Voices In Recovery Podcast

This week Sandra stops by and shares her incredible, ongoing journey in recovery. We hear the depths of pain and injury that being bullied can cause us humans over the course of days, months and a lifetime. Listening to her story, it became evident that in nearly every stage of her life, being bullied has been her reality. As heart breaking as parts of her story really are; her heart, courage, and perseverance is a testament to the strength and resiliency of her spirit and faith. I am grateful to know her and incredibly inspired by her to be a better human to all I encounter.

Lauren stops by and shares her journey into art therapy and serving people as a pastor. She works tirelessly to help build the kind of church and practice that is inclusive and understanding for all people. Her many ideas work towards healing a fractured faith community; creating and cultivating a positive experience through her art therapy and pastoral care. On top of all of that, she works on her mental health daily with a deep understanding of how challenging stability can be - especially when other factors interfere, such as pandemics. Thank you Lauren!

Sitting down with our guests and hearing their incredible stories continues to be inspiring and incredibly enlightening. The hours spent with humans continues teaching Darcy and I in complex ways. To be better humans; better brothers, friends, partners, sons, father, and uncles. To do better work in our community, become kinder and more compassionate in all of our affairs. Each person is inspiring and motivational in their own way and there is no doubt they have an impact on others as well. Sometimes the real mirror for me happens when Darcy and I sit down together and reflect on our time hearing stories and living life. These conversations often allow me a deeper acceptance of how my defects act themselves out in my life today. This is a not so gentle, but necessary, reminder that no matter how good I feel, the work never ends. I must remain diligent in the process of my growth and life.

This week we sit down with Deb and hear her amazing journey through life and recovery. Her life was anything but linear, as she wove her way through abuse, codependency, constant instability, and regular truama at the hands of family members and others. She nearly lost her son permanently due to mental health concerns and serious depression. However, she worked diligently on her health, challenges and recovery while going through divorce. Her hard work and commitment allowed her to regain custody of her son, who she cares for to this day. Thank you Deb!

This week we have our friend Cassandra sharing her story. She talks about coming from an alcoholic family of origin in which she survived multiple abuses in and out of the home. The violence she encountered led her into a mindset of hating men for long periods of her life. Today she works diligently on her family, recovery, health, and being of use to other people on the road of recovery. She attends different fellowships to continue her work of self discovery, growth and to stay connected to solutions. I am grateful to be connected to her and I never stop learning when she speaks. Thank you Cassandra!

This week's guest is Jeremy and to be honest he reminds me of how important it is be there for others. He's a bit of an earth angel working in harm reduction. I will give everyone a trigger warning as we talk openly about drug use in medicinal and recreational conditions. ***Under no circumstances are we suggesting people should take drugs. We are in no position to tell people what they should be doing. ***We are asking that if you decide to use drugs please be as safe as possible. Have open discussions about the dangers, benefits and pitfalls. We also hope that you try and understand what you're taking into your system so that you can make an educated decision. We value each person's right to self determination, as it is an essential part of being human.

This week's guest is Brooklyn, a local artist and helper, who works with Diamond Willow Youth Lodge. She has been sober for 4 years and works daily on her sobriety and making the right choices for herself and those she cares for. She has lost many people during her life and is grateful she can face her life and grief with clear, sober eyes. We didn't know a lot about each other, as this was the first time we met in person, but I have no doubt she'll be helping others and creating some amazing art along the way. Thank you Brooklyn.

We are grateful to have a friend and colleague, Shannon, on the show to tell us about her life in recovery. Shannon has found her way from an abusive and painful childhood, past, and feeling lost and scared all the time. She is now focused not just on staying sober and helping others, but learning to enjoy life through things like yoga, continuing her education, and embracing changes and what life has to offer. Shanon now uses her lived experience and education to give back and help other humans in finding their path to recovery. Thank you Shannon for all that you do and for being open and unfiltered during our conversation. We appreciate you.

This week, a marvelous human being and friend, Wayne drops by to share his story. We start by talking about an amazing human and another friend of ours and many others, Brady Winters. I welcome any opportunity to talk about our departed friend. Wayne takes us through his childhood in an alcoholic household where it was chaos and more chaos. One of the coolest things about this guy is his compassion for others. He is an amazing human all around and we are grateful for your vulnerability dude.

This week Nicole stops by and shares her amazing journey with us. From living the street life she takes us through committing crimes, jail, attempts at staying clean, into finding the catalyst for change. Today she is committed to helping other addicts and alcoholics in both her personal and professional life. She is one of those helpers this world really needs! I want to say a special thanks Nicole. After talking with you on the podcast we became aware that you came to visit us after what sounded like an incredibly difficult day at work. Thank you for all that you are doing in the community and everywhere you go. We appreciate you.