Today's episode will be dual-purposed. First we'll get to meet Kyle Sears, my life-long best friend and someone I work recovery with side by side. He'll give us a brief look into his recovery journey and we'll share how our friendship began and has evolved as we both engaged with recovery. The second purpose is as the second installment of our TRP Topics series, where Kyle and I discuss the negative effects of an unhealthy engagement with other people's expectations of us- both perceiv...
In this new segment of TRP we'll step away for a moment from the recovery stories we love so much to delve into the topic of depression with Dr Brett Dowdy. We'll discuss what it is, what it looks like, how it affects us in our recovery and what we can do about it. Disclaimer: While we absolutely DO encourage our guests to share from their experiences in their recovery programs, no one is a spokesperson or representative of the recovery programs they choose to share their experiences f...
On today's episode my wife Natalie and I will be interviewing someone that folks have requested we have on the podcast for a long time coming- Rachel Snyder. Rachel will share how her childhood was defined by the abuse and victimization perpetrated upon her by the very people meant to protect her, how she lost her voice and autonomy, and how she was thrust into her adult life very early on with no voice, no sense of self worth, and only the lens of her trauma brokenness in which to see the wo...
Marriage is hard, even before you take into account the baggage that some of us bring in to it. While most of us start off earnestly intending to fulfill our vows of “till death do us part”, we often find that we’re in over our heads once that baggage causes issues we weren’t anticipating. For those of us in Recovery, that baggage almost always poses a very real threat to the survival of our marriages and all that comes with it. Join Natalie and I as we interview Noah and Jenn Demerly, ...
Many of us in recovery have found our marriages and homes to be more like a triage zone on a battlefield than a healthy space where we feel loved and wanted; and looking back on where some of our marriages were (and where some of your marriages might be now), when one or both people in a marriage aren’t in a healthy place, our efforts turn from focusing on growing together and instead end up being about keeping our marriages alive. On today’s episode I’ll be joined by my wife Natalie, p...
Most of us have been made acutely aware of the statistics showing that almost 50% of marriages fail in the US, but for those of us in Recovery- or are married to someone in recovery- know that the odds are stacked even more against us. Ladies, feel free to sit in on this one, but this episode is really for the fellas- join Kyle Sears, Mitch Spies, Noah Demerly and I as we hash out the challenges we face in working recovery inside of a marriage, what we have an obligation to do for our w...
Today we’ll jump right back into the “What’s Next?” Series with part 3, “Defective”. I’ll talk about those crossroads moments deeper into our recovery when we’re presented with a new awareness of character defects we might not have known where there- and the decision we must make in light of them. While I’ll be borrowing heavily from my experience from Celebrate Recovery for this one, make no mistake- whether you call AA, NA, CR or some other fellowship home, these moments are critical...
On this episode we’ll be picking right back up with part two of the “What’s Next?” series with my guest Drews Mitchell, who is a father, deacon, high school counselor and has recently started his own business as a career counselor. Many of us find ourselves after that first year or two in recovery in a place where we’re looking to pick up the pieces of our lives and rebuild with our new found freedom, and for many of us that includes rebuilding, restarting or really engaging in our care...
On this very special episode of TRP, we'll be honoring the memory of Charley Hartman on the one year anniversary of his passing. After a special foreword by my sponsor Mitch Spies, I'll be interviewing two of Charley's sponsees and previous TRP guests Darrell Wilson and Austen Funke. They'll share the impact Charley had on not only them- but the Cincinnati recovery community as a whole. Disclaimer: While we absolutely DO encourage our guests to share from their experiences in their reco...
On today's episode I’m joined once again by my good friend Paul Salazar. We'll pick up where we left off last time by Paul walking us through the process of knowing that he had found a way forward, but feeling like something was still missing. He’ll talk about how his involvement with CR married together his recovery and spiritual growth and exposed him to how living a life of service is critical to recovery- and why we should seek to constantly help others along the path. Disclaimer: While w...
On today’s episode we’ll be diving into part two of our two-part series with my wife Natalie. We’ll discuss what marriage was like with with her working recovery when I wasn’t, what it was like when I got sober, and the challenges we weren’t expecting as we entered into a new chapter of our life with us both working a program. If you love someone in addiction or who is working a program this episode is for you. On the flip side if you’re an addict who is still new in recovery, this episode is...
Today’s episode will be part one of a two-parter where I’m joined by my wife Natalie, who will share her pre-recovery story of how sexual assault shattered her sense of self and led her into a spiral of even further physical, emotional and sexual abuse before God provided a way out. But, like most stories, she found that initial trauma isn’t where the pain ends. She’ll also share what life was like dealing with the aftermath of such a traumatic period of her life and how she was able to find ...
On today’s episode I’m joined by Andy Henderson, who has the most infectious enthusiasm for recovery I’ve ever encountered in time working a program. Join us as Andy walks us through how God rescued him for a cycle of perpetual self-destructive behavior exacerbated by the guilt and trauma of watching his best friend get shot right in front of him, and how accepting help from his higher power allowed him to finally find a way out of his hopelessness. Disclaimer: While we absolutely DO en...
On today's episode I'll be joined by Austen Funke as he takes us through his incredible story of how drugs and alcohol drove him to do everything he could to throw his life away before God salvaged it. From full-blown alcoholism in High school to a high-speed chase through Iowa to narrowly missing death from an overdose multiple times, join us as Austen recalls how God walked with him through it all and eventually pulled him out with a simple question: "are you done yet?". Be warned, this is ...
On today’s episode I’m joined once again by my wife Natalie as we sit down with Julie Battie, Natalie’s long-time sponsor and someone who played a vital role not just in helping Natalie work her program, but also a vital part in God’s plan to save our marriage from the turmoil caused by my addiction. We’ll discuss Julie’s recovery story and Natalie and Julie’s shared experiences as sponsor and sponsee. Disclaimer: While we absolutely DO encourage our guests to share from their experienc...
On today's episode my wife Natalie will co-host with me as we interview Carol Hoelle, who has been an integral person in starting and growing the Celebrate Recovery that my wife and I both attend and now lead it alongside her husband Randy. She will take us through her recovery story and share how God will use unfair circumstances to help us surrender to our higher power and finally enjoy the peace and purpose we never thought possible- and how that purpose sometimes means more than we ever t...
On today's episode we’ll be talking to Daniel Cowan, who will share how a committed attempt at working an honest program- even with absolute reluctance- can change the outcome of your life and redeem relationships and futures long since thought to be lost. Disclaimer: While we absolutely DO encourage our guests to share from their experiences in their recovery programs, no one is a spokesperson or representative of the recovery programs they choose to share their experiences from.
On today's episode we’ll be doing things a little differently- specifically I will be doing things a little differently. I’ll be on the opposite end of the conversation as my sponsor and good friend Mitch Spies will interview me as I share my recovery story. I’ll share how finally surrendering to my higher power redeemed my lifelong cynicism and isolation and allowed me to have a life built upon faith and relying on others to help me not just stay clean, but experience life in a way I never c...
On this episode Darrell Wilson takes us through his recovery journey where his marriage and family was salvaged in his early 20's by finding hope and sobriety in his higher power only to later endure his wife leaving him after 32 years of marriage and his son passing away from his own struggle with addiction. Join us as Darrell describes how he found hope in his higher power to express purpose out of so much pain. This is a deep, tough discussion and I hope you stick this one out to the end.&...
On today's episode my good friend Paul Salazar walks us through his recovery journey and how he had to watch his mother die of cancer when he was 16, his father become addicted to pain medication and how his own alcoholism nearly cost him his marriage and family before he found the strength and willingness in his higher power to do whatever was necessary to do the next right thing. Disclaimer: While we absolutely DO encourage our guests to share from their experiences in their recovery progra...