Voices In Recovery Podcast

This week's Recovery Talk takes a few twists and turns through many different recovery subjects. Steve and I discuss why many ideas and perspectives on pride are all valid. That there is no "right" way to approach pride any more than there's a right way to approach recovery, queerness or life. We unpack some of our own internalized negative feelings growing up queer while living inside closets. Forgetting that all along we heard evwry slights, insults, and otherwise hateful comments. It is important for me to unpack all the techniques I used to hide my true self. For i have hidden beneath layers of alternate selves and versions of me that may have been partially true. We chat about being gentle whenever possible because everyone carries unknown pain and experience. We tried an experiment with going live on TikTok during the podcast and within the short session we received anti queer hate. A reminder that no matter what we are talking about, there will always be people thinking about our genitals. Take good care of each other and yourselves. Much love Steve, thank you for always being you.

This week, Dave E. stops by via Zoom from Toronto, Ontario. He is a person in recovery and has found deep passion in working wirh humans along their journeys through life; with a focus on walking with folks impacted by addiction. His experiences, education and personality really have allowed his mind to open towards many directions humans may take on the pathway of life and recovery. We have a two part recording for Dave because during the first recording, his neighborhood in Toronto lost power and connection. Thank you for coming back on to finish part two! Take good care out there mister and thank you for your vulnerability, time and energy.

This week, Dave E. stops by via Zoom from Toronto, Ontario. He is a person in recovery and has found deep passion in working wirh humans along their journeys through life; with a focus on walking with folks impacted by addiction. His experiences, education and personality really have allowed his mind to open towards many directions humans may take on the pathway of life and recovery. We have a two part recording for Dave because during the first recording, his neighborhood in Toronto lost power and connection. Thank you for coming back on to finish part two! Take good care out there mister and thank you for your vulnerability, time and energy.

This week I am honoured to sit down and chat with one of my favorite humans on planet earth and the universe! Michelle Robinson from The Native Calgarian Podcast stops by and we talk recovery, grief, and the general harsh reality of this timeline is hitting a great deal of humans in multiple ways. We also talk about anti racism, haters, trolls, blocking folks, and conversing with others in an increasingly hostile environment for many of us. Thank you so much for sharing your love, energy, and time wirh us.

This week, we bring you another episode of Recovery Talk on the Voices in Recovery Podcast. Steve and I begin talking about grieving losses in recovery, as we engage and accept parts of ourselves while alternatively blocking out the not so positive parts or those we would rather not have. We discuss identity and the losses of those identities, as we recover. Sometimes we are told to ignore parts of ourselves instead of embracing, accepting, and understanding those are us too. Part of our humanity. No wonder many of us struggle with who we are....it is a journey of discovery and it is not for the faint of heart because we will discover many things and some will make us uncomfortable and down right frightened. That doesn't mean we should stop looking. A human is complex to begin with and as we grow rhat complexity doesn't diminish because we become more aware. We discuss the constant process of dismantling our own language while recognizing our ableism, racism, and other forms of bigotry that exist within us.

This week, Bronwyn stops by and shares a portion of her beautiful story. We talk about being in the 2slgbtqia+ community and all of the hatred directed at Trans folks specifically and the queer community at large. We talk about life before coming out, rhe police, the church, and the states roles in continued bigotry and hatred towards many humans. We recognize our own privilege even though we have been ostracized for being Trans and queer. We have been able to enjoy the privileges of how we present. Thank you so much Bronwyn! I appreciate you and the resistance of your magical existence!!!! So much love for you and our community of humans

This week Steve joins us from Stonewall Recovery Center for our Recovery Talk podcast! We discuss family and friends of folks struggling in addiction and family and friends of us folks coming out. Of course we do not stay on task, but somehow we find our way through the dark covering many subjects. I may need to have my mouth washed out with soap.....

This week, Alycia TwoBears; the brilliant poet, artist, author, educator, and overall fantastic human being stopped by. We dive into many subjects focusing on anti-racism and celebrating our queerness and bisexuality. We have a beautifully open conversation about our queerness and how much it means to us the more we accept ourselves in whole. Alycia, thank you so much for your love and vulnerability.

This week, Melissa stops by and we talk protests, ongoing anti-racism work, losing community, fear, love, sobriety, and a whole lot more. We speak about the original voices of truth for human rights, civil rights, and equality for all. The Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour shared and continue to share these messages of truth  despite the violence, racism, ignorance they face at every turn.We talk literature ideas to expand thinking. She mentions Toni Morrison. Some influencial authors for me are Richard Wright, Assata Shakur, Angela Davis, James Baldwin and beyond....in no particular order other than most recent reads. We explore addiction support found inside the twelve step rooms. What lingers with me after these discussions is the deeply ingrained cult mentality and language used. Even years after leaving.I told myself I would die without the rooms...it is simply not true. In fact, I was closer to dying inside them. I was not alone in believing once we leave, we will drink, use and die. It is so common that it is a part of the overall program now, which of course serves to reinforce the toxic belief. If you leave, you will die. This phrase rings out in my brain to this day and who knows, maybe it always will. Thank you for your vulnerability and openness Melissa, we are so grateful!

This week, Darcy and I discuss a whole bunch of things! We talk state of the world, recovery, mental health, and a lot inbetween.This Friday afternoon at noon until the memorial walk for Levon Fox is finished. Please check out online adds for the meet up location. There is a Peace rally Friday at 530pm at Riley Park in the north west corner of the park closest to the hospice.On Saturday at 5pm at CalgaryCity Hall, there's a rally and march for Palestine and an end to Western Imperialism. Please don't forget to grab your tickets for the Peace Brunch on Sunday morning!