about the podcast

Ashley Loeb Blassingame - Host

Ashley's experience with substance abuse started from a very young age, and took her to the brink of death. From drinking in her closet at age 7, to using cocaine in middle school, to being kidnapped, to hiding vodka in her water bottle at her first NA meeting, to going through multiple treatment centers and almost dying in an overdose...she is living proof that recovery is possible for anyone, no matter how bad their situation may be.

Ashley got sober in January of 2006 and recently celebrated 17 years of recovery. In addition to hosting this podcast, she is also a speaker and author and continues to serve in the recovery community in many roles.

Ashley is a the Co-Founder and Chief People Officer of Lionrock Recovery, a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor-II, a Certified Relapse Prevention Specialist, and a Certified Arise Interventionist. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Los Angeles and is an MBA candidate at Johns Hopkins University: Carey Business School with a concentration in Healthcare Management. Ashley is happily married to a sober husband, and is proud to be a sober mom of 4-year-old twin boys.

You can listen to Ashley share her full story HERE on Episode 1!

Scott Drochelman - Producer

Scott is the Podcast Producer of The Courage to Change.

Before The Courage to Change, Scott worked for 10 years in residential treatment, suicide prevention, and outpatient programming. During that time, he created content on topics including trauma, grief, mental health, and resiliency for diverse populations. He has worked in several capacities with trauma survivors, veterans, first responders, and former offenders.

In addition, Scott was the producer, editor, and host of two podcasts, one aimed at connecting leaders to disadvantaged populations and the other, tackling mental health stigma around fatherhood. Scott graduated from the University of Missouri with a bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism and Multimedia Communication.

Hear from Scott in the kickoff episode of Season 4 here

Our Journey

From humble beginnings to a full studio, we’re in it for the long haul!

Ever since our first episode aired on March 5th, 2019, we’ve gone through quite the ride to get to where we are today…

It all started with the idea that we wanted to create a podcast that held the space for people in all types of recovery. We knew it needed to be a safe space where we explore the intensity and the raw and beautiful messiness of the recovery journey, while also showing there are many paths to recovery.

Ashley and Christiana were tapped as Host and Producer in December of 2018, and the planning began! We needed a dedicated recording space, so a tiny corner was cleared in the office suite where Ashley and Christiana worked. With a single desk, one super average microphone and a make-shift mic booth constructed by Christiana out of cardboard, duct tape and soundproof foam - we were off!

Soon, one make-shift mic booth turned into two, one really lacking microphone was upgraded into two awesome mics and the days of sticking our heads into that tiny corner were done as a full studio was built in that office space where we could properly accommodate in-person guests for recording.

Five years later, we have completed 5 seasons, published well over 200 episodes, and have reached 350,000+ downloads! But as exciting as the stats are, the most amazing part has been meeting the extraordinary people in recovery that we interview and forging relationships, hearing the hearts that are mended and healed through the power of telling your story and community. We are so grateful for the courageous hearts that tell their stories daily and that share studio (and now remote) space with us.

Stay connected with us on the next leg of our journey as we launch Season 5 on Tuesday, March 7th!

Together we are courageous!!!