Recovery Gals Podcast: Recent Episodes
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You are welcome here! Recovery Gals is a safe space for all to share their addiction and recovery experiences. Hosts Jennifer Burger and Carrie Ross are two ordinary gals recovering out loud. They are on a mission to share the joy of freedom with anyone struggling with addiction, offering the hope that recovery can bring. While they don’t claim to be experts, they have connected and learned from many who have insights to inspire and stories to celebrate.
Jessica Lahey is the author of the New York Times bestselling book, The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed and The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence. Over twenty years, Jess has taught every grade from sixth to twelfth in both public and private schools, and spent five years teaching in a drug and alcohol rehab for adolescents in Vermont, and serves as a prevention and recovery coach at Sana at Stowe, a medical detox and recovery center in Stowe, Vermont. She writes about education, parenting, and child welfare for The Washington Post, The Atlantic, is a book critic for Air Mail, and her biweekly column “The Parent Teacher Conference” ran for three years at the New York Times. She designed and wrote the educational curriculum for Amazon Kids’ award-winning animated series The Stinky and Dirty Show, and was a 2019 Pushcart Prize nominee for her Creative Nonfiction magazine essay, “I’ve Taught Monsters.” Jess holds the dubious honor of having written an article that was later adapted as a writing prompt for the 2018 SAT. She co-hosts the #AmWriting podcast with bestselling authors KJ Dell’Antonia and Sarina Bowen, and lives in Vermont with her husband, two sons, and a lot of dogs.
On the podcast today, we take a deep dive with Author Bill Vanderbush. A powerful conversation about Jesus and his Reckless Grace.
Bill in his own words:
If you ask Bill what he does, this is what he might say. "I write books and give talks on mystical spirituality defined in Christ." Bill and Traci Vanderbush have been in ministry for over 30 years. Bill grew up on the mission field, traveling all over the world and seeing thousands impacted by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He married his childhood best friend and high school sweetheart, Traci, in 1991. Bill and his wife, Traci, currently travel, speaking in conferences and churches around the world. Bill’s consuming passion is to introduce people to the resurrection power of Jesus Christ, who still saves, delivers, and heals. He enjoys empowering others to invade the impossible. Bill and Traci currently live in Orlando, Florida.
Today's episode is an important one! We have on Jessi Jean, Food Freedom Coach. She helps women stop binge eating and over eating. She is also the host of the Dear Body Podcast.
Jessi in her own words:
A simple gal that grew up in a tiny cabin in Colorado who turned her decade long struggle with food + body into her mission. Now I help women all around the world end the fight with food + find confidence in their skin so they can live in complete freedom.
Ben Taylor is a self-aware narcissist.
Ben in his own words. I am on my own journey of healing and growth bringing awareness on narcissistic abuse and how it has affected my life and others.
I work daily with Narcissistic Abuse Survivors to find healing and be free from trauma.
I also interact with Narcissists to try to wake them up and help them change.
Can you believe we're already at Episode 16? Today Carrie and Jen are going deeper and talking about all things Season 1 (so far). We'll also be talking about codependency in our own lives. Enjoy!
Today we have on Matt Smith from Matt Smith Coaching. Matt is a Porn Addiction Coach. He leaves us with answers to questions and how to get help if you're stuck in the cycle of pornography addiction.
Here's Matt in his own words:
I help men free themselves from porn addiction, change their thoughts, and repair their relationships.
We look at porn because we can’t handle life — we’re stressed out, anxious, or just bored, and looking at porn feels like a great escape but it’s also highly addictive.
I work with my clients to change their thoughts and beliefs so they no longer design porn through my one-on-one mindset coaching. I teach them how to feel their feelings and take control of their mind so they do not need to escape reality by using porn.
I want to see you succeed and I can show you how.
On this episode we have Jessica Jeboult from A Sober Girls Guide. Jessica in her own words:
"I will guide you to evoke your inner power and take control of your life."
I am a relatable, no-BS expert on addiction and a mental health advocate. If you want to change your life and shift your mindset, I am your girl. I am here to teach you how to thrive in recovery.
Not only do I have the knowledge I have the life experience. With a background in psychology and over 10 years of compound sobriety, I know what it takes to over come your biggest hurdle in life, yourself.
Y'all! Today we have on Christian Artist Ben Fuller! We hope you love him as much as we do!
Music has taken Ben Fuller’s life and made it into something he never would have dreamed. Ben grew up in Southern Vermont on his family dairy farm working along-side his father. He'd pass the time by singing to old classic country tunes as he witnessed first-hand the hard work and dedication it took to run a farm. The songs never stopped and somewhere between the farm and college, he picked up a guitar and never looked back.
Due to generations of hurt in his family, Ben struggled with certain aspects of growing up and turned to cocaine and alcohol at a young age. In 2015, Ben got involved in a devastating drug-fueled relationship which led him to understand better, the other side of addiction. In addition, come 2017, he abruptly lost his best friend to a heroin overdose and his entire outlook on life shifted.
Motivated to change, he moved to Nashville to pursue a career as a country singer in late 2018. A family Ben was close with invited him to church one Sunday and as he walked the halls into the auditorium filled with 3,000 people, he knew one day he would sing "that kind of music" for the rest of his life. Falling face first into his new-found relationship with Jesus, he began writing with a burning desire to share what God did to turn his life around. Today, Ben lives completely sober, while sharing his story filled with hope, mercy and grace. By turning his testimony into songs, he has been rejuvenated with a new passion and mission; to share his story with the world and all who are ready to listen.
On this episode we're talking to our very own therapists Alicia Rowley, LMHC, CADC and Shannon Westbrook LISW, MSW, CADC. We talk about the type of therapy we do, the healing we've received and the freedom it's brought to both Jennifer and Carrie. May is Mental Health Awareness Month and we want to talk all things mental health as we believe our country is in a mental health crisis.
More on our therapists:
Alicia Rowley, LMHC, CADC is a licensed mental health therapist with 6 years clinical experience in mental health and addiction counseling. As a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor, Alicia specializes in substance abuse, codependent relationships, trauma, abuse, attachment issues, and anxiety disorders. She works with individuals ages twelve and up as well as couples in therapy. Along with working toward EMDR certification, her skills and experience help people overcome adverse life circumstances. Earlier in her career, Alicia taught reading and English in a public school setting. She worked at House of Mercy in their residential and outpatient programs treating substance abuse disorders and co-occurring issues. For the past four years, she worked with LifeWorks providing mental health therapy for individual and couples’ therapy.
Shannon Westbrook, LISW, MSW, CADC is a licensed therapist with 13 years’ experience. She has worked in a variety of settings working in both inpatient and outpatient. Shannon began her career serving women with co-occurring issues at House of Mercy. She has helped children and families as an in-home worker and adolescents and adults in a psychiatric hospital setting. Currently, Shannon provides individual trauma-focused therapy to adults and outpatient group work addressing mental/emotional health issues until she joins EMDR & Beyond in January 2019.Along with being an EMDR therapist working towards certification, she is also a Certified Alcohol and Drug counselor. Shannon uses an eclectic approach to trauma work, pulling from CBT, DBT, ACT, EMDR and Matrix concepts. While her client base is primarily adults, Shannon is beginning to work more with children and adolescents. She has a passion for helping people with adverse life issues including trauma, shame, self-esteem, grief and loss, relationship issues, depression, anxiety, addictions, and emotional intensity.
Today on the podcast we have George Wood! George is a Pastor, Author, Speaker, Recovered Addict, Suicide Survivor, Activist, "Trauma Consultant" George in his own words: I am a recovery and faith activist. I have walked out my own recovery faith journey spending most of my adult life as a recovery advocate and ministry leader in Tampa, walking with hundreds of men and women to radical freedom through unconventional faith. Over the last few years, I knew God was calling me to do more, to share what I've learned about the power of authentic community to heal the trauma that causes addiction, mental health problems, and suicide. Now I'm focusing on mobilizing a generation of believers to go deeper!
Brit Eaton is a writer, speaker, discipler, and all-around pursuer of the Kingdom of God. She helps corporate, nonprofit, and ministry leaders find the words to say to move people to action.
An eager apostle and strong advocate for nontraditional recovery and women in ministry, Brit ministers in diverse, spirit-filled environments committed to unity in the Body of Christ. Brit is co-author of Reckless Grace, a book inspired by and developed with Bill Vanderbush and co-author of The Uncovery, a soon-to-be-released book inspired by and developed with George Wood.
Brit lives in a log home on ten wooded acres in Mount Vernon, Ohio with her husband, Mike and daughter, Bella and they are a part of Reformation 1420, a decentralized group of Christian reformers.
Evan Owens is the Executive Director of REBOOT Recovery.
At REBOOT Recovery, we introduce people to the redemptive heart of God through our trauma healing courses and online community. Our programs provide a unique blend of clinical insight and Christian faith-based support. They are safe, private, peer-led, and outcomes-driven. Our military and first responder programs are offered at no cost to participants.
With nearly 300 course locations spanning 34 states and 7 countries, REBOOT Recovery is the largest peer-led trauma healing program in the world.
Evan Owens specializes in organizational leadership, development, and leveraging technology to elevate a nonprofit’s reach and impact. As a leader, Evan is an expert at maximizing those around him to reach their full potential. Evan has authored several books, including the REBOOT trauma healing curriculum, and has been a keynote and panel presenter at numerous conferences in the trauma recovery space. Evan believes in empowering everyday people to help their friends and neighbors who are struggling in the wake of painful experiences.
Evan Owens was formerly the CEO for Centresource Interactive Agency. Under his leadership, Centresource expanded to a national client base and was privileged to be named in the INC 5000 and the Inner City 100 Fastest Growing Companies in the US lists.
He is married to Dr. Jenny Owens, co-founder of REBOOT and has three young children.
On this episode we have Shay Sober.
Shay in her own words: I got my degree from the School of 'Hard Knocks.' After surviving child-hood sexual assault, religious trauma, and parental addiction I picked up my first drink at 19 and didn't put back down, minus a few exceptions (bouts of sobriety usually trying to prove to someone I didn't have a problem, pregnancy, etc.) for 16 years. Since I've been through it, I now believe it's my job to help others who are also going through it.
On the podcast today is Ann Dowsett-Johnston.
Ann in her own words: I am an award-winning journalist and bestselling author, turned psychotherapist. For more than 25 years, I worked at Maclean’s magazine, Canada’s newsweekly, where I was perhaps best known as the chief architect of the Maclean’s university rankings—and for a series of columns on modern life, including “The Boy Can’t Sleep,” anthologized in Carol Shields’ Dropped Threads II.
Winner of seven National Magazine Awards, I am also the recipient of a Southam Journalism Fellowship and the Atkinson Fellowship in Public Policy. It was for the latter that I prepared a 14-part series on Women and Alcohol in the Toronto Star, looking at the closing gender gap on risky drinking. In 2013, I wrote Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol, a book named one of the top 10 of the year by the Washington Post. Part memoir, part journalistic exploration, the book exposes the “pinking” of the alcohol industry. Says Gabor Mate: “The writing is gripping and vivid, the voice personal, the research exacting, the stories revealing if sometimes heartbreaking, the conclusions essential. A triumphant life, a triumphant book.” Since the publication of Drink, I have worked hard to destigmatize mental health and addiction, earning an honorary Doctor of Laws from Queen’s University for my efforts. I am also the recipient of a Transforming Lives award from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), the American Research Society on Addiction’s Media Award, plus the T. A. Sweet Award from the Ontario Psychiatric Association for helping address stigma related to mental health and addiction. In 2017, I decided to follow my heart, applying to the Master’s of Social Work program at Smith College in Northampton, Mass. What this represents is the fulfillment of a decades-old dream: to become a psychotherapist. During my internships, I worked at the Jean Tweed Centre in Toronto, and with psychotherapist Jan Winhall at Focusing on Borden.Writing remains a significant part of my life, and I am hard at work on my second book. In my spare time, I am a white-water reader, a lover of nature, and a traveller. I am the mother of one grown son, Nicholas Johnston, also a psychotherapist, who is married and lives in Los Angeles.
Adam Foster is the man behind Sober Dad, who has a massive following of Facebook and Instagram.
A life full of addiction, trials and tribulations. Adam in his own words: I wanted to change so bad... I found myself sitting by a creek 3 days after my most recent release with a loaded pistol in one hand and a loaded needle in the other. I was having a torturous inner battle, contemplating suicide... Thank God that's the day I finally surrendered. I finally admitted this thing was bigger than me and I needed help. My life was unmanageable. I went to rehab. Almost 4 years later and I cant believe how different my life is... I haven't had to rob, steal or beg to survive. I haven't been to jail or prison in 3 and a half years! Yeah that may not seem like much to you, but I haven't put together more than a few months outside of a facility since I turned 19... I held down a job for 3 years, God that feels good. I live a pretty simplistic life, but it sure beats the hell out of not knowing when your really gonna eat again or how your gonna come up with enough money for your dope today and your cell phone bill, cause if we can't have both we don't want the phone, we'll worry about that later. Now I have sense of self worth and self respect... Now I have value. I have dreams and goals that I believe I can achieve. My family, our relationships are better than they ever were before I got on dope... hard to believe they ask me for advice sometimes now...they truly love and trust me wholeheartedly and couldn't be happier with the man I'm becoming. They love spending time with me now. More importantly than becoming a man, I'm becoming a father. Wow, I used to be afraid of it, thought I'd never be able to handle it, believed that I would screw it up like I had everything else in the past. Recovery has made it possible for me to be able to provide for my children spiritually, emotionally, and financially. My kids love the person I am today. I like the person I am today. I'm not perfect but I'm getting better every day. Man, when I first came here all I wanted to do was just stop using dope, I've gotten so much more than that... Don't put limitations on what God can do in your life.. Adam has also opened Frontline Recovery, a free, faith-based treatment center. Using his pain for a purpose...here is Adam's story.
I am a 3 Principles Practitioner, Mentor and Host of “Insightful Conversations with Del Adey-Jones” a weekly live-streaming Show and Podcast featuring some of the most impactful voices in the 3P Community.
Thanks to my unconventional childhood growing up in the UK, my former career in Hollywood, and my personal challenges including a divorce and raising my two beautiful sons as a single parent, my practice is informed both by the empathy gained from my real-life experiences and my deeper studies of Spirituality and Human Psychology.
I enjoy working with a wide range of clients, from Teens and their Parents to Recovering Addicts to Top Executives. My specialty is helping my clients recover from Narcissistic Abuse and Codependency issues through the understanding of the 3 Principles. Having had first-hand experience in this area myself, there is nothing more fulfilling than witnessing my clients gain freedom from this toxic relationship dynamic. With my relatable approach to coaching and my commitment to creating a safe space to explore the Inside Out Understanding, I serve a wide range of clients both locally and remotely worldwide.
Today's episode features Nick and Amanda Kearns. Nick's story is the inspiration behind the Recovery Gals podcast. We hope his story inspires you.
Nick in his own words: "My name is Nick Kearns and I'm 42 years old. My story includes 20 plus years of addiction followed by 5 plus years of sobriety. I'm a man of faith, husband, and father. Currently a Case Manager at the Bethel Mission trying to give back to others what I have been given."
On today's podcast, we welcome Dr. Amy Johnson, PhD. She is a psychologist, coach, author, and speaker who shares a groundbreaking new approach that helps people find lasting freedom from unwanted habits, anxiety, and self-doubt via insight rather than willpower.
She is the author of Being Human, The Little Book of Big Change: The No-Willpower Approach to Breaking Any Habit, and Just a Thought: A No-Willpower Approach to End Self-Doubt and Make Peace with your Mind. In 2017 she opened The Little School of Big Change, an online school that has helped thousands of people find freedom from anxiety and habits and live a more peaceful life.
Amy also shares the no-willpower approach in her top-rated podcast, Changeable, and she’s trained over 70 coaches in her Change Coach Training Program. She has been a regularly featured expert on The Steve Harvey Show and Oprah.com, as well as in The Wall Street Journal and Self magazine.
In this episode Jen and Carrie interview each other and take a deeper dive into each others personal stories. We hope that by telling our stories, that you'll be comfortable to share your own.
Jen here. One of my favorite authors, Brene Brown, puts it this way, “The irony is that we attempt to disown our difficult stories to appear more whole or more acceptable, but our wholeness—even our wholeheartedness—actually depends on the integration of all of our experiences, including the falls.”
Who are the Recovery Gals? Hosts Jennifer Burger and Carrie Ross give a brief overview of who we are and what we'll cover.