starting families. Some, like Brianna Brady, will get to choose none of them. Losing one's life to substance-use disorder can rob families of so many things. In this breathtaking and stark episode on both substance-use disorder and grief, Marc sits down with Joe Brady, Brianna's father. Joe talks at length about Brianna's three-year battle. But more than just sharing the details of yet another victim of substance use, Joe shares wisdom and a powerful message for those who sometimes get left out in the cold: the family members and friends who do their best to help their loved ones navigate their addiction in the hopes of overcoming it, and the arduous task that presents itself to them. This episode documents a critical life lesson and, in a way, a future challenge for others: the outcome of your loved one is, by and large, beyond your control, and that result rests, ultimately, with the person experiencing substance-use disorder. Marc and Joe speak directly to those on the front lines of waging the battle for their loved ones in this open and insightful episode through insight, honesty, frankness, and even' song.'  

Mental Health Issues. Substance Use-Disorder. Each poses significant challenges for the person afflicted and the person tasked with helping the person when it comes to diagnosis and, when combined, represents a unique and different course of treatment.    Marc gets down to it with Portage Path Behavioral Health professional Matthew Ragon in this plain-spoken, nuts-and-bolts episode. Within his role as a clinician with Portage Path, Matthew drills down into ‘Dual-Diagnosis' and why this approach is expanding its reach and charting its success. Marc and Matthew both bring to light the various ways that 'stigma' can manifest itself, compound the long-term recovery process within the dual-diagnosis model, and how it can impede the client from actualizing the goal of a self-directed life.   Let's listen to this necessary episode designed to understand more contemporary clinical methods and help those who may be on the cusp of starting their self-directed journey. Additionally, Matthew Ragon offers his contact info to anyone experiencing a dual-diagnosis situation. You are free to contact him at Portage Path Behavioral Health: mragon@portagepath.org.  

Athena Fleming has endured something that most people will never experience: the loss of a child to addiction.   In perhaps the most gut-wrenching episode of this podcast, Marc and Athena try to untangle and comprehend the journey and tragic ending of Athena's daughter, Alycia. This episode recounts the battle that ensued to confront her addiction, the victories that temporarily showed promise, and the path that eventually led to Alycia losing the fight.   In Athena's words, “Our loved ones don't set out to become addicts. We're dealing with something that takes over the brain.”   In this gripping, emotional episode, Athena shares with Marc her innermost feelings about doing everything possible to wage war on a scourge that slowly and methodically robbed her of her daughter. And we learn how a mother's unconditional love can be a testament for others who may be experiencing the same journey.

“Trauma is not unusual. What's unusual is not having somebody to help us move through it”.   April 23rd, 2019, may have been a remarkably ordinary day for most. But for Jennifer Bartolotta, that day was the breaking point and the end of the life that she loved and cherished. In a moment, she lost her husband, business partner, best friend, and crisis-inspired trauma would soon invade and permeate every inch of her existence. Nothing would ever be the same.    Eventually, that set her on a course of intense recovery. Through pain, insight, knowledge, and experience, the journey that started with formal training and gave her the wisdom to help both herself and establish early foundations for the construction of her new business, would ultimately assist others in the management of certified trauma-informed care.   Join Marc in season 4's inaugural episode as he and Jennifer drill down into ‘trauma' at its most basic, how it is best faced when fighting it initially, and how trust in yourself may, in fact, be the most effective and essential artillery in the fight against trauma.     

The ‘well of pain.' For the person in long-term recovery, ‘pain' is real. Sometimes unforgiving. What can begin the process towards healing? Or, maybe even better put: who?   Can a frog?   Marc thinks aloud in this final episode of Season 3, reveling in his tail-less amphibian-ness. The frog is trusting, content in its knowledge that other people will acknowledge the pain, see it for the harm that it causes, and do what others are designed to do: to help. But what if everyone is not a fellow frog? Would others take advantage of a frog in misery? And if someone would stoop so low as to do that, would there be a space within us to initiate forgiveness? Is it possible?    And who is this person who would continue to swirl the slurry of pain? Meet the scorpion.   In this reflective, contemplative, and powerful episode, Marc takes you on the frog-scorpion journey. He expounds upon the three-pronged recipe for eliminating suffering: asking for forgiveness, offering forgiveness, and, quite possibly the most difficult, learning to forgive yourself. Find out why scorpions aren't necessarily good or bad. They are. But can forgiveness be found for them?   Hang out with Marc in this season-ending finale as he offers up insight on his journey, trying day by day to locate compassion inside forgiveness while also staying the course for those other frogs and scorpions in long-term recovery.

The Road to Redemption – Judge Susan Baker Ross   If Season 3 of ‘Recovery Talks: The Podcast' has shown us anything, it's that addiction knows no gender, nationality, or social class. It can transform the lives of everyone from working mothers to corporate executives to, in the case of our host, musicians.   In this revealing episode, Marc also shows that even a person elected to uphold the statutes can fall victim to addiction's tentacles. Judge Susan Baker Ross talks candidly and openly about her unique story of alcohol addiction and her continuing journey to stay clean even after more than 30 years of sobriety.   “Drinking, trouble…drinking, trouble'. Almost like a mantra, Judge Ross realized early on that alcohol was the demon that set her on a path of recklessness and danger. And while the trauma of sexual abuse at an early age may have been the catalyst, she also knew that her body's chemistry seemed determined to deny her the capability of merely having a drink. In her words, “I had one last drink in 1989, I remember how that drink went down, and I could immediately feel the phenomenon of craving kick in”.   But Judge Susan Baker Ross also knew that even after three decades of sobriety that she was, in her words, “still a work in progress". She felt compassion for those who appeared in front of her bench, and she understood the emotional impact of their journeys. She was also content that issues still existed even after being on such a long road of sobriety. Sugar remained a culprit. And her past reinforced the need to continue to be in trauma therapy.   This is a genuine, authentic, and honest episode, a teachable moment for anyone from any walk of life. It's proof-positive that everyone, even an elected official on the bench, is worthy and entitled to the healing act of redemption.      

Can a person be active in recovery without realizing why they are in recovery? Rachel Pollack is such a person. Stricken with an eating disorder, sidelined by the pandemic, it wasn't until months into beginning a recovery path that Rachel realized that her anxiety disorder was partially responsible for helping to fuel it.   In this 14th episode of season 3, Marc gives us a detailed glimpse into Rachel Pollack's world. Long before she chronicles her journey as a published author, Rachel floated in the middle-space that is overlooked when discussing eating disorders. Not everyone who suffers from this affliction hates food. And not everyone spends every waking minute consuming food. In her words, “You can eat three meals a day, and you can still have an eating disorder.”   Rachel talks at length about the concept of ‘control,' how it is misunderstood, perceived, and how her understanding of it only made things worse. Tracing Rachel's journey, we understand how someone on the precipice of losing weight, doing CrossFit, and gaining traction in her life realizes that ‘control' can sometimes be an illusion. It was only through therapy that Rachel comprehended that it was her disorder that maintained all of the control.   Hiding. Eating in secret. And, eventually, not eating in secret. Rachel Pollack's story is a singular one. Transitioning from ‘staying in therapy just to get people off my back' to seeing full-scale progress, her tale reinforces the notion that the person in recovery can have a unique moment of enlightenment: the brain reacts differently when nourished regularly.     It's a special episode that magnifies a more than common condition. It spotlights a recovery tale that shows one person's saga from feeling dead inside to feeling alive and whole again.            

When the Wheels Come Off - China Darrington   This is not your average "girl who gets in trouble" recovery story. Let's face it: most 9-year-olds are playing soccer, making friends at grade school, or playing video games. Most are not spending a good deal of time interacting with older people. Most of them are not burgeoning BMX stars. And most pre-teenagers are not experiencing having their life hijacked and stolen into the dark arena of sex trafficking.   In this almost-unbelievable episode, Marc goes in-depth with China on her astounding upbringing. And they talk at length about how those early traumatic experiences helped form the foundation for uncertainty and confusion during her teenage years, as well as for her early heroin addiction. China also chronicles concluding that things were riding down the road without brakes and that the wheels were coming off.   As we'll discover, China's path to recovery was full of potholes. An inability at first to commit took her from heroin to crack cocaine. And even becoming a parent was not enough to facilitate a move towards sobriety. Drugs were controlling her life. In her words, "I turned into a machine." Jobs were thrown by the wayside. Houses were lost. But it was an unexpected pregnancy, the lightning-flash realization that the person you're carrying inside of you may be more important than your addiction, that finally enabled China to turn a corner.   In this dramatic episode, China charts her fascinating road to salvation, how meditation, Buddhist principles, and a book called the 'Dharma Punks' enabled her to deal with her anger and aggression. But more importantly, China Darrington documents her need to re-assess and revitalize her outlook on what exactly 'recovery' is and how she needed to establish new guidelines and coping mechanisms for herself. And, in her words, when 'my brain finally went back online, she talks about arriving at her current role as a recovery coach, a peer-recovery support advocate, a trainer, and a public speaker.

Relationships can be both intensely gratifying and amazingly complex. And they're made even more challenging if a relationship involves violence, particularly ‘intimate partner violence'.   In this one-of-a-kind episode, Marc steers the recovery-conversation in a whole new direction, and he does so with his guest, Hope and Healing representative Leanne Bilitz.  In this episode, Leanne deconstructs the assumption that domestic violence can only happen between a man and a woman.  She reinforces the view that ‘everyone's rock-bottom is different'. We encounter new theories on emotional violence, the emerging condition of ‘financial abuse', and how coercion and manipulation seeps into relationships of all kinds.  It's a unique look into how a loving relationship can morph into a desperate decision to seek shelter, and how recovery plays a role within the dynamic of the need for control, as well as the cycle of violence.  

Recovery. And ‘creativity'. Are they light-years from each other? Distant cousins? Or soul-mates? The seemingly divergent paths of ‘staying clean and sober' and ‘creating something musically' collide in this latest episode.  Hold on to your seats, because recovering addict, musician, and creativity-apostle Kathy Moser is a non-stop whirlwind of brutal honesty and hard-core advocacy for using music and creativity to foster a ‘process' towards more engaging and fruitful recovery. Kathy charts her own story of recovery with Marc, talks about why music is so essential to her physical and spiritual well-being, and why she stands firm in her staunch belief that ‘creativity is not in the weed, it's in YOU'.  

As a functional addict, Christopher Wimmer made every effort early on to, in his words, ‘get as messed up as possible as often as possible. Luckily, early on, he also made a decision, after bouts with depression and suicidal thoughts, to do what some simply can't or won't do: seek help.  But ‘help' for Chris Wimmer on his recovery journey also arrived in the form of spirituality. As an early practitioner of Transcendental Meditation and participation in the Unitarian Universalist Church, Chris eventually found his way into Zen Buddhism, both as a student and, later, as an ordained Zen Buddhist priest. Chris and Marc deeply explored the notion of ‘recovery dharma', the need to understand being satisfied with not being OK with everything going on in your life, and different perspectives on recovery based on Chris's role as a licensed independent chemical dependency counselor and licensed social worker.  

 What happens when nobody wants you around. When you're ‘unemployable'. When you've burned every bridge.  At an early age, Clyde Hensley already knew that with the obstacle of a speech-impediment, a beer or two could temporarily help him to overcome it, to feel ‘cool'.  But by 2009, through multiple job losses and numerous stints in bands, nobody wanted him around.  What happens when you realize that you've hit rock bottom? When you're ‘unemployable'? When you've burned every bridge?  In this episode, Clyde confesses to Marc a life pock-marked by repeat-offenses, blown opportunities, and, in his words, ‘a special kind of drunk who can even be kicked out of Haven!' But it wasn't until he was rescued, literally, from certain death, courtesy of both a passing train and a passing stranger, that Clyde turned a corner with the help of the Salvation Army to regain control of both his musical career and his life.  

‘Grief' is transformational on a variety of levels.  Helping others through their time of grief within the scope of an occupation compared to experiencing grief, personally, can be two completely different scenarios. But can one lean on the other? In this final installment of this 4-part series, Marc introduces us to bereavement coordinator Jodee Coulter.  Discover how ‘change' forms the embryo of grief and why, according to Jodee, grief can sometimes resemble a plate of spaghetti. Marc and Jodee also talk at length about the art of ‘asking for help', and why something seemingly as simple as a song-lyric can be a catalyst for finding the next chapter in the transformation.    

It's a dichotomy and an irony: When Zach Friedhoff's mother passed away, that event provoked a kind of a mental pirouette, one that, in his words, ‘caused a spinning that he hoped would stop'. And yet, as he and Marc discover in this third installment of a four-part series on ‘grief', the world continues to spin.  And life continues to move on.   In this journey, Zach discusses the importance of how nature and the outdoors allowed him to begin to make progress.  And, more deeply, he shares with Marc how the concept of gratitude enabled him to begin a recovery-process that set him on the path of healing. It's a powerful episode that helps teach us all about how the ‘grief-spinning' propels us into that space between being broken and experiencing gratefulness.

In this second installment of a 4-part series on 'grief,' host Marc Lee Shannon introduces us to his close friend, Terry Weaver. Terry recounts her 'magical' relationship with her husband, Jeff, and how a sudden lung cancer diagnosis sent shockwaves through her world and culminated in his death, after a short hospice stay.  A shock to the system. Energy sapped. The loss of a spouse demands a different road to recovery. Marc and Terry discuss the propensity for 'America not allowing us to talk about grief.' Terry also looks back on 'opening the window' to allow the grief process to occur. It was a conscious decision for her to look up into the light and move forward and utilize the help available, to start a new volume that would propel her towards a deeper understanding of the recovery journey in the aftermath of loss.   

As a photographer, telling the story of a cancer patient's journey would be difficult enough. But what if the patient was also your wife?   In the initial offering of this season's 4-part recovery series on ‘grief,' Marc goes in-depth with his friend, Angelo Merendino, as they explore the grieving process involving the 10th anniversary of the death of his wife, Jen. The photographer explores the reasoning behind his breathtaking photo documentary, “The Battle We Didn't Choose.” They also discuss how others urged him to chronicle Jen's breast cancer story. And, finally, how preparing a TED talk enabled him to confront, head-on, a recovery journey like no other.

Seasoned touring music-technician Abbey Wright is an anomaly: she has a keen sense of gratitude for COVID-19 and what it brought to her life. Marc explores Abbey's recovery journey, in this poignant episode, and the addictions that nearly shut her body down. During a sudden glimpse of surrender, Abbey shares that sacred moment when a simple text message sent to her mother allowed her to admit that she was powerless and finally needed help.   “You either break down or you break through.” Abbey discusses the importance of keeping her dream intact, her need to change the mantra inside of herself, and how the isolation of a pandemic moved her towards the gift of a sober lifestyle.

Emily Beers didn't get in to this because she is a recovering addict, and she didn't learn about it out of a book.  As the Program Administrator for Oriana House, it was a hole in her that made her yearn to help.  In this episode, Marc and Emily give a gripping, intensely insightful journey into the day-to-day existence of those in recovery who arrive at Oriana House, why they need to be there, and what it is that Emily and her staff provide for them. Listen why ‘catch-and-release' doesn't work, why Emily feels that everyone is a ‘snowflake', and why those in recovery are ultimately in the driver's seat.  

“I accepted the fact that I was going to die before I was 40.”   Tower of Power founder and saxophonist Emilio Castillo was diving down into a deep hole. But it wasn't until he walked into a 12-step meeting that he finally decided to turn the ship around and head into a new direction.   In this episode, Marc talks extensively with Emilio about his ‘drive to live'. As you'll discover, not everyone in the recovery-journey feels suicidal or is knee-deep in self-loathing.  Some, like Emilio, know what they want. They simply don't know how to get there. And the cry of help can also be a cry for guidance.   “Go with the winners. Follow the example of those who are making it and do what they do”. Both Marc and Emilio share their experiences with this critical mantra, a mission-statement for lantern-holders who are finding success. It's vital, actionable info that everyone in recovery can benefit from, courtesy of this genuine and down-to-earth episode.

Coins in our pockets. What if the years of our life were a representation of those jangles and jingles in our pouches, and each day symbolized the spending of those coins. How many do we have? Is our change purse full?     In Episode 1 of this new season, Marc kicks things off 'solo' with his reflections and a microphone, doing a deep-dive in that space between past and future. How are we spending that finite amount of coins here in the present? Is anyone or anything in your life stealing those coins from you? And if you're down to the last few, what changes are you making to ensure that you're getting the most out of this remaining time?    For what if today was your expiration date? What one thing would you have wished for in your life?

Aside from ‘how does it sound’ and ‘did we have cool guests’ and should we change the theme music’ and all of the questions that we ask ourselves, the primary question is: did we help anyone?  As Season Two of ‘Recovery Talks: The Podcast’ comes to a close, Marc gathers the other primary ‘movers and shakers’ who operate behind the scenes of this production as 'guests' for this season finale. He solicits input from the folks who help put it all together, to get their views on the season’s highlights, where improvements can be made, what might be in store for Season Three, and, most importantly, to help him answer the essential question about the mission of this podcast: did we manage to help anyone?    

How do you know? And what do you do when you DO know? In this episode, Marc turns the guest microphone over to Dr. Doug Smith, the medical director of the Summit County ADM Board.  As you’ll hear, Dr. Smith gives that microphone quite the workout. And with good reason: Dr. Smith has seen his share of ‘big moments’, that critical time-period when patients with a diagnosable mental illness decides to ask for help. Marc and Doug also talk about the inescapable fact that 1 in 4 people have a mental illness, how the stigma is being eradicated, and how ‘TEXT4HOPE’ may be the difference between life and death.    

Jeff Dafler thought he could call the shots. People sometimes think that when they feel like they play the role of God. But when he realized that he couldn’t start the morning without a shot, he knew he needed help. In this episode, Marc and Jeff explore the role of ‘religion’ in Jeff’s journey towards the light. From desperation to a life-changing retreat at a New York abbey, Jeff Dafler came to realize his inner strength. And he used his love of the psalms to emerge as an author, intent on helping others to do the same.  

Imagine you wake up in a recovery-room at the hospital after a procedure, and the first thought you have is: maybe I should be in recovery.  Before Billy Sullivan’s real ‘awakening’, this inescapable conclusion rose to the surface.  He woke up to the stern glare of both his doctor and his wife, paired with his physician’s mandate: “You’re not gonna be here if you continue doing what you’re doing.” In this episode, Marc speaks at length with fellow musician Billy Sullivan as he chronicles his journey, his last dance with the Stoli vodka drink which ‘made me toxic, instantly violently ill’, his quest to keep his musical vision intact, and his daily challenge to be the best band-mate, the best musician, and the best father that he can be.    

For over a decade, drummer Troy Luccetta lived the dream. Record deals. World tours. And all the ‘fringe benefits’ that come with it. When you’re a member of a band with the pedigree of Tesla, these things are to be expected. But for Troy, it was slipping away under the guise of addiction. And in his words, “I couldn’t see what I couldn’t see, and I couldn’t hear what I couldn’t hear”. In this episode, Marc gets in to the nitty-gritty with Troy… his journey, his plea for help, his long history in recovery…how he’s utilized the strength of his family, and why ‘being a good example of a bad example’ could act as a light for others in recovery.  

Angels. Celestial beings who make their influence felt in our galaxy, in our world. How do they come to be? And if they present themselves, can we recognize them? And what if the ‘angel’ is the person with whom we fall in love? In this poignant, powerful episode, Marc breaks from the interview-template and turns the camera on himself. But more specifically, he turns the focus on ‘Elle’, his angel. Marc chronicles her entry in to his life, the numerous ways she turned it upside down, how Elle saved him from certain death before succumbing to her own, and the one vow he made to himself to help others, in order to keep her legacy alive.

‘Bad-Ass-ery’ comes in many forms. But it usually doesn’t reveal itself wearing a white lab coat. For Dr. Nicole Labor, getting through medical school and passing her Boards, all the while doing so secretly as an addict, wasn’t the impressive part. Neither was the effort in pounding out her manuscript for the revered book, “The Addictholic Deconstructed”. It was coming to a realization, the one that eventually moved her in to bad-ass status: ‘The worst person is the one I created based on what I think you think of me’.  Dr. Labor joins Marc on the podcast to talk about her journey, her continual recovery, and why saying ‘f*ck’ a lot is sometimes cleansing and beneficial.  

Nashville producer, session-player, teacher, and 12-year Darius Rucker band-member Lee Turner is unashamed to admit it and pulls no punches in celebrating it: his sobriety is largely dependent on his ‘higher power’. As you’ll discover with Marc during this episode, Lee had to wander down the path of broken marriages, poor musical performances, and life-sapping demons. And finally, while physically shaking and unable to even utter words, it was a phone call made on his behalf to the Betty Ford Clinic when he was finally able to say to himself, “Thank G-d, it’s over”.  Now, playing more vibrantly than ever before, Lee expands on why his belief in a higher power plays such an important part in his recovery, and why he feels his music has never sounded better.     ...

Mary K. Riley possesses a list of degrees and academic accolades as long as your arm. And as a recovering alcoholic and addict, she admitted to ‘getting sober and having things go well really quickly’. But as Dr. Riley discusses with Marc on the podcast, even with scholarly success and a new marriage, she felt ‘sentenced to another day of life’. And it wasn’t until she discovered a path through art where she finally allowed herself to feel the feelings and granted herself ‘permission to be messy and a little unhinged’.  

“If you can’t kill yourself, maybe you ought to learn how to live”. These words coursed through the brain of Krishna Pendyala, which meant that they were the catalyst that started to lift him up when he was at his lowest point. He joins Marc on the podcast to talk about his journey from accident-victim to, now, keynote speaker, ‘choice’ evangelist, and President of Mindful Nation. Krishna helps people unveil their blind spots in order to make better choices, and he lends valuable and practical advice to those in recovery. 

“They wouldn’t pick on you if you just sat down and shut up’. Metal guitarist and boutique amp-designer Curran Murphy utilized this warped strategy, until his anger-issues would not obey. Then, he had to seek help.  Curran joins Marc Lee Shannon on the podcast to talk at length about his journey, how his wife became a motivating factor in helping him to walk on a more liberating path, and how ‘being lovable’ proved to be a jumping-off point towards ongoing health and healing. 

NEOMED Chair of Psychiatry and ‘compassion bad-ass’ Dr. Randon Welton joins the podcast as he and Marc flip the switch and spotlight the person on the other end of the therapist/patient relationship. Dr. Welton focuses on the successes and challenges of the caregiver-client dynamic, pinpoints the struggles in trying to create a mutually agreeable situation between the two, and shares his insights as to why and when it might be time for each to go their separate ways. 

In this episode, Marc shines the lantern on Megan Maxwell, a self-described "Former Suburban Soccer Mom" alcoholic in long-term recovery and, now, five years sober. Megan found that door in the darkness, opened it, and it led to her eventually becoming an Ohio-certified Peer Recovery Support Specialist with Oriana House. Hear Megan's story, her journey towards sobriety, and her dedication to others in recovery with her involvement as a life-change advocate with the Summit County Drug Court Program. 

Legendary broadcaster, ‘Rock and Recovery’ host, and long-time Summit veteran Garrett Hart sits on the other side of the microphone as he and Marc talk about the beginnings of ‘Rock and Recovery’, how the show came to be, why the show is such a beacon of light for those who are in recovery, and what the future holds for a show deeply embedded in the birthplace of the modern recovery movement.

While he may be alone for this Holiday, Marc shares a recipe for being appreciative and grateful during this singular Thanksgiving event.  With inspiration from the Dalai Lama, carefully-chosen excerpts from a timely periodical, a special 12-Step story, and even some wisdom from his own father, Marc lays out a buffet of relevant nuggets to chew on during this long Holiday weekend.   

It’s easier to blow 15k on drugs and alcohol than you might think. ITAL founder David Smeltz shares his journey from the darkness in to the light with Marc Lee Shannon, as he charts his path from occasional user to full-blown addict. Join David as he talks extensively about how he gravitated from using his home-sale proceeds to fuel his addiction, the moment where he hit rock-bottom, and his arduous journey back to re-capturing his music, and, now, what he faces with his new health-challenges.  

A challenging childhood. A disruptive marriage.  And a peeling-away of self-worth.  For musician Stephanie Kranik, all of these life-events contributed to her drug and alcohol abuse, as well as her eating disorder.  Follow Stephanie’s ongoing journey from the darkness into the light as she and host Marc Lee Shannon discuss that threshold that she finally crossed to admit that help is imperative, a ‘tribe’ is a necessity, and a new path needed to be forged.

Documentary photographer, mall-historian, Instagram prophet, and native Akron, Ohio-music fan Jessica Anshutz joins Marc on the podcast. In this episode, Jessica chronicles her long, treacherous journey on the road to wellness and mental health. She talks at length about PTSD, about how her childhood and upbringing left an indelible mark, and about the moment that changed her direction. She also shares info about the marriage that saved her life, about Acceptance and Commitment therapy, and about the living art-form that helps keep her focused and healthy. 

This time, no guest. "Recovery Talks: The Podcast" host Marc Lee Shannon flies solo. It's authentic, raw, and unembellished. We get the truth laid bare from his inaugural alcohol and drug abuse from early life family-structure chaos. We experience his journey, what it was like, what happened, what it's like now.  From corporate-world warrior to a world-class musician who finally, one day, needed to simply stop…and, with the help of others, admit where his life was taking him. To say the words that all addicts and alcoholics must say. Please. Help. Me. It's a gripping story of a man who 'took the lid off the man-hole cover,' to finally get to the real reasons that the substance abuse began, and to eventually celebrate ongoing success not only as a father but also as an author, a songwriter, musician and, now, a podcaster.

Tommy Vext, front-man for the platinum-selling band Bad Wolves, joins Marc to talk about hit records, broken families, violent childhoods, and growing up poor without the benefit of role models. Playing in bands and getting high was all he knew, and it eventually led to the dismantling of any happiness or success he tried to assemble.At the urging of a band member already in a 12-step program, Tommy decided to get help and take the first step to recovery: surrender. Eventually checking out…and then checking back in…to the music scene, and through a scholarship from the Music Cares Foundation, he started to find the way.  Fame and recovery CAN work together!  During this episode with Tommy Vext, we hear how to maintain a good program both on the road and in the heart, and to spread the word in music and message.  

This episode of Recovery Talks features Chrissy Strong... songwriter, singer, single mom, and survivor in long-term sobriety. She describes the moment in a crack house when her dealer pointed to a pile of drugs. At that moment, she felt that inescapable feeling that the end was near... one way or another. Join Marc and Chrissy as they discuss the challenges of overcoming the habits that were sometimes supported by her own family, her breakaway, and the 'taking back' of her life. And...a Special Bonus: a beautiful live performance of her song, "24"!