The Recovery Podcast

On today’s episode Natalie and I return to our interview with Rachel Snyder as she continues to share her story and the process of surrender, redemption, and renewal through her higher power and her time in Recovery. 

This is was an important episode not just for the podcast but for me personally- Rachel, Natalie and I talk through some very difficult subjects on this one. But the thing that stands out to me the most is that Rachel’s story and the discussions we share on this episode are absolutely saturated with the evidence of God’s power, faithfulness and promise. I couldn’t think of a more fitting intro- and outro- for this episode than the song “Evidence” by Josh Baldwin, so stick around at the end of the episode for TRP exclusive live cover by Kyle Cogburn, the worship leader here at the Village Church. 

This is part two of Rachel’s story. 

Disclaimer: While we absolutely DO encourage our guests to share from their experiences in their recovery programs, no one is a spokesperson or representative of the recovery programs they choose to share their experiences from.

On today's episode my wife Natalie and I will be interviewing someone that folks have requested we have on the podcast for a long time coming- Rachel Snyder. Rachel will share how her childhood was defined by the abuse and victimization perpetrated upon her by the very people meant to protect her, how she lost her voice and autonomy, and how she was thrust into her adult life very early on with no voice, no sense of self worth, and only the lens of her trauma brokenness in which to see the world. 

Be warned- Rachel shares some very difficult events, circumstances and themes in this episode including physical and sexual abuse, and the death of a child. But on the flip side of those truly terrible things, I hope that something bigger, something even more profound stands out- that our higher power can redeem us, and is not handicapped by our brokenness, shame, pain or doubts. Yes, this is a story of survival and trauma- but more so this is a story of a God that is truly bigger than all the terrible things in this life and how woefully short we fall in understanding that. 

This is part one of Rachel’s story. 

Disclaimer: While we absolutely DO encourage our guests to share from their experiences in their recovery programs, no one is a spokesperson or representative of the recovery programs they choose to share their experiences from.

Marriage is hard, even before you take into account the baggage that some of us bring in to it. While most of us start off earnestly intending to fulfill our vows of “till death do us part”, we often find that we’re in over our heads once that baggage causes issues we weren’t anticipating. 

For those of us in Recovery, that baggage almost always poses a very real threat to the survival of our marriages and all that comes with it. Join Natalie and I as we interview Noah and Jenn Demerly, whose story was the inspiration for this very series. They’ll share how mental health, addiction, codependency and just the universal human condition can take our marriage to hopeless places where we feel isolated and alone. But- once we’re willing to step out of denial and admit our hopeless- we are bound to encounter it’s very antithesis- hope, and in abundance. 

Disclaimer: While we absolutely DO encourage our guests to share from their experiences in their recovery programs, no one is a spokesperson or representative of the recovery programs they choose to share their experiences from.

Many of us in recovery have found our marriages and homes to be more like a triage zone on a battlefield than a healthy space where we feel loved and wanted; and looking back on where some of our marriages were (and where some of your marriages might be now), when one or both people in a marriage aren’t in a healthy place, our efforts turn from focusing on growing together and instead end up being about keeping our marriages alive. 

On today’s episode I’ll be joined by my wife Natalie, previous guest Carol Hoelle and new guest Jenn Demerly as they share the struggles of going from a place of survival in their marriages to opening themselves up to the promise of a full, happy, healthy marriage with a way forward into growth and change. As you’ll hear in this episode, opening up to that isn’t easy, and it doesn’t mean there won’t be conflict or friction- but it does mean there’s a hope of a better life together. 

This is the Hers episode of the Love & Marriage series.

Disclaimer: While we absolutely DO encourage our guests to share from their experiences in their recovery programs, no one is a spokesperson or representative of the recovery programs they choose to share their experiences from.

Most of us have been made acutely aware of the statistics showing that almost 50% of marriages fail in the US, but for those of us in Recovery- or are married to someone in recovery- know that the odds are stacked even more against us. 

Ladies, feel free to sit in on this one, but this episode is really for the fellas- join Kyle Sears, Mitch Spies, Noah Demerly and I as we hash out the challenges we face in working recovery inside of a marriage, what we have an obligation to do for our wives and what we have a duty to avoid- all in pursuit of being the husband we all want to be. This is the His episode of the Love and Marriage series. Welcome to The Recovery Podcast. 

Disclaimer: While we absolutely DO encourage our guests to share from their experiences in their recovery programs, no one is a spokesperson or representative of the recovery programs they choose to share their experiences from.

Today we’ll jump right back into the “What’s Next?” Series with part 3, “Defective”. I’ll talk about those crossroads moments deeper into our recovery when we’re presented with a new awareness of character defects we might not have known where there- and the decision we must make in light of them. 

While I’ll be borrowing heavily from my experience from Celebrate Recovery for this one, make no mistake- whether you call AA, NA, CR or some other fellowship home, these moments are critical in all of our recoveries. Stick around for this one.

Disclaimer: While we absolutely DO encourage our guests to share from their experiences in their recovery programs, no one is a spokesperson or representative of the recovery programs they choose to share their experiences from.

On this episode we’ll be picking right back up with part two of the “What’s Next?” series with my guest Drews Mitchell, who is a father, deacon, high school counselor and has recently started his own business as a career counselor. 

Many of us find ourselves after that first year or two in recovery in a place where we’re looking to pick up the pieces of our lives and rebuild with our new found freedom, and for many of us that includes rebuilding, restarting or really engaging in our careers for perhaps the first time. Some of you listening may not be in recovery at all but may just be in a place in your life where you’re looking for a change, or maybe life has dictated a change for you- whatever the case may be, facing the mountainous task of moving in a new direction with our careers can feel daunting, if not impossible. Drews will walk us through what some of the challenges that process brings, how we can tackle it in a healthy way, and we’ll discuss my own recent journey with finding a new career post-using and everything that came along with it. 

If you're interested in speaking with Drews about career counseling, you can find him at  https://www.visioncareercounseling.com/

Disclaimer: While we absolutely DO encourage our guests to share from their experiences in their recovery programs, no one is a spokesperson or representative of the recovery programs they choose to share their experiences from.

On this very special episode of TRP, we'll be honoring the memory of Charley Hartman on the one year anniversary of his passing. After a special foreword by my sponsor Mitch Spies, I'll be interviewing two of Charley's sponsees and previous TRP guests Darrell Wilson and Austen Funke. They'll share the impact Charley had on not only them- but the Cincinnati recovery community as a whole. 

Disclaimer: While we absolutely DO encourage our guests to share from their experiences in their recovery programs, no one is a spokesperson or representative of the recovery programs they choose to share their experiences from.

Today we’re diving into Part One of a multi-part series that we have settled on
calling “What’s Next?” (previously referred to as “Living Life on Life’s Terms” in last week's Open Table episode/channel update). We’ll discuss the various challenges that come with living out our new-found life on life’s terms. Today I’ll discuss the struggle I had with realizing that if I wanted to be the father, husband, son, friend and employee I wanted to be I was going to have to take care of the common denominator in all of those roles- me. Specifically my mental, emotional and physical health. Staying sober and addressing character flaws weren’t enough- if I didn’t have the mental, emotional and physical bandwidth to give those roles my full effort I was going to fall short in all of them.

If you’re new to recovery and wonder what life is like after using- this is for you. If you’ve got a stretch of recovery under your belt and you feel like you’re learning how to live life in a healthy way for the first time- this is definitely for you. If you love someone in recovery and you want a glimpse into some of the things they may be struggling with in their new-found freedom, this is for you too. Just because we’re not using doesn’t mean we won’t find ourselves wondering the same thing myself- and my guests for this series- have all wondered too...

“What’s next?”

Disclaimer: While we absolutely DO encourage our guests to share from their experiences in their recovery programs, no one is a spokesperson or representative of the recovery programs they choose to share their experiences from.

On today's episode we're kicking off a new episode format called Open Table, where I'll be joined by various folks in the recovery community to have an open, informal discussion about life, recovery and all of the interesting ways those two things intersect. The topic for today's Open Table is discussing what lies ahead for TRP this summer, and take the time to reflect on the journey so far. 

Disclaimer: While we absolutely DO encourage our guests to share from their experiences in their recovery programs, no one is a spokesperson or representative of the recovery programs they choose to share their experiences from.

On today's episode I’m joined once again by my good friend Paul Salazar. We'll pick up where we left off last time by Paul walking us through the process of knowing that he had found a way forward, but feeling like something was still missing. He’ll talk about how his involvement with CR married together his recovery and spiritual growth and exposed him to how living a life of service is critical to recovery- and why we should seek to constantly help others along the path.

Disclaimer: While we absolutely DO encourage our guests to share from their experiences in their recovery programs, no one is a spokesperson or representative of the recovery programs they choose to share their experiences from.

On today’s episode we’ll be diving into part two of our two-part series with my wife Natalie. We’ll discuss what marriage was like with with her working recovery when I wasn’t, what it was like when I got sober, and the challenges we weren’t expecting as we entered into a new chapter of our life with us both working a program.

If you love someone in addiction or who is working a program this episode is for you. On the flip side if you’re an addict who is still new in recovery, this episode is also for you. I can speak for both Natalie and myself when I say that just because the addict in a relationship finds sobriety doesn’t mean the work ends there. We hope you find hope and encouragement as we share those experiences with you in this episode. 

Disclaimer: While we absolutely DO encourage our guests to share from their experiences in their recovery programs, no one is a spokesperson or representative of the recovery programs they choose to share their experiences from.

Today’s episode will be part one of a two-parter where I’m joined by my wife Natalie, who will share her pre-recovery story of how sexual assault shattered her sense of self and led her into a spiral of even further physical, emotional and sexual abuse before God provided a way out. But, like most stories, she found that initial trauma isn’t where the pain ends. She’ll also share what life was like dealing with the aftermath of such a traumatic period of her life and how she was able to find healing and freedom. We’ll also discuss how her sexual trauma effected our marriage and our experiences working through it. 

I have to put a warning on this episode before we start however. There will be sexual and physical abuse discussed that may be triggering for some people. We’ll also be discussing sex and intimacy in the context of marriage. While we definitely made our best effort to be as delicate and tasteful as we could discussing these topics, some folks might find it too graphic all the same. It is NOT our intention to be shocking or controversial. We just believe these things should be discussed in a mature manner. 

Disclaimer: While we absolutely DO encourage our guests to share from their experiences in their recovery programs, no one is a spokesperson or representative of the recovery programs they choose to share their experiences from.

Today's episode will be dual-purposed. First we'll get to meet Kyle Sears, my life-long best friend and someone I work recovery with side by side. He'll give us a brief look into his recovery journey and we'll share how our friendship began and has evolved as we both engaged with recovery. 

The second purpose is as the second installment of our TRP Topics series, where Kyle and I discuss the negative effects of an unhealthy engagement with other people's expectations of us- both perceived and real. We'll talk about how he's been able to find a way to balance his empathy and service with other people with a grounded sense of what he can and cannot do as a person. 

Disclaimer: While we absolutely DO encourage our guests to share from their experiences in their recovery programs, no one is a spokesperson or representative of the recovery programs they choose to share their experiences from.

On today’s episode I’m joined by Andy Henderson, who has the most infectious enthusiasm for recovery I’ve ever encountered in time working a program. Join us as Andy walks us through how God rescued him for a cycle of perpetual self-destructive behavior exacerbated by the guilt and trauma of watching his best friend get shot right in front of him, and how accepting help from his higher power allowed him to finally find a way out of his hopelessness. 

Disclaimer: While we absolutely DO encourage our guests to share from their experiences in their recovery programs, no one is a spokesperson or representative of the recovery programs they choose to share their experiences from.

On today's episode I'll be joined by Austen Funke as he takes us through his incredible story of how drugs and alcohol drove him to do everything he could to throw his life away before God salvaged it. From full-blown alcoholism in High school to a high-speed chase through Iowa to narrowly missing death from an overdose multiple times, join us as Austen recalls how God walked with him through it all and eventually pulled him out with a simple question: "are you done yet?". Be warned, this is a long one but I hope you stick it out because it is well worth it. 

Disclaimer: While we absolutely DO encourage our guests to share from their experiences in their recovery programs, no one is a spokesperson or representative of the recovery programs they choose to share their experiences from.

On today’s episode I’m joined once again by my wife Natalie as we sit down with Julie Battie, Natalie’s long-time sponsor and someone who played a vital role not just in helping Natalie work her program, but also a vital part in God’s plan to save our marriage from the turmoil caused by my addiction. We’ll discuss Julie’s recovery story and Natalie and Julie’s shared experiences as sponsor and sponsee. 

Disclaimer: While we absolutely DO encourage our guests to share from their experiences in their recovery programs, no one is a spokesperson or representative of the recovery programs they choose to share their experiences from.

On today's episode my wife Natalie will co-host with me as we interview Carol Hoelle, who has been an integral person in starting and growing the Celebrate Recovery that my wife and I both attend and now lead it alongside her husband Randy. She will take us through her recovery story and share how God will use unfair circumstances to help us surrender to our higher power and finally enjoy the peace and purpose we never thought possible- and how that purpose sometimes means more than we ever thought possible. 

Disclaimer: While we absolutely DO encourage our guests to share from their experiences in their recovery programs, no one is a spokesperson or representative of the recovery programs they choose to share their experiences from.

On today's episode we’ll be talking to Daniel Cowan, who will share how a committed attempt at working an honest program- even with absolute reluctance- can change the outcome of your life and redeem relationships and futures long since thought to be lost. 

Disclaimer: While we absolutely DO encourage our guests to share from their experiences in their recovery programs, no one is a spokesperson or representative of the recovery programs they choose to share their experiences from.

On today's episode we’ll be doing things a little differently- specifically I will be doing things a little differently. I’ll be on the opposite end of the conversation as my sponsor and good friend Mitch Spies will interview me as I share my recovery story. I’ll share how finally surrendering to my higher power redeemed my lifelong cynicism and isolation and allowed me to have a life built upon faith and relying on others to help me not just stay clean, but experience life in a way I never considered possible. 

Disclaimer: While we absolutely DO encourage our guests to share from their experiences in their recovery programs, no one is a spokesperson or representative of the recovery programs they choose to share their experiences from.