Seth Perry started using drugs and alcohol as a teenager to feel acceptance, and later to manage the symptoms of bipolar disorder, but after his addiction spiralled into drug psychosis and damaged his relationships with friends and family, he got clean. Then, a chance meeting put him on the path to becoming a pastor, and now he helps recovering addicts developing their own spiritual practice. In this incredible discussion, Seth shares:

• How a lack of openness around emotions impacted his beliefs around masculinity
• How bipolar disorder contributed to his substance abuse, and how attempts to manage it developed into full-blown addiction
• His journey to sobriety and spirituality
• How sober living helped him stay sober
• How people in recovery can exercise their spiritual muscle 

Seth Perry is a recovering addict, pastor and video creator living in Kingston Ontario, Canada. He has a Masters Degree in Theology and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film Production. Seth got clean in April of 2010 and he has worked as a chaplain in a treatment centre, an addictions counsellor, a support worker and he has also managed a sober living house. In his final 6 years of active addiction he was a stand-up comedian. He left life on the stage behind when he got clean.

Seth’s greatest strength is talking about spirituality and recovery in an inclusive way. When he works with his fellow addicts he takes a broad approach to spirituality. Seth recognizes we live in a diverse world and spiritual caregivers must adapt to each individual's unique context. This broad spiritual approach to recovery is expressed in his video content that he produces on his new YouTube channel titled simply: “Seth Perry”. 

Learn more about Seth on his YouTube channel or follow him on Instagram at @VeganPastor.

“When nothing is certain, anything is possible.”

Dr. Jeremy Goldberg grew up in a household with an alcoholic mother and got a crash course in acceptance and personal responsibility. Now, he uses the lessons he learned through those struggles to help build a generation of better men. In this powerful conversation, he discusses:

• How men can lead with heart and wholeness
• How the meaning of being a man is evolving
• The lack of initiation rituals for men in western culture
• How his mother’s alcoholism shaped him

Dr. Jeremy Goldberg is trying to make kindness cool and the world better than it was yesterday. He wrote a book, gave a TEDx talk, coaches clients, leads retreats, hosts a podcast, and shares daily delights with more than 40,000 followers on Instagram. He's worked for governments and universities for over a decade, is an expert in human behavior, and spent years studying how our brains influence our actions and wrote a Ph.D. thesis about it.

 
He's a recovering scientist turned life coach who speaks fluent burrito.  He own a van and a man bun and in my spare time, I collect silver linings.  People pay him to make them cry.

Learn more about Jeremy: @longdistancelovebombs

Kevin Bellack had a great career and a loving family, but watched his drinking spiral out of control as he used it to manage job-related stress and keep his emotions at bay. After spending time stuck in the cycle of wanting to quit, he finally reached out to a therapist—a single step that changed his life.

In this episode, Kevin shares:

• How sobriety has given him the opportunity to understand himself better and invest in himself more 
• How much of his personal growth has come through acceptance with discomfort
• How he’s grown from someone who drank to avoid his emotions into someone who shares his innermost thoughts with an online audience
• How little habits help him achieve big goals

Kevin, also known as The Sober Ginger, is an alcohol free accountant and co-host on the 1,000 Hours Dry and 1,000 Hours Dry Stag pages on Instagram.  He is 41 years old and lives in Cleveland, Ohio with his wife and daughter.  

Growing up, Graeme found himself on the outside a lot, so he turned to alcohol and drugs to finally find a sense of belonging. Once he started to feel the pain of his actions and see the broken promises to himself stack up, he realized he had a problem. After living in rock bottom for four years, at 27 years old he found himself in an AA meeting and has stayed sober for the past 19 years.

• The message of hope he found in connecting with others who were sober
• How he managed himself in early, middle, and late sobriety
• How spiritual principles have helped him stay sober through a mid-life sobriety crisis
• How sobriety gives him the chance to feel

Graeme recently celebrated 19 year of continuous sobriety. Over the better part of the last 2 decades Graeme has committed much of his time to learning about substance misuse and how to help others to live a life free of addiction and addictive behaviours. 

As an actor, comedian and corporate trainer Graeme’s work has taken him all over the world. 

These days you can find him wandering along the driftwood covered beaches of the Pacific Northwest in the hopes of spotting a pod of orcas.

A decade ago, Josh Beharry tried taking his own life. Now he devotes his life to helping other men identify symptoms of depression or suicide and overcome the stigma of discussing them.

In this episode, Josh tells us about:

• His journey of recovery from his suicide attempt, and why recovery isn’t always linear
• The prevalence of depression and suicide amongst men
• Tools he uses to manage his depression now
• How speaking up about mental health issues can save your life

Since recovering from experiences with depression in 2010, Josh has become a passionate advocate for mental health. Josh coordinates the communications and website for HeadsUpGuys, a resource for supporting men in their fight against depression by providing tips, tools, information about professional services, and stories of success.

Resources:

HeadsUpGuys
Josh's story
The Canada Suicide Prevention Service
Tethr

Six years ago Lou Redmond, by all accounts, had a pretty good life—a good job, an active social life, partying on the weekends, plenty of Seinfeld—but it wasn’t the life he wanted, so he set out to discover how he could build a life that was more aligned with who he was, and now he spreads his message of purpose, mindfulness, and self-confidence all over the country.

In this episode, Lou joins us to discuss:

• His ‘hero’s journey’ from corporate ladder climber to life of purpose
• The difference between finding a purpose and building a purposeful life
• The ripple effect the positive change in our lives can bring to others
• The beauty of embracing failure and imposter syndrome

Lou Redmond is an author, meditation teacher, life coach, and inspirational speaker. His honest and relatable approach offers hope and guidance to those on the path of meditation and self-development.

His meditations have been listened to over 700,000 times and his course, Learn to Stop Caring What Others think is one of the most popular on Insight Timer. Lou is also the founder of One Mindful Education, an organization that brings meditation, yoga, and mindfulness into schools across the country.

Lou's courses on Insight Timer
Learn more about Lou here
Follow Lou on Instagram

A 23-year-old Alex Kaplan buried his father and then buried his grief in alcohol and cocaine. Now he uses his passion for filmmaking to share stories highlighting the human experience and spread the gospel of openness and vulnerability to people lacking connection and struggling with addiction. In this interview with Alex, we discuss:

• How his father’s passing led to his addiction to alcohol and cocaine
• Why he believes vulnerability is a superpower
• How he’s creating community through the power of story
• Why connection in sobriety is so important

Alex Kaplan is a native of Philadelphia and is a new resident of Los Angeles. He is the Co-founder & Executive Director of Of Substance, an innovative nonprofit working to overcome the shame, blame, and stigma surrounding addiction through premium, entertaining short films, turning immersive cinema into an approachable tool for behavioral change. After surviving his own battles with addiction, Alex is grateful to have stumbled upon an exciting way to use his skills as a filmmaker to help others on their path of recovery. We all struggle with something that makes us feel shame, and shame leads to isolation and loneliness. Of Substance is committed to showing everyone that no matter what you struggle with, you're not crazy, you're not alone, and there is hope. Alex's personal mission in life is to positively transform people's relationships with themselves and others in their lives, and their beliefs in what's possible.

Learn more about Alex and Of Substance at @of_substance or OfSubstance.org.

Show Notes:

Note: nothing in this podcast is intended to be a replacement for medical or professional advice. If you, or someone you care about, is suffering from addiction or substance abuse, visit one of the confidential, non-judgmental resources below:

The Recovery Village Hotline

Health Canada Substance Use Resources

The Alcohol Addiction Center Resource Page

When Chris Marshall was five years old, his dad was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and he was thrust into a role as ‘man of the house’, kicking off a multi-decade odyssey to figure out what ‘being a man’ really looked like, including using alcohol as a substitute for belonging. Now, he uses social media and live events to spread a message of sobriety and self-acceptance around North America. In this interview with Chris, we discuss:

• Early life trauma
• Becoming the ‘man of the house’ as a child
• Alcohol as a vehicle for belonging
• Creating sober spaces
• The science of self discovery
• Normalizing expression of emotion for men

Follow Chris at @sans_bar or learn more at thesansbar.com.

Chris Marshall is an event curator, mental health advocate, co-founder of Sober by Southwest, and owner of Sans Bar, a sober bar community based in Austin Texas. In addition to his award winning bar in Austin, Marshall has produced alcohol-free social events in over 15 cities across the United States and Canada which offer elevated connection centered experiences sans alcohol. He has been featured in USA Today, Rachel Ray Magazine, Time Magazine, and NPR’s Morning Edition.

Show Notes:

Note: nothing in this podcast is intended to be a replacement for medical or professional advice. If you, or someone you care about, is suffering from addiction or substance abuse, visit one of the confidential, non-judgmental resources below:

The Recovery Village Hotline

Health Canada Substance Use Resources

The Alcohol Addiction Center Resource Page

On an unexpectedly (or expectedly) political episode of Brobriety, we discuss something everyone is already sick to death of hearing about: The U.S. election! Specifically, the right’s attack on Hunter Biden’s addiction, Biden and Trump’s sobriety, rugged individualism as a symptom of toxic masculinity, the strength of community, protecting your mental health from politics, and why everyone deserves a yearlong nap.

Show Notes:

Note: nothing in this podcast is intended to be a replacement for medical or professional advice. If you, or someone you care about, is suffering from addiction or substance abuse, visit one of the confidential, non-judgmental resources below:

The Recovery Village Hotline

Health Canada Substance Use Resources

The Alcohol Addiction Center Resource Page

Recommended:

Donate to #Brovember

Follow @van_sober

Follow @WFLBC

Good sober drinks for good sober people: Soberdry

Who are we? What is a man? Why did we spend decades of our lives addicted to alcohol and drugs? Is masculinity inherently toxic? All these questions will be answered and MORE in the first episode of Brobriety, your new favorite podcast tackling sobriety and mental health for men, women, and the men and women who love them. Also: rat facts!

Show Notes:

Note: nothing in this podcast is intended to be a replacement for medical or professional advice. If you, or someone you care about, is suffering from addiction or substance abuse, visit one of the confidential, non-judgmental resources below:

The Recovery Village Hotline

Health Canada Substance Use Resources

The Alcohol Addiction Center Resource Page

Talking Points:

Johann Hari: This Could Be Why You're Depressed or Anxious
Rat Park