Choose Your Struggle

Season 2, Episode 73

A Long Way To Go For Self Acceptance with Brian Cuban

125 episodes! Where has the time gone?

This week, Jay chats with Lawyer, Author, and Advocate Brian Cuban. The younger brother of Mark (Dallas Mavericks Owner, Entrepreneur, etc.), Brian tells a story of childhood trauma that contributed to a struggle with self identity and prevented self acceptance. After years of struggling, which included trading NBA finals tickets for blow, Brian hit a low point but committed himself to getting better. Through the support of his family and a desire to be the guy he knew he could be, he entered recovery and works every day to maintain it.

You can learn more about Brian at https://briancuban.com/, follow him on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/briancuban/) for his advocacy, and check out his books at the Bookshop link below. 

Today's Good Egg: Make your eyes happy! Do something to appreciate your vision and ability to see the world!
 
Looking for someone to wow your audience now that the world is reopening? My speaking calendar is booking up fast! But if you're interested in bringing me to your campus, your community group, your organization or any other location to speak about Mental Health, Substance Misuse & Recovery, or Drug Use & Policy, reach out to my strategist Ryan Holzhauer at [email protected].

• Tank Tops are in! You can see what they look like on the website (thanks to Jay's wife for modeling the women's cut). Reach out through the website to order. If you're looking for something a little less expensive, magnets are in too! Check them out on the website or Instagram. Patreon supporters get a discount so join Patreon!

• But that's not all! You can now buy even more merch! Check out our store on Teepublic at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/choose-your-struggle?ref_id=24308 for shirts, mugs, stickers, phone cases, and much, much more!

• Support the Podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ChooseYourStruggle

• Leave us an audio message to share feedback and have a chance to be played on the show: https://podinbox.com/CYS

• Review the Podcast: https://ReviewThisPodcast.com/Choose-Your-Struggle.

• Support the Podcast, a different way: https://podhero.com/401017-ikv.

• Learn more about the Shameless Podcast Network: https://www.shamelessnetwork.com/

• Our Partner Bookshop (Support Local Book Stores and the Podcast in the Process!): https://bookshop.org/shop/CYS

• Our Partner Road Runner (Use Code CYS for 10% off): www.roadrunnercbd.com/ref/CYS

• As always, you can find more at our links: https://jay.campsite.bio

Season 2, Episode 72

Special Episode! Monday Motivation: Choose Your Struggle Presents Rock Bottom Storytellers III

This week's Monday Motivation is a special, audio only replay of Choose Your Struggle Presents Rock Bottom Storytellers III! This incredible event has been watched over 300 times because, duh! The amazing storytellers were Amanda Elise Love, Anu Wat, DawnSherine Bernard, and Amy Minh Hanh Corey! The musician was Riolanza who blew us away!

You can watch the original broadcast at: https://www.facebook.com/ChooseYourStruggle/videos/265868065117001/.

As a special bonus, anyone who leaves The Choose Your Struggle Podcast a review on the site of their choice and show us proof will get 25% off a tank top or, if you already own one, a care package of other Choose Your Struggle items on the house! Just take a screen shot or a pic with your phone and send it to [email protected] with your address and your choice.

What do you think? Everyone who responds, either by social media or my website, will get a sticker mailed to them. The first person to respond each week will get a magnet! So reach out or post something on your personal social media and tag me (and maybe share the show in the process?)!

If something in this episode upsets you, or makes you feel a certain way, take a moment and do some mindfulness. When you have the words, the thought thrashed out, send it to me! Share the podcast, tell the world your thoughts. That's how we make change.

No Good Egg or Card on Monday episodes.

Looking for someone to wow your audience now that the world is reopening? My speaking calendar is booking up fast! But if you're interested in bringing me to your campus, your community group, your organization or any other location to speak about Mental Health, Substance Misuse & Recovery, or Drug Use & Policy, reach out to my strategist Ryan Holzhauer at [email protected].

• Tank Tops are in! You can see what they look like on the website (thanks to Jay's wife for modeling the women's cut). Reach out through the website to order. If you're looking for something a little less expensive, magnets are in too! Check them out on the website or Instagram. Patreon supporters get a discount so join Patreon!

• But that's not all! You can now buy even more merch! Check out our store on Teepublic at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/choose-your-struggle?ref_id=24308 for shirts, mugs, stickers, phone cases, and much, much more!

• Support the Podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ChooseYourStruggle

• Leave us an audio message to share feedback and have a chance to be played on the show: https://podinbox.com/CYS

• Review the Podcast: https://ReviewThisPodcast.com/Choose-Your-Struggle.

• Support the Podcast, a different way: https://podhero.com/401017-ikv.

• Learn more about the Shameless Podcast Network: https://www.shamelessnetwork.com/

• Our Partner Bookshop (Support Local Book Stores and the Podcast in the Process!): https://bookshop.org/shop/CYS

• Our Partner Road Runner (Use Code CYS for 10% off): www.roadrunnercbd.com/ref/CYS

• As always, you can find more at our links: https://jay.camps

Season 2, Episode 71

Creating a Safe and Inclusive Space in Psychedelics with Ifetayo Harvey

This week, Jay chats with Ifetayo Harvey, the founder of the People of Color Psychedelic Collective. After a psychedelic experience in college changed her life, Ifetayo worked for both the Drug Policy Alliance and MAPS before deciding to found the People of Color Psychedelic Collective. She chats with Jay about the experience growing up in a household torn apart by the War on Drugs and what it's like being a person of color in the psychedelic space which is so, so, so white.

You can learn more at https://www.pocpsychedelics.com/, https://www.ifetayo.me/ and follow Ifetayo at her LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/ifetayoharvey/. 

Today's Good Egg: Consider how you can help create intentional space for others who are underrepresented. 

Looking for someone to wow your audience now that the world is reopening? My speaking calendar is booking up fast! But if you're interested in bringing me to your campus, your community group, your organization or any other location to speak about Mental Health, Substance Misuse & Recovery, or Drug Use & Policy, reach out to my strategist Ryan Holzhauer at [email protected].

• Tank Tops are in! You can see what they look like on the website (thanks to Jay's wife for modeling the women's cut). Reach out through the website to order. If you're looking for something a little less expensive, magnets are in too! Check them out on the website or Instagram. Patreon supporters get a discount so join Patreon!

• But that's not all! You can now buy even more merch! Check out our store on Teepublic at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/choose-your-struggle?ref_id=24308 for shirts, mugs, stickers, phone cases, and much, much more!

• Support the Podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ChooseYourStruggle

• Leave us an audio message to share feedback and have a chance to be played on the show: https://podinbox.com/CYS

• Review the Podcast: https://ReviewThisPodcast.com/Choose-Your-Struggle.

• Support the Podcast, a different way: https://podhero.com/401017-ikv.

• Learn more about the Shameless Podcast Network: https://www.shamelessnetwork.com/

• Our Partner Bookshop (Support Local Book Stores and the Podcast in the Process!): https://bookshop.org/shop/CYS

• Our Partner Road Runner (Use Code CYS for 10% off): www.roadrunnercbd.com/ref/CYS

• As always, you can find more at our links: https://jay.campsite.bio

Season 2, Episode 70

Monday Motivation: The Real Ayoka!

This week's Monday Motivation is Jay chatting with the soulful singing goddess Ayoka on her upbringing, how spirituality factors into her music, her influences, recording process and a mutual love of Kanye! Check her out on IG at https://www.instagram.com/ayokamusic/ and search for Ayoka on Spotify, iTunes, or wherever you're hearing this right now!

As a special bonus, anyone who leaves The Choose Your Struggle Podcast a review on the site of their choice and show us proof will get 25% off a tank top or, if you already own one, a care package of other Choose Your Struggle items on the house! Just take a screen shot or a pic with your phone and send it to [email protected] with your address and your choice.

What do you think? Everyone who responds, either by social media or my website, will get a sticker mailed to them. The first person to respond each week will get a magnet! So reach out or post something on your personal social media and tag me (and maybe share the show in the process?)!

If something in this episode upsets you, or makes you feel a certain way, take a moment and do some mindfulness. When you have the words, the thought thrashed out, send it to me! Share the podcast, tell the world your thoughts. That's how we make change.

No Good Egg or Card on Monday episodes.

Looking for someone to wow your audience now that the world is reopening? My speaking calendar is booking up fast! But if you're interested in bringing me to your campus, your community group, your organization or any other location to speak about Mental Health, Substance Misuse & Recovery, or Drug Use & Policy, reach out to my strategist Ryan Holzhauer at [email protected].

• Tank Tops are in! You can see what they look like on the website (thanks to Jay's wife for modeling the women's cut). Reach out through the website to order. If you're looking for something a little less expensive, magnets are in too! Check them out on the website or Instagram. Patreon supporters get a discount so join Patreon!

• But that's not all! You can now buy even more merch! Check out our store on Teepublic at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/choose-your-struggle?ref_id=24308 for shirts, mugs, stickers, phone cases, and much, much more!

• Support the Podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ChooseYourStruggle

• Leave us an audio message to share feedback and have a chance to be played on the show: https://podinbox.com/CYS

• Review the Podcast: https://ReviewThisPodcast.com/Choose-Your-Struggle.

• Support the Podcast, a different way: https://podhero.com/401017-ikv.

• Learn more about the Shameless Podcast Network: https://www.shamelessnetwork.com/

• Our Partner Bookshop (Support Local Book Stores and the Podcast in the Process!): https://bookshop.org/shop/CYS

• Our Partner Road Runner (Use Code CYS for 10% off): www.roadrunnercbd.com/ref/CYS

• As always, you can find more at our links: https://jay.campsite.bio

Season 2, Episode 69

Finding Yourself Through Finding Recovery

On today's episode, Jay chats with Shay Houser. Shay is one of the co-founders of youturn (you heard from another co-founder last season in Elizabeth McKissick), an organization based in South Carolina that seeks to help educate around the issues of Mental Health and Substance Misuse with their media platform. It's a great way for people to learn about substance use and misuse in a safe setting that employers can provide for their workers and organizations can sign their members up for. And if that wasn't enough, I'm on an episode myself, from early 2020.

You can check them out at https://youturn.net/ and learn more about Shay at his LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaler-shay-houser-801187/.

Today's Good Egg: Tell your loved ones you're there for them!

Looking for someone to wow your audience now that the world is reopening? My speaking calendar is booking up fast! But if you're interested in bringing me to your campus, your community group, your organization or any other location to speak about Mental Health, Substance Misuse & Recovery, or Drug Use & Policy, reach out to my strategist Ryan Holzhauer at [email protected].

• Tank Tops are in! You can see what they look like on the website (thanks to Jay's wife for modeling the women's cut). Reach out through the website to order. If you're looking for something a little less expensive, magnets are in too! Check them out on the website or Instagram. Patreon supporters get a discount so join Patreon!

• But that's not all! You can now buy even more merch! Check out our store on Teepublic at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/choose-your-struggle?ref_id=24308 for shirts, mugs, stickers, phone cases, and much, much more!

• Support the Podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ChooseYourStruggle

• Leave us an audio message to share feedback and have a chance to be played on the show: https://podinbox.com/CYS

• Review the Podcast: https://ReviewThisPodcast.com/Choose-Your-Struggle.

• Support the Podcast, a different way: https://podhero.com/401017-ikv.

• Learn more about the Shameless Podcast Network: https://www.shamelessnetwork.com/

• Our Partner Bookshop (Support Local Book Stores and the Podcast in the Process!): https://bookshop.org/shop/CYS

• Our Partner Road Runner (Use Code CYS for 10% off): www.roadrunnercbd.com/ref/CYS

• As always, you can find more at our links: https://jay.campsite.bio

Season 2, Episode 68

Monday Motivation: Michael Pollan's New Book and The True Meaning of Media Hype

This week's Monday Motivation is Jay chatting about Michael Pollan's new book, This Is Your Mind On Plants. It's not a bad book. In fact, as one listener put it, parts of it were compelling, other parts simply were not. Which is fine! Jay's feelings about the book actually have little to do with the book itself. More, he was frustrated with how much press this book got as we only get a few books on drug use and drug policy a year that get any sort of focus. In summation, Jay's frustration was with how the media picked a very SAFE book on drug use by an old, rich, white guy to be one of the few that got support. Which, let's be honest, isn't surprising. And, as Jay shares, he's simply DONE with any conversation about these topics being labeled a positive. We need to move on to the next step, where simply talking about this isn't good enough. We need to go further. 

For other, better, options, check out the Bookshop link below!

As a special bonus, anyone who leaves The Choose Your Struggle Podcast a review on the site of their choice and show us proof will get 25% off a tank top or, if you already own one, a care package of other Choose Your Struggle items on the house! Just take a screen shot or a pic with your phone and send it to [email protected] with your address and your choice.

What do you think? Everyone who responds, either by social media or my website, will get a sticker mailed to them. The first person to respond each week will get a magnet! So reach out or post something on your personal social media and tag me (and maybe share the show in the process?)!

If something in this episode upsets you, or makes you feel a certain way, take a moment and do some mindfulness. When you have the words, the thought thrashed out, send it to me! Share the podcast, tell the world your thoughts. That's how we make change.

No Good Egg or Card on Monday episodes.

Looking for someone to wow your audience now that the world is reopening? My speaking calendar is booking up fast! But if you're interested in bringing me to your campus, your community group, your organization or any other location to speak about Mental Health, Substance Misuse & Recovery, or Drug Use & Policy, reach out to my strategist Ryan Holzhauer at [email protected].

• Tank Tops are in! You can see what they look like on the website (thanks to Jay's wife for modeling the women's cut). Reach out through the website to order. If you're looking for something a little less expensive, magnets are in too! Check them out on the website or Instagram. Patreon supporters get a discount so join Patreon!

• But that's not all! You can now buy even more merch! Check out our store on Teepublic at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/choose-your-struggle?ref_id=24308 for shirts, mugs, stickers, phone cases, and much, much more!

• Support the Podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ChooseYourStruggle

• Leave us an audio message to share feedback and have a chance to be played on the show: https://podinbox.com/CYS

• Review the Podcast: https://ReviewThisPodcast.com/Choose-Your-Struggle.

• Support the Podcast, a different way: https://podhero.com/401017-ikv.

• Learn more about the Shameless Podcast Network: https://www.shamelessnetwork.com/

• Our Partner Bookshop (Support Local Book Stores and the Podcast in the Process!): https://bookshop.org/shop/CYS

• Our Partner Road Runner (Use Code CYS for 10% off): www.roadrunnercbd.com/ref/CYS

• As always, you can find more at our links: https://jay.campsite.bio

Season 2, Episode 67

Silenced By Stigma Over Comprehensive Sex Education with Justine Ang Fonte

This week, Jay chats with Justine Ang Fonte. You may have heard of her. As she jokes early in the interview, she's been target #1 by right-wing trolls since becoming internet famous over... simply existing. Simply doing her job. Teaching children honest and fact-based education around sex and health. Justine was, until this spring, a sex and health educator in a New York school. Unfortunately, her school allowed her not only to be the target of harassment by parents but, eventually, The New York Post and other trash "journalism". Justine resigned and soon after began speaking out about this experience and how stigma over sex is allowed to silence education and keep us from making progress on a whole host of important issues.

We also talk about how stupid the idea of 'cancel culture' is (Justine had her life upended and received death threats over teaching health, Louis C.K. is headlining Madison Square Garden, who was really canceled?) and how we can fix the horrible issue of stigma around sex holding back comprehensive and healthy education. Spoiler alert, it's going to take a lot of work and parents being willing to educate themselves. We'll see... don't hold your breath. But, as Justine says in this conversation, these lessons could help prevent such famous examples of abuse as the aforementioned Louis C.K., The Catholic Church, and the Boy Scouts and on and on and on and on. 

Learn more about Justine at her website, https://www.justinefonte.com/.

Today's Good Egg: Send someone food, not thoughts and prayers, which are useless. They're useless. Stop it. Send food, which isn't useless. 

Looking for someone to wow your audience now that the world is reopening? My speaking calendar is booking up fast! But if you're interested in bringing me to your campus, your community group, your organization or any other location to speak about Mental Health, Substance Misuse & Recovery, or Drug Use & Policy, reach out to my strategist Ryan Holzhauer at [email protected].

• Tank Tops are in! You can see what they look like on the website (thanks to Jay's wife for modeling the women's cut). Reach out through the website to order. If you're looking for something a little less expensive, magnets are in too! Check them out on the website or Instagram. Patreon supporters get a discount so join Patreon!

• Support the Podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ChooseYourStruggle

• Leave us an audio message to share feedback and have a chance to be played on the show: https://podinbox.com/CYS

• Review the Podcast: https://ReviewThisPodcast.com/Choose-Your-Struggle.

• Support the Podcast, a different way: https://podhero.com/401017-ikv.

• Learn more about the Shameless Podcast Network: https://www.shamelessnetwork.com/

• Our Partner Bookshop (Support Local Book Stores and the Podcast in the Process!): https://bookshop.org/shop/CYS

• Our Partner Road Runner (Use Code CYS for 10% off): www.roadrunnercbd.com/ref/CYS

• As always, you can find more at our links: https://jay.campsite.bio

Season 2, Episode 66

This week's Monday Motivation is the audio replay of a Choose Your Struggle Presents: A Day in the Life featuring Swiyah Whittington of Stamp Love first recorded in July.

*** this episode contains some tough topics ***

(Editor's note: we ran out of time to fully edit this one. Let us explain: we always edit and then give the show one final listen. We weren't able to do that final listen this week. So if there's any glitches, well, just know we did our best!)

TUNE IN TO ROCK BOTTOM STORYTELLERS III ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25TH AT 8:30 EST!

As a special bonus, anyone who leaves The Choose Your Struggle Podcast a review on their site will get 25% off a tank top or, if you already own one, a care package of other Choose Your Struggle items on the house! Just take a screen shot or a pic with your phone and send it to [email protected] with your address and your choice.

What do you think? Everyone who responds, either by social media or my website, will get a sticker mailed to them. The first person to respond each week will get a magnet! So reach out or post something on your personal social media and tag me (and maybe share the show in the process?)!

If something in this episode upsets you, or makes you feel a certain way, take a moment and do some mindfulness. When you have the words, the thought thrashed out, send it to me! Share the podcast, tell the world your thoughts. That's how we make change.

No Good Egg or Card on Monday episodes.

Looking for someone to wow your audience now that the world is reopening? My speaking calendar is booking up fast! But if you're interested in bringing me to your campus, your community group, your organization or any other location to speak about Mental Health, Substance Misuse & Recovery, or Drug Use & Policy, reach out to my strategist Ryan Holzhauer at [email protected].

• Tank Tops are in! You can see what they look like on the website (thanks to Jay's wife for modeling the women's cut). Reach out through the website to order. If you're looking for something a little less expensive, magnets are in too! Check them out on the website or Instagram. Patreon supporters get a discount so join Patreon!
• Support the Podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ChooseYourStruggle
• Leave us an audio message to share feedback and have a chance to be played on the show: https://podinbox.com/CYS
• Review the Podcast: https://ReviewThisPodcast.com/Choose-Your-Struggle.
• Support the Podcast, a different way: https://podhero.com/401017-ikv.
• Learn more about the Shameless Podcast Network: https://www.shamelessnetwork.com/
• Our Partner Bookshop (Support Local Book Stores and the Podcast in the Process!): https://bookshop.org/shop/CYS
• Our Partner Road Runner (Use Code CYS for 10% off): www.roadrunnercbd.com/ref/CYS
• As always, you can find more at our links: https://jay.campsite.bio

Season 2, Episode 65

623-473-7433 with Joshua White

This week, Jay chats with Joshua White, the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Fireside Project. The Fireside Project seeks to help people minimize the risks and fulfill the potential of their psychedelic experiences in ways including providing compassionate, accessible, and culturally responsive peer support, educating the public, and furthering psychedelic research, while embracing practices that increase equity, power sharing, and belonging within the psychedelic movement. They do this through a peer support line, which you can call at 623-473-7433 or download the app https://firesideproject.org/app.

Joshua also answers a few listener questions and helps clarify the term 'bad trip'.

Learn more at https://firesideproject.org/.

Obviously the title of this week's episode is the Fireside Project number! But if you know what calling the episode this is an homage to, let me know and you'll win a Choose Your Struggle tank top!

Today's Good Egg: give Jay some love (he's stressed) and check out the Fireside peer support line.

TUNE IN TO ROCK BOTTOM STORYTELLERS III ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25TH AT 8:30 EST!

Looking for someone to wow your audience now that the world is reopening? My speaking calendar is booking up fast! But if you're interested in bringing me to your campus, your community group, your organization or any other location to speak about Mental Health, Substance Misuse & Recovery, or Drug Use & Policy, reach out to my strategist Ryan Holzhauer at [email protected].

• Tank Tops are in! You can see what they look like on the website (thanks to Jay's wife for modeling the women's cut). Reach out through the website to order. If you're looking for something a little less expensive, magnets are in too! Check them out on the website or Instagram. Patreon supporters get a discount so join Patreon!
• Support the Podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ChooseYourStruggle
• Leave us an audio message to share feedback and have a chance to be played on the show: https://podinbox.com/CYS
• Review the Podcast: https://ReviewThisPodcast.com/Choose-Your-Struggle.
• Support the Podcast, a different way: https://podhero.com/401017-ikv.
• Learn more about the Shameless Podcast Network: https://www.shamelessnetwork.com/
• Our Partner Bookshop (Support Local Book Stores and the Podcast in the Process!): https://bookshop.org/shop/CYS
• Our Partner Road Runner (Use Code CYS for 10% off): www.roadrunnercbd.com/ref/CYS
• As always, you can find more at our links: https://jay.campsite.bio

Season 2, Episode 64

This week's Monday Motivation was recorded in a booth at Podcast Movement! Joining me were my home base, the core 4, the rocks: past guests on this show Jenn Trepeck of Salad with a Side of Fries and Imran Ahmed of Great Pods, and new friend Cory Zechmann of HarkAudio. So many people made this conference incredible (I mention some of the others on the intro) but these three were the realest!

We get real nerdy on industry stuff and discuss what we learned at the conference. You can hear that we really enjoyed ourselves and our time together. I'm thankful for these three!

As a special bonus, anyone who leaves The Choose Your Struggle Podcast a review on their site will get 25% off a tank top or, if you already own one, a care package of other Choose Your Struggle items on the house! Just take a screen shot or a pic with your phone and send it to [email protected] with your address and your choice.

What do you think? Everyone who responds, either by social media or my website, will get a sticker mailed to them. The first person to respond each week will get a magnet! So reach out or post something on your personal social media and tag me (and maybe share the show in the process?)!

If something in this episode upsets you, or makes you feel a certain way, take a moment and do some mindfulness. When you have the words, the thought thrashed out, send it to me! Share the podcast, tell the world your thoughts. That's how we make change.

No Good Egg or Card on Monday episodes.

Looking for someone to wow your audience now that the world is reopening? My speaking calendar is booking up fast! But if you're interested in bringing me to your campus, your community group, your organization or any other location to speak about Mental Health, Substance Misuse & Recovery, or Drug Use & Policy, reach out to my strategist Ryan Holzhauer at [email protected].

• Tank Tops are in! You can see what they look like on the website (thanks to Jay's wife for modeling the women's cut). Reach out through the website to order. If you're looking for something a little less expensive, magnets are in too! Check them out on the website or Instagram. Patreon supporters get a discount so join Patreon!
• Support the Podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ChooseYourStruggle
• Leave us an audio message to share feedback and have a chance to be played on the show: https://podinbox.com/CYS
• Review the Podcast: https://ReviewThisPodcast.com/Choose-Your-Struggle.
• Support the Podcast, a different way: https://podhero.com/401017-ikv.
• Learn more about the Shameless Podcast Network: https://www.shamelessnetwork.com/
• Our Partner Bookshop (Support Local Book Stores and the Podcast in the Process!): https://bookshop.org/shop/CYS
• Our Partner Road Runner (Use Code CYS for 10% off): www.roadrunnercbd.com/ref/CYS
• As always, you can find more at our links: https://jay.campsite.bio