podcast episodes by topic

Recovery podcast

Come join us no matter where you are on your recovery journey.

Together, we have the courage to change!

The Courage to Change is a podcast for anyone who is interested in or curious about recovery. Since our launch in 2019, we’ve shared more than 100 recovery stories.

We release new episodes every Tuesday (and occasionally on Thursday) featuring people in all stages of recovery from substance abuse, eating disorders, grief and loss, childhood trauma, and other life changing experiences. Get started today by exploring episodes by topic.

recovery by substance

+ alcohol

S1 E18 | Tank Sinatra: Instagram Celebrity & Meme Creator Talks Substance Abuse, Sobriety and the Power of Good News

S2 E35 | Kendra Alen Bares It All: Living As A High-Functioning Alcoholic and Addressing Social Drinking Norms and Biases

S2 E45 | Kerry Andre: The Normalization of Alcohol in Rural America and Fighting for Her Recovery Despite Cultural Norms

S2 E89 | Pete Caraher: A Stay-At-Home-Dad’s Struggle for Identity and Sobriety

S3 E95 | Craig Pothier: One Canadian’s Journey with Alcoholism from a Town of 1000 to a City of Millions

S3 E118 | Charlie Gray: How Penning a Memoir Helped a Gay Man Find Recovery After Attending 54 Rehab Facilities

S4 E137 | Sarah Campos: Mother Battles Alcoholism After the Death of Her Young Son

S4 E139 | Michelle Smith: How Mommy Wine Culture Took Her to the Depths of Alcoholism

S4 E144 | Wes Geer: Korn and Hed PE Guitarist on Music for Recovery

S4 E145 | Lynsie: Beauty Queen’s Alcoholism Leads to AZ Tent City Jail

S4 E149 | Andrea Ashley: “Adult Child” Host on Embracing the Sh*tshow

S4 E150 | Elizabeth Sockolov: Meditation Helped Me Stop Hating Myself

S4 E151 | Person Irresponsible: Walking Across America in 4th Year of Sobriety

S4 E152 | Casey McGuire Davidson: Hope for Busy Women with “Hello Someday” host

S4 E153 | Chris Howe: Firefighter Challenges Addiction and Trauma Stigma

S4 E155 | Danny Hudgins: Finding Sobriety After 12 Years of Relapse

S4 E158 | Dr. Constance Scharff: Releasing Trauma From Body Tissue

S4 E159 | Nathan Morales: Sober Attorney on Stopping Work Stigma

S4 E161 | Alison: Formerly Addicted Talks Getting Sober and Licensed

S4 E163 | Dane Ensley: Three Generations of Addiction and Recovery

S4 E164 | Amy Farnan: Getting Sober With Lionrock After Losing Custody

S4 E169 | Ryan Dusick: Maroon 5 Drummer on Alcoholism and Finding a New Purpose

S4 E176 | Sonya Johnson Losing Her Family in Addiction and Getting it Back in Sobriety

S4 E177 | Judy Wilson: Glitz, Glamour and God: A Recovery Story Fit For The Movies

S4 E178 | Dr. Alison Tarlow: Hope For Families With An Addicted Loved One

S4 E180 | Adam Banks: Sober Pilot On Addiction And Flying On 9/11

S4 E184 | Annie McDonnell: Hiding Her Alcoholism In The Wine Industry

S4 E187 | Tait Fletcher: Life Lessons And Recovering From A Traumatic Brain Injury

+ cocaine

S1 E1 | Ashley Loeb Blassingame: Get To Know Your Host, Ashley Loeb Blassingame!

S1 E12 | Christopher Poulos: From Federal Prison to the White House

S2 E44 | Noa Shaw: Alcohol and Drugs Stole His Happiness, and SoulCycle Brought It Back One Class at a Time

S4 E148 | Parham Nematollah: Prenatal Bomb Shelters and Anxiety

S4 E150 | Elizabeth Sockolov: Meditation Helped Me Stop Hating Myself

S4 E163 | Dane Ensley: Three Generations of Addiction and Recovery

S4 E176 | Sonya Johnson: Losing Her Family in Addiction and Getting it Back in Sobriety

S4 E177 | Judy Wilson: Glitz, Glamour and God: A Recovery Story Fit For The Movies

S4 E180 | Adam Banks: Sober Pilot On Addiction And Flying On 9/11

+ heroin

S1 E1 | Ashley Loeb Blassingame: Get To Know Your Host, Ashley Loeb Blassingame!

S1 E14 | Bella Baskin: Bless It Bag CEO Talks About Her Addiction and Recovery

S1 E27 | Morgan Pagels: Heroin and Homelessness: The Aftermath of Growing Up in an Alcoholic Home and the Journey to Long-Term Recovery

S2 E73 | Chuck O: Heroin, Homelessness, and Harm Reduction - How MAT Saved His Life

S3 E98 | Charles M. Henderson Jr: From Heroin to Harvard - How a Young Black Boy Raised in the Projects Made It to the Most Elite University in America

S4 E146 | Roland Williams: Recovery for Everyone

S4 E153 | Chris Howe: Firefighter Challenges Addiction and Trauma Stigma

S4 E159 | Nathan Morales: Sober Attorney on Stopping Work Stigma

S4 E161 | Alison: Formerly Addicted Talks Getting Sober and Licensed

S4 E171 | Nicole and Joe Ascanio: Losing a Brother to Fentanyl

+ meth

S2 E47 | Amy Dresner: Her Life and Book - “My Fair Junkie” - Losing Everything to Drugs, Alcohol and Sex Addiction and Writing A Best-Selling Memoir to Inspire the World

S2 E60 | Kyle Dean Houston: The 'Patchwork Junkie' Author on Cooking Meth, Losing It All and Realizing His Ultimate Purpose In Life Through Spirituality and Recovery

S3 E114 | Archie Messersmith-Bunting: The Southern Baptist Who Could Not Drink, Drug, or Pray the Gay & Mental Illness Away

S4 E144 | Wes Geer: Korn and Hed PE Guitarist on Music for Recovery

S4 E157 | Justin White: Saved by EMDR After Son Drowned in Empty Pool

S4 E159 | Nathan Morales: Sober Attorney on Stopping Work Stigma

S4 E176 | Sonya Johnson: Losing Her Family in Addiction and Getting it Back in Sobriety

+ prescription medication

S2 E74 | Russian Danny: From the Ukraine to the Streets of LA - How He Found Recovery After Burning It All Down

S1 E27 | Brock Bevell: A Former Undercover Police Officer Fights His Way Back From Addiction

S2 E48 | Jay Shifman: ADHD, Prescription Pills and the Willful Drugging of a Generation

S2 E56 | Michael G Dash: Entrepreneur and Best-Selling Author of ‘Chasing the High’ Talks Openly About His Gambling and Drug Addictions, and How F.A.T.E. Changed His Life

S2 E90 | Norman Curtiss: “I Got Caught Diverting Adderall from my Retail Pharmacy”

S4 E160 | Matthew Bocchi: Searching for a Father Lost on September 11th

S4 E168 | Amy LeClair: Gymnast Overcomes Abuse, Addiction and OCD

+ stories of early SUD recovery

S2 E83 | Christina Kimbrough: “I Got Sober During A Pandemic”

S3 E92 | Ashley Jo Brewer: When a Christian Girl’s World Comes Crashing Down Amidst Addiction, Grief, Loss, and a Gut-Wrenching Scandal

S4 E152 | Casey McGuire Davidson: Hope for Busy Women with “Hello Someday” host

eating disorders

+ anorexia

S1 E24 | Jen Elizabeth: Shaping Her Own Recovery: A Story of Overcoming Addiction and Intergenerational Trauma (Anorexia & Bulimia)

S2 E50 | Alyssa Rocco: The Undertaker's Daughter Whose Journey Taught Her How to Live

S2 E63 | Katherine Knapke: Overcoming Chronic Depression, Recovering from Anorexia and Breaking Free from the Barriers of a Passivism-Based Mennonite Upbringing

+ binge eating disorder

S2 E97 | Adam Fout: How a Prayer Helped an Atheist Find Recovery from Substance Use & Binge Eating

+ bulimia

S1 E7 | Emily McAllister: Overcoming Bulimia, Substance Abuse Recovery and Being a Wildly Successful Sober Mommy

S1 E20 | Sarah Scheper: VH1’s 'Love & Listings' Star Shares What It’s Like to Be In Hollywood and Have 9 Years of Recovery

+ multiple eating disorders

S1 E4 | Brittney Carbone: From Binge Drinking and Binge Eating to Sobriety and Peak Fitness

other forms of addiction

+ compulsive shopping

S2 E76 | Betsy Ames: Compulsive Shopping, Codependency and Hidden Drinking - How One Mother Almost Lost It All But Found Her Recovery

+ gambling

S2 E42 | Renée Siegel: Married to a Gay Man and Then a Gambling Addict, She Found a Way Out Through the Enneagram

S2 E56 | Michael G Dash: Entrepreneur and Best-Selling Author of ‘Chasing the High’ Talks Openly About His Gambling and Drug Addictions, and How F.A.T.E. Changed His Life

+ pornography addiction

S3 E113 | Joshua Shea: Let’s Talk About Porn Addiction - Pornography Addiction Expert & Author Sheds Light on Recovering From a 24-Year Porn Addiction

S4 E182 | Kylene Terhune: Recovering From Her Husband’s $100k Cybersex Addiction

+ self-harm

S2 E51 | Ben Moroski: An Intimate Look Into Self-Injury and Unraveling the Stigma Behind It

+ sex addiction

S2 E47 | Amy Dresner: Her Life and Book - “My Fair Junkie” - Losing Everything to Drugs, Alcohol and Sex Addiction and Writing A Best-Selling Memoir to Inspire the World

grief & loss

+ grief, loss, & death

S1 E17 | Nicole Ory: ADHD, Codependency and Surviving the Death of a Child - An Inspiring Story of Staying Sober No Matter What

S1 E28 | Nancy Spitzer: Navigating the Loss of a Brother: A Sister and Therapist's Story of Loss and Hope

S2 E69 | Whitney Horne: Opening the Dialogue About Adoption and It’s Connection to Addiction, and Tragically Losing Her Sister, Hayden

S2 E79 | Eileen Robertson Hamra: 'Time to Fly' Author Talks Recovering from the Death of a Spouse and Finding Love Again

S3 E92 | Ashley Jo Brewer: When a Christian Girl’s World Comes Crashing Down Amidst Addiction, Grief, Loss, and a Gut-Wrenching Scandal

S4 E137 | Sarah Campos: Mother Battles Alcoholism After the Death of Her Young Son

S4 E157 | Justin White: Justin White:

S4 E160 | Matthew Bocchi: Searching for a Father Lost on September 11th

S4 E164 | Amy Farnan: Getting Sober With Lionrock After Losing Custody

S4 E169 | Ryan Dusick: Maroon 5 Drummer on Alcoholism and Finding a New Purpose

S4 E173 | Desiree Moore: Recovery After Daughter Murdered By Ex-Husband

S4 E177 | Judy Wilson: Glitz, Glamour and God: A Recovery Story Fit For The Movies

S4 E179 | Iman Gatti: How One Woman Healed After Seeing Her Mother Murdered

S4 E181 | Jessica Buchanan: Kidnapped By Somali Pirates And Rescued By SEAL Team Six

S4 E187 | Tait Fletcher: Life Lessons And Recovering From A Traumatic Brain Injury

+ grief after loss from an overdose

S1 E19 | Melissa Bresnahan: A Mother's Perspective on Tragically Losing A Child to an Overdose

S2 E59 | Steve Grant: A Father’s Journey to Find Hope After Losing His Two Son to Drug Overdoses

S3 E117 | Vanessa Hurr: Walking Through Grief & Loss After Losing a Brother to an Overdose During a Global Pandemic - A Tribute for International Overdose Awareness Day

S4 E171 | Nicole and Joe Ascanio: Losing a Brother to Fentanyl

S4 E185 | Vanessa Hurr and Lacie Hamilton: How KAP Relieved Her Sadness

additional topics

+ adoption

S2 E57 | Jodie Sweetin: Her Public Road to Recovery, Motherhood, and Growing from Full House to a Full Life

S2 E69 | Whitney Horne: Opening the Dialogue About Adoption and It’s Connection to Addiction, and Tragically Losing Her Sister, Hayden

S2 E85 | Kevin Barhydt: Abandoned At Birth - An Adoptee’s Story of Hope and Healing from A Life of Abuse and Addiction

S4 E146 | Roland Williams: Recovery for Everyone

+ adult children of dysfunctional families

S1 E21 | Melinda Dixon: Being the Child of an Alcoholic Parent and Finding Healing and Recovery Through ACA

S1 E21 | Lisa Kohn: Growing Up In the Moonie Cult: Dysfunctional Family Recovery

S1 E27 | Morgan Pagels: Heroin and Homelessness: The Aftermath of Growing Up in an Alcoholic Home and the Journey to Long-Term Recovery

S3 E94 | Mike Govoni: Son of a Defrocked Catholic Priest Finds an Unorthodox Approach to Recovery from Addiction & Childhood Trauma

S4 E149 | Andrea Ashley: “Adult Child” Host on Embracing the Sh*tshow

S4 E172 | Lacie Hamilton: Unlearning Messages From An Abusive Mother

+ celebrities & influencers in recovery

S1 E18 | Tank Sinatra: Instagram Celebrity & Meme Creator Talks Substance Abuse, Sobriety and the Power of Good News

S2 Bonus | Jessica Buch: An International Model in Recovery Comes Out as Intersex to Support Others Who Live in Secrecy

S2 E57 | Jodie Sweetin: Her Public Road to Recovery, Motherhood, and Growing from Full House to a Full Life

National Online Recovery Day Panel | Gabby Bernstein, New York Times best-selling author; Danny Trejo, actor, restaurateur and drug counselor; and Jodie Sweetin, actor, author and podcast host

S4 E144 | Wes Geer: Korn and Hed PE Guitarist on Music for Recovery

S4 E152 | Casey McGuire Davidson: Hope for Busy Women with “Hello Someday” host

S4 E169 | Ryan Dusick: Maroon 5 Drummer on Alcoholism and Finding a New Purpose

S4 E181 | Jessica Buchanan: Kidnapped By Somali Pirates And Rescued By SEAL Team Six

+ domestic violence

S1 E2 | Bahan McDermott: Overcoming Alcoholism and Surviving Domestic Violence

S1 E11 | Amy Peterson: Sex Trafficked as a Child - A Survivor’s Story of Healing from C-PTSD Through Therapy

S4 E164 | Amy Farnan: Getting Sober With Lionrock After Losing Custody

S4 E167 | Jessica: Creating Community for Domestic Violence Survivors

S4 E176 | Sonya Johnson: Losing Her Family in Addiction and Getting it Back in Sobriety

S4 E177 | Judy Wilson: Glitz, Glamour and God: A Recovery Story Fit For The Movies

+ family perspective

S1 E8 | Peter Loeb: A Father's Perspective on Addiction

S2 E69 | Whitney Horne: Opening the Dialogue About Adoption and It’s Connection to Addiction, and Tragically Losing Her Sister, Hayden

S4 E171 | Nicole and Joe Ascanio: Losing a Brother to Fentanyl

S4 E178 | Dr. Alison Tarlow: Hope For Families With An Addicted Loved One

S4 E182 | Kim Muench: Ask the Expert: Parent Coach On Supporting An Addicted Child

S4 E185 | Vanessa Hurr and Lacie Hamilton: How KAP Relieved Her Sadness

+ incarceration

S1 E12 | Christopher Poulos: From Federal Prison to the White House

S1 E32 | Dan Sanfellipo: "I Served 90% of 25 Years In Prison": Dan's Harrowing Story of Trauma, Addiction and the Consequences of Over Half His Life in Prison

+ LGBTQIA+

S1 E3 | Pat D'Enbeau: Finding Recovery, Finding Yourself and A Dash of Humor to Go With It All

S1 E25 | Jonathan Wells: Coming Out, Fighting Through Addiction and Trauma and Recovery and His Community

S2 Bonus | Jessica Buch: An International Model in Recovery Comes Out as Intersex to Support Others Who Live in Secrecy

S3 E103 | Lucas Crigler: Trans-Man & Activist Shares His Recovery & How to Approach Sensitive Conversations

S4 E161 | Alison: Formerly Addicted Talks Getting Sober and Licensed

S4 E164 | Amy Farnan: Getting Sober With Lionrock After Losing Custody

S4 E170 | Chris Tompkins: Raising LGBTQ Allies and Battling HIV Stigma

S4 E180 | Adam Banks: Sober Pilot On Addiction And Flying On 9/11

+ medication assisted treatment (MAT)

S2 E66 | Claudia Christian: How One Hollywood Star Found Recovery from Alcoholism Using The Sinclair Method

S2 E73 | Chuck O: Heroin, Homelessness, and Harm Reduction - How MAT Saved His Life

S4 E138 | MIchelle Perron: New Treatment Options for People Struggling with Addiction

S4 E142 | Dr. John Umhau: Recovery Food and Medicine

+ narcissim & narcissistic abuse

S2 E34 | Michele Murphy: Falling for a Narcissist and Her Fight to Get Out - Michele Shares Her Journey Into Recovery from Codependency

S2 E42 | Renée Siegel: Married to a Gay Man and Then a Gambling Addict, She Found a Way Out Through the Enneagram

S2 E54 | Caroline Strawson: 'Divorce Became My Superpower' Author Talks About Recovery from Narcissistic Abuse While Co-Parenting with Her Abuser

+ parenting in recovery

S1 E22 | Zeinah Estrada: Having A&E's Show "Intervention" Document the Beginnings of Your Sobriety Journey and Overcoming Other Obstacles in Recovery

S2 E41 | Bambi Brown: Getting Sober at 26, Then Being Brought to Her Knees in Sobriety by Motherhood

S1 E15 | Dac & Ashley: Dac & Ashley Bare It All: An In-Depth Look at Life and Marriage in Recovery

S4 E139 | Michelle Smith: How Mommy Wine Culture Took Her to the Depths of Alcoholism

S4 E152 | Casey McGuire Davidson: Hope for Busy Women with “Hello Someday” host

S4 E164 | Amy Farnan: Getting Sober With Lionrock After Losing Custody

S4 E176 | Sonya Johnson: Losing Her Family in Addiction and Getting it Back in Sobriety

+ sexual abuse & assault

S1 E10 | Charise Thompson: Overcoming Unimaginable Trauma and Finding Recovery Through Advocacy and Forgiveness

S1 E11 | Amy Peterson: Sex Trafficked as a Child - A Survivor’s Story of Healing from C-PTSD Through Therapy

S1 E16 | Leo Martinez: Choosing Recovery Above All: Taking Back the Life That Addiction Stole

S1 E31 | Sean Nichols: Battling Multiple Addictions, Childhood Trauma and A Failed Suicide Attempt: An Incredible Story of the Journey to Recovery

S2 E71 | Arlina Allen: ODAAT Chat Podcast Host & Recovery Life Coach Shares Her Inspiring Story of Finding Recovery and Recovering Out Loud

S4 E158 | Dr. Constance Scharff: Releasing Trauma From Body Tissue

S4 E160 | Matthew Bocchi: Searching for a Father Lost on September 11th

S4 E167 | Jessica: Creating Community for Domestic Violence Survivors

S4 E168 | Amy LeClair: Gymnast Overcomes Abuse, Addiction and OCD

S4 E172 | Lacie Hamilton: Unlearning Messages From An Abusive Mother

S4 E173 | Desiree Moore: Recovery After Daughter Murdered By Ex-Husband

S4 E176 | Sonya Johnson: Losing Her Family in Addiction and Getting it Back in Sobriety

S4 E179 | Iman Gatti: How One Woman Healed After Seeing Her Mother Murdered

S4 E186 | Dr. Kate Balestrieri: Ask The Expert: Reclaiming Your Sex Life After Trauma

+ suicide & suicidal ideation

S2 E33 | Kimberly Russell: Surviving A Suicide Attempt and Learning to Trust the Process In Sobriety

S3 E100 | Stuart O’Neill: ‘Just One Reason’ Author Discusses Suicidal Ideation & Depression

S4 E150 | Elizabeth Sockolov: Meditation Helped Me Stop Hating Myself

S4 E153 | Chris Howe: Firefighter Challenges Addiction and Trauma Stigma

S4 E156 | Tim Lodgen: Sobriety Unlocks Effective Bipolar Treatment for Vet

S4 E161 | Alison: Formerly Addicted Talks Getting Sober and Licensed

S4 E168 | Amy LeClair: Gymnast Overcomes Abuse, Addiction and OCD

S4 E179 | Iman Gatti: How One Woman Healed After Seeing Her Mother Murdered

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