Recovering From Reality

Jessica Kent is a fellow ex-con who went Youtube viral when she shared a video about being pregnant and giving birth in prison. For months I have had requests to sit down with Jessica and have her share her story. I think as a society we have evolved in so many ways in regards to openly speaking about our addictions or mental health. But, when it comes to being a felon, I find most people instantly change their views about you when they find out that you’ve been to prison. I haven’t shared much about my experience in jail on the podcast before and I plan on doing it more now.

In this podcast we discuss:

- Giving birth in prison

-Addiction

-Childhood trauma

-How poverty plays a role in the privilege debate

-Bail reform

-Systemic Racism

-Mass incarceration

-How difficult it is to rebuild your life as a felon

You can follow Jessica on Youtube: Jessica Kent

Or on Instagram at: @JesKen12

You can follow along with us on Instagram:

@recoveringfromreality

@itsalexishaines

@liferesetcourse

If you or someone you know needs addiction treatment please visit www.alorecovery.com

Cured Nutrition: Visit curednutrition.com and use code ALEXIS25 at checkout for 25% off

Sakara Visit www.sakara.com and use code “reality’ for 20% off your order

Produced by Dear Media

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In this weeks episode I am solo diving into topics like manifestation, clearing old subconscious programming, how the brain works, getting on the path to finding out who you truly are and my journey towards finding my worth.

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Today I am joined by Dr. Carder Stout, one of the therapists I met in treatment ten years ago. Carder worked at Sober Recovery Center, and he was one of my favorite therapists. I just passed nine years of sobriety, and it’s crazy to think I haven’t seen him for a decade. Dr. Carder introduced me to cognitive behavioral therapy, which changed my life. He has also written a book called Lost in Ghost Town, where he details his own struggle with addiction, finding supportive community, and dealing with his childhood trauma. In this episode, we talk about finding community in recovery, breaking generational trauma, our parenting styles and how we can move from shame and guilt to self-compassion.

Produced by Dear Media

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Right now many of us are in a state of grief. We may have lost our jobs. We might be grieving the loss of any sense of normality. We may have lost a love one. Maybe we had to cancel major events, like a wedding, birthday party or funeral. Maybe we still haven’t grieved our past experiences. Now that the majority of us are stuck at home, we may feel old, unresolved issues bubbling up to the surface. And we are not alone- our children are grieving too. In this weeks episode grief expert and therapist Claire Bidwell Smith joins me on the podcast, where we discuss what grief is, the stages of healing, and how we can best move forward after covid.

If you enjoyed this episode you can learn more about Claire at www.clairebidwellsmith.com

you can always follow along with us on Instagram @recoveringfromreality or visit our website at www.recoveringfromreality.com

This weeks podcast sponsor is the amazing Cured Nutrition. To get some of the best CBD out there visit www.curednutrition.com and use code “ALEXIS25” at check out

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Today I am sitting down with Laurise McMillian, a journalist and editor at Refinery29. Laurise runs Refinery29’s Unbothered Instagram account, a page that empowers strong millennial Black women just like her. I found out about Laurise from her killer Instagram posts called, “That’s Not It Sis,” where she teaches women how to best communicate in the workplace. In this episode, we dive into her background in journalism, how she got the job at Refinery29, what it’s like being a Black woman in the workforce, and how we can all become better allies to people of color.

You can follow along with Laurise on Instagram @lauriseirl

Were so grateful for our sponsors visit www.sakara.com and use code “reality” at check out for 20% off

and you can visit www.foursigmatic.com and use code “reality” for 15% off

Produced by Dear Media

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In this weeks episode I am joined by Rising Woman founder Sheleana Aiyana. She is a spiritual psychologist who focuses on conscious relationship, shadow work, breath work and tantric practice. She had grown her community to over 1.6 million and if you follow her account you know why people love her work. Her writings hit deep. Her profound transformation from severe early childhood abuse to healing, will leave you feeling so inspired. Here is my favorite post of hers from last week, " Life isn't trying to break you down, it's trying to break you open."

You can follow along with Sheleana on instagram @sheleanaaiyana or @rising woman

You can follow along with Alexis @itsalexishaines or @recoveringfromreality

This weeks sponsor is the amazing Talk Space which is giving our listeners $100 of their first month with code ALEXIS25 at checkout

Produced by Dear Media

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Alyson Stoner is an actress, singer and dancer who has been featured in music videos like Missy Eliot’s ‘Work It’, on Disney shows such as Suite Life of Zach and Cody and movies such as Cheaper By the Dozen. As with many young child actors behind the scenes Alyson began to struggle with the pressure of her life. She began to become addicted to perfection. This quickly turned into an addiction and eventually she made the decision to get into treatment. Now, she lives life in a much different way. Her recovery is inspiring. She lives a minimalist lifestyle and creates her own content.

In this weeks episode we are diving into topics like societal pressure, transactional love, overcoming eating disorders, regulating your trauma response, learning to manage depression and anxiety and the importance of compensating content creators.

You can follow along with Alyson on her new podcast, Simplexity. Or on Instagram @alysonstoner

And you can always follow along with us on instagram @recoveringfromreality or online at www.recoveringfromreality.com

This weeks episode was brought to you by Thrive Market.

Head over to www.thrivemarket.com/reality to receive up to $20 off your purchase today with a no-risk membership.

And also, Four Sigmatic!

Head over to www.foursigmatic.com and use code REALITY at checkout for  15% off your order of any of their delicious products.

Produced by Dear Media

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This week, I have the ladies from the That’s So Retrograde Podcast joining me! Stephanie and Elizabeth are the OG podcasters, especially in the wellness world, and we have a conversation about how That’s So Retrograde began, tips for starting your own podcast, and what’s happening in the wellness world right now. We also talk about being your own health guru, modern vs. natural medicine, and how diet is for our health, not the look of our bodies.

Episode Highlights: 

• Astrology
• Tips for having a podcast and being authentic
• Healing yourself
• Privilege and appropriation in the wellness world
• Debunking misinformation about diet 
• Mental health and nutritional deficiencies
• Social media “influencers” 

Where to Find Stephanie and Elizabeth: 

Instagram: @ssimbari  @elizabethkott and @soretrograde

And you can always follow along with us on instagram @recoveringfromreality or online at www.recoveringfromreality.com

Cured Nutrition: Visit www.curednutrition.com and use code “ALEXIS25” for 25% off your order of $50 or more.

Sakara: Visit www.sakara.com and use “REALITY” for 20% off at checkout

Produced by Dear Media

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Dr. Sagan works at my treatment facility, Alo House Recovery Centers, and practices the mind-body connection modality when it comes to healing addiction and mental illness. The typical approach to psychiatry is failing many people. But thought leaders like Dr. Sagan are changing the community for the better. In this episode, we talk about medication vs. natural healing, chemical imbalances vs. environmental factors causing mental illness, learning to self-regulate our thoughts, repressed memories, and the flight or fight response.Dr. Sagan explains the difference between early childhood trauma and trauma later in life, and how that affects our nervous systems. She explains how our limbic systems are trained to react a certain way, and we need to learn to undo these responses. Having a supportive community really helps. We also talk about how to navigate repressed memories. Our brains are protecting us, but sometimes we need to work through these hard moments. I still have triggers, and have been through my own journey with psychiatric medication and TMS therapy. But thank God psychiatry and medication is an option. 

Episode Highlights: 

• Self-regulation and mindfulness
• Chemical imbalances vs. environmental factors
• Psychiatric medication
• Early childhood trauma vs. stable childhood and addiction
• Flight or fight response
• Reparenting
• Book: Your Body Keeps The Score
• Healing from repressed memories
• Dr. Segan’s Mind Align Method 

Visit Foursigmatic.com/Reality for 15% off your order!

Produced by Dear Media

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Kaley Patel is a Reiki Master, yoga instructor, and meditation teacher who specializes in EFT (emotional freedom technique). I can now add author to her resume, as her book titled, Burning Bright, comes out at the end of this month! When I sat down with Kelsey the whole “interview” went out the window as we instantly connected and began talking about our stories of how our emotional pain turned into physical pain and the deep and transformative experiences we’ve had as a result.

You can find Kelsey on her website www.kelseyjpatel.com

on Instagram @kelseyjpatel

You can follow along with me on www.recoveringfromreality.com

or on Instagram @itsalexishaines and @recoveringfromreality

My Life Rest: How to Recover From Reality course is now available on my website for just $39 dollars a month

We are so grateful for this weeks sponsors which are:

Talk Space- visit www.talkspace.com and enter code “ALEXIS25” at check out for $100 off your first month

Four Sigmatic- visit www.foursigmatic.com/reality or use code REALITY at check out for 15% off your order

Produced by Dear Media

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, Evan and I recorded a Q&A for the podcast and over on Instagram live! You guys sent in a bunch of good questions, and we get deep into topics like addiction treatment, our personal recovery, relationships, and more.

We share our thoughts on medication assisted treatment, or using drugs like Suboxone to reduce the chance of overdose. We also talk about harm reduction, and ways we can support those who are active addicts. Make sure to educate yourself on this topic before forming an opinion.

We also answer a question about 12 Steps and how its community aspect is so beneficial. I dive into the reasons behind why people have addiction, and how we can do the work to get to the root of our traumas. Evan shares his past drugs of choice and if either of us get triggered to use. 

As far as relationship questions, we talk about how to navigate marital conflict, our favorite things about each other, and our favorite memories. We also talk about our age difference and whether it affects us. Evan also answers if my past scared him! 

Koparibeauty.com/Reality for 15% off your order

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This week, I have podcast host and reality TV enthusiast Danny Pellegrino joining me! Danny hosts Everything Iconic, where he talks about pop culture, and more recently, his mental health. Danny and I just met, but we have so much in common, and I am grateful for his time on this episode. I dish out details about Pretty Wild, my book, and the Nancy Jo meme, along with Danny’s perspective as a viewer. We also talk about Danny’s recovery from anxiety and depression, and ways we can cope with those emotions. I also touch on some LGBTQ+ matters and how we can fight stigma from loved ones. And of course, we have to get into reality TV, and whether or not Danny thinks I’d be a good Real Housewife of Orange County.

https://www.curednutrition.com/ with code: ALEXIS25 for 25% off your order of $50 or more.

LaurelSprings.com/Reality for your waived registration fee.

Produced by Dear Media

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This week, my husband Evan and I are bringing an episode to you guys while quarantined, or social distancing, in our home. We have made every effort possible to stay home, and hope you all stay safe and healthy during this global pandemic. Evan is forever calm, cool and collected, so I thought he'd be a great guest for these times. We talk about Evan’s addiction story, our relationship, marriage, and first impressions of each other, and his almost 15-year sobriety. We also talk about our treatment center, Alo House, and what’s happening in the treatment world. We know during this time of isolation, people can really struggle with mental health, so we are discussing how to handle that as well.

Evan and I are highly sensitive and empathic people, as most who struggle with addiction are. We believe these empaths are truly the mystics, truth-tellers, and way-showers of our planet, and need to be properly cared for. They are not the crazy ones! Our mission with addiction treatment is to help show people their own power, and remove the stigma around suffering. 

TheOuai.com with code: REALITY for 3 Free Samples with your order.

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This week, I had a profound conversation with activist Ashlee Marie Preston. Ashlee is a proud black, transgender woman who is constantly advocating for LGBTQ+ youth and those who are struggling. She is now 8 years sober, and has the humility and kindness to share her story of recovery from childhood abuse, meth, prostitution and homelessness with us. Ashlee is now the messenger she has been waiting for her entire life, and I believe she is a messenger for all of us too. Ashlee grew up unsure of her gender identity in the conservative state of Kentucky. She shares her harrowing story of sexual abuse, being institutionalized as a child, and how her drug addiction began. She moved to California at 19, and found herself struggling to fit in. She was fired from her retail job for being trans and became homeless, without a shelter that would accept her and her trans identity.

On the streets, Ashlee resorted to sex work as a means of survival. She turned to substances to numb out and survive. It was finally Ashlee’s understanding of her relationship with God/universe, that brought her to the breaking point. She began recovery, and found her voice in activism through working with nonprofit organizations, and seeing how poorly people like her were being treated.

Everything that Ashlee thought made her broken and unworthy are now symbols of strength and beauty in her life. Without the work she’s done (in spirituality, sobriety, and service), she would not be helping people like she is today.

 Koparibeauty.com/reality for 15% off your order

TalkSpace.com with code ALEXIS25 for $100 dollars off

Produced by Dear Media

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In this episode, I have an incredible conversation with Khalil Rafati about his miraculous turnover from a homeless, strung out addict to a sober millionaire helping thousands of lives every day. Khalil is the owner of SunLife Organics, a health food chain in California, and the author of I Forgot to Die, which details his childhood trauma, his battle with drug addiction, and how he came out the other side. Khalil has also known Evan and I for about a decade (which is insane), but it’s been amazing seeing how much we’ve all evolved.

TheOuai.com with code REALITY to receive 3 Free Samples with your order!

OseaMalibu.com/Recovering for a $10 off your first purchase of $50 or more, Free shipping on US orders of $75+ and free samples with every order!

LaurelSprings.com/Reality for your Waived Registration Fee

Produced by Dear Media

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Tara Schuster is an author, playwright, and accomplished entertainment executive, currently serving as the Vice President of Talent and Development at Comedy Central. Tara’s first book, Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies: and Other Rituals to Fix Your Life from Someone Who has Been There, is being published by Penguin Random House and will release on February 18, 2020.  By the time Tara was in her late twenties, she was a rising TV executive who had worked for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and helped launch Key & Peele to viral superstardom. By all appearances, she had mastered being a grown-up. But beneath that veneer of success, she was a chronically anxious, self-medicating mess. No one knew that her road to adulthood had been paved with depression, anxiety, and shame, owing in large part to her minimally parented upbringing. After drunk dialing her therapist on her 25th birthday, she knew she needed a wake-up call.

We are diving in deep into what self care actually is…SURPRISE it isn’t a face mask! And giving you a break down of simple things that you can start implementing into your routine to make your life so much better.

You can follow along with Tara on instagram @taraschuster

or visit her website www.taraschuster.com

Cured : visit www.curednutrition.com and use promo code “alexis25” at checkout for 25% off your purchase of $50.00 or more

Produced by Dear Media

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This week, I am joined by fashion stylist turned health and wellness enthusiast, Luke Storey. Luke and I met years ago on the set of a Marilyn Manson music video, where he was a stylist and I made a cameo, and I’ve been wanting him to come on the podcast for forever. Back then, I was still doing drugs, but Luke was 12 years sober. Luke has now been sober for over 20 years, and hosts a podcast called The Life Stylist, where he talks with all kinds of health and wellness experts to learn and help others heal. In this episode, we talk about Luke’s addiction and sobriety, biohacking, recovering with AA or other healing modalities, and how trauma physically manifests in our bodies. We also talk about Luke’s spiritual practice, how The Life Stylist was born, and his plans for 2020! I hope you guys enjoy this insightful conversation with Luke.

Cured Use code ‘ALEXIS25’ for 25% off orders $50.00 or more

Oaui Use code ‘Reality' for three free travel size products

Laurel Springs Use code ‘Reality’ to waive your registration fee

Produced by Dear Media

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Tana Mongeau is one of the biggest Youtubers in the world with nearly 6 million subscribers. She also has her own reality show on MTV, Tana Turns 21. But with all this fame at such a young age, Tana has dealt with her fair share of scandals. I really empathize with Tana. We have basically lived very parallel lives.  Growing up in a household with lots of chaos, leaving home at 16, and trying to make it big in Los Angeles, eventually takes its toll. Today, Tana is coming on the podcast to talk about her challenges, toxic relationship with her parents, her marriage and shortly there after, divorce and what it is really like to live with cameras in your face every single day. I really appreciate Tanas transparency and authenticity.

You can find Tana on instagram: @tanamongeau

Or on youtube: Tana Mongeau

She’s also on twitter: @tanamongeau

This weeks awesome sponsors are:

Kopari Beauty: Head to www.kopairbeauty.com/reality for 15% off your order

Cured Nutrition: Talkspace: Go to www.talkspace.com and use code “ALEXIS25” for $100 dollars off your first month.

Ouaii: Visit www.theouai.com *Use code: REALITY for 3 Free Samples with your order

Produced by Dear Media

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Katie Willcox is an author, public speaker and CEO of two companies. One of which is her blog, Healthy is the New Skinny and the other is her agency for curve models, Natural Models LA. Katie is coming on the podcast today to talk about the science behind why we are always so focused on our bodies, how corporations take advantage of us in order to sell their products, eating disorders, the body positivity movement and how we can start to navigate this space in a more thought provoking way.

DailyHarvest.com Promo Code REALITY for $25 off your first box

LiveHuman.com/Reality for 20% off your first purchase

Produced by Dear Media

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I recorded this episode on December 18, 2019, the day President Donald Trump was impeached. It was quite fitting that my guest was none other than host of the epic podcast, Mueller She Wrote. Thats right, none other than AG. AG is a government worker who must remain anonymous. Her position is unknown but it is said to be high up in a security department. She is also a comedian who started this podcast with two other female comedians. Each week they dish out the real deal news about what the f*ck is happening in our country. She is joining me today to discuss the impeachment, but more importantly what we need to do as citizens to heal our country.

Welcome to RFR Fam! Here is a special discount code for you:

Cured Nutrition: Curednutrition.com Promo Code: ALEXIS25 for 25% off

Produced by Dear Media

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