The Way Out Podcast

We’re bringing you a special episode dedicated to helping you work your program of recovery and survive – nay – thrive in this unprecedented time of Pandemic Covid-19 sane and sober. For many of us we’re dealing with new fears we likely hadn’t even dreamt of just a couple of months ago, and major life changes are being thrust upon us in the form of our daily routines, work lives and home situations. Two mega triggers for recovering addicts and alcoholics – Fear and Change are flaring up for many of us big time right now. We may be feeling off kilter; and reeling from all of these sudden but necessary adjustments and we’re here to help. Working toward being spiritually, mentally and emotionally centered as well as physically healthy is the name of the game and we’ve got just what the Doctor ordered for you as we demystify why so many of us are feeling the way we are right now and give you sound, tried and true spiritually practical actions you can take, one day at a time, to get through the Coronavirus Winter

This week we’ve got an absolutely righteous interview with Singer, songwriter, producer, writer, and all-around dynamo Lisa Daggs. Along with her many and varied artistic talents, Lisa is a person in very long-term recovery, with over 30 years of continuous sobriety. Lisa’s journey to and through Recovery as told through her Book No Turning Back – Regardless is especially relatable and oozing with universal spiritual truth. We talk about the book, her path through addiction and alcoholism while trying to make it in the cut throat, take no prisoners, chew you up and spit you out music industry and what it took to Recover and live life on life’s terms as a sober Christian woman. So lend us your ears won’t you while Lisa spins yarns about days gone by and what life is like now living Sober, Joyous, and Free while we mix in a few handpicked originals by none other than Lisa Daggs. No doubt about it way out casters, you’re in for a special treat – so Listen Up. Original Tracks by Lisa Daggs Featured on this Episod

This week Jason brings us the straight up compelling story of Kristin Massman. Kristin’s recovery story will grab you by throat and not let go until right up to the end. Kristin, an unabashed bi-sexual woman, now over 3 years sober, shares her at times heart wrenching and other times super relatable history in a truly authentic and vulnerable way. You will be captivated by the way her journey has led her from the proverbial gutter to self-discovery, self-acceptance, and her powerful ability to advocate for the development of a more inclusive culture in recovery and the community at large. One where everyone is welcomed, loved and accepted as they are. For all of us who know what it’s like to feel shame around who we truly are, and for all of us who have genuinely known the fear living our authentic selves, who know what it feels like to feel like an imposter in your own life, indeed for all of us who know all too well what it’s like to wrestle with addiction and alcoholism, this story is for you so Listen Up.

This week we’ll hear co-host extraordinaire Jason interview our good friend Peter S, who candidly shares his Recovery story. Peter’s called in to the show a time or three and brings unbridled honesty and spiritual truth every time. Ultimately his is a story of love, loss and redemption, Peter’s remarkably poignant story is rife with pain and anguish as a once promising career in the Wine industry complete with six figures, a beautiful fiancé and all the trappings was ultimately swallowed up by alcoholism and addiction, leaving him literally jobless, penniless, homeless, and alone. We all know better than to think that’s where Peter’s story ends, don’t we? Fact is, in more than a few ways it is truly where his Recovery story begins. I’m telling you all, this story is candid, raw, and seriously compelling and the wisdom and spiritual truth embodied herein is truly palpable, so Listen Up. Book: Varieties of Religious Experiences-William James https://www.gutenberg.org/files/621/621-pdf.pdf Recovery Resources: O

This week we’ve got an outrageously entertaining and wide ranging interview with none other than Neil the Alcoholic. We full on embraced the tangential nature of my guest, in full realization that any attempt to confine him would only serve to douse his innate ability to tell one hell of a story, of which this episode is chalked full. Neil’s been sober a whole long time, and he’s a walking encyclopedia of historical knowledge of maybe everything ever. We travel near and far geographically and otherwise in what is without question one of the most unique and personally amusing interviews I have done to date, and you won’t want to miss a second so Listen Up. --- 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 incredibly relatable, entertaining and enlightening interview with our good friend, Boston Mike. Mike’s been sober since 2012 and is a tremendous advocate 12 Step Recovery – and for good reason – it’s given him more than he could have imagined. Mike spent some time here in the Twin Cities Recovery community; and we became fast friends as kindred spirits are apt to do. We had him in studio over a year ago and due to an unfortunate technical snafu that interview never left the 4 walls of the Way Out Podcast studios. Mike shares his recovery journey with us, how he’s helping others, and what life is like as a working actor and musician in the greater Boston area. This interview is no mere redo, my friends, no it’s a bonafide original much like our Friend, Boston Mike so Listen Up. -Contact info if anyone wants to reach out to Mike michaelstephenswanson@gmail.com -Book Recommendations: The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous Men's guide to recovery Little Red Book -Best piece of advice: Get

This week I’m grateful and humbled to bring you the remarkable and unique Recovery story of Alan S. I was immediately drawn to Alan as he works both the 12-Steps and the program of SMART Recovery, which complement each other quite nicely. Alan’s story is a case in point in why we continue to bring you personal stories of recovery from alcoholism and addiction. This journey to and through alcoholism isn’t one marked by early childhood trauma, adverse childhood experiences, or early abuse of drugs and alcohol. Alan was the quintessential nerd way before it became a cool nerd culture thing right through college, earning high marks and staying far away from any kind of trouble. But as you’ll soon learn, there’s many paths to alcoholism and addiction, and more than one Way Out so Listen Up. Links related to Alan’s Story: https://www.facebook.com/livingthedream99/posts/10218215348837768 https://youtu.be/IIibDRfxVPE https://youtu.be/4QEH2h_D85M https://youtu.be/up4jEoBnrgQ https://youtu.be/i3kaIJC_-TY --- Send i

This week we’ve got interview for the ages with Darren Littlejohn, the author of the 12-Step Buddhist. Darren takes us on an often wild, sometimes humorous, and incredibly enlightening ride as he waxes poetic on 12-Step Recovery, the value of integrating Buddhist practices into our recoveries, all the while sprinkling in his 20+ years of experience, strength, and hope earned along the way of his Recovery journey. Darren conjures up absolute magic when we gave him the opportunity to stream his spiritual consciousness with us. We found spiritual truth galore and a whole heck of a lot more as we explored the miraculous mind of the 12-Step Buddhist so Listen Up. ACE Score Test: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/03/02/387007941/take-the-ace-quiz-and-learn-what-it-does-and-doesnt-mean Spiritual Practice Recommendations: 5 Minutes of Meditation in AM Write down experiences around it for 30 Days Put your hand on your heart and: Look at the other person and say "me too" because we all suffer Tell yourself

This week we’ve got a special episode as a part of our commitment to exploring and illuminating alternative pathways to sobriety and Recovery. Dennis Rosenfeld is the facilitator in chief of SMART Recovery’s online meeting program, and he joins us to help introduce us to SMART Recovery, often referenced as one of the most popular alternatives to the 12-Step Method that is so near and dear to my heart. We explore what SMART Recovery is, and perhaps more importantly, what SMART Recovery isn’t. We’ll also explore some of the tools of this program, tackle common questions folks new to this program might have, as well as how to begin working SMART Recovery and how to attend meetings. We cover a lot of ground with Dennis, and yet only just scratched the surface so be sure to check the show notes for a slew of links to help you get SMART. No doubt the best part of all is how throughout the interview Dennis shares how he was reborn SMART & Sober, so Listen Up. SMART Links: https://www.smartrecovery.org/ Meeting F

This week we’re setting the record straight on an often misunderstood concept in Recovery: the differences between Self Care & Love versus Selfishness and self-centeredness. These concepts may sound similar, but as we’ll learn and unpack in this episode, they are in fact quite the opposite of each other in important ways. We’ll learn what Self Love & Self Care are, what selfishness is and what they look like when they are present in our lives and we’ll discover how to tell if our actions are out of Self Love or if they’ve crossed over into selfishness. Lastly, we’ll gain helpful insight into why self-love and care are so important and how our lives improve when we engage in these love centric activities. Plus, we’ll share feedback from the sober and serious community and take your calls so Listen Up. --- 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 is all about ourselves. Ehem. Well, to be precise, it’s all about self, which is to say our Egos. Ego is central to who we are as individuals and is the lens in which we view ourselves, others, and the outside world through. The state of our Egos has a whole lot to do with how we treat ourselves and others, and when our Egos are out of whack, our sobriety is too. We’ll do our level best to define Ego and how it affects us in Recovery without going into the proverbial weeds or going down too many rabbit holes, which when we’re talking about a subject such as Ego is certainly easier said than done. We’ll provide you with helpful insight and strategies to keep the ‘ol Ego your Amigo and ensure it doesn’t get to high or too low. Plus we’ll share feedback from the Sober & Serious community and take your calls, so Listen Up. Book Mentioned in this Episode: A Course in Miracles: https://acim.org/acim/ Sober Meditations: www.sobermeditationsapp.com Tao of Our Understanding: http://taorecovery.libsyn.com

This week we’re addressing an aspect of recovery, while incredibly important and impactful to many of us in or contemplating recovery, is often overlooked. There’s oodles of information about parenting in general, and some of that is quite applicable, but very little in the way of the unique challenges those of us in Recovery face. We’ll identify the key issues parents in recovery face, how we can overcome them successfully, and how we can use the tools of recovery to become more present, understanding and consistent with our children. Both Jason and I are Parents in Recovery and I assure you we’re not sugar coating the challenges we face as traverse the often-difficult dynamics that present themselves on the daily as recovering parents. As I often say, life has a habit of getting lifey and the parent child relationship is no exception to that rule. Plus we’ll share feedback from the sober and serious community and take your calls so Listen Up. Book Mentioned in this Episode: https://www.hazelden.org/store/it

This week’s edition of The Way Out Podcast is all about goals. Round about this time a year, losta folks are starting to implement their goals for the upcoming year, which makes it an ideal time to bring you an informative and enlightening discussion on goals as they specifically relate to recovery and folks like us who are in or contemplating recovery. We’ll discuss why goals are so important and beneficial, how we can set and achieve long term goals if we’re living a one day at a time sober lifestyle, and perhaps most important how to set goals that are actually achievable and actually improve your overall well being and quality of life. Plus we’ll share oodles of feedback from the Sober and Serious community, so Listen Up. --- 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 a killer interview for us with Jackie LeClair. Jackie’s journey to long term recovery is rife with adversity including sexual abuse and growing up in the projects on the north side of Minneapolis in an often unstable and largely unsafe home environment, which then led into prostitution and ultimately prison . Jackie’s story, at it’s core is one of victory through hardship and true redemption in it’s purest form. Jackie’s journey to now over 11 years clean and sober is at once heart wrenching and inspiring, one of both tragedy and triumph and you won’t want to miss a minute so Listen Up. Article Mentioned in Episode: http://m.startribune.com/addicted-mothers-in-anoka-county-gain-hope-a-future-with-kids/239854981/ Grace Recovery: https://www.gracefellowshipmn.org/recovery Book Recommendation: A Woman’s Way Through the Twelve Steps https://www.hazelden.org/store/item/2309 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-way-out-podcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/th

This week we’re going to help you better understand the art of handling mistakes in Recovery. There are many quotes extolling the virtues around mistake making, some helpful & some not so much however Alexander Pope perhaps said it best in 1711 when he wrote, To err is human. Mistakes, or if we break apart that word into two separate parts; Mis Takes are fundamental to the human experience, yet so many of us fall into self-defeating, counter-productive, serenity smashing thought and behavior patterns both immediately after and long after we make them, no matter how big or small they are. Post mistake self-recriminations, ruminations, and second guessing may result in self-inflicted misery and a self-fulfilling lack of confidence in future endeavors. If you want to break out of this negative and painful feedback loop and be free of the prison of the mind these thoughts and behaviors create and instead spend more time being really present in the current moment in what’s happening right now then you’re gonna

This week I’m sharing an AA Speaker Tape with you, which kind of reminds me of sharing mixed tapes back in the day. How’s that for a frontal display of my old age? I’m not sharing just any ‘ol speaker tape, no I’m sharing one of my most beloved 12 Step talks of all time. One of the most important and impactful truths I learned and have implemented in my recovery is that I don’t have to act the way I feel, or as the co-host Jason puts it, feelings aren’t facts. Don M from Kentucky talks about emotions and how they ruled his life prior to implementing the spiritual practices of 12 Step recovery. This talk, dubbed “Feelings are NOT reality” strikes at the very core of what alcoholism and addiction are in my experience, and Don does a masterful job at laying out the kit of spiritual tools that are indeed the solution to our common problem. The only thing better than his accent is his experience, strength, and hope so Listen Up. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-way-out-podcast/message Support

This week we’ve got a timely episode in store for you on Navigating the Holidays in Recovery. The Holidays can be an especially stressful time charged with difficult emotions and fraught with potentially difficult and risky situations we may not have faced in Recovery. Fear not my faithful friends in Recovery, we’ve got just the thing for you this Holiday with special Holiday edition jam packed and busting at the seams with helpful insights and 12 Tips to Stay clean, sober, joyful and Serene all throughout and after this magical time of year. Plus we share feedback from the Sober & Serious Community and take your calls, so Listen Up! Sobriety Reset for Women: https://sobrietyreset.com/optin33607892 --- 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 we’re talking all about Rule #62 of the 12-Step program Alcoholics Anonymous – Don’t take yourself so damn seriously. On the surface, this seems a rather simple and straightforward concept, however on further review; questions likely arise that don’t appear to have an easy answer like What does it mean to not take ourselves too seriously? How serious is too serious? Isn’t Sobriety and Recovery, at its core a serious and often life or death endeavor? How do we avoid taking ourselves so seriously and what recovery tools can we use in our efforts? We’ll answer all of these questions, share feedback from the Sober and Serious community and take your calls, so without further ado we give your our episode on Rule 62. Listen up. Ted Talk Referenced On This Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-o3piURD0U --- 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 we’re taking controversy head on as we dedicate an entire episode to the oft discussed, mostly misunderstood and definitely unofficial Step 13. Nary a topic in Recovery invites more heated discussion and debate than that of Step 13. Folks in 12 Step recovery accuse one another of it, make light of it, and indeed engage in this type of behavior which can have detrimental and even severe and irreparable consequences to the targets of this sometimes harassing and predatory conduct. We ain’t gonna run from discussing this hot button issue, nor are we going to invoke recovery literature to justify the occurrence of this behavior in 12 Step recovery rooms and clubs. We’ll discuss the risks of this behavior, and they can be grave, what you can do to protect yourself, whether you’re a guy or gal, and what you can do to avoid engaging in it yourself, hint – it has a lot to do with practicing the principles of the 12 Steps and in the meantime we’ll be sharing all sorts of spirited feedback from the Sober &

This week we’re concluding our series on the 12 Steps with none other than the namesake of the program, Step 12. There’s a whole lot to unpack in this Step from getting our collective heads around what a spiritual awakening is, to how to carry the message, and perhaps the most daunting directive of all – applying all of the principles of the previous 11 Steps in all facets of our lives. This Step is the coup d'etat, the culmination of all the work we’ve done up to this point, and now we can be agents of good, agents of hope, and ultimately agents of change for those still suffering, those contemplating recovery, and those new or struggling in Recovery. There are many ways to have a spiritual awakening, countless ways to be of service and carry the message of recovery, and endless opportunities to apply the principles of the 12 Steps in our daily lives. In short, Step 12 isn’t the end of our work in 12 Step Recovery, no my brothers and sisters it’s quite literally just the beginning. Have no fear though, we’ll