Jeff talks with President and Founder of 2 End the Stigma, Jill Cichowicz. Jill lost her twin brother, Scott, to accidental overdose in 2017 and has been on a mission to end the stigma surrounding addiction ever since. Jill shares her journey through grief to advocacy, and what she is doing now in her home state of Virginia, and beyond to effect change. Follow Jill: www.2endthestigma.org https://www.linkedin.com/in/jill-cichowicz-78314496/

On this week's episode, Jeff talks with Suicide Prevention Speaker, Frank King. Frank shares his journey with depression and suicidal ideation. Frank's background in stand-up comedy coupled with his lived experience brings a unique perspective to the world of mental health education. Frank talks about his passion for speaking on the topic of mental health and helping others realize that they are not alone. He discusses the importance of storytelling and the impact of vulnerability. Follow Frank: https://www.thementalhealthcomedian.com/ http://www.facebook.com/thementalhealthcomedian https://www.youtube.com/user/frankking2/ http://www.instagram.com/mentalhealthcomedian #podcast #comedy #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #suicideawareness #suicideprevention #comedian

On this week's episode, Jeff speaks with founder of the Karma Box Project, Grant Denton. Grant shares his journey through addiction and recovery. In 2018, Denton founded the innovative Karma Box Project that installed about 50 donation boxes across Northern Nevada. People place nonperishable foods, hygiene products and other items in the boxes, and folks remove what they need. The boxes are painted by local artists or members of the community. The Karma Box Project also has helped to create and operate Nevada's first sanctioned safe camp community, as well as an overflow shelter. Follow Grant: www.karmaboxproject.org

In this week's episode, Jeff talks with Rob Lohman. Sober since 2001, after a suicide attempt, Rob has helped thousands of people find FREEDOM from substance abuse and feeling "stuck in a rut" to living a transformed life at LiftedFromTheRut.com. He does this through sharing his testimony, Interventions, Coaching, Speaking, and being the host of both Beyond The Bars Radio and Addiction, Freedom & Faith Podcasts. Rob invests in the lives of those wanting to see positive change, whether it is coming out of addiction, prison or just wanting more for their lives. He is a dynamic speaker who shares an extremely powerful journey of persistence, faith, and inspiration. Rob is also the Author of The Addiction Intervention Book (#1 in 14 categories for Bestseller and New Release on Amazon). Follow Rob: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertlohman/ Twitter: @roblohman Instagram: @roblohmanliftedfromtherut Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RobLohmanLiftedFromTheRut/ Website: https://liftedfromtherut.com/ YouTube: Rob Lohman Broadcasts

Jeff speaks with Doctor & Best-Selling Author Arun Gupta. Dr. Gupta wrote the book, "The Preventable Epidemic: A Frontline Doctor's Experience and Recommendations to Resolve America's Opioid Crisis." Dr. Arun Gupta has practiced medicine for 35 years. Throughout decades of treating addiction patients, he has seen firsthand the devastation and heartbreak caused to their families. He recently formed the RAOE Foundation, a non-profit focused on resolving the opioid crisis, and is a highly sought-after speaker. In the episode, Dr. Gupta shares how a gap in medical school education about the importance of screening and brief intervention for addiction and the numerous regulations doctors must adhere to have become a barrier to treatment for so many who need it. He shares his thoughts on harm reduction strategies, and how we can reach teens before addiction starts. Get Dr. Gupta's Book: http://thepreventableepidemicbook.com/ #opioidcrisis #mentalhealth #addiction #addictionrecovery #substanceusedisorder #prevention

On this week's episode Jeff speaks with Author, Speaker, Founder and Executive Director of Florida Recovery Schools of Tampa Bay, Inc., Tina Miller. Tina is a woman in long-term recovery, celebrating 24-years substance free. Tina shares how her father starting recovery when she was 4 years old and losing her best friend at 7 years old impacted her. Tina began drinking at 14-years old, and by 18 she was drinking and using drugs every day. After being cut-off by her parents in college, failing classes and realizing her behavior was having a negative impact on relationships, she made the decision to quit drugs. However, her alcoholism increased. Tina and her sister began attending Al-Anon, and through the program and the help of a sponsor, she began to realize she was an alcoholic and began her own recovery journey. Tina shares she felt uncomfortable and reluctant to say the words "I'm an alcoholic" during her first months of attending A.A., so she would instead use the phrase "I'm a pickle." She explains, "when a cucumber has had too much 'juice' it turns into a pickle. It can never again turn into a cucumber." Tina recognizes that while she works every day on recovery, even after years of sobriety, there is no magic cure for her alcoholism. After college, she entered the field of social work and began noticing a gap in services for teens, and began doing research on recovery high schools. In August 2020, she quit her job, started a non-profit and 1-year later in April 2021, she started the first recovery high school in Tampa Bay. The school offers a stable, safe environment for students with substance use disorders to get access to mental health care while continuing their academic education. Jeff and Tina talk about how they have found that trying to change behavior out of fear is not an effective method. Follow Tina: Instagram: @Tinatalkstruth Facebook: @Tinatalkstruth https://www.tinatalkstruth.com/ #addiction #addictionrecovery #substanceusedisorder #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #recovery

On this week's episode, Jeff talks with Ken Graham. Ken is an entrepreneur and businessman, who's life changed on July 4, 2021 when he lost his son, Tyler, to fentanyl poisoning. Ken shares his journey through grief, the importance of talking to your kids about the dangers of fentanyl, and how parents can navigate their own grief in the face of losing a child. Jeff and Ken talk about the importance of mental health and how people can offset the negativity of the world around them. Follow Ken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-graham-42822950 https://www.facebook.com/ken.graham.988 #fentanyl #fentanylawareness #mentalhealth #substanceusedisorder #grief #griefjourney

This week, Jeff talks with Charlie Ray. Charlie Ray is a leading expert in generational trauma and how your environment creates emotional traumas. In 2010 Charlie's life changed forever. His 14 year old son, Kristopher, took his life because he was misdiagnosed with depression and put on Zoloft during the beginning of the school year. Kristopher started cutting himself and within two weeks after a physiologist increased him medication he had ended his life. Charlie grieved the loss of his son, brother in law, dad, and mom all in two years. Through identifying and working through his own generational trauma, Charlie was able to build a better life for himself, and in turn work to help others let go of the trauma that is holding them back in their own life. Follow Charlie: https://www.charlieraythehealer.com/ Instagram: @Charlieraythehealer If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #suicideprevention #suicideawareness #selfcare #selfhelp #grief #griefjourney #healing #healingjourney

Jeff talks with hosts of LSP "Love's Sparrow" Feel Good Podcast, and mental health advocates Rahmir McCray and Marcquis E. Copper. Rahmir & Marcquis share their struggles with mental health and trauma in childhood. They talk about how they met, and how the got into mental health advocacy. If you or someone you know is experiencing a #MentalHealth crisis, call or text 988 Follow Marcquis & Rahmir: https://www.instagram.com/lsppodcast/ https://linktr.ee/lsppodcast