Evive Live

The founder and CEO of Evive Sam Demello sits down with Adam and Christina for a wide-ranging update on where the platform is headed — and doesn't shy away from the elephant in the room: whether the recovery space should accept money from the gambling industry. Sam lays out exactly how the newly launched Evive Foundation is funded, what guardrails he's put in place, and why he believes taking industry money through the right structure actually protects Evive's independence rather than comprom...

Dr. Wiley Harwell has run the Oklahoma Association for Problem Gambling and Gaming for nearly two decades. When he started, Oklahoma had zero Gamblers Anonymous meetings and no certified gambling counselors. Today, it's one of the most respected problem gambling programs in the country. He talks through how he ended up in this work after a career as a hospital chaplain and ordained minister, why the field's own neutrality toward the gambling industry is more strategic than it looks from the ...

Kitty Martz, Executive Director of Voices of Problem Gambling Recovery in Oregon, joins Adam and Christina on this episode of Evive Live to talk about what she calls "ideological biodiversity" — the idea that no single recovery path works for everyone, and that the field needs room for all of the different approaches to coexist. Kitty also breaks down why she considers prediction market apps one of the most dangerous, least regulated forms of gambling available today. The episode close...

Adam and Christina are joined by Kriston Vanhorn, Program Coordinator for the Problem Gambling Help Network of West Virginia. Kriston shares what problem gambling looks like in West Virginia, why calls to the state's helpline continue to rise, and how their 24/7, human-centered support model is making a difference through treatment funding, peer support, financial counseling, and long-term follow-up. Beyond resources and recovery services, the conversation takes a deeper turn into identity, b...

Adam and Christina sit down without a guest this week to get into something that doesn't get talked about enough: the gap between what people expect recovery to look like and what it actually is. They cover the fear of losing gambling as a coping mechanism, why stopping the behavior is just the beginning, what it actually takes to get to "one day at a time" and mean it, and why the people you meet in recovery rooms are often the greatest people you will ever know. Christina also shares that s...