The Way Out Podcast

In this rendition of The Way Out I’m beyond excited to bring you an exceptional interview with person in long term recovery on the family side and author of The Connected Leader: 7 Strategies to Empower Your True Self and Inspire Others, Karen Hardwick. Karen shares with us her journey to and through recovery to this point and embodied with it an empowering message of the power of connection. Karen shares how only authentic connection to our true selves and inner truth can result in genuine connection to others which is in many ways the antidote to addiction. The Way Out faithful will recall the familiar refrain of what the 12-Steps remedy on a macro level, and in a word it’s relationships. First, we address our problematic relationship with substances, behaviors, or people. That’s Step One. Next, we address our relationship with a power greater than ourselves. That’s the 2nd and 3rd Steps. In Steps 4 through 7, we address our relationship with ourselves. Then and only then, can we repair and build genuine re

In this edition of The Way Out, our spectacular recovery co-host Jason brings us a must listen interview with a tireless, passionate, and humble servant in the Minnesota Recovery community, Bridge May Sky! Bridge has had a long hard road, especially with her recovery. Service turned out to be the magic ingredient that she needed to achieve meaningful and enduring recovery. Bridge shares her journey to and through recovery to this point and how being of service has completely changed the game for her. A single mother of 5, Bridge is an absolute superstar - a true champion for the recovery community and a fantastic mom to boot! Bridge is also the creator and host of her own live interactive podcast called K.I.S.S. Recovery 101 where both Jason and I had the honor of being guests to share our stories and talk Recovery. In addition, Bridge is also a recovery coach at Minnesota Recovery Connection and true to her M.O. she has some other exciting things in the ‘ol works! You’ll definitely want to stay tuned to hear

In this edition of The Way Out I’m beyond thrilled to bring you an outstanding interview with person in recovery, loyal listener of The Way Out, and now our special guest to share his journey to and through recovery to this point, Ryan Kemmers. I just know all you all will find Ryan’s story super relatable just like I did, from a chaotic childhood, to the impact of alcoholism and addiction in the family to self-medicating mental health symptoms and perhaps most universal the inevitable progression of use to abuse, and ultimately ever deepening addiction and alcoholism. Ryan shares how “Ryan’s Way” as he refers to it didn’t work in attempting to manage his drinking and what it took to finally surrender and ask a Higher Power he had no relationship with and didn’t even understand for help. What happens next, and by next, I mean quite literally the next day, which I refuse to spoil in this here intro, is nothing short of an act of providence and launches Ryan into a 12-Step centered recovery that until that mome

On this edition of The Way Out our tremendous co-host Jason brings us an interview with the Director of a New York based nonprofit organization Hope on a Mission, Cara Mia Bacchiochi. This woman is a true warrior for her community. Her street outreach started and grew on one street corner, simply by loving on the people in the neighborhood by providing those in need with meals and personal hygiene products. Cara shares her journey to and through recovery to this point, how all of her community service came to be, and how it has continued to evolve. Cara’s recovery story is one of redemption and the transformative power of the God of Her Understanding working wonders in her life and as a result the lives of many others so listen up. Contact Cara Mia at hopeonamission@gmail.com Recovery resources and related links: https://www.hopeonamission.org/ https://for-ny.org/ https://www.samhsa.gov/ https://oasas.ny.gov/ https://www.asapnys.org/ Best Piece of Advice: "Stay in your square" Book recommendation: The Four

In this rendition of The Way Out we’ve got an outstanding interview with Interventionist, Recovery Coach, Author, Podcaster, speaker and person in long-term recovery, Rob Lohman. As Rob shares with us in our interview, all the amazing aforementioned titles attached to Rob’s name are the result of his anything but linear journey to and through recovery to this point which is precisely why Rob’s story is so incredibly relatable, enlightening, and moving. After years of sobriety Rob experienced a personal crisis due to what in retrospect amounted to failing to continue to progress and stay connected to his recovery. A crisis, that landed him in prison, and out of that Rob began a renewed journey to a fuller, more enduring and rewarding Recovery that was the result of leaning in and doing the hard work true recovery requires. The results have been nothing short of remarkable for Rob, his family, and for the people his amazing work in Recovery coaching, Podcasting, Speaking, and writing touches and truly helps, al

In this edition of The Way Out Our spectacular co-host Jason has a fantastic interview with person in long term recovery, Edward Charpentier. Edward shares his rollercoaster ride of a journey to and through recovery to this point with us which is jam packed with practical advice and sage recovery wisdom. This undeniable wealth of wisdom Ed shares is no doubt the result of many ups, plenty of downs and years in and out of recovery and proof positive that success is often the end result of repeated failures. Indeed, these failures served as lessons that only strengthened Ed on his path to meaningful and enduring recovery. Our hope is each and every one of you get as much out of this interview as we did, so listen up. Contact Edward at Ejcllc7@gmail.com Book Recommendation: The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1878424319/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0 Best Advice: Be a man of integrity and do the right thing when no-one is looking. Song that symbolizes recovery to Ed: Easy on

In this edition of The Way Out we have a fantastic interview with public speaker and author in Recovery, Brendon Watt. As a lead facilitator with Access Consciousness, Brendon empowers others to know they are not wrong, that anything is possible, and that they are just one choice away from change. Brendon shares with us his journey to and through recovery to this point as well as a wealth of recovery and wellness wisdom and how his recovery has turned into a superpower in his work in empowering others in their own journeys of personal growth. Recovery affords us the opportunity to lean into the tools of our recovery program of choice and embrace a path to increasingly greater wellness which leads to a state of emotional sobriety and that results in rewarding and enduring recovery and an unmistakable sense of wellbeing. Brendon’s story is proof positive that when we prioritize getting well ourselves first, we can be of far greater service to others as a direct result so listen up. Contact Brendon Watt: https:/

In this rendition of The Way Out Ashley Grimes sits down with Recovery Podcast co-host and all around recovery superstar Jason and, as happens so often here on The Way Out Podcast blows our collective minds at the power of recovery. As you’ll soon hear, Ashely is a true recovery powerhouse. Ashley shares with us her seemingly hopeless journey to and through recovery to this point and how she ended up becoming the President of Florida chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, an organizer with the Florida Recovery Advocacy Project, co-host of the Recovery Revolution Podcast, and perhaps most importantly, she got to be a mother again! There's so much hope and wisdom in this episode so listen up. Contact Ashley: www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-grimes-pmp https://www.facebook.com/aopibull84/ Recovery Resources: www.recoveryvoices.com www.namiflorida.org www.volusiarecoveryalliance.org Book Recommendation: Addiction Manifesto by JR Weaver https://www.amazon.com/Addiction-Manifesto-Weaver-Jr/ Best Pie

In this edition of The Way Out I’m incredibly honored to bring you an exceptionally powerful, illuminating, relatable, and inspiring interview with person in long term recovery and co-founder of Workit Health, Lisa McLaughlin. Lisa and I had a lot in common coming of age in the same era in the Midwest of the U.S., albeit in different cities proper, which made for one of the most entertaining interviews I’ve personally done, and for that matter one of the best we’ve ever had on The Way Out in quite some time. Lisa shares with us her journey to and through recovery to this point with remarkable insight, introspection, and relatability that’s at once revealing and instructive to our own individual recovery journeys. What’s more, Lisa shares the collective experiences that motivated her to found Workit Health along with co-founder Robin McIntosh, which is a tele-medicine care service focused on treating Substance Use Disorder that offers a wide range of services including harm reduction, medication assisted recov

In this edition of The Way Out, recovery podcast co-host Jason has a tremendous interview with two persons in long term recovery and a true power couple in the recovery community, Aleksandra Bembnista and Tony Cassese. Aleksandra is the founder of the nonprofit organization Glorious Recovery, and Tony is an addiction recovery professional. We get to hear their individual stories and talk about how they met. We'll also learn what Glorious Recovery is all about, how they bring joy to people in recovery, and explore what the future looks like for each of them! There's a whole lot of passion for Recovery and Recovery wisdom shared in the enlightening Recovery centric discussion that’s about to unfold right before your very ears so listen up. Best piece of advice: Alex = "Open your eyes! The recovery world is so BIG! Recovery can be whatever you want it to be!" Tony = "Identify and maintain your own balance" and "You can't save your ass and your face at the same time." Book Recommendations: Alex= American Fix by R

In this edition of The Way Out, we have a tremendously insightful and beneficial interview with therapist and accomplished Author of numerous books, including The Proactive 12-Steps: A Mindful Program for Lasting Change, Serge Prengel. At the center of the work in Serge’s new book is two fundamental truths; the first is that in Recovery, indeed fundamentally as humans we will encounter counterproductive thought and behavior patterns that will interfere with our ability to experience moments of peace and happiness and a life that is marked with joy and serenity to the exact extent and proportion to the severity of our existing maladaptive coping mechanisms. The second, and perhaps more important, is that the 12-Steps can truly be a design for living when we apply them to our lives in a proactive fashion resulting in concrete and enduring behavior change, a formula that we can use to address any counterproductive thought or behavior pattern that is causing the universally human experience of suffering and getti

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.