The Way Out Podcast

In this edition of The Way Out Podcast the best Co-Host in the business has an exceptional discussion with writer and person in long term recovery Adam Fout. Adam’s journey to recovery, like many of ours, begins in fits and starts before it takes hold in a way that’s meaningful and enduring. Relapse is a part of many of our stories, and truly we can learn from them and use what we experienced when the next window of recovery opportunity presents itself. Adam’s window flew open with the undeniable help of the hand of God himself when his brother fell gravely ill and with the push he needed from those that loved him most. What Adam did with that opportunity is the stuff that universally makes recovery possible and indeed sustainable; and the genuine and authentic manner in which Adam relays his God inspired, hope filled, and wisdom bearing story is nothing short of compelling so Listen Up. Website: adamfout.com Contact Info: https://twitter.com/adamfout2 https://www.facebook.com/AdamFoutAuthor https://www.linke

In this edition of The Way Out we’ve got a story and a guest like none we’ve had before with motivational speaker, author, and trauma coach Essi Bagheri. From growing up in Iran and separated from his 11 year old mother before the age of 1 and  subject to untold abuses, to child soldier, to refugee and what amounts to more than a lifetime’s battle with addiction and alcoholism, and finally coming out the other side to use his powerful and inspiring story to drive home a powerful message – Do Not Give Up Now. Essi’s story and amazing journey is a case study in a fundamental truth: so long as we’re still alive – there’s always hope. The circumstances of Essi’s experiences are at once extreme and poignant, yet the universality and commonality of what it means and feels like to battle addiction and alcoholism, and the common solution so many of us have found rings pure and true. No question way out casters, this story right here embodies the fundamental problem we all experience and the universal truth that

In this installment of The Way Out cohost Jason has an outstanding interview with Katy Patton. Now, I stopped believing in coincidences somewhere inside of my first six months of Recovery, and I ain’t about to start now. The fact that we had a last minute cancellation, creating a gap in our weekly episode rhythm, combined with the fact that Jason was quite literally on a trip with Katy who’d already agreed to be on the show, and the house of their mutual friend they were staying in had a professional voice over studio? Well, color me convinced that The God of My Understanding wanted Katy’s story to be our 200th episode – a feat I wouldn’t have dreamt possible prior to my own recovery in 2014 round about 5 and half years ago. Katy’s story is one that in large measure is living on both ends of the spiritual spectrum, from a militant, and for a stretch sober atheist to a down and dirty struggle with addiction, in and out of treatment, to finally, a full and complete surrender to the God of her Understanding, in

In this edition of The Way Out we have a truly extraordinary interview with Scarlet Begonias, a full time traveling professional model and person in long term recovery from addiction. We’re truly honored to be the first to share the story of Scarlet’s journey to sobriety and wellness in no small part because of the passion and authenticity woven into her words as she speaks her truth so that it may encourage and inspire you in your own recovery journey. Beautiful inside and out, Scarlet’s unabashed sincerity, forthrightness, and willingness to be vulnerable with us proves in undeniable fashion that comparing our insides with other folks outsides in equal parts self-injurious and counterproductive.  Stay tuned way out casters – Scarlet’s about to take us from a broken, down and out restaurant worker to a woman in long term sobriety quite literally living her dream – with one down right wicked bout with addiction smack in the middle of it all – and most importantly real recovery wisdom combined with an imp

In this edition of the way out we’ve got a truly wonderful and insightful interview with Kelli Martin, a dear friend of mine whom I had the pleasure of meeting inside the rooms of one of my favorite 12-Step fellowships. There is an old saying in the rooms of recovery to describe someone who has allowed their sobriety and recovery to permeate their entire being, mind body and soul. It goes like so “You know, that so and so wears their sobriety like a loose fitting garment” – and that’s exactly the feeling I get every time Kelli and I get the opportunity to talk Recovery. Kelli’s journey to recovery was not easy, perfect, or always pretty – she had to persevere through some incredibly difficult stuff as a child. She had to shed old ideas about God and life that were not serving her. She had to come back to the rooms after a wicked relapse and be intentional about reconnecting to a higher power and getting involved in the 12-Step program and fellowship. She had to find peace with the fact that her two adult chil

In this edition of The Way Out I’m honored to bring you a terrific interview with a loyal listener and now aspiring recovery podcaster Ray Corona the 3rd. Ray’s story is loaded with adversity as he quite literally takes us from being homeless and getting high behind a parking lot trash dumpster all the way to nearly two decades of sobriety with a loving wife and family and even running a company. Above all this is a story that proves to us once again, that no matter how far down the scale we’ve gone, our experience can indeed benefit others. I sincerely believe there’s magic in Ray’s story that will provide hope and change for many here on this podcast and in his own podcasting adventures. There’s true spiritual power in all of our stories, because we see ourselves in them. Because they give us real hope. Hope that we too can recovery. Proof that we too can change, if we’re willing. To that end, and without further ado I give you Mr. Ray Corona the 3rd – so Listen Up. --- Send in a voice message: https://a

This week our favorite recovery pod co-host Jason’s got an enlightening and relatable interview with David O’Meara, who’s authored 2 books which share is personal accounts of his struggles with and recovery from addiction and alcoholism, as well as schizophrenia and depression. David’s shares his story of what it was like to wrestle with both addiction and mental illness openly, honestly, and unapologetically in print and here for us for one simple but powerful purpose – to help those who are still suffering like he once did – and that is a shared mission here at The Way Out Podcast. Undoubtedly, you’ll find yourself relating and identifying with the more poignant pieces of David’s story, and surely you’ll delight in the unmistakable and undeniable message of hope that’s embodied herein so Listen Up. David’s books: The Book of David: God, Life and Recovery https://www.amazon.com/Book-David-God-Life-Recovery/dp/1718067992/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=The+book+of+David+God%2Clife+and+recovery&qid=159296

The Way Out Podcast is on right now. Along with our beloved cohost Jason, I’m Charlie and this edition of The Way Out we’re talking exactly how we can shed the shame that often accompanies alcoholism and addiction and shed it for keeps. Shame and guilt are frequently used interchangeably but they are two distinctly different feelings. I feel guilty if I take something that’s not mine without permission. I feel ashamed because I can’t stop stealing even though I know it’s wrong. Shame is a feeling of unworthiness. It’s a feeling of plain not being good enough. If you really knew who I was and the things I’ve done you wouldn’t want to have anything to do with me. Shame becomes a part of our identity. There’s two likely culprits of this often debilitating and negative cycle perpetuating beast called shame. We’re either ashamed of how we’ve treated people, including ourselves or we’re ashamed of becoming addicts or alcoholics. No doubt we likely are suffering from one or both of them as we enter into recovery. &n

The Way Out Podcast is on right now. Along with the cohost with the mostess, Jason I’m Charlie and we’ve got a stellar rendition of The Way Out on a topic not oft discussed in and out of recovery. Many of us are quite familiar with the Recovery mantra “Do the next right thing” when faced with uncertainty in how to act in a given moment or situation, and for good reason – this saying embodies the idea that we need to act our way into right thinking, rather than think our way into right living. We have new spiritual principles that we’re now aiming toward, principles that are rooted in love and guided by a power greater than ourselves. What happens wayoutcasters, when it’s hard to do the next right thing? How do we move through decisions and situations where doing the right thing is also seemingly the most difficult thing? It’s times like these where the ol’ platitudes of Just Do It and Don’t think Just Do, frankly fall short and rather flat. While these suggestions might be well intended, they’re not all that

I’m super stoked to bring you this bonus mini episode with Buddy C who shares with us his new project – Sober Meditations. Inspired by his work with his own sponsees and centered on the 12-Steps, Spirituality and the healing and transformative power of the practice of mediation, Sober Meditations is available through an app on both Google Play and the Apple App Store as well as online via any current web browser. I’ve been on my own meditative journey for exactly 120 days and mediation is now very much a core spiritual and recovery practice. If you’re looking to start your own foray into mediation, I highly recommend you look to Sober Meditations. Buddy shares his own insight and experience with meditation, walks us through installing and navigating the app, and gives some helpful advice for meditation beginners and pros alike so Listen Up. Get Your Sober Meditations! On the Web: https://sobermeditations.libsyn.com/ Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sobermeditationsapp.android.sober&a

We’ve got a brilliantly informative and enlightening rendition of the show for you all about excuses, recovery, and how to turn these counterproductive defense mechanisms into positive change in progress. Rooted in fear and purpose built to prevent meaningful and rewarding transformation, excuses are quite complicit in the perpetuation of active addiction and alcoholism as well as lack of progress or regression in Recovery and spirituality. Excuses, justification, and rationalization are intrinsically tied together and born out of fear. Perhaps it’s fear of change, or failure, or of losing something we desperately believe we need to survive, such as our substance of choice. Alas, we don’t have to live in a world of excuses, justifications and rationalizations that keep us stuck, sick, and perhaps back in our disease. What we must do, is feel the fear and do the next right thing anyway. Because on the other side of fear wayoutcasters – is freedom. We’ll demystify the how and why of excuse making and share how

I wanted to take a brief moment, off the top to acknowledge and address what’s happening in my hometown in this moment. Born in Minneapolis, raised in the Twin Cities, and a life-long Minnesotan, I am, nay we all are still very much grappling with the heinous and horrendous tragedy that is the killing of George Floyd this past Monday, May 25th. I’m at once experiencing feelings of deep sadness and incredible helplessness after watching the now infamous footage of this horrific event and left desperately searching for a way to help make this right as I watch the city in which was born be burned to the ground and the very fabric of our community be torn apart. Many of you are now experiencing much the same in your own communities this very moment. Only through sobriety and recovery can I turn to the only answer that makes any real sense at all. I must turn to love, compassion, and put them into action. To that end our family will be donating food and supplies to my beloved South Minneapolis this very afternoon.

This week co-host extraordinaire Jason’s got a killer interview with Heidi Davis, a woman in long term recovery from alcoholism and addiction and very passionate about what brought her to and keeps her in long term recovery. I happened to read one of her social media posts that read like an intro to a recovery memoir and immediately said to your favorite recovery co-host “get her on the show”. I can’t tell you exactly why I was immediately compelled to get Heidi on to share her story, but I’ve learned after a few 24 hours in recovery to trust my instincts when they speak to me, and this time my instincts were demanding for Heidi to share her experience, strength, and hope. I do not claim to be a Christian, nor do I believe that Christianity, or any other religion is the only way to recover or the only path to freedom from Addiction and Alcoholism. What I do sincerely and whole heatedly believe however, is that it is indeed, if you will indulge me a play on words A Bonafede Way Out of addiction and/or alcoholi

In this edition of The Way Out we turn our collective attention to a the very human need of connection and as we’ll discover, it has particular importance to those of us in Recovery from substances or other addictive behaviors. Recent and mounting evidence suggests one of the factors in determining whether or not an individual will develop an addiction is their ability or inability to establish and maintain healthy, meaningful connections to others, to the world around them, and to something greater than themselves. In a very real way, the opposite of addiction is not sobriety, it is indeed connection. Abstinence, however is a prerequisite for those of us who are addicts, alcoholics, or both for the artificially induced dopamine high courtesy of something decidedly non-human blocks our ability to connect in a meaningful, authentic way to the very people we so desperately want to connect with, whether we are aware of it or able to admit it or not. It’s no coincidence then, many of us who are in the midst of, o

This edition of The Way Out is all about change. At the center of the recovery journey is a transformational change that occurs within us that allows us to shed old, negative and self-defeating thoughts, beliefs, ideas, and most importantly behaviors and begin to replace them with those that are healthy, positive and aligned with who we yearn to be. A truth my dear, late member of my home 12-Step group was fond of goes “If you don’t change, your sobriety date will”. If we are to recover, instead of merely abstain, we must change. In the beginning we may change because we’re sick and tired of being sick and tired, or because the pain of staying the same become greater than the fear of change; or because if we don’t – we’ll die. Even in the most dire of circumstances; change is hard. It’s Messy – and it feels wrong. It’s supposed to feel foreign, like you’re wearing somebody else’s clothes or living someone else’s life – which in a way is true you’re living in the new you and it’s going to take a good while bef

This week we’ve got an absolutely delightful interview with the Author of the new book “The March to Madness”, Nelson Dacier. Nelson, now six years sober, shares his story; which was the inspiration for his book, with equal measures of humor, wisdom, and authenticity. We dig into his recovery journey, what it finally took to enter meaningful and long-term recovery, and his process in writing the tale of the debaucherous double life he led during active addiction, the unbelievable events that lead him to the literal brink of death, and what recovery looked like in the aftermath of the tumultuous saga that was his life prior to getting sober round about six years ago. This one’s got it all folks, so Listen Up. Reach out to Nelson: https://nelsondacier.com/ Book Recommendation: Drop the Rock https://www.hazeldenbettyford.org/articles/fred-h/drop-the-rock-meaning --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-way-out-podcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-way-out-podcast/support

This week Jason’s got an absolutely terrific interview with transformational and Imago Relationship Therapist, Love Coach, and Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Rachel Levy. Rachel shares with us about her journey, her practice, and her creation; the 12 steps of Healthy Love. We learn about the 4 pillars of her recovery program that is designed to be accessible to all. Rachel shares her truth with us as well as an abundance of spiritual, emotional, and transformational wisdom, which is all centered in love. Get ready way out casters – Rachel is a total powerhouse - a modern-day sage who’s got insight and spiritual truth to spare and we’re about to dive headfirst into the deep well of a Bonafede love guru – so listen up. Rachel's song recommendations- Everything is Allanis Morissette's song defining what the Shadow is according to Debbie Ford’s definition:  our shadow is all of the qualities within us both Our Light and Our Dark.  Embracing our Shadow, every part of it, was inspired through Ford's sh

This week we’ve got an interview that will push the limits on your conventional understanding of what it means when we hear the 12-Step vernacular around practicing the principles of recovery in all our affairs. Entrepreneur, writer, and public speaker Michael Brody-Waite contends far too many of us in recovery are likely, and unwittingly compartmentalizing the tremendous power, embodied in the 12-Steps, exclusively to our addictions all the while shielding the other parts of our lives that could be similarly transformed – if we only applied the very same principles of Recovery to other parts of our lives – namely our work lives. Michael and I discuss specifically what elements of Recovery can transform your work life and how to apply them and his new book – “Great Leaders Live Like Drug Addicts: How living like a drug addict will transform the way you lead yourself and others” all the while sprinkling in his recovery journey and the spiritual wisdom embodied within his 17 plus years of continuous Sobriety so

This week we’re addressing a topic that very likely affects many of us as we enter into recovery, and especially the longer we sustain our recovery. But before I introduce this week’s topic; I’d like to humbly invite anyone who’d like to hear my recovery story to join a weekly online Zoom speaker meeting at 8pm Central Time this Saturday the 18th of April. A dear friend of mine, Buddy C. asked if I would share my recovery story – and I was told under no uncertain terms very early in Recovery that when asked to be of service; we are obliged to do so given we have the ability. Check the show notes for the details on how to attend and I hope to see you all there! Now, back to this week’s topic. We’re talking about experiencing Survivor’s Guilt after someone close to us relapses or tragically dies as a result or consequence of their addiction and/or alcoholism. Greif is a complex, difficult, and often messy process that can be complicated by the emotions associated with Survivor’s Guilt. We may be plagued by ques

This week Jason’s got an interview that all you ladies out there will especially relate to with Ashlee Herget. Don’t tune out just yet though gents; I related to Ashlee’s story in a way I didn’t expect and though I know I shouldn’t be surprised by now; the universal struggles that unite our collective experience as people in, or contemplating recovery show up early and often in Ashlee’s story. Just shy of 3 years clean and sober, Ashlee brings her story to us in a disarmingly frank and vulnerable retelling of her journey to recovery rife with fits of inadequacy; shame, family turmoil and knock down drag out bouts of addiction and alcoholism – all from the female perspective. So to all you ladies out there bringn’ your sober on the daily, this one’s for you and for every single one of us there’s a whole lot recovery wisdom and insight about to be heard regardless of what gender you happen to identify with so Listen Up. Book recommendations: Jesus Calling- by Sarah Young https://www.jesuscalling.com/books/jesus