Addiction & Recovery Conversations with Brett Lovins
The kind of conversations I would have wanted to hear when I was finding my way to sobriety. Conversations that can help remove shame and stigma and move people toward finding help. Substance Use Disorder (addiction) is treatable.
Episodes
30 episodes since 2022
Amanda Polich - Creating Recovery Friendly Workplaces and Embracing Authentic Leadership
Join us for an inspiring conversation with Amanda Polich, a powerhouse in the recovery and leadership space. As a certified Dare to Lead facilitator and a person in long term recovery (11-years), Amanda's journey from shame and stigma to empowe...
September 10, 2024
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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41:01
International Overdose Awareness Day (Aug 31st) - A Conversation with Megan Tweedy
When Megan Tweedy lost her brother Jeff Meyer to a fentanyl overdose, her world was turned upside down. Join us as Megan opens up about her journey from grief to advocacy, sharing her deeply personal story and the powerful message of Internatio...
August 29, 2024
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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53:16
Keri Clark - Professional Psychologist & Childhood Friend Discussing Our Recovery Journeys
My childhood friend, Keri Clark, takes us through his tumultuous yet inspiring journey of grappling with substance use disorder. We reminisce about our wild teenage years and the different paths we took post-high school, offering a raw and unfi...
July 31, 2024
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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51:16
Karen Duggan - Former Colleague at Cisco - Two People in Recovery Talking About Recovery Friendly Workplaces (RFW)
Karen Duggan, a friend and former co-worker from Cisco Systems, joins me to share some of her journey of achieving and maintaining sobriety. Together, we explore the impact of finding solidarity with another sober colleague in a large corporati...
June 26, 2024
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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54:00
Reflections on 11 Years of Sobriety - Conversation with My Wife Molly
Ever wondered how celebrating sobriety birthdays can transform a recovery journey? Join us as we mark 11 years of sobriety, sharing heartfelt reflections and personal milestones. From the unwavering support of my first sponsor, Todd Edwards, to...
May 29, 2024
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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39:52
Dakota Lovins - My Nephew and I Discuss Substance Use Disorder and Sobriety
Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and addiction is a family disease. It doesn't just affect the person with the condition, it affects everyone around them. My nephew Dakota was 15 when I got sober. He shares his thoughts on my disease and our family...
March 31, 2024
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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44:54
Michael Palmisano - Guitar Teacher, Musician and YouTube Creator - Discussion on Alcohol After Stopping Drinking
I've been a fan and student of Michael Palmisano for about a year. He's a wonderful guitar teacher for all levels and has an amazing online portal for guitar education called Guitargate.com of which I am a member. Additionally, he's got a wonde...
February 04, 2024
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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56:14
Family Medicine Doctor and Addiction Specialist - Dr. Gillian Zuckerman
In this podcast, meet family medicine doctor, Dr. Gillian Zuckerman who treats addiction in Yakima, WA... the town where I grew up. We talk about harm reduction, addiction misconceptions, the disease model and more. Really grateful for this con...
December 27, 2023
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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49:45
Janet Hadley - The Alcohol Safe Workplace® Creator
In this episode, I talk to Janet Hadley about The Alcohol Safe Workplace®. This is a program that she built from the ground up. What is it (from her website)? "An Alcohol Safe Workplace® has a culture that includes everybody, whether they are a...
November 27, 2023
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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48:42
Recovery Friendly Workplaces (RFW) with Soberforce Co-Founder Marin Nelson
Meet Marin Nelson, sober advocate and co-founder of Soberforce at Salesforce. She's a speaker and a consultant on helping end shame and stigma, particularly in the workplace. Recovery Friendly Workplace (RFW) initiatives and programs are underw...
October 27, 2023
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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45:28
The Importance of Connecting with Others in Recovery - Chat with Todd Edwards
Happy to bring back Todd Edwards, my first sponsor, to the podcast where we talk about connecting with others as part of a recovery program. In AA lingo, it is often referred to as "the fellowship". For years I tried very, very, very hard to de...
September 21, 2023
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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58:16
Mary P. Ozanic Describes Being a Gutter Drunk and Discussions of The Bottom
Mary has described herself as a "gutter drunk" on many occasions in the meeting that we attend together. I asked her if she'd be willing to explore what that means and how bad it got for her during her active addiction. Along the way we also di...
August 30, 2023
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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52:47
Sebastien LeTellier, Music & Artist Manager - Sober 2 1/2 Years
I've had the pleasure of attending a weekly meeting with Sebastien for the past 2 and a half years. He joined that meeting with 9 days of sobriety and I've had the opportunity to attend many meetings with him since. He's an artist manager, so h...
July 22, 2023
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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54:42
John Shipe, Professional Musician Based in Eugene, Oregon
John Shipe is a talented singer songwriter based in Eugene, OR. We knew each other years ago in band circles in the early 1990s. I found out through a mutual musician friend that John is also sober and he was willing to have a conversation. To ...
June 18, 2023
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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1:01:45
Time and Recovery - Reflections on 10 Years of Being Sober and My First AA Meeting
Taking some time to talk about time. Time in sobriety and recovery and my musings at my 10 year milestone (May 28, 2023). I also share some stories from early recovery around the concept of time, including a recounting of my first AA meeting, w...
June 01, 2023
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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53:49
Sobriety While Continuing to Smoke Marijuana - Three Stories - Jeremy, Bob and Rob
Being around sober circles has made my life so much richer as opposed to going it alone in my new life as a sober man. I've seen and heard the question/story many times: "well what about weed?" Here are three men that I admire who will sh...
May 20, 2023
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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47:49
Dan Falcone Got Sober at 26 - He's Now 32 - Getting Sober Younger is Possible
Dan Falcone and I have been friends and fellow sober people for a good while now. We walked through the 12 steps together and I've learned a lot from him over these years. I remember having hour long meetings after an AA meeting together, out i...
April 22, 2023
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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51:17
Shatterproof - Associate VP, Megan Gavin Talks About this Non-Profit's Important Work
I'd like to introduce my audience to Megan Gavin who is the Associate Vice President of Integrated Fundraising for Shatterproof. I'...
April 02, 2023
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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32:42
Megan Tweedy - Three Years After Her Brother Jeff Meyer's Fentanyl Overdose
Caught up with my friend Megan Tweedy for our second podcast conversation on the fentanyl epidemic. Megan's brother, Jeff Meyer, died from a fentanyl overdose on Feb 24, 2020. Three years later, she is working to educate people about a huge pro...
March 10, 2023
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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47:09
Non-Alcoholic (NA) Beverages with Writer Ian Lecklitner
The NA beverage marketplace is really expanding to meet a growing demand for people who are sober curious or are just trying to drink less. I read a super insightful article in SLATE magazine on this topic by writer Ian Lecklitner. Ian, like me...
February 18, 2023
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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1:00:44
The Front Row Seat to the Progressive Nature of the Disease - My Wife, Molly Sanders's Story
Posting a really special episode today, a conversation with my wife of 24 years, talking about a common thing in our household - recovery and sobriety. There are several references in this episode to the previous episode where I talk about my f...
February 01, 2023
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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1:14:29
My Final Days of Drinking and First Day Sober Story
This is a topic that I'm fascinated by. I like asking people to recount their final days and the final approach to the moment they stopped. There are a wide variety of stories. Some are gradual, some are sudden. Mine is kinda both. Here's my st...
January 11, 2023
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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47:09
Conversation with my First Sponsor - Todd Edwards
Really happy to bring you a conversation with my first sponsor, Todd Edwards. We cover multiple topics including: swapping stories about our early work together, the steps, helping others, and anonymity. If you or a loved one have issues ...
December 27, 2022
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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41:41
Opioids After Surgery for People in Recovery with Phillip and Bob
For people in recovery from drug and alcohol abuse or addiction, one very precarious circumstance that most will face is using opioids for pain after surgery. Listen in as I discuss this important topic with my two friends from Colorado, Philli...
December 11, 2022
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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56:24
Spiritual Advisor Steve Aronson Talks About Spirituality in Addiction Recovery
Finding my way to people was (and is) an important part of my program of recovery. When I started, I wandered into the only game in town that I knew of: Alcoholics Anonymous. Here were rooms full of people who I discovered drank and did drugs t...
November 26, 2022
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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30:39