Breakfast of Choices

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“You’re so lucky you were adopted.” Most people mean it as kindness, but for many adoptees it lands like a shut door. We’re joined by Julie Brumley, a trauma-informed adoptee coach, CEO of Coming Home to Self, and host of The Resilience Project podcast, to talk about the part of adoption that often stays invisible: primal wound, relinquishment trauma, and the lifelong search for safety and belonging.

We get real about how adoption trauma can fuel addiction risk and behavioral patterns like codependency, people-pleasing, and the fear that closeness equals getting left. Julie shares pieces of her own story, including how grief and loss cracked things open, and why talk therapy can miss the root when a therapist isn’t adoption competent. We also unpack how well-meaning “gratitude” messaging can silence legitimate grief over losing a first family, culture, heritage, and medical history.

From there, we go practical. Julie explains why somatic healing and nervous system regulation matter, how body memory can drive choices long after the mind forgets, and what it looks like to learn the language of felt sensations through breathwork and other somatic tools. We also talk about identity and reunion, including the powerful moment of seeing your features mirrored in biological family and what DNA testing can reveal about heritage.

If you care about trauma-informed adoption support, adoptee mental health, and real-world healing practices, this conversation is for you. 

Subscribe, share this with someone who needs a new perspective, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

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From Rock Bottom to Rock Solid.

We all have them...every single day, we wake up, we have the chance to make new choices.

We have the power to make our own daily, "Breakfast of Choices"

Resources and ways to connect:

Facebook: Jo Summers
Instagram: @Summersjol
Facebook Support: Breakfast of Choices

Curriculum and Mentorship: F.L.Y. First Love Yourself

Website: Breakfastofchoices.com

Urbanedencmty.com (Oklahoma Addiction and Recovery Resources) Treatment, Sober Living, Meetings. Shout out to the founder, of this phenomenal website... Kristy Da Rosa!

National suicide prevention and crisis, hotline number 988

National domestic violence hotline:
 800–799–7233

National hotline for substance abuse, and addiction:
844–289–0879

National mental health hotline:
866–903–3787

National child health and child abuse hotline:
800–422-4453 (1.800.4.A.CHILD)

CoDa.org
12. Step recovery program for codependency.

National Gambling Hotline                                                                                                800-522-4700

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Rock bottom is not always loud at first. Sometimes it starts as a child who feels everything deeply, a teen who can’t shut off anxiety, and an adult who finds one perfect switch that makes the whole body relax for the first time. My guest, Charles Gossett, walks us through a 20-year sobriety story that includes a loving upbringing in Oklahoma City, perfectionism, panic, depression, and the moment alcohol stopped feeling like a choice and started feeling like survival.

We get into the truth families live with: addiction “works” until it doesn’t, and then it takes everyone down with it. Charles shares what it was like to relapse after treatment, how denial shows up even when you’re smart and self-aware, and how a suicide attempt and psychiatric hospitalization didn’t magically fix the problem. We talk about the guilt and remorse that can follow, and why shame is not the same thing as accountability.

One of the most important threads is the family system side of recovery: enabling, codependency, and the turning point that came when his wife found Al-Anon, built support, and set firm boundaries to protect herself and their kids. From there we track what helped sobriety stick: treatment, sober living, AA sponsorship, step work, and enough time alcohol-free to learn real coping. We also talk reintegration and purpose, including why Charles now coaches and supports recovery culture at work.

If you care about addiction recovery, alcoholism, mental health, trauma healing, 12-step support, Al-Anon boundaries, or rebuilding a life after relapse, this conversation will stay with you. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs hope, and leave a review with the takeaway you’re going to try this week.

Connect with Charles-Full Integration Coaching

Fullintegrationcoaching.com

Support the show

From Rock Bottom to Rock Solid.

We all have them...every single day, we wake up, we have the chance to make new choices.

We have the power to make our own daily, "Breakfast of Choices"

Resources and ways to connect:

Facebook: Jo Summers
Instagram: @Summersjol
Facebook Support: Breakfast of Choices

Curriculum and Mentorship: F.L.Y. First Love Yourself

Website: Breakfastofchoices.com

Urbanedencmty.com (Oklahoma Addiction and Recovery Resources) Treatment, Sober Living, Meetings. Shout out to the founder, of this phenomenal website... Kristy Da Rosa!

National suicide prevention and crisis, hotline number 988

National domestic violence hotline:
 800–799–7233

National hotline for substance abuse, and addiction:
844–289–0879

National mental health hotline:
866–903–3787

National child health and child abuse hotline:
800–422-4453 (1.800.4.A.CHILD)

CoDa.org
12. Step recovery program for codependency.

National Gambling Hotline                                                                                                800-522-4700

Send us Fan Mail

She was sent to treatment as a kid, learned to survive by going numb, and spent years chasing relief through alcohol, chaos, and relationships that looked like love but felt like control. Freeda Rae Armstrong joins us to tell the full truth of her story, from childhood domestic violence and collective trauma to early rehab, not feeling loved, motherhood, and the kind of grief that can crack a person open.

We also go straight at the question people love to ask: “Why don’t they just leave?” Freeda explains what domestic violence really looks like day to day, including financial abuse, fear, trauma bonding, and the constant calculation of how to keep your kids safe. From DUIs and prison time to court programs and reentry, we talk about the barriers that hit when you’re trying to rebuild a life, and why sobriety has to be more than white-knuckling.

What finally changes things is simple, but not easy: healing inside out. We share how self-care goes deeper than “maintenance,” how prayer can be a conversation, why connection is the opposite of addiction, and how Wellbriety talking circles create belonging across cultures. If you’re navigating addiction recovery, trauma healing, prison reentry, or domestic violence support, this one offers real hope and real tools. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

Freeda Rae-Founder at Morning Starr Healing Inside Out

Support the show

From Rock Bottom to Rock Solid.

We all have them...every single day, we wake up, we have the chance to make new choices.

We have the power to make our own daily, "Breakfast of Choices"

Resources and ways to connect:

Facebook: Jo Summers
Instagram: @Summersjol
Facebook Support: Breakfast of Choices

Curriculum and Mentorship: F.L.Y. First Love Yourself

Website: Breakfastofchoices.com

Urbanedencmty.com (Oklahoma Addiction and Recovery Resources) Treatment, Sober Living, Meetings. Shout out to the founder, of this phenomenal website... Kristy Da Rosa!

National suicide prevention and crisis, hotline number 988

National domestic violence hotline:
 800–799–7233

National hotline for substance abuse, and addiction:
844–289–0879

National mental health hotline:
866–903–3787

National child health and child abuse hotline:
800–422-4453 (1.800.4.A.CHILD)

CoDa.org
12. Step recovery program for codependency.

National Gambling Hotline                                                                                                800-522-4700

Send us Fan Mail

A “good childhood” doesn’t make you immune to addiction, and Brittany Scholen’s story proves how fast life can flip when opioids and meth get involved. We talk with Brittany, now working in the recovery industry at Unity Recovery Centers, about the moment OxyContin stopped being a weekend thrill and became the center of everything: chasing prescriptions, crashing cars, crashing into withdrawals, spiraling into arrests, and staying in toxic relationships because addiction convinces you that survival is love. 

We also get painfully specific about relapse and overdose risk. Brittany shares what it’s like to get real time in sobriety, come home, and relapse so quickly that an overdose follows almost immediately because tolerance drops. We unpack the family side too: the push and pull of boundaries versus enabling, the guilt and shame that families don’t always see, and why people only get sober when they’re truly ready, not when everyone else is begging. 

The turning point includes a near-fatal overdose, Narcan, and a plane ticket to out-of-state treatment in California to get away from people, places, and things. From there, we dig into what helped it finally stick: long-term treatment, meetings, sponsorship, routine, accountability, and even “mom sober living” rules like Life360 and drug tests. Brittany’s transformation lands in the most meaningful place possible, helping other people get off the streets and into recovery while rebuilding trust with her family. 

If you care about addiction recovery, opioid addiction, meth addiction, relapse prevention, detox, treatment, and what long-term sobriety actually looks like day to day, press play. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review, what’s one insight you wish every family understood?

Support the show

From Rock Bottom to Rock Solid.

We all have them...every single day, we wake up, we have the chance to make new choices.

We have the power to make our own daily, "Breakfast of Choices"

Resources and ways to connect:

Facebook: Jo Summers
Instagram: @Summersjol
Facebook Support: Breakfast of Choices

Curriculum and Mentorship: F.L.Y. First Love Yourself

Website: Breakfastofchoices.com

Urbanedencmty.com (Oklahoma Addiction and Recovery Resources) Treatment, Sober Living, Meetings. Shout out to the founder, of this phenomenal website... Kristy Da Rosa!

National suicide prevention and crisis, hotline number 988

National domestic violence hotline:
 800–799–7233

National hotline for substance abuse, and addiction:
844–289–0879

National mental health hotline:
866–903–3787

National child health and child abuse hotline:
800–422-4453 (1.800.4.A.CHILD)

CoDa.org
12. Step recovery program for codependency.

National Gambling Hotline                                                                                                800-522-4700

Send us Fan Mail

You can lose years to addiction while still telling yourself it is normal. Rachel Dick did, and what makes her story hit hard is how clearly she describes the moment the lie breaks. We talk through her early trauma, the grooming that planted dangerous beliefs, and the fast slide from teen experimenting into a decade of meth addiction, pills, violence, and a life built around hustle and survival. When an overdose scare brings paramedics and police to her bedside, the illusion of control finally collapses and the question becomes simple: what does it take to actually get free?

Rachel shares how Mercy Multiplied, a free residential program for women, became the doorway to recovery, and why she believes prayer and surrender marked a real turning point. From there, we dig into what long-term sobriety really demands: boundaries that feel ruthless at first, changing phones and social circles, learning who is safe, and choosing peace even when it feels “boring” compared to chaos. We also get honest about relapse risk, alcohol, triggers, and why some environments are not worth testing.

We go deep on faith for people who feel stuck between church rules and real connection. Rachel breaks down “religion versus relationship,” simple ways to pray when you feel awkward, and how sensitivity and trauma can make you absorb other people’s anxiety if you do not know how to release it. We also talk about her books Finding Freedom and Unlocking Freedom, plus her work in counseling, coaching, and prison ministry.

If you know someone fighting addiction, rebuilding after trauma, or trying to find peace that lasts, share this and subscribe. After you listen, leave a review and tell us: what boundary protects your freedom the most?

Rachel Dick |

Counseling, Coaching, or Speaking - 

www.daretolivefree.net

[email protected]

Books - (this is my amazon profile - so both can be found here)

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Rachel-Dick/author/B089QVSHTR?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2&qid=1774105204&sr=8-2&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=c8115d21-a2c3-43e9-9408-90f87e098ba8

TikTok - 

https://www.tiktok.com/@daretolivefree

Instagram - 

https://www.instagram.com/dare2livefree/

Support the show

From Rock Bottom to Rock Solid.

We all have them...every single day, we wake up, we have the chance to make new choices.

We have the power to make our own daily, "Breakfast of Choices"

Resources and ways to connect:

Facebook: Jo Summers
Instagram: @Summersjol
Facebook Support: Breakfast of Choices

Curriculum and Mentorship: F.L.Y. First Love Yourself

Website: Breakfastofchoices.com

Urbanedencmty.com (Oklahoma Addiction and Recovery Resources) Treatment, Sober Living, Meetings. Shout out to the founder, of this phenomenal website... Kristy Da Rosa!

National suicide prevention and crisis, hotline number 988

National domestic violence hotline:
 800–799–7233

National hotline for substance abuse, and addiction:
844–289–0879

National mental health hotline:
866–903–3787

National child health and child abuse hotline:
800–422-4453 (1.800.4.A.CHILD)

CoDa.org
12. Step recovery program for codependency.

National Gambling Hotline                                                                                                800-522-4700

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

From Rock Bottom to Rock Solid.

We all have them...every single day, we wake up, we have the chance to make new choices.

We have the power to make our own daily, "Breakfast of Choices"

Resources and ways to connect:

Facebook: Jo Summers
Instagram: @Summersjol
Facebook Support: Breakfast of Choices

Curriculum and Mentorship: F.L.Y. First Love Yourself

Website: Breakfastofchoices.com

Urbanedencmty.com (Oklahoma Addiction and Recovery Resources) Treatment, Sober Living, Meetings. Shout out to the founder, of this phenomenal website... Kristy Da Rosa!

National suicide prevention and crisis, hotline number 988

National domestic violence hotline:
 800–799–7233

National hotline for substance abuse, and addiction:
844–289–0879

National mental health hotline:
866–903–3787

National child health and child abuse hotline:
800–422-4453 (1.800.4.A.CHILD)

CoDa.org
12. Step recovery program for codependency.

National Gambling Hotline                                                                                                800-522-4700

Send us Fan Mail

What if your first clean promise wasn’t about recovery at all—but about honoring a dream you made as a kid? Host Jo Summers sits down with rapper and recovery advocate, artist Skyler Ray Davis to trace a life that started with abandonment at nine, spiraled into homelessness, meth, and dealing on the same eight Portland blocks, and then pivoted in a prison bunk with a simple commitment: get clean for music, then build a life worth staying clean for.

Skyler opens up about the root wound that drove him—people‑pleasing born from abandonment—and how fake love from the streets felt good enough when you’re starving for belonging. He breaks down the cycle of arrests, the moment he chose no shortcuts and no “weekend” exceptions, and the mindset shift that turned sobriety into a non‑negotiable. We go deep on how vulnerability and authenticity grew his audience from a handful of streams to millions, why connection is the opposite of addiction, and how a safe partner and a microphone can each be therapy in their own lane.

We also talk craft: small, consistent goals over magical thinking, building routines that protect mental health, and redefining success beyond cars and clout. Skyler previews "Burnside"—his most personal album yet—charting the arc from addiction to recovery to pure hip‑hop, plus a new video with Colicchie and a full merch drop. If you’re rebuilding after addiction, if you’re a creative searching for your voice, or if you just need proof that discipline and heart can coexist, this conversation offers both a map and a spark.

If the story moves you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review to help more people find this conversation. Your support helps this recovery community grow.

If you would like to book Skyler for an event- [email protected]

Social Medias:

https://www.facebook.com/therealSkylerRay/ 

https://www.youtube.com@skylerR

https://www.instagram.com/officialskylerray/

www.officialskylerray.com

Support the show

From Rock Bottom to Rock Solid.

We all have them...every single day, we wake up, we have the chance to make new choices.

We have the power to make our own daily, "Breakfast of Choices"

Resources and ways to connect:

Facebook: Jo Summers
Instagram: @Summersjol
Facebook Support: Breakfast of Choices

Curriculum and Mentorship: F.L.Y. First Love Yourself

Website: Breakfastofchoices.com

Urbanedencmty.com (Oklahoma Addiction and Recovery Resources) Treatment, Sober Living, Meetings. Shout out to the founder, of this phenomenal website... Kristy Da Rosa!

National suicide prevention and crisis, hotline number 988

National domestic violence hotline:
 800–799–7233

National hotline for substance abuse, and addiction:
844–289–0879

National mental health hotline:
866–903–3787

National child health and child abuse hotline:
800–422-4453 (1.800.4.A.CHILD)

CoDa.org
12. Step recovery program for codependency.

National Gambling Hotline                                                                                                800-522-4700

Send us Fan Mail

What if the opposite of addiction isn’t willpower, but connection? Tony sits with Host, Jo Summers and opens a life shaped by early chaos, a family history of both addiction and recovery, and a relentless hunt for validation that slid from weed and alcohol to K2, meth, and eventually heroin. He names the seductive lie of that first meth high—how it felt like confidence and kindness—and the spiral that followed: expulsions, arrests, couch surfing, and a fentanyl overdose that landed him in ICU, across the hall from his grandmother. Call it God or coincidence, he calls it conviction; either way, he walked out still chasing the next escape.

The turnaround wasn’t a single victory lap. Tony cycled through treatment in Indiana and California, tried to outsmart addiction by swapping substances, and even used in rehab. The shift came in small, human moments: realizing he could stop crying when someone entered a room, deciding to leave a trap house before prison or death found him, and saying yes to a sober-living bed offered by a friend who was being kicked out as he was let in. He learned to cut ties that fed the cycle, to ask for chances to help with his hands and words, and to let service quiet his anger. He launched a moving company with integrity at its core, found a workable faith through simple prayers, and built two and a half years of sobriety—until he stopped working his program and relapsed.

What brought him back wasn’t perfection; it was practice. Prayer stayed. Boundaries got real. He chose a tribe that protects his values. Now he works in behavioral health, offering the compassion he once needed during intake assessments, and he’s honest about the weight of a field where we don’t save everyone. We talk relapse warning signs, the danger of chasing validation, tools for overwhelm (service, solitude, self-care), and why connection is the most underrated recovery strategy. If you’re navigating addiction, relapse, or the lonely middle where change feels possible but fragile, this story offers practical hope and a map you can follow.

If the conversation resonates, follow the show, share this episode with someone who needs it, and leave a review telling us the moment that hit you hardest. Your support helps more people find a tribe that holds.

Support the show

From Rock Bottom to Rock Solid.

We all have them...every single day, we wake up, we have the chance to make new choices.

We have the power to make our own daily, "Breakfast of Choices"

Resources and ways to connect:

Facebook: Jo Summers
Instagram: @Summersjol
Facebook Support: Breakfast of Choices

Curriculum and Mentorship: F.L.Y. First Love Yourself

Website: Breakfastofchoices.com

Urbanedencmty.com (Oklahoma Addiction and Recovery Resources) Treatment, Sober Living, Meetings. Shout out to the founder, of this phenomenal website... Kristy Da Rosa!

National suicide prevention and crisis, hotline number 988

National domestic violence hotline:
 800–799–7233

National hotline for substance abuse, and addiction:
844–289–0879

National mental health hotline:
866–903–3787

National child health and child abuse hotline:
800–422-4453 (1.800.4.A.CHILD)

CoDa.org
12. Step recovery program for codependency.

National Gambling Hotline                                                                                                800-522-4700

Send us Fan Mail

What does it really take to break a cycle that’s been running your family for generations? Host Jo Summers sits down with Aurora Nicholson for a raw, clear-eyed look at what survival taught her—and what healing required. From childhood abuse and a maze of foster placements to self-harm, addiction, and homelessness, Aurora doesn’t flinch from the truth. She also doesn’t stop there. Step by step, she shows how sobriety, boundaries, and steady practice turned a life of chaos into a home with peace and a business with purpose.

Aurora unpacks the difference between numbing and regulation, and why Trauma Reboot helped her remember without relapsing into old patterns. We talk about the nervous system as a compass, the power of simple tools like breathwork and grounding, and how “busy” can be another mask. She shares the real-world playbook behind Miss Handy Hands LLC, moving from side gigs to a growing team with benefits and a new certification as a Generac dealer and installer. Along the way, we explore discrimination in the trades, pregnancy on job sites, and the toughness it takes to design a workplace that actually cares.

The most moving moments land at home. Aurora describes choosing peace as a parenting strategy, teaching her daughter to “breathe like a dragon,” and welcoming her nieces and nephew in an emergency kinship placement to keep them out of the system that failed her. Structure becomes love, consistency becomes safety, and boundaries become a promise to the next generation. If you need a template for breaking cycles—through honesty, skill, and daily choices—this conversation offers both hope and a blueprint.

If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs it, and leave a review to help others find these stories. Your support helps amplify voices that turn pain into purpose.

Connection is the opposite of addiction, and we're all in this together!

Miss Handy Hands LLC 405-900-3985  website: Misshandyhands.com  

Support the show

From Rock Bottom to Rock Solid.

We all have them...every single day, we wake up, we have the chance to make new choices.

We have the power to make our own daily, "Breakfast of Choices"

Resources and ways to connect:

Facebook: Jo Summers
Instagram: @Summersjol
Facebook Support: Breakfast of Choices

Curriculum and Mentorship: F.L.Y. First Love Yourself

Website: Breakfastofchoices.com

Urbanedencmty.com (Oklahoma Addiction and Recovery Resources) Treatment, Sober Living, Meetings. Shout out to the founder, of this phenomenal website... Kristy Da Rosa!

National suicide prevention and crisis, hotline number 988

National domestic violence hotline:
 800–799–7233

National hotline for substance abuse, and addiction:
844–289–0879

National mental health hotline:
866–903–3787

National child health and child abuse hotline:
800–422-4453 (1.800.4.A.CHILD)

CoDa.org
12. Step recovery program for codependency.

National Gambling Hotline                                                                                                800-522-4700

Send us Fan Mail

What happens when trauma remains unspoken for nearly two decades? In this raw, powerful conversation, Greg Van Ness shares his journey from military service to finding purpose as Program Director at Oklahoma State University's Center for Social Innovation.

Greg candidly reveals the aftermath of an assault during his Air Force service—an event he kept secret for 18 years. The consequences were devastating: anger issues, hypervigilance, depression, and suicidal ideation that threatened to consume him. His story illuminates the particular challenges male assault survivors face in military environments, where such experiences are often dismissed or ignored entirely.

After leaving the military in 2010, Greg's path was marked by professional instability despite earning advanced degrees. The turning point came through VA support, therapy, and eventually discovering meaningful work helping others rebuild their lives. Today, Greg leads CFSI, a program that provides people with criminal backgrounds, addiction histories, and experiences of homelessness the opportunity to pursue higher education and career pathways.

The conversation turns to passionate advocacy as Greg and host Jo discuss the contradictions in our approach to rehabilitation. "We send people to prison saying it's reformatory," Greg explains, "but then when they get out with skills and education, society says 'Sorry, we can't hire felons.'" Through CFSI, Greg witnesses daily transformations as students embrace their potential and identity as college students—many never having imagined higher education would be possible for them.

Greg's philosophy shines through every aspect of his work: "I am a believer that people should get a second chance, a third chance, a 600th chance if they're willing, every time they fall, to get back up." His story reminds us that healing requires both personal effort and community support, and that when we invest in people's potential rather than punishing their past, genuine transformation becomes possible.

Have you experienced trauma or struggle with addiction? Reach out for help—as Greg's journey shows, recovery may be difficult, but you don't have to walk that path alone.

Support the show

From Rock Bottom to Rock Solid.

We all have them...every single day, we wake up, we have the chance to make new choices.

We have the power to make our own daily, "Breakfast of Choices"

Resources and ways to connect:

Facebook: Jo Summers
Instagram: @Summersjol
Facebook Support: Breakfast of Choices

Curriculum and Mentorship: F.L.Y. First Love Yourself

Website: Breakfastofchoices.com

Urbanedencmty.com (Oklahoma Addiction and Recovery Resources) Treatment, Sober Living, Meetings. Shout out to the founder, of this phenomenal website... Kristy Da Rosa!

National suicide prevention and crisis, hotline number 988

National domestic violence hotline:
 800–799–7233

National hotline for substance abuse, and addiction:
844–289–0879

National mental health hotline:
866–903–3787

National child health and child abuse hotline:
800–422-4453 (1.800.4.A.CHILD)

CoDa.org
12. Step recovery program for codependency.

National Gambling Hotline                                                                                                800-522-4700