The Courage to Change: A Recovery Podcast

NOTE: This episode contains explicit language. [Adapted from Amy's book bio] Growing up in Beverly Hills, Amy Dresner had it all: a top-notch private school education, the most expensive summer camps, and even a weekly clothing allowance. But at 24, she started dabbling in meth in San Francisco and unleashed a fiendish addiction monster. Soon, if you could snort it, smoke it, or have sex with, she did. Smart and charming, with Daddy's money to fall back on, she sort of managed to keep it all together. But on Christmas Eve 2011 all of that changed when, high on Oxycontin, she stupidly "brandished" a bread knife on her husband and was promptly arrested for "felony domestic violence with a deadly weapon." Within months, she found herself in the psych ward--and then penniless, divorced, and looking at 240 hours of court-ordered community service. For two years, assigned to a Hollywood Boulevard "chain gang," she swept up syringes (and worse) as she bounced from rehabs to halfway houses, all while struggling with sobriety, sex addiction, and starting over in her forties.

It's another After the Episode coming at you every other Thursday! Don't have time to listen to every guest episode on Tuesdays? Enjoy learning more about specific topics? Do you also like to laugh? Then these episodes are for you too! This week, Ashley and Christiana review and cover topics from Episode #44 (Noa Shaw), and Episode #45 (Kerry Andre). Tune in to hear their usual antics along with a deep dive into some important themes and aspects covered in each of these episodes!

Kerry Andre grew up in the rural farming town of Williston, North Dakota.  With alcoholism and her father’s opiate use running rampant in her family, Kerry’s exposure to addiction started young.  After a series of traumatic events, she turned to alcohol to numb her pain and found herself in a downward spiral that lasted over a decade.  3 kids, numerous broken relationships and 4 DUI’s later - Kerry finally got the help she needed to start on her recovery journey, and she just so happened to find it with Lionrock!  She is now living a life in sobriety that she is proud of, and has the love and support of an incredible partner.

NOTE: This episode contains explicit language. Born in 1963 in the Bronx, Noa moved with his family multiple times before finally settling in Connecticut at age 14.  By this time, he had already been drinking for four years. And he had already attended 9 different schools, many of which he was kicked out of.  Despite the unwavering love of his family, Noa never felt comfortable in his own skin — he never fit in with the other kids and always felt inadequate when he compared himself to everyone around him.  After multiple fights, blackouts, car crashes, violence, dead friends, suicide attempts, family tears, failed marriages, empty bank accounts, failed stints in rehab, and brushes with the law, Noa finally found himself asking for help and wanting to change.  While life has not been a straight path from the bottom, Noa has worked for decades on creating and sustaining a beautiful and rewarding life filled with love, career satisfaction and overall contentment.  Noa learned early in his sobriety that perhaps one of his greatest innate gifts was his ability to connect with and inspire others to improve their lives. The ability to help other people is the single greatest asset he has had in helping himself stay sober, stay content and stay in the light.  Noa — now a cult favorite instructor at SoulCycle — will help you find what he describes as “Mental Wealth.”

Due to popular demand, we're back to our old format from last year! Our "After the Episodes" will start coming out every other Thursday again, and Ashley & Christiana will review two episodes at a time. This week, the ladies review and cover topics from Episode #41 (Bambi Brown), and Episode #42 (Renée Siegel). Tune in to hear their usual antics along with a deep dive into some important themes and aspects covered in each of these episodes!

Originally educated as a Marriage and Family Therapist in 1980 in Detroit, Michigan, Renée Siegel has worked in the therapeutic field for 41 years. She is the daughter and spouse of family members impacted by addiction. Her father was addicted to drugs, and she later married a man who had a devastating addiction to gambling. Renée understands firsthand the impact that addiction has on the family, and she shares incredibly intimate details of her story around what it means to recover from the effects of a spouse’s gambling addiction that took everything she owned and more. In private practice now, Renée uses a pivotal tool she discovered many years ago called the Enneagram. After using it with hundreds of people impacted by addiction, it is clear to her that it increases self-awareness and tolerance, reduces shame, and applies to all stages of recovery.

Bambi never imagined herself as an alcoholic or drug addict. It wasn’t until she was deep into an abusive relationship that she realized she could not stop.  Although she was introduced to sobriety at age 18, it took 8 years of relapse to finally become sober at 26 years old. She is a nurse and a mother of two, but it wasn’t until the birth of her first child, she experienced a true emotional bottom in sobriety . Her journey in motherhood changed not only her life, but her views on sobriety as well.  She is in a devoted relationship with her, also sober, high school sweetheart and lives in Hawaii.

We're so excited to bring you another "After the Episode" for Season 2! Ashley & Christiana review and cover topics from Episodes #37 (Kim Jorgensen-Richard), #38 (Ashley Morgan) & 39 (Mike McAllister). Tune in to hear their usual antics along with a deep dive into some important themes and aspects covered in each of these episodes.

In this bonus episode, Ashley and Christiana sit down for the first time in their home podcast booths to discuss the effects of COVID-19 on them and their surrounding communities, along with sharing some resources to help during this time. As a special surprise - two tiny guests visit the podcast booth to say hi! Tune in to this bonus episode to laugh, learn and feel inspired to continue moving forward with hope.

Mike is a California native, living in San Clemente, California with his wife and 2 beautiful daughters. He has multiple ASE and Ford master certifications, as well as technical school certificates in automotive and heavy equipment mechanics. Mike believes that the only ‘social media’ he needs is email, however if you want to connect with him you can sometimes find him in his wife’s Instagram feed, which can be found with the handle @chasingmcallisters. He has been sober and in recovery for over 10 years. Mike is a committed member of a 12 step recovery group - his experiences are his only, and not representative of the group as a whole.

Ashley Morgan is an Interior Designer based in Los Angeles, California, who has had a tumultuous journey to find her recovery. Ashley moved around Europe and Asia a lot as child, following her father's career in finance, until she landed back in LA, where she spent the majority of her childhood. She found drugs and alcohol at a very young age only to discover that her illness would progress quickly. After being in and out of 13 different treatment centers and hospitals, Ashley finally came to the realization that she wanted to live, and the only way to do that was by a complete lifestyle change - and most importantly - being completely honest with herself. Ashley now has the privilege of owning a business and has worked hard to repair relationships with her family and friends over the years. As you'll hear in her story, an integral part of her getting and staying sober has been working the steps along with the incredible support system she has surrounding her.

Kim Jorgensen-Richard, first time author, of Rock-Covery, Not Your Mother’s Meditation Book, (now available on Amazon.com) is a life-long resident of Southeastern Massachusetts, a Licensed Alcohol & Drug Counselor, a woman in recovery from trauma & addiction, and of course, a fan of all things rock and roll! She first began her recovery journey in 1987, at a detox in Fall River, Massachusetts. In the 10 years that followed, she began her career in the field of addictions treatment, started a family, and continued to stay on the path of recovery. Eventually though, she became distracted by her good fortune and decided to celebrate with a drink, thus beginning a three-year relapse. Fortunately, she never stopped seeking treatment, and eventually began to find traction on her road to recovery. She does not apologize for her relapse, but acknowledges it as one of the most powerful life-lessons that she has ever experienced. She credits this experience as a key influence in maintaining her recovery today, and one of the motivations behind her first book, _Rock-Covery-Not Your Mother’s Meditation Book. _ Today, a woman in long-term, active recovery from alcohol and any other numbing agent or activity, Kim is a Project Director at an area Human Service Agency, providing reentry assistance for individuals diagnosed with Substance Use or Co-Occurring Disorder. Her mission is to chip away at the stigma surrounding these disorders, providing hope to people devastated by trauma, addiction & mental health issues by sharing her own experiences with these same conditions. Kim enjoys spending time with her soul sisters in recovery, hanging out with her kids, watching the Patriots & documentaries, going to the gym and the beach, and of course, listening to music and going to concerts with her guy.

It's the first "After the Episode" for Season 2!!! Ashley & Christiana review and cover topics from Episode 33 (Kimberly Russell), 34 (Michele Murphy) & 35 (Kendra Allen). Tune in to hear their usual antics along with a deep dive into some important themes and aspects covered in each of these episodes.

Kendra Allen is the woman behind the Instagram account, online course and blog, Break Up Bestie. After going through a series of unhealthy relationships in her early 20’s, including narcissism, abuse, and emotional unavailability, Kendra began gathering tools and working on herself to prevent that from happening again. Around the same time, Kendra got sober at the age of 21 after years of self-destructive alcoholism. A few years into that, she experienced the break up that brought her to her knees - the kind where you feel like you might actually be dying. Without having alcohol to take the edge off, she really dove into what it takes to go through a break up with grace, with growth, and learned how to come out the other side a better person. After seeing a huge gap in break up advice online, Kendra decided to launch Break Up Bestie the same year she got married to the love of her life. She loves empowering women to view a break up, not as an end, but as a beginning to a beautiful path to learn about yourself and to get in touch with what you really want out of a relationship. Kendra just launched The Break Up Bestie online course, which walks people through how to navigate their break up with tools, writing exercises, a workbook, and 23 video lessons. 

Michele turned to drugs and alcohol at a young age to cope with the pain of her childhood, and found herself deep in the grips of codependency. Her recovery from drugs and alcohol ended up being her gateway to healing. She found sobriety at age 18, but life didn't immediately turn around the way she thought it would. As you'll hear Michele say in her interview, "just because you're sober, doesn't mean you're well." She has had so many different life experiences since then, and she shares how she's been able to stay sober through them all. She has a beautiful daughter named Scarlett, two dogs and is now engaged to the love of her life. She also owns a virtual long-term post discharge company that offers a comprehensive aftercare program called Modern Recovery. She loves to teach and practice yoga, and she owns a yoga studio in Mesa, Arizona called Exhale Yoga.