#214 – Ashley Potts

Criminal Convictions To College Professor

Ashley Potts grew up in a household where Substance Use Disorder. Violence, incarceration and trauma were regular occurrences. She felt a deep desire to be loved but the environment meant that love was hard to come by. And eventually her addicted mother left her a note telling her that she was going to get the car fixed; Ashley didn’t see her again for 5 years.

Ashley got drunk at 9 and found Oxy at 13 then cocaine. She was expelled from school. She bounced around from living with her alcoholic father to her grandparents home where she lived an addicted uncle and another who was deep into devil worshiping.

What followed were years of violence and use. Her mother came in and out of her life and Ashley desperately wanted to save her. IV drug use started and Ashley racked up endless arrests and at one point faced 100 pending felony counts against her. She didn’t think she’d live to 21.

Then miraculously she found recovery and made attempt after attempt to go back to school and to change her life. She was discouraged at every turn by programs that told her they wouldn’t allow her to continue because there would be no work for someone with her record.

Today, in addition to being in executive leadership she also teaches some of the master’s level classes she’d been excluded from taking.

Tune in To Learn About

Childhood Ravaged by Addiction: Discover Ashley’s challenging upbringing in a household plagued by Substance Use Disorder, where violence, incarceration, and trauma were regular occurrences. Understand the impact of this environment on her deep desire for love and the challenges she faced in finding it.

Years of Violence and Addiction: Follow Ashley through years marked by violence and addiction, as her mother came in and out of her life. Witness the desperation to save her mother and the onset of IV drug use, leading to numerous arrests and facing 100 pending felony counts.

Miraculous Turn to Recovery: Explore the miraculous turning point in Ashley’s life when she found recovery. Learn about her relentless attempts to go back to school and change her life, facing discouragement from programs due to her record.

Executive Leadership and Teaching: Discover Ashley’s remarkable achievements today, where she not only holds an executive leadership role but also teaches master’s level classes—opportunities that were initially denied to her. Understand the resilience and determination that propelled her to these accomplishments.

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Welcome to The Courage to Change: A Recovery Podcast, ranked in the top 10% of podcasts and one of Wired Magazine’s Best Podcasts of 2023.

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