The Way Out Podcast

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

This week we’re driving toward the conclusion of our series on the 12 Steps with our focus turned singularly on Step 11. Much seems to be asked of us in this particular Step, and many whom first encounter it may indeed feel initially overwhelmed and ill equipped to undertake what appears to be an endeavor reserved strictly for high priests, monks and nuns. Thankfully, this most assuredly is not the case. We’re simply attempting, on a daily basis, to become more spiritually aware and connected through intentional acts as we are increasingly able to perform. This comes in more traditional methods like morning and evening prayer, set meditation times, and spiritual reading to less conventional activities like Yoga or breath practices. These activities for all that can and has been said about spiritual practices are essentially intended to allow us to get to the core of our spiritual truths. Are we going to spend our moments, hours, days, and years acting more out of fear and all of it’s manifestations? Or are we

This week we’re interviewing Joshua Shea and we’re talking about a subject that is cloaked in shame and marred by a social stigma reminiscent of the leapers of bygone millennia. Joshua Shea is a recovering pornography addict, recovering alcoholic and author. Joshua has appeared on over 50 podcasts, television and radio shows using his personal story to promote the ideas that porn addiction spans all demographics and those with a problem should seek help before it’s too late, as it became in his case. While drug addiction and alcoholism no doubt are still battling the bad rap of social stigma to some extent, Pornography and Sex addiction is the Secret affliction hardly a soul will speak of. Despite this deafening silence, porn and sex has never been more accessible. Alarming as it is, 35% of internet downloads are pornographic. 40 million Americans say they regularly visit porn sites and on third of all internet porn users are women. As a consequence, as much as 8% of the population admits to having a sex rela

This week we’ve got a very different perspective on Addiction & Recovery in an interview with Mark Scheeren. Mark is the co-author of The Freedom Model of Addiction, the first non  12 Step methodology to treat addiction and alcoholism. A word of caution; this approach may sound like heresy to 12 Step enthusiasts and advocates and to some extent it very well may be. Indeed I count myself as a strong advocate for the benefits of 12-Step Recovery. Our philosophy on this program is to bring you a wide variety of views, approaches, and experiences on and around Addiction and Recovery. To invoke a 12 Step slogan, take what you want and leave the rest. That said, I encourage you to keep a very instructive quote from the book Alcoholics Anonymous close to your heart as you listen to this interview “There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments, and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance—that principle is contempt prior to investigation”. Mark’s

This week we’re bringing you a captivating discussion with Jeremiah Campbell. Jeremiah is many things; an entrepreneur, Father, Husband, volunteer, and indeed a person on long term recovery from alcoholism and addiction. Jeremiah’s anything but picture-perfect trek to Recovery is at once enlightening and inspirational.  You’ll no doubt be doing so much head-nodding as you relate to his experience, you’ll look like a baseball game giveaway bobble-head if you’re careful. Jeremiah tells us we’re all destined to be great in only the way we can each be, so long as we’re able to get out of the way and let a power greater unlock our potential. This interview is jam-packed with spiritual and recovery goodness, so Listen Up! Jeremiah's Recommendations: Meditations | Guided Dr. Joe Dispenza (Muse headband) Books | Traction for business | 4 agreements |  Becoming supernatural | Millionaire success habits Mindmovies.com (4.0) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-way-out-podcast/message Support this podc

This week Jason brings us a powerful & insightful interview with Jeff Powell. Jeff’s story will bring you to the depths of addiction, and the stark reality of what it’s like to battle addiction in the unfriendly environs of the streets of Chicago, to the deceptively unforgiving suburbs of Minneapolis & St. Paul. Jeff’s unadulterated honesty and candor reveal that one can indeed go through the proverbial wringer, and then come out the other side to live a rewarding life of Recovery.  You’ll find spiritual truth and Recovery wisdom all throughout this amazing story of Recovery, so buckle up get ready to Listen Up. Book recommendation: Filter Shift: How Effective People See The World by Sara Taylor App Recommendation:  Fearless Motivation - Motivational speeches and interviews for free to listen to. --- 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 continuing our series on the 12 Steps with our focus now turning squarely to Step 10. In many ways, this Step is the litmus test in identifying if we’re truly willing to put the principles of the 12 Steps to daily, continual practice within ourselves and those around us. Are we willing to take a regular self-inventory? Are we willing to take responsibility for our actions no matter what the circumstances are? Perseverance is the underlying principle at work here, and it is an indispensable asset to making good on the directive of Step 10. A regular Step 10 worked well is well worth the effort and will pay handsome dividends to the quality of your recovery. We’ll get you up to speed on exactly what Step 10 is, why we work it, how we work it, and what we can expect as a result of this vital Step, plus we share feedback from the Sober & Serious community and take your calls. Listen Up. 10th Step Worksheets: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5405df05e4b0abd245577885/t/58b3835a9de4bb80d482

This week we’ve got a very special interview for you with Eric Zimmer, a person in long term recovery from alcoholism and addiction as well as the Host and Co-Founder of The One You Feed Podcast. The namesake of the aforementioned podcast comes from a Cherokee Parable. The parable, for those of you whom are unfamiliar, goes as follows. An old Cherokee chief was teaching his grandson about life... "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. "One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego. "The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. "This same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too." The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?" The old chief si

Along with Jason and count ‘em 31 special guests, I’m Charlie and this week we have an incredibly special episode in store for you. Jason and I were humbled to be a part of an extraordinary event a short time ago, the 9th annual Walk for Recovery which is organized by Minnesota Recovery Connection – a non-profit organization committed to building recovery capital in individuals, families, and communities in the greater Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. Jason and I took to the streets of the capitol grounds in Saint Paul, MN to ask folks whom attended this Recovery Extravaganza some questions about why they showed up and what recovery means to them. What we got back was  overwhelming and striking themes of connection, unity, hope, and a universal penchant to smash the Stigma of being a person in long term recovery from alcoholism and addiction. So without further ado, I give you What Recovery Sounds like courtesy of Alisha, Andrea, Brandon, Christine, Christopher, Crystal, Grace, James, Jennifer, Jeremy, John, Jo

This week we’re continuing our series on the 12 Steps with a singular focus on Step 9. There’s plenty of reason why Step 9 occurs in the 12 Steps in the order it does. We’re attempting to straighten out our relationships with others, many of whom we’ve hurt, some in the most damaging of ways. Fear is a likely companion when facing these often daunting amends; but if we follow the simple instructions we will indeed be amazed before we are half-way through this process. We share with you, what Step 9 is, our purpose in working it, how we work it, and reveal that on the other side, a freedom unlike we’ve ever experienced awaits us. Plus we share feedback from the Sober & 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