The Courage to Change: A Recovery Podcast

As far as addiction is concerned, Preston found it difficult to accept the fact that he was a drug addict and alcoholic. He would think, “What do you mean you think I might have a problem? I’m just doing what everyone else is doing. I show up to work everyday, I pay my own bills, and I’m never sloppy or the one causing trouble. I really think I’m just unlucky.” If it wasn’t for four arrests in three years, Preston might still be fighting a battle today. His sobriety date is September 10, 2001, just one month after his 21st birthday. Today, Preston’s entire life revolves around being an advocate for counseling, therapy and support groups like AA, NA, Alanon, ACA and NAMI.  He does outreach for a mental health and addiction hospital, and he hosts a podcast called The High Cost of Anonymity, along with being a regular speaker, trainer and a coach. Preston believes the solution to normalizing mental health and addiction is by making coaching, counseling and other mental health and addiction supports as common as going to the gym, hiring a personal trainer or going to a group fitness class. Preston is one amazing dude, and we had such a blast getting to know him! We hope you enjoy this awesome and informative episode!

Arlina Allen is a Certified Life and Recovery Coach, Teacher, and Host of the award winning recovery podcast, The ODAAT Chat Podcast. She has been free of addiction from drugs and alcohol for more than 26 years and has dedicated her life to helping others do the same. She has been married for 20 years and is a mother of two. Arlina is a lifelong seeker of truth and she shares lessons learned in her writings and podcast. Ashley and Arlina became besties through the course of this interview, and we really hope you enjoy their connection, along with Arlina's incredible story!

Whitney grew up outside of Atlanta, GA and was adopted at birth along with her younger sister Hayden.  Her struggle with an eating disorder surfaced in middle school, around the same time her sister's struggle with substance use began.  Whitney shares her sister's painful and tumultuous path through addiction, which ultimately led to her unfair and untimely death at the young age of 19. She shares amazing insight into taking steps forward after incredible loss and grief, and shares the truth about adoption and how families can navigate that journey successfully.  Whitney is a single mom to her amazing son, and they both share a deep love for animals. You can contact Whitney on Instagram at @the.boho.homestead

Bonus Episode: National Online Recovery Day

Brandon Crockett is a 32 year sober father, husband, brother, and son. He began his business career in 2010 in the world of entertainment when he produced the indie-comedy feature film 'CornerStore' in his hometown of Detroit, Michigan. On the heels of his success with producing several short and feature length films in Michigan, Brandon fulfilled his dream of moving to Los Angeles and opening a music studio in 2013. After 5 years running the studio Brandon sold the business in order to have more time at home with his wife and new born son. Today he primarily works in real estate investments but did recently release a music project titled '2004: A Trap Odyssey' under the name Nigel Donovan. Brandon sights sobriety as being the top priority in his life stating that when he puts his sobriety first that all of the other things seem to work themselves out.

ATE for Episode #'s 62, 63, 65 & 66: Ashley and Christiana sit down to recap four different guest episodes this week (see links to their episodes below in the 'Resources' section of the show notes), along with deep diving into the important topics covered. Tune in to hear more about the importance of honoring personal rights and freedoms, the surprising (and not talked about) link between sugar and hormones - particularly in women, and making the life you want in sobriety regardless of what you were taught in your upbringing.

Claudia Christian is the most recognized global advocate for the Sinclair Method, a treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD). In 2013 she started her nonprofit C Three Foundation to help raise awareness of the treatment, which saved her life in 2009. In 2020 she was the driving force behind C Three’s launch of www.yoursinclairmethod.com to provide individuals on TSM with support from experienced coaches, and the release of “Journeys” a collection of stories from people on the Sinclair Method. Claudia has been in the film and television business as a performer for over 35 years. She is the author of two autobiographical books; “My Life with Freaks and Geeks” (2010) and “Babylon Confidential” (2012) and the sci-fi novel “Wolf’s Empire” (2016). In 2019 her first cookbook written with gaming expert Mark Michel came out to 5-star reviews. In addition to her nonprofit work, Claudia still appears in TV and film and lends her distinctive voice to the award winning audio series; Anne Manx, Disney’s Atlantis and some of the biggest games in the world including SkyRim, Guild Wars 2, World of Warcraft , StarCraft, Call of Duty, Halo and Fallout 4. She recently completed the first season of Netflix’s new animated series “Gods and Heroes” and “DOTA”. Claudia currently has a recurring role on the Fox series 911 playing the Captain of the LAPD.

Raised on a reservation in Montana, John Sidmore’s life drastically changed when his mother died suddenly at age five, which he later found out was a suicide.  Left with his younger brother and a man who wasn’t his biological father, John’s life became overwhelmed with the belief that he didn’t truly fit in anywhere.  Convinced he was “less than” everyone else around him, he struggled to fill his pain and insecurities with alcohol, weed and codependent relationships. John’s journey to sobriety is filled with everything from intense heartache to full-circle healing.  In this interview, he shares what brought him to choose sobriety and his commitment to stay sober no matter what comes his way.

Introducing a new series - Therapy Talk! Therapy is such a helpful resource for healing trauma, and the brain is able to heal in amazing ways. Both Ashley and Christiana have utilized therapy for healing trauma in their lives, and Christiana is embarking on the journey of EMDR in her therapy journey. Christiana has agreed to document her most recent therapy journey on air to show the healing power of therapy done well paired with EMDR and other helpful tools. In this episode, Christiana details the start of her EMDR journey, and how she got there, including dealing with debilitating panic attacks and anxiety from trauma. The ladies also discuss brain types, the effects of trauma on the brain and emotions, and the importance of surrounding yourself with the right community of people. ⁠Join Ashley and Christiana for Part 1 in this exciting new and revealing series!

NOTE: This podcast was recorded toward the beginning of lockdown for COVID (important for the beginning of the podcast!) Katherine Knapke was raised in a small, Mennonite community in Columbus, Ohio.  Taught to be peaceful, quiet and not ask for anything you want, Katherine’s upbringing stoked the fire for chronic depression, which ultimately led to a devastating struggle with multiple eating disorders, a panic disorder and crippling anxiety.  After escaping an abusive relationship in college, she relapsed into her eating disorder.  Her story of finding herself in the midst of her recovery and surrounding herself with healthy people who support her recovery is beautiful and inspiring, and reminds us that all things are possible. Katherine is now the Chief Operating Officer at the American Negotiation Institute.  She also hosts the Ask with Confidence podcast, which is designed to empower women by helping them develop the skills and confidence they need to better navigate difficult conversations and achieve the highest level of success. Katherine’s background is in the medical profession as a Psychiatric Nurse trained in Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) and she is a Certified Mediator. She is dedicated to helping women overcome psychological, emotional, and societal barriers in the workplace.

Michael Collins, founder of ​SugarAddiction.com​ and Board Chairman of ​Food Addiction Institute​, has been completely sugar-free for over 30 years and has worked closely with others to help them regain lives ravaged by this addictive product. Mike has been in recovery from substance use disorder for over 34 years and can speak on recovery topics separate from sugar. He raised two children sugar-free from the womb to over six years old - when they only had sugar once a month for their entire childhood. His book, The Last Resort Sugar Detox Guide, was rated #1 in Healthy Living on Amazon.

Taking care of our mental health and finding our purpose in life. ⁠This After the Episode dives into some deeper topics covered in Steve Grant and Kyle Dean Houston's episodes (#'s 59 & 60!) from these past few weeks.⁠ ⁠Join Ashley and Christiana for this brand new ATE!

Kyle Dean Houston is a speaker, author and coach who is committed to bringing hope into the world. In the mid-1990s, Kyle Houston developed a disturbingly poetic love affair with both needles and the alchemy of creating drugs. Far removed from his small-town values, the drug underground of Kansas City was a world that turned him into first a user and then a notorious meth cook. He prayed for an overdose but instead, he got arrested. Confined to a one-man cell for 23 hours a day, he faced the reality of a 30-year sentence. When his sentence was reduced to nine years, he decided to serve his time and finally go home. Or so he thought. Kyle’s book - Patchwork Junkie - comes out this Friday, August 7th. With all the heartache and beauty of a tortured soul, Patchwork Junkie is a compelling, up-close portrait of the interior life of a young man yearning to put faith in something real. This memoir follows Kyle’s path from a powerful addiction to the violent prison world. It explores the fear of hope and the desperate pain of a mother watching her beloved child fall apart. Straddling a unique line between tragedy and humor, Kyle strikes at the core of what unites us all. Insightful and transforming, this harrowing true story is for anyone who has lost a loved one to addiction or incarceration, anyone who has lived through abuse or searched for meaning and simply aches to know they are not alone.

On a December day in 2010, Steve Grant lost his 24-year-old son, Kelly, to an overdose. Five years earlier, he lost his 21-year-old son, Christopher, in the same way. His only two boys: gone. After a downward spiral of losing his marriage, his only two children and dealing with the repercussions of such, Steve decided to take matters into his own hands and established the Chris and Kelly’s HOPE Foundation to fight back. The Foundation’s mission is to provide financial support to programs that treat teens and young adults who struggle with substance abuse and addiction. The Chris and Kelly’s HOPE Foundation operates under the auspices of the Community Foundation of Greenville, but is committed to assisting worthwhile organizations nationwide. Steve’s story has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and Clemson University’s TigerIllustrated.com “Letters from Dabo” section - Part 10. In addition to being the Managing Director of Mass Mutual in South Carolina, he is also a recent author with his book “Don’t Forget Me - a Lifeline of hope for those touched by substance abuse and addiction”.

Spirituality, alignment, self-healing and personal growth.⁠ ⁠This After the Episode dives into some deeper topics covered in Michael G Dash and Jodie Sweetin's episodes (#'s 56 & 57!) from these past few weeks.⁠ ⁠Join Ashley and Christiana for this brand new ATE!