Author and recovery advocate Dennis “D.J.” Quinn joins Rich to share a deeply human mentoring journey—from Big Brothers Big Sisters to a 13-year bond with “Mike,” a foster-adopted child whose life was later upended by severe mental illness. Dennis unpacks how “just showing up” can anchor a life, the hard hospital visits, the gratitude that birthed his memoir Stick Figures, and why mentorship and recovery work still matter today.

Guest Bio:

Dennis “D.J.” Quinn is an author, longtime mentor, and recovery advocate. Raised in Montana and a former Northwest Airlines flight attendant for 26 years, he has spent decades volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters and bringing recovery meetings into juvenile detention centers. He lives in Gig Harbor, Washington, and is the author of Stick Figures, a memoir honoring his 13-year mentoring journey with Mike.

Main Topics:

· Growing up in Montana: big family values, faith, and community

· 26 years as a flight attendant: exposure to diverse lives and cultures

· Big Brothers Big Sisters: first match, what real mentorship looks like

· Meeting Mike: foster care, disability, progress—and the onset of mental illness

· Hospitalizations and hard days: “ministry of presence” and boundaries

· Writing Stick Figures: the calendar drawings that became a memoir

· Inclusion in mentoring: local BBBS policy change and why it mattered

· Recovery work with incarcerated teens: hope, honesty, and resources

· Gratitude and “a lucky life”: what Mike taught Dennis (and us)

· How to start mentoring or volunteering—time, commitment, payoff

Resources mentioned:

· Dennis “D.J.” Quinn — Website: djquinnauthor.com (signed copies available)

· Dennis “D.J.” Quinn — Books: Stick Figures (also on Amazon)

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Episode 7: 2020 Retro (Part 2)