Above Ground Podcast

"Life is a three lane highway", says Pieter Van Winkle. The right being reaction. And, being creative and proactive in the left. In certain seasons of our lives we are shifting lanes. In others we are blasting on down the road. Life is a highway, leave yourself an out. 

It's time to get under the hood and get a tune up with Men's Coach, Pieter Van Winkle. Pieter is a Coach and Group Facilitator. Pieter believes in an examined life and taking responsibility for what you bring. This includes pulling the engine, boring out the heads, putting on a new carb with enough motor breath to kick yourself into gear. 

Pieter takes us through what seeking our truth as men is with our souls. Pieter likes being uncomfortable. Many of our problems stem from a lack of attachment and fear. The stories we tell ourselves is the fuel that makes our motor run. Make sure the give you juice. 

Peace and happiness our not the destinations. If they are, you always end up searching. Searching leads you further away from where you are heading. We need to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. It's like the 24 Hours of Le Mans. 

Pieter can be found on the web at https://www.pietervw.com

Please come to Hangar on the Hudson in Troy at 6pm tonight, For the Love of Steven; a benefit for awareness of International Overdose Awareness Day 2022 (IOAD22) For the Love of Steven will have live music and raffles. AGP will be there with a resource table. $20 suggested donation. Hope to see you there. 

Special thanks to Nippertown, Kevin Maloney, Will Halem and Jordan Caslin. 

Until next week get well, be safe, stay ABOVE.

Scalpel, clamps, forceps, saw….  Grab your instruments and wash up because this can get dirty. This week we dissect honesty. Being honest with ourselves and with others.

At the end of the day you are the one that controls you. At the end of the day you need to be your greatest advocate. While searching for your truth you may find opposing truths. Your values may be questioned and you may not like what you hear but there are solid truths that are based on facts. Heal and grow,

Get to know yourself-What is your truth? Are you being honest with your self?  If your wish is for others to be more honest maybe the best way to handle it is by leading with example. Maybe by healing your wounds you may realize better ways to adapt and handle yourself. Realize the boundaries of your lane and know your limits. You are not the judge and jury on anyone else but yourself. Be respectful and be safe. Be open and be honest.  TPP

Thanks for listening to Above Ground Podcast this week. Will and TPP are so grateful for the support. Please come visit us this Saturday August 27, 2022 at the Summer on Central Concert Series at 2:00pm. The event takes place in the parking lot of the Linda at 339 Central Avenue Albany, NY 12206. This is the final week and is the Nippertown Final Four show. 

Then Wednesday August 31st, 2022 AGP will be at the Hangar on the Hudson 675 River Street, Troy, NY 12180

For the Love of Steven a For the Lost benefit to raise awareness of International Overdose Awareness Day (#IOAD2022).

Live music, raffles, awareness and remembrance. 6PM doors with a suggested $20 donation. Please come out and support this cause. See you there. Get well, be safe, stay Above...

Obituaries that read, 'died suddenly', often mean the individual written about died in a stigmatized and often shameful manor. Think suicide, or our topic this week, substance abuse and overdose death. This week's 518 guest, Sarah Lyn, discusses addiction, grief and loss, For the Love of Steven.

Our guest this week is Sarah Lyn. Sarah shares the story of Steven. Steven was the father of her daughter and two other grown children. Steven was a gifted and talented artist, father and friend. When Steven kicked Sarah in 7th grade, she knew he was special. Steven lived with ADHD, depression, anxiety and chronic pain. Steven died from a fentanyl overdose.

The CDCs National Center for Health Statistics indicates there were an estimated 100,306 overdose deaths here in the States as of April 2021. Steven's story is weaved into those numbers, but like every stat, there is a person and someone who loves them not seen in those digits. 

Kids pop pills these days. A false belief is that if it is in pill form and looks like medicine they see in their cabinets at home, its ok. Take Purdue Pharma. They knew this shit was addictive, but their business model was all about the bottom line. Addiction is a terrible disease, yet it's peddled to us everywhere. 

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more than morphine. It was developed for pain management of cancer patients and delivered via patch. Illicitly manufactured fentanyl is linked to the most recent rise in overdose deaths. A street drug with heroin like effects, it is often added to other drugs for its potency and addictive nature.

For the Love of Steven is a benefit concert on Wednesday, August 31st at Hangar on the Hudson in Troy, NY with doors at 6pm. Featuring live music by Curious Comet, RaisinHead, and Lizzie and the Makers.

A silent auction, a 50/50 raffle and community awareness brings us together for this time to remember and time to act. Above Ground Podcast will be there with resources for addiction and mental health. 

Thanks for listening to this episode. Please continue to share, review, friend, follow and buy coffees. We appreciate it. Until next week get well, be safe, stay Above...

Resistance will hold us back. It can also drown you. When you fight the water, we expend all our energy treading. Where as, if you give into the water and trust, it will push you up. Be like water my friend, before we sing, Pull Me Under.

What's up everyone. This is one hundred sixty five of Above Ground  Podcast. This week the guys are riffing on resistance, whether your stuff brings everyone down while you help another. The guys talk about their love of pop-pop popcorn. 

When you need insight into your own journey outside voices do not hold the same loudness as does your own. The only catch is, you have to pay attention. You must go inside, be silent. The world is spinning without me. 

Listen you must, or lose you will-Yoda.

During the course of mental illness, a wreckage can be left behind. Intentional or not. Hurt people, hurt people. Until, you decide to not hurt anymore. Until you set the intention, and step into your energy. 

At times the spiral comes on so slow, it just gets behind you at the crosswalk. Slides in behind and then takes you over until you start isolating, avoiding. Self-care if not for the right reasons, can be a negative. Its like eating too much pizza (You can't eat it every meal, but I would every day). 

Thanks for listening to another week of Above Ground Podcast. A huge thanks to Nippertown, Pogo Beard Company, WAMC, and Upstate Punk Rock Flea Market. Hope to see you all out and about at the WAMC Summer on Central Concert Series, Saturday, August, 27, 2022 at the Linda WAMC's Performing Arts Center. 

A special happy 30th anniversary to Dream Theater's July 1992 Atco Records release, Images and Words.  

Until next week get well, be safe, stay ABOVE

“Anger is the response, when attachment doesn’t get what it wants,” says our guest the Venerable Robina Courtin. This week, Robina helps the guys understand what the Buddha can teach us about mental health and our views of the world around us. 

The Buddha was an expert of the mind. The mind being the cognitive process of learning about our thoughts, emotions, and feelings. Via self awareness and mindfulness we can start to unpack ourselves and that’s when the real work begins. 

We can mold our minds into any form we choose. We spend our lives often changing the outside in order to make us feel good on the inside.  Learning to reinterpret all that happens  allows us to reconfigure the way we see the world.  We must learn to observe all the thoughts and take back our power in order to be in charge of our lives. The Buddha helps us see, this is possible.

You may not be able to change the outside, but you can change the inside. The first step is for you to believe it’s possible. Your body and your speech are the servants of your mind, not the other way around.  You can’t change anyone but yourself. No more mindless headlock. 

The Venerable Robina Courtin has been an ordained nun of the Mahayana Tradition since 1978. You can find Robina Courtin  be  at the links below:

https://robinacourtin.com

https://www.facebook.com/robinacourtin

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZZvRQmnXU5SrxRFyHBM9UQ

https://twitter.com/RobinaCourtin

Thanks for listening to Above Ground Podcast

Until next week, get well, be safe, stay Above

There are wreckages in life, that can leave us angry, frustrated and bitter. Healing, often leaves us with more questions than answers. Before we know it, we are buried under the weight and desperate to exhume what’s left of ourselves. We need a path to get us out from Beneath the Remains.

Where do we start digging through the events, feelings and traumas that leave us feeling unable to get us looking for the shovel? We often need a catalyst to act as a detonator to blast open our hearts and minds. Much of the debris is left from childhood and patterns of behavior and pain. Our unconscious minds will often shut us down in times of severe trauma to shield us. 

Beneath the Remains is where you may be right now. You don't have to stay there. One by one move the rocks, throw the dirt and build a brand new structure. It will take time, it will take strength, it will take moving forward. It will create light, it will create a new village. 

This past Saturday was NIpperFest 2022. We met amazing people, had wonderful conversations and hopefully we made the world a little less dark and scary for some of you. We are so grateful to be fortunate enough to bring you this content every week. 

Special thanks to Kevin Maloney. Kevin was in-studio when we recorded this episode. Kevin's incredible talent bookends every episode now. Kevin created our intro/outro music. Kevin also played guitar on Will's latest single, Memoir. Kevin's talent is immense and lives forever on recordings from his band Withstand and the Final Sleep. 

Huge thanks and gratitude to Jim Gilbert, Laura D, Amy Klemme and everyone at Nippertown for their support and we couldn't be happier to be part of the team. Ralph Renna for his friendship, dedication to our scene and for getting AGP involved. Vegas Nacy and the Empire Live team for their security at NipperFest this past weekend. Last, but not least, everyone that came out, shared stories, took resources, and chose to not let stigma get in the way of coming over to our table. See you soon!

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Memoir (Despair & Mayhem) [feat. Kevin Maloney] - Single by Will Foley

https://music.apple.com/us/album/memoir-despair-mayhem-feat-kevin-maloney-single/1569777715

This week's episode title was inspired by the band Sepultura.

Until next week, get well, be safe, stay ABOVE.....

Jim Gilbert is a creative fire storm, solution opportunist and the Heart of Nippertown. Jim views his ADD as a superpower that just needs management. Jim is driven beyond the grind, beyond inspired and is the beat that keeps the Heart of Nippertown pumping.

Jim discusses the cocktail that allows him to do ten things at once. We talk NipperFest 2022 and the great acts and logistics of it all. Above Ground Podcast will be there with your mental health resources from NYS Office of Mental Health, AFSP Capital Region, NAMI NYS, Healing Springs, and so many others. We all need a hug too. AGP will giving free hugs to anyone that needs one. 

Jim Gilbert is the Publisher of Nippertown and the Director of Operations for OverIt, a multi-media company in Albany, NY.  Jim was the co-owner of NYSMusic.com Jim is also a concert photographer, with his name etched into many of the great photos we see on Nippertown, NYSMusic.com and all over media. 

Please checkout the links below to find Jim’s work and connect. 

https://nippertown.com

https://overit.com

https://nysmusic.com

Thank you for listening to this episode of Above Ground Podcast. Please continue to rate, review, follow, friend, fan and share. Until next time get well, be safe, stay Above.

For every demon you kill, two more will be born. Some choose suppression, but by suppressing things we often encourage them. We urge you feed your demons with love and understanding. Bring them into the light, out of the shadows. That way you can unmask and befriend them. Give them proper introductions and dance. 

This week we are joined once again in studio by our friend, Jordan. Jordan is the voice you hear at the beginning of episodes narrating our disclaimer. Jordan is an intense and intellectual dude, who loves to ask questions and learn. Let's get rolling.

Don't forget, Saturday July 23, 2022 is Nipperfest. This inaugural event, we hope becomes a yearly 5-1-8 based music festival. AGP will be there with resources supporting mental health and substance abuse. It is free!!! Yes, free! Family friendly, pet friendly day out at Schenectady, NY based Central Park Music Haven. 11am-10pm. 500 Iroquois Way, Schenectady, NY is the address. See you there.

Thanks for listening. Thanks for all your support. It means so. much to us. Please share the links below if anyone asks how to find us. Get well, be safe, stay ABOVE...

https://abovegroundpodcast.net

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https://open.spotify.com/track/5ojjY0hMcefCfcwDFhAZWn?si=f0058da3d7ec483e&nd=1

https://youtu.be/QjfwOJ_Szj0

Memoir (Despair & Mayhem) [feat. Kevin Maloney] - Single by Will Foley

https://music.apple.com/us/album/memoir-despair-mayhem-feat-kevin-maloney-single/1569777715

Peer support is when someone with lived experience helps another find their way through a similar experience. Peers are hope dealers. Peers coach and engage. Peers model recovery and work as part of your care team. Lets get the PEERspective.

China Darrington is the Director of Advocacy and Public Policy for Thrive Peer Recovery Services of Ohio. China is also the founder of XIX Recovery Support Services. She has implemented comprehensive recovery support service programs to help reduce overall costs of treatment and crisis intervention and operationalized those programs to fit within different organizations.

Thrive Peer Recovery Services provides mental health and substance use peer recovery services to self-identifying individuals in Ohio. Thrive Behavioral Health Center is the operating entity of Thrive Peer Support. Through their various programs and initiatives, Thrive supports people on their journey and enables them to achieve independence and long term recovery.

China was an end-stage, chronically addicted person for 15+ years — through jobs, trying to parent & desperately attempting to stay functional.  But addiction is never satisfied and eventually she lost jobs, houses and children to her addiction.

She got clean in September of 2003 and through a broad foundation of recovery has been able to maintain abstinence since.  However, she remembers how difficult it was, with a lack of hope that things would ever get better and a limited understanding of how to get treatment, find supports and get out of the drug world for good.

After establishing her own personal recovery she realized she had a passion for sharing her fire that “It does get better.” She works tirelessly to help others who are tying to find their own way to change their lives for the better.

China can be found here

https://thrivepeersupport.com

http://xix-recovery.org/wp/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chinakrysdarrington

Thanks for listening. Until next week get well, be safe, stay Above.

Healing can be an arduous ordeal. When you’re out of shape an injury can be very difficult to heal from. Invisible injuries, deadly. Recovery is a mindset, a work very deep. This week you find out what the get well in our tag line means. Get well and Start the Healing. 

This week’s episode is one hundred and fifty nine of Above Ground Podcast. TPP and Will discuss starting the process of healing and what it might look like for you to get well. 

You’re in for one hell of a ride. Full of ugly cries, silent rages, fear,  doubt and bargaining. The only out is through, no discounts, coupons or rain checks. It’s real, raw and worth it for everyone around you. When you know better, you do better. 

That there is a quartet of basic ideas necessary for getting well. Recognition, openness to care, expecting hurdles, and taking your time. These sound like the Fab Four  playing your rock anthem. 

Recognition takes reflection, self awareness and some humility. Recognizing you don’t always have to be right and apologizing for mistakes. The ability to see your flaws, but not make them your identity. No one is perfect, nothing is. 

An openness to care and receive treatment in one form or another. Combining holistic, pharmaceutical and art techniques to form the perfect self directed and beneficial therapy.

Expecting hurdles. Knowing you will face setbacks, storms and accidents. Being comfortable with being uncomfortable. Allowing for space, compassion and ultimately, growth. 

The last member of the Fab Four is taking your time. Patience is a necessity and if you do not have a disciplined practice, you’re about to get a crash course in brain surgery. This show isn’t for the timid.  It’s time to get well…1-2-3-4

Thanks for listening to Above Ground Podcast, and making us a part of your weekly podcast choices for the last three years. Please continue to rate and review. Like, share, friend and tweet. Until next week get well, be safe, stay Above.