The Way Out Podcast

in this edition of The Way Out, our intrepid co-host Jason brings us a truly special interview with person in long term recovery, motivational speaker, educator, trainer, professional storyteller, and award-winning spoken word poet Joseph Green. Joseph has been featured in numerous publications as well as the recently released award winning documentary film, Tipping the Pain Scale. Joseph’s presentations and workshops are for anybody seeking a reconnection to purpose, motivation, or community. Joseph has a distinct ability to viscerally articulate the emotional experience of addiction, and the imperfection of what recovery can feel like. One of Joseph’s core messages he shares with us and audiences worldwide is one that is at the center of what The Way Out Podcast is all about - the truly transformative power of Story. Finding our voices and sharing the inspirational and healing power embodied within our powerful Recovery stories has the very real capacity to heal others while at the very same time healing ou

In this rendition of The Way Out we have an extremely relatable and inspiring discussion with musician, fellow podcaster and person in long term recovery Nick Warnke. Nick’s journey to and through recovery from addiction to this point was anything but linear, which only adds to the inspirational and relatable value embodied within his nothing short of miraculous story. Perhaps the most edifying elements personified by Nick’s journey, in order of appearance, are that childhood trauma and adverse childhood experiences are not a prerequisite to experience a substance use disorder, the reality is that addiction can take hold with or without childhood trauma. Perhaps equally instructive is how Nick’s substance use evolved from an easier to justify pill addiction to IV heroin use and the insidious justifications that accompanied this near fatal escalation. The lines we draw while in the throws of addiction that we swear we will not cross, and mean it with every fiber of our being, can be rationalized and justified

In this edition of The Way Out, our beloved and intrepid recovery podcast co-host Jason is back with an outstanding interview with person in long term Recovery, JR Weaver. JR is the author of the self-help book, Addiction Manifesto, and the CEO and founder of Recovery Revolution, which started as a Facebook page and has evolved into a 501C3 nonprofit with more than 246,000 followers. He is also a recovery advocate, Certified Peer Recovery Specialist, and a mentor for the Veteran Treatment Court in Charleston County South Carolina. Above all else, JR is a genuinely amazing human being which is revealed as he shares his journey to and through recovery with us to this point. No doubt JR’s Higher Power is making big moves through JR as a result of his amazing recovery journey as manifested by his work in the recovery community and you're about to learn all about it so listen up. JR's contact info: jrweaver0@gmail.com Recovery resources: http://recovery-revolution.org/ Veterans Treatment Court | Probate Court Offi

In this edition of The Way Out we have Recovery Coach, psychotherapist, author, and person in long term recovery herself – Veronica Valli. Veronica was an absolute delight to interview for myriad reasons, not the least of which is her remarkable ability to get to the heart of what our core problem is and precisely how we can address it with her new book Soberful – Uncover a sustainable, fulfilling life free of alcohol. Many of us, myself included, can identify with the persistent internal emotional and mental turmoil that is so eloquently described in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous by Bill Wilson as restlessness, irritability, and discontentedness that prior to recovery is but temporarily assuaged through succumbing to our addictive behavior or substance of choice. This presents the impossible predicament of not being able to manage our addiction, yet not being able to tolerate abstaining from our addiction lest we become – you guessed it – restless, irritable, and discontent. Indeed, that was my dilemm

In this edition of The Way Out, we’ve got an exceedingly illuminating and enlightening interview with Author, Artist and Teacher Day Schildkret who’s new book Hello, Goodbye: 75 Rituals for Times of Loss, Celebration, and Change though not written exclusively for the Recovery Community is nonetheless extremely relevant to those of us who are in Recovery. Rituals are an extremely practical way to attach tangible meaning to significant events and to add meaning to daily life through attaching that activity or event with a specific act like preparing a meal, burning something, or even doing something as seemingly simple like lighting a candle. The magic in ritual is that it’s rooted in the idea that it’s action that changes our thinking and emotions not the other way around which is so eloquently expressed by one of my most beloved Recovery sayings – We can’t think our way into right living, we must act or way into right thinking. Day and I talk on why ritual is a valuable exercise and why it’s so completely com

In this edition of The Way Out we have an outstanding interview with person in long term recovery, Vienna, a marketing extraordinaire by day and social media sober inspiration and artist by night. Vienna shares with us her journey to and through Recovery this point, which has been marked by both sides of the destructive force of addiction and alcoholism in first having to watch helplessly as loved ones fall into the spiral of addiction and ultimately enduring the death of a partner due to addiction. Addiction wasn’t done with Vienna yet, as she ended up having her own reckoning with alcoholism. Vienna’s unmitigated candor in relating her story and undeniable inspiration is extremely relatable so listen up. If you want to reach out to Vienna, email share@wayoutcast.com Recovery literature (Quit Lit) Recommendation: Blackout: Remembering the things I drank to forget https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blackout-sarah-hepola/1120481005 Best piece of Recovery advice: Be yourself Song that reminds Vienna of Recovery:

In this edition of The Way Out, our intrepid recovery co-host Jason has an outstanding interview with Recovery advocate and ally Jaclyn Brown who is also a survivor of a loss of a family member due to addiction. Jaclyn is also the creator and host of the Dark and Enlightened Podcast, a podcast in which Jason was a recent guest so be sure to check that episode out post haste! Jaclyn shares about her life and the loss of her brother Mark to an overdose in 2018, an experience that made her aware that she needed to dig deep and work on herself. Her journey of self-discovery both enlightened and inspired her to learn as much as she could about the disease of addiction. Today Jaclyn is a harm reduction expert, Narcan trainer and volunteer, and all-around recovery advocate extraordinaire. Jaclyn’s story is just beginning, as she just quit her job in Corporate America in search of a true vocation in the recovery sphere, and Jason’s interview with this recovery powerhouse starts right now, so listen up. Contact Info a

In this rendition of The Way Out I’m incredibly honored to bring you my interview with writer, author, and person in long term recovery Jeff Romig. Jeff shares his journey to and through recovery to this point with us from both alcoholism and suicidal ideation and the inspiration behind his new, incredibly relatable, and well written book Don’t Fucking Kill Yourself: A Memoir of Suicide, Survival, and Stories that Keep Us Alive. The book reads like my memory works, which is to say it’s not written in chronological order yet as the story unfolds it very much feels it’s happening in just the order it’s supposed to. Well documented is the incidence of the cooccurrence of addiction and mental illness and my experience and that of many others who’ve shared their stories with us is that only through actively addressing both the alcoholism or addiction along with the mental health disorder does true recovery and wellness begin to take hold and indeed flourish. That certainly is echoed in masterful fashion in Jeff’s

In this edition of The Way out, recovery co-host extraordinaire Jason had the pleasure of talking with Chekesha Kay Ellis about her opioid journey and Recovery advocacy. She never so much as touched a drug in her life, but a torn meniscus began a 10 year prescription addiction that nearly killed her, and did indeed cause opioid toxicity, which permanently damaged her hearing. Chekesha’s transparency as she shares her journey to and through recovery to this point is nothing short of amazing. Without question, this episode features a whole lot of real recovery talk, so listen up. Contact info: infochasenomore@gmail.com Website: chasenomore.org Best piece of advice: Let go of toxic people Book recommendation: CashApp $15 to Chekesha Ellis at $Chasenomore for autographed copies of A Life Of Kayos: My Opioid Journey through Hell, Hope and Healing Or buy on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08RC5RCV6/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1629736231&sr=8-1-fkmr0%2F Resources: Recoveryvoices.com Shatterproof.

In this edition of The Way Out I’m downright ecstatic about bringing you all my interview with musician and person in long term recovery STATiC whom I had the tremendous opportunity to meet while doing our still very much relevant Panel Discussion on Staying Sober for the Holidays along with mutual friend Shane Ramer and The Way Out’s spectacular co-host Jason Rudeen which is available for your listening pleasure on episode number 267 on the very same platform you’re listening to this episode on. STATiC shares his super relatable journey to and through Recovery to this point with us with true sincerity and humility along with an abundance of Recovery and Spiritual wisdom to boot. STATiC and I have an absolute blast as we talk growing up as self-identified misfits in the 80’s and 90’s, our mutual love of guitars and great music, and of course STATiC’s road to Recovery, woven with the all the pain, struggle and adversity along with the vital tools, truth and hope that his story and life now very much embodies -

In this edition of The Way Out, our beloved recovery podcast co-host Jason catches up with an old friend, Cynthia Baade who is a person in long term recovery and a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist Reciprocal. Now time for a moment of total and complete transparency for a purpose about this interview. One of Cynthia’s little ones is in the background on and off as you heard in the intro and that continues in the interview along with a cacophony of background noise on and off. My first gut instinct was we needed to scrap the whole thing and re-record the entire interview. But then I decided I was going to start editing it anyhow, which now feels very much like a Higher Power moment. No doubt, the audio on this interview is far from perfect despite my best efforts to work my editing magic. What is also undeniably true is how genuinely authentic and refreshing it is to hear Cynthia tell her story with the medley of sounds that make up the day-to-day life of a parent in Recovery. Life isn’t perfect and flawless,

This week I’m thrilled to bring you an interview with person in long term recovery Kim Bemis, who is also the Founder and Executive Director of Gobi Support, the first and only online platform that offers drug and alcohol prevention and early intervention programs for parents and their teenagers. As a person in long term recovery himself, along with years of working in the addiction treatment industry, Kim saw a gap in the services provided by traditional drug and alcohol treatment centers in that they provided services only after dependency or addiction presented within an individual, largely overlooking the role prevention could play in stemming potential problem use among people of all ages, but most critically, teenagers. Thus, Kim worked to bring Gobi Support to fruition which is laser focused on reaching 13-17 year old’s who are experimenting with drugs and alcohol with the goal to prevent future substance abuse and dependence. Kim shares with us his highly relatable journey to and through recovery to t

In this installment of The Way Out, spectacular recovery podcast co-host Jason has a downright authentic and relatable interview with person in long term recovery, Pedro Zuniga. Jason and Pedro talk about life, love, family, and discuss some common hurdles that many of us face while repairing our relationships in recovery. Jason and Pedro’s conversation reveal some key recovery truths such as how the ongoing process of learning a new way to live leads us to a more intimate knowledge of ourselves. Indeed, every situation we go through clean and sober brings about just a wee bit more wisdom and confidence that we can live life on life’s terms no matter what life throws our way. Pedro’s story is incredibly instructive and very easy to relate to for any one of us no matter where we are at in our own recovery so listen up. Contact info for Pedro: 763-807-6210 Book recommendation: The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous Best piece of advice: "You can't save the world. You can't save them. It's their choice if they wan

In this edition of the The Way out we have an incredibly illuminating and enlightening interview with a truly special guest in Randy Anderson, who is a person in long term recovery, recovery advocate extraordinaire and an overall tremendous human who dedicates himself to improving access, availability, and equity in recovery services both locally in Minnesota and nationally through training individuals in and advocating for critical recovery services like peer recovery support services. Randy’s journey to and through recovery to this point is without question chalked full of adversity, both in childhood as well as in active substance use complete with a prison stint and a meaningful recovery that provided the foundation for Randy to be the incredible recovery advocate he is today. Randy shares with us a wealth of recovery wisdom and insight into how recovery advocacy works and more importantly why it matters so listen up. Contact Randy and learn more about Bold North Recovery: https://www.boldnorthrecoveryand

In this edition of The Way Out our beloved recovery podcaster and Cohost Jason has an outstanding interview with person in long term recovery and Peer Recovery Support Specialist Supervisor, Kyle Brewer. Jason gets an opportunity to really connect with Kyle and his journey to and through recovery to this point which is chalked full of universal Recovery and Spiritual wisdom and truths. Kyle's a gifted individual who has found his purpose managing the Arkansas Peer Specialist Program Grant, and working for NAADAC, The Association for Addiction Professionals. More specifically, Kyle supervises the Peer Support Services in the E.R. at The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Kyle shares his lived experience as a person in long term recovery and talks about how he uses that in his ministry and in peer recovery services so listen up. Contact Kyle: kbrewer@naadac.org Kyle's Peer Specialist Program: https://www.naadac.org/arkansas-peer-specialist-program?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=pmd_UQ8y9ZqZk41y2li.shaPXhRt3rXFbR

This week we have an early Holiday Treat for you with an encore presentation of the first ever live streamed recovery show featuring Recovery podcast cohost extraordinaire Jason and I along with none other than That Sober Guy Shane Ramer with special guest STATiC. The link to the video is in the show notes, so be sure to check that out should you have an overwhelming desire to see the faces behind the microphones you hear every week. We cover a whole range of recovery topics all centered on staying sober during the Holidays. We discussed having a sober holiday plan, having fun sober, self-care in Recovery & more plus we took live questions from those who watched it live so listen up. Watch the video here: http://ow.ly/7NnM50GMwoS (c) 2021 The Way Out Podcast | All Rights Reserved Theme Music: “all clear” (https://ketsa.uk/browse-music/) by Ketsa (https://ketsa.uk) licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-way-out-p

In this installment of The Way Out our good friend and person in long term recovery, Buddy C. joins us for an incredibly enlightening and downright instructive discussion that is jam packed with spiritual and recovery truth centered on Buddy’s new book Powerless but not Helpless. Powerless but not helpless is an incredibly useful and instructive distillation of the underlying principle in each verse of the Toa Te Ching for those contemplating or already living a sober lifestyle. Buddy artfully combines each principle with a direct correlation to universal tenets of 12-Step recovery further crystallizing the clear connection between them. Buddy and I discuss often discussed but perhaps not well understood spiritual concepts of surrender and forgiveness, which are core to the Toa’s spiritual teachings as is the spiritual truth that in order to truly experience love, we must actively and intentionally give it through acts of service and kindness to our brothers and sisters in and out of recovery. Without questio

In this edition of the Way Out Jason the recovery co-host with the most talks with person in long term recovery Erik Bolton, who shares his story of addiction and alcoholism with us, along with plenty of hope that not only is recovery possible, life is MO Better clean and sober. Erik was offered a chance in early recovery to be a part of something that ended up being a total game changer... to work for MONetwork for Opioid Reform and MO Better Living sober housing. As you’ll soon find out, Erik’s a natural leader for the folks in his community and a fine example of what meaningful and enduring recovery can look like so Listen Up. Book Recommendation: Just For Today https://www.amazon.com/Just-Today-Meditations-Recovering-Addicts/dp/1557761515/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1634867271&sr=8-2 Best piece of advice: "Don't make someone else's stuff yours" Recovery Song: Nobody Greater by Vashawn Mitchell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QSbqSuwwx0 Contact Erik: Erik Bolton 3143913127 Missouri Net

In this rendition of The Way Out, we have an unapologetically and downright British interview with bona fide Pacific Crest Trail Through Hiker, author, person in long term recovery, and grateful member of Alcoholics Anonymous, Person Irresponsible who hiked 2653 miles starting at the border of Mexico in California and ultimately arriving at the US/Canadian border in northern Washington State just as a global pandemic was poised to take the world by storm and not only lived to tell about it, wrote a spectacular book that is equal parts travelogue, 12-Step reflection, and recovery memoir weaved together in hilarious and poignant fashion. Person Irresponsible or PI to those of us who’ve had the pleasure to meet her, is a pseudonym as is custom for those who embark upon the Pacific Crest Trail or PCT for those in the know. PI shares with us about her extraordinary odyssey that was the PCT hike, her journey to and through recovery to this point, and an abundance of spiritual and recovery truth centered in her expe

In this installment of The Way Out, recovery co-host extraordinaire Jason’s got an incredible interview with a real dynamo of a guest with person in long term recovery, entrepreneur and author, Jeff Vickers. Jeff has an infectious personality, and his energy is so uplifting that you can’t help but feel how fired up he is about recovery! Jeff shares openly about his gritty past, what's worked miracles in his life, and all about his new book, Sober Slogans as well as his big plans for the future! This is a great interview that will leave you wanting to learn much more, so listen up. Contact Jeff: soberslogans@gmail.com FB: @SoberSlogans TikTok: sober_slogans IG: sober_slogans Sober Slogans: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1737194007/ref=nodl_?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860 Best piece of advice: Keep comin' back Book Recommendation: The Bible Song that symbolizes recovery: Legends are Made - Sam Tinnesz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKVZrbitbd8 (c) 2021 The Way Out Podcast | All Rights Reserved Theme Music: “all clear” (