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Success is Subjective: Real People. Raw Stories. Embracing a Non-Linear Life!
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© 2025 Success is Subjective: Real People. Raw Stories. Embracing a Non-Linear Life!
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Interviews of people who took a break from life at one point or another to get help, grow up, or just to reassess their life direction. Some guests struggled with depression, anxiety, substance abuse, a death in the family, or just decided college was not the place for them. These stories are all-to-real, and yet we don't talk enough about how common it is for those who took a gap year to defer college, went to college and took a break, or those who struggled launching into the workforce post-college graduation. This goes out to all the young adults and parents of young adults who are struggling and contemplating what will happen if they walk away right now.
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Have you ever felt conflicted about what to do with your life? Or maybe you have multiple strengths and talents, but you’re not exactly sure which one to utilize as you reach towards your future goals. If that resonates, today’s Success is Subjective episode might bring a heaping dose of relatability and clarity to your questioning mind. Zachary Shafer graduated with a Bachelor’s in Psychology and a Master’s in Occupational Therapy. He currently serves as the Executive Director of Mountain Va...
Today’s episode of Success is Subjective features a conversation with Joanna and Dr. Ruth Viehoff, a licensed clinical psychologist. Through her own personal story, Dr. Viehoff has known what it’s like to struggle with mental health issues, especially as a teen and young adult. Now as a practitioner who works with young people, she is able to relate to and inspire her clients in a meaningful way. Dr. Viehoff discusses topics such as the challenges that can come from ADHD and perfectionism, an...
On this episode of Success is Subjective, Joanna brings you another story from our special former participant series where she extends the opportunity for former participants who feel comfortable sharing their journey with others. Today’s former participant is Andy. Currently in grad school, pursuing his master’s degree in social work, it took Andy’s own recovery for him to gain a clear vision for what he wanted to do with his life. Andy explains how a chronic health issue led to a massive de...
On this episode of Success is Subjective, Joanna brings you another story from our special former participant series where she extends the opportunity for former participants who feel comfortable sharing their journey with others. Today’s former participant is Evan. Evan has thrived in his sobriety for the last four years and is on a path to helping others who reflect his younger self, who also struggled with substance use and lack of coping skills. While his journey before treatment was anyt...
It’s one thing to comprehend that gap years can be helpful for some “misguided” people in the world. It’s another challenge to identify that a gap year could be personally beneficial, and to realize they can actually propel a person further in life and career than bulldozing 4 years of college immediately after high school, in many situations. But that’s part of the message today’s Success is Subjective guest is here to share with listeners. Dan Jordan is an author, accessibility coordinator ...
While many of us are prone to a faulty and often crippling belief that our lives can’t change unless we make radical changes, we might find ourselves scoffing at the idea that miniscule adjustments can make dramatic shifts. On today’s episode of Success is Subjective, you’ll hear the powerful and inspiring story of keynote speaker, Jon Paul Crimi and the ways in which his life has changed dramatically, largely thanks to a consistent practice of breathwork. Growing up in Irish gang territory o...
In this episode of Success is Subjective, Joanna welcomes Alexandra Miles, Founder/CEO PROJECT BLACKBIRD Inc. She is a Savannah, GA based producer, actor and non-profit founder with a focus on narrative film and mental health impact. Alexandra earned degrees in Business and Fine Arts from Boston University and SCAD before producing ‘Project Blackbird’. Alexandra tours College campuses and fortune 500 companies with an event addressing mental health stigma in underrepresented communities. She ...
In this Former Participant Series, Joanna interviews previously troubled teens and young adults who underwent a treatment program. Today, Joanna has B. Reeves on the show. He was born, raised and got sober in Raleigh, NC and is now very active in the local recovery community. Following pre-sobriety stints as a gossip columnist, working on film sets and in software sales, he finally found his calling in the treatment world. NOTE: The podcasts in this series can include sensitive subjects such ...
Today, Joanna has Casey Morrissey on the show. Casey is a certified substance abuse counselor with over seven years of experience in the field. He is one of the founders of Refine Recovery. He has unique expertise in blending his experience with family dynamics and the Al-Anon program with his addiction schooling. This approach helps bridge the gap between families and their loved ones through the treatment process. He believes in the power of change and transformation of lives. Join them as ...
Today on the show, Joanna has Johnny Tock on to discuss Spain Abroad, his journey that led to him moving his family to Spain to start this program. Spain Abroad is a Gap year program offering endless opportunities to discover your authentic self, release previous patterns and start living a more balanced life. Bringing over 15 years of experience being a Licensed Professional Counselor in a variety of therapeutic environments, Johnny is excited to use his experience to support students throug...
Changing course in life is common and you don’t always know what you want to do for the rest of your life when you are a young adult. Today on the show, Joanna has an amazing conversation with Carey Conley to discuss how to help young adults on their journey in life. Carey shares her story of a flourishing business career that took her around the world but tragedy struck when she lost both her husband and son (3 years later) to suicide. She had a choice of finding purpose through despair or t...
Today on the show, Joanna welcomes Todd Weatherly. Todd loves the outdoors, he is a speaker, an author, amateur photographer, professional facilitator and the President of Stucker, Smith and Weatherly, which is a therapeutic and educational consulting practice. Todd brings over 30 years of experience in the mental health field and his commitment and passion for serving others can be seen in his work and personal life. Todd has a BA in psychology, and a masters of education in outdoor educatio...
In this Former Participant Series, Joanna interviews previously troubled teens and young adults who underwent a treatment program. Today, Joanna has Kyle Summers on the show. Kyle is the marketing and adventure program director at Lean In Recovery Center in Missoula, MT. He is also a Lean In Recovery Alumni from 2018 who has spent the last 3 years enhancing his professional and adventure skills while working in wilderness therapy. He continues to find purpose and connection during adventure i...
In this Former Participant Series, Joanna interviews previously troubled teens and young adults who underwent a treatment program. Today, Joanna speaks with Nick who shares his story of success. He's been on quite the journey, and it's one that will be sure to encourage you! NOTE: The podcasts in this series can include sensitive subjects such as suicide, self-harm, substance abuse, hospitalizations, psychotic episodes, and other traumatic experiences which include parts of the treatment jour...
In this episode of Success is Subjective, Joanna welcomes Bogie Bowles. Bogie has his masters in social work and shares his own story of recovery. He expanded his perspective between mental health and addiction while working at the psychiatric unit at Duke Hospital. As a former professional musician, he was able to use his unique musical background to co-create a program designed to treat music industry professionals. He continues to use his experience in treating disorders through his passio...
On this episode of Success is Subjective, Joanna brings you another story from our special parent series where she interviews parents whose children have overcome various challenges. Today, Joanna welcomes Ben on the show to discuss the parent perspective of going through the treatment process. Ben is a parent who supported his child going off to college across the country but soon found out that he was struggling with his mental health. Taking the steps necessary to get him help and into tre...
In this episode of Success is Subjective, Joanna welcomes Rebekah Jordan, owner and director of Crossbridge Education where the primary focus of her work is helping students and families find the right school and therapeutic placement. She has 25 years of experience in education as a teacher, head of school, tutor, consultant and advisor. She has helped nearly one thousand families and students by finding creative solutions to educational and mental health challenges. This is an open book con...
On this episode of Success is Subjective, Joanna brings you another story from our special former participant series where she extends the opportunity for former participants who feel comfortable sharing their journey with others. Today, Joanna speaks with Robyn. Robyn is a young adult who recently completed residential therapy and treatment. Her situation was unique in that she was motivated to enroll herself in treatment but had to get creative and work hard to cover the cost. Her experienc...
In this Former Participant Series, Joanna interviews previously troubled teens and young adults who underwent a treatment program. Today, Joanna speaks with Bryan aka ‘Laser Kid’ about being diagnosed with Autism in his 30s, his positive treatment experience at ScenicView Academy in Utah, finding his people, and learning how to live and work independently. NOTE: The podcasts in this series can include sensitive subjects such as suicide, self-harm, substance abuse, hospitalizations, psychotic ...
On today’s episode of Success is Subjective, Joanna welcomes Ray Estefania to the show. Ray is a Psychotherapist, therapeutic and educational consultant and an interventionist at R&A Therapeutic Partners in South Florida. He has been treating addiction and mental health issues for almost 30 years. Ray’s passion in helping families and individuals through the intervention process and finding resources, have been locally, nationally and internationally. This episode is a deep dive into the ...
On this episode of Success is Subjective, Joanna brings you another story from our special parent series where she interviews parents whose children have overcome various challenges. Today, Joanna speaks with Cathy Cioth. Cathy is the Co-Founder of Hopestream Community, a CRAFT-trained parent coach, and mother of two kids who struggled with substance misuse. She is the Community Director in The Stream and sits on the Board for Hopestream Community. Cathy shares the journey of her two children...
On today’s episode of Success is Subjective, Joanna welcomes young adult life coach Eileen Der Aris. Eileen is the founder of Young Adults Rising and is passionate about helping young people understand who they really are and how to reframe their life perspectives. Eileen encourages listeners to challenge their thoughts regularly and ask, ‘Is this true? Am I going to believe this?’ and make conscious decisions each day to move towards the goals they have for their life. This episode is an ama...
Today on the show, Joanna welcomes Jack Gillespie as her guest. He holds a Masters of Social Work (MSW) from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and is a licensed LCAS, LCSW-A, and CCS-I. Jack is also an IIN Health Coach Practitioner, an RYT-200 Yoga Instructor, and is currently the first alumni to become a fully licensed member of the clinical team at Momentum Recovery. Jack shares how he was good at hiding his substance abuse as a teen/young adult but after going through a treatm...
In this Former Participant Series, Joanna interviews previously troubled teens and young adults who underwent a treatment program. Today, Joanna welcomes Bella. With incredible vulnerability, Bella shares about her pre-teen and teen years when she became an alcoholic and substance abuser, was admitted to a psych hospital, went to wilderness therapy, a therapeutic boarding school, and residential therapy - which ultimately led her to the work she does today: as a Clinical Program Director for ...
In this Former Participant Series, Joanna interviews previously troubled teens and young adults who underwent a treatment program. On today’s episode, Joanna welcomes Andrew, a one-on-one coach who specializes in teaching adolescents and young adults how to maintain a growth mindset. Andrew shares his journey from the loss of a dear friend due to suicide, to attending wilderness therapy, joining apprenticeships, becoming a mental health counselor, and running his coaching business today. ...
Description: On today’s episode of Success is Subjective, Joanna welcomes Jill Rickel. Jill is a CEP (Certified Educational Planner), the Founder of AO Therapeutic Consulting and she currently travels nationwide to evaluate schools and therapeutic programs. This episode centers on Jill’s journey to her current career path - one that she would not have imagined back when she considered herself a “non-working stay-at-home mom” - a title which, hilariously, turned out to be completely inaccurate...
Today, Joanna is bringing you another story from our special parent series, where she interviews parents whose children have overcome various mental health challenges. This episode of Success is Subjective is a conversation between Joanna and Beth Hillman. Beth is an Arbinger Facilitator, a double-certified Life Coach, and a mother of 5 boys. This conversation touches on the difficulties that her second-youngest son endured including substance abuse and disappearing for days on end which resu...
On today’s episode of Success is Subjective, Joanna welcomes teen and young adult life coach Jeff Levin. With over 40 years of experience working with young people and their families, including 25 years as a practicing Psychotherapist, Jeff has valuable insight into the unparalleled difficulties this generation is facing. With fierce passion, Jeff encourages anyone who knows or works with young people to take the time to stop, connect, and listen to their struggles. Connect with Joanna Lill...
In this Former Participant Series, Joanna interviews previously troubled teens and young adults who underwent a treatment program. In today's episode, Joanna sits down with Ciara Fanlo, a self-proclaimed former "troubled teen" turned mentor for adolescents through her business, Homing Instinct, and various other therapeutic platforms. Ciara openly discusses the transformative impact of wilderness therapy, while also shedding light on the harmful experiences she endured in a therapeutic boardi...
In this Former Participant Series, Joanna interviews previously troubled teens and young adults who underwent a treatment program. On today’s episode, Joanna welcomes Christopher Bennett, a 15-year behavioral health entrepreneur and investor. Christopher’s story has significant twists and turns and he admits that he didn’t initially desire working in his current career field. Now 16 years sober, Christopher is dedicated to serving those individuals with substance abuse and mental health strug...
On today’s episode of Success is Subjective, Joanna welcomes Teen Anxiety Coach and fellow podcaster, Cynthia Coufal. Cynthia’s fascinating story from growing up on a rural farm in Kansas to secretly dropping out of school, to becoming a school counselor, then an entrepreneur and life coach is proof that there is no one path to success. Joanna and Cynthia discuss how sometimes parents need to let go of their expectations and let their child figure it out on their own - and how failure and lea...
Today, Joanna is bringing you another story from our special parent series, where she interviews parents whose children have overcome various mental health challenges. This episode of Success is Subjective is a conversation between Joanna and “Jennifer”, a wife and mother of two young adult children who struggled in different ways. Jennifer recounts the difficult journey of her son dealing with anxiety, depression, ODD, and ADHD and how, by age 15, he was using alcohol and substances to cope....
On today’s episode of Success is Subjective Joanna welcomes Olivia Heffernan, currently the Events, Communications & Youth Services Manager at NAMI San Mateo. Olivia shares her struggles while going through high school: depression, anxiety, an eating disorder, and going to 6 different high schools - ultimately realizing that school wasn’t for her. Through extensive travel during a gap-year program (which she jokes never really ended), Olivia has found success in her work and peace in the ...
In this Former Participant Series, Joanna interviews previously troubled teens and young adults who underwent a treatment program. On today’s episode, Joanna welcomes Patrick Devlin, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Level II Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor, and the co-founder of Skyline Recovery in Bend, Oregon. Patrick shares his experience as a young adult with alcohol and drug abuse and his bumpy - and eventually successful - journey to sobriety. NOTE: The podcasts in this ser...
In this Former Participant Series, Joanna interviews previously troubled teens and young adults who underwent a treatment program. On today’s episode, Joanna welcomes “Steven”. As a teen, Steven was caught up in substance abuse, joyriding, cutting school, and severe defiance at home. At a loss, his parents sent him to a wilderness therapy program which impacted the trajectory of his future. NOTE: The podcasts in this series can include sensitive subjects such as suicide, self-harm, subs...
In this episode of Success is Subjective, Joanna interviews Jay Staples who is the proud owner of A Sober Caddy, a unique creative agency that works with individuals and companies to uncover their authentic purpose and develop it into a brand. Advertising and marketing comes naturally to Jay and he has used it to share with others that authenticity, purpose, and core values are rooted in the path to success. Listen as Jay shares his story and the success that he found due to a course ch...
In this episode of Success is Subjective, Joanna interviews former troubled teens and young adults who are willing to share their story in the new, former participant series. Today, Joanna welcomes Hayley Caddes to share her story with us. She was struggling with undiagnosed mental illness, substance abuse and self-harm issues which led to her being sent to wilderness therapy and residential treatment at the age of sixteen. NOTE: The podcasts in this series may include sensitive subjects such...
In this episode of Success is Subjective, Joanna welcomes Jenney Wilder, founder of All Kinds of Therapy which is the most comprehensive, independent fact-based online directory for Family Choice Behavioral Healthcare Interventions (FCBHI) and the substance abuse industry for troubled teens and young adults. With a diagnosis of ADHD and several other learning disabilities, Jenney is no stranger to the determination and perseverance that it takes to make it through tough times. Listen as she s...
In this episode of Success is Subjective, Joanna shares another interview from the special parent series. This series features parents whose children have overcome a variety of mental health challenges. Today, Joanna welcomes Liz as she shares her son’s journey navigating complex peer influence at a prestigious high school in New York, which ultimately led to his admittance to a rehab facility. NOTE: The podcasts in this series can include sensitive subjects such as: suicide, self-harm, subst...
Today, Joanna has Michelle Hammer on the show to discuss schizophrenia and mental health awareness. Michelle is a schizophrenia activist who spends her time passionately fighting the stigma around this diagnosis. At the age of twenty-two Michelle was diagnosed with schizophrenia after she was misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder at age eighteen. In May of 2015, she founded a mental health focused clothing brand called, Schizophrenic.NYC. You won’t want to miss this incredible, information packe...
On today’s episode Joanna has a conversation with John Karren, who is the owner of Elements Outdoor Therapy Program in Utah. John has dedicated his life to helping families navigate moments of crisis and find comfort in nature. As a decorated competitive endurance swimmer and triathlete, he understands the importance of resilience and perseverance. He attributes his successes in life to his best friend and partner, his wife Melanie. Together they have weathered many of life's storms and trium...
Today’s episode is a conversation between Joanna and Dr. Cameron Caswell who is also known as “the teen translator”. Dr. Cameron is an adolescent psychologist, a private practitioner, a TedX speaker, podcast host, and author. She is the parent of a teen and knows the struggles in navigating those tough teen years. She offers hope and practical strategies to help parents open up their teens' confidence and build stronger, deeper connections with them. Connect with Dr. Cameron Caswell Dr. Came...
Joanna is bringing you a special parent series, where she interviews parents whose children have overcome a variety of mental health challenges. Today’s episode is a conversation between Joanna and Irena. When it comes to parenting, there is not a playbook that parents can use. Parenting is unique to each family and each child. Irena and her husband were struggling with a young adult son who was dealing with depression and anxiety. She admits that she kept this part of their life and th...
On today’s episode of Success is Subjective, Austin Rogers is the executive director of Rooted Life Adventures where she brings experience and passion to her role. She has always sought purposeful work, navigating careers in non-profit, corporate and government sectors before finding her true calling in experiential learning and adventure travel. After moving to New Zealand in 2018, Austin spent 5 years with a leading gap year company that facilitated transformative journeys for over 700 stud...
On this week's episode of Success is Subjective, host Joanna Lilley has an amazing guest on the show, Will Hutchinson. Graduating with a bachelors in science and business administration from the University of Vermont, Will began his career in the financial district in Stanford, CT. From there his journey led him to become the CFO of the Foundation House where he oversees all staff and makes sure everything they offer both clinically and activitiy wise are of the highest caliber. As a leader a...
On today’s episode of Success is Subjective, Ryan Corbey shares his perspective as a parent coach in the mental health profession. Growing up in a large family, Ryan was used to chaos. Without having established his own sense of agency before leaving home, Ryan experienced what he considers a ‘failure to launch’ when he flunked out of college, soon after starting. Learning to embrace life smackdab between failure and success spurned Ryan’s personal growth journey, which helped him earn a degr...
For the entire month of May, in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, Joanna is bringing you a special parent series, where she interviews parents whose children have overcome a variety of mental health challenges. Today’s episode of Success is Subjective is a conversation between Joanna and the father of two sons, York. York shares the mental health challenges his older son faced, which eventually led to alcohol abuse, stays at psychiatric hospitals and eventually, wilderness therapy follo...
For the entire month of May, in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, Joanna is bringing you a special parent series, where she interviews parents whose children have overcome a variety of mental health challenges. Not knowing which came first in a chicken-or-egg scenario, Mary Beth didn’t know if her 15 year old was coping with mental health issues by using marijuana, or if the marijuana caused their mental health issues. Either way, she knew her child needed help and by the time they went...
For the entire month of May, in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, Joanna is bringing you a special parent series, where she interviews parents whose children have overcome a variety of mental health challenges. Today’s episode is a conversation between Joanna and Ashley. When he first went off to college, Ashley’s son seemed relatively stable. But not long into his college experience, her son fell ill, followed by Covid forcing him back home, where it became apparent that he struggled w...
For the entire month of May, in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, Joanna is bringing you a special parent series, where she interviews parents whose children have overcome a variety of mental health challenges. Conceived to a biological mother who was abusing drugs, adoptive mom Josie brought two children into her home with every intention of giving them a better life. But the neglect her son experienced as an infant left a lasting mark that the whole family still works to make up for n...
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