Broken-ish

Families don’t come to treatment looking for education — they come looking for answers.

But what if the most ethical thing we can say is: there is no single answer?

In this episode of Inside Ava Health, a panel of experienced therapeutic consultants challenges long-held assumptions about treatment, cost, outcomes, and control. From private-pay vs. community care to data transparency and long-term wellness, this conversation asks the harder questions the industry often avoids.

You’ll hear real insights on:

• Why expectations often become premeditated resentments
• How rigidity and “the way it’s always been done” are failing families
• The limits of outcome data and completion rates
• Why collaboration beats competition in behavioral health
• What true long-term care should actually optimize for

This episode is not about selling certainty — it’s about building sustainable, human-centered care in an uncertain system.

Meet Our Guests

Joanna Lilley, M.A., NCC (She/Hers), Lilley Consulting Website: www.lilleyconsulting.com Email: [email protected] Phone: 970-218-9958

Shayna Abraham, M.A. (She/Her), Prepare To Bloom, LLC Website: PrepareToBloom.com Cell: 650-888-4575 Conference: 925-291-7007

John Conway, LCSW, CADC (He/Him/His), Conway Therapeutic Consulting Website: www.conwaytherapeuticconsulting.com Email: [email protected] Office: 847-242-1978 Cell: 815-814-1469

The holidays are supposed to be about gratitude, family, and togetherness — but for a lot of people, they’re the hardest time of the year.

In this episode of Broken-ish, we strip away the Hallmark version of Thanksgiving and talk about the reality no one wants to post about: loneliness, addiction, incarceration, homelessness, and the quiet pain that spikes when the days get shorter and the world gets louder.

We share personal stories from foster care, jail cells, solitary confinement, and moments so small they almost get missed — moments that literally changed lives. This is a conversation about holding two truths at once: deep gratitude and deep suffering.

If you’ve ever felt alone during the holidays… this one’s for you.

The mental health system is broken-ish—and we’ve felt the weight of it for years. In this episode, we talk honestly about burnout, deaths of despair, and why fighting the system felt like swinging in a dream.

But we also share the shift that changed everything: choosing curiosity, partnering with communities, and building real solutions from within a fractured system.

From Western Colorado to the birth of Ava Health, this is a story of purpose, alignment, and the sparks of hope that are already catching fire.

Welcome to Broken-ish. Where we hold heartbreak and hope at the same time—and still take a swing.

From surfboards to boardrooms, he had it all — talent, drive, and the dream of going pro. But when addiction wiped out his surfing career, he found himself homeless on the streets of Colorado. What came next was a transformation no one saw coming: from panhandling for booze money to working in investment banking, earning an MBA, and building behavioral-health programs that change lives. This episode dives deep into resilience, purpose, and the wild detours that lead us exactly where we’re meant to be. The story of Ava Health's CFO David Purinton

In this solo episode of Broken-ish, Chris opens up about what it really means to lead with honesty — even when it’s uncomfortable. He shares how transparency can transform leadership, relationships, and entire organizations, especially in a behavioral health system built on facades. Chris reflects on his evolving friendship with Roman, the lessons learned through failure, and why “hitting rock bottom” isn’t the only path to change. From exploring what it means to be “broken-ish” to redefining fatherhood and love, this raw and reflective episode is a masterclass in vulnerability, purpose, and growth.

After 25 years in behavioral health, Ian found himself wondering if all he had left to offer was a bowl of candy on his desk — a small gesture in a system that had lost its soul. What followed was a reckoning with profit-driven treatment models, personal burnout, and a rediscovery of what real recovery work looks like.

In this deeply honest and thought-provoking conversation, Ian shares how being fired from a for-profit program became the catalyst for transformation — leading him to embrace trauma-informed care, motivational interviewing, and a radical truth: the expert on the client is the client.

From challenging outdated addiction models to unpacking the thin line between support and enabling, Ian’s story is a powerful look at what happens when compassion meets accountability — and when professionals learn to truly listen.

If you’ve ever questioned the ethics of “the industry,” this episode will hit home.

He lost his job, his home, and his car—all in one freezing Wyoming day. Homeless, addicted, and out of options, Chris stood at a crossroads: live or die.

What happened next would change everything.

From relapsing after his grandmother’s funeral to sleeping in fields and shelters, Chris’s story isn’t just about survival—it’s about rebirth. He went from hopelessness and addiction to leading one of Colorado’s most impactful nonprofits, helping others rise from the same darkness he once lived in.

This is the story of what happens when you refuse to quit, even when life gives you every reason to.

💭 Raw. Honest. Transformative. If you’ve ever felt like giving up, this episode will remind you exactly why you shouldn’t.

From a childhood of trauma and abandonment to addiction, prison, and ultimately purpose — this episode is a raw and inspiring conversation about resilience and redemption. Roman opens up about how pain shaped his identity, how love shattered his beliefs of unworthiness, and how becoming a father ignited his mission to help others heal.

If you’ve ever felt broken, hopeless, or unseen — this episode will remind you that even the deepest wounds can lead to the greatest transformations.

🎧 Listen now to hear how one man’s story of survival became a movement of hope.

Imagine being CEO of your dream program, only to get kicked out! 😱 In this intense episode, Chris talks about the moment he felt his life fell apart. He discusses ego, loneliness, success and failure. Hard truths, real conversations and sparks of possibility from a world that's a little.... broken, ish.

Teaser for ep 1