Samantha grew in Utah and she has a long term family history with addicts so she already had to be careful. But at the tender age of 11 she dipped into her parents alcohol & from there on her struggle began. Sam has had many run ins with the law, tried all different kinds of drugs & even overdosed a few times & wound up in the hospital. But today Samantha has SIX years clean & sober & is navigating recovery. Her story is incredible, inspiring & it may even change how you deal with someone in your life who is an addict or also in recovery.

National Drug and Alcohol Treatment Hotline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

National Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Info Center: 1-800-784-6776

www.americanaddictioncenters.org

I sit down this week with film maker Michael Crisp who made the documentary film about the incredible young women we will be talking about on this week's episode. Taken Too Soon: The Katelyn Markham Story was released in 2016 & covers the tragic story of a missing Fairfield, OH woman. Katelyn Markham went missing on August 13, 2011, and her remains were found a year & a half later 45 minutes from her town home in Indiana. She was 22 years old at the time she went missing. Who did it? Why? Well, while many assumed they knew, it would be a little over 12 years before an arrest was made & a murder charge was handed down. Her story has had some very recent developments that not only her family & friends have waited over 12 years for but everyone who has followed her case since day one. Listen in as we talk about the film, the case and the most recent developments to the case.  

If you want to stay up to date on Katelyn's case there are a few Facebook pages you can follow: 

MiKayla Jones was vibrant, beautiful & an 18 yr old girl who spent just as much time with her family as she did with her friends. When she walked into a room the first thing you noticed was her smile, it lights up the entire room. She was fun-loving & easy going but that was all taken from everyone who loved her on May 5, 2021. She left home that night to go hang out with a girl she hadn't known very long & she would never return home. Today her mother, Stacie, tell her story & how the people responsible for her death have still not been charged with her murder. And how she is still fighting for justice for her daughter.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justiceformikaylajones/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/justiceformikaylajones/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@justiceformikaylajones

Email: [email protected]

Emily is on this week's episode & we have a very open, honest & raw conversation about what it was like when her daughter Maggie was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes before she was 2 years old. We talk about how this diagnosis doesn't just change the person who is diagnosed but it changes the entire family, it changes, the way you live the rest of your life & it can be not only facially exhausting but mentally & extremely emotionally exhausting as well. Grab the tissues for this one because you are going to need them. 

IG: bemaggiestrong

Books related to Type 1 Diabetes:

Just Ask! Be Different, Be Brave, Be You

Why I Beep: Type One Diabetes 101 for Kids

Caillou: Emma's Extra Snacks

When I Go Low

Ain't Gonna Hide my T1D 

Today is National Fentanyl Awareness Day, join me as I talk with Jenna about the unexpected loss of her son Brandon Anthony Mazzeo or BAM as his family & friends knew him. BAM was just 21 years old when he found himself like most other young adults trying to navigate life & figure out what he wanted to do with his life but its not easy. He became depressed & looked to other avenues as an outlet. Sadly, the Fentanyl epidemic in this country took BAM from his family way too soon & unlike so many BAM didn't even know he had taken it. Now Jenna is fighting for change not only in her community but in other states as well.

www.fentanylkillsu.org

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

https://www.instagram.com/iamjennajames

https://www.instagram.com/creatingyourselfpod/

I sit down with Ashley from Divine Elevation. She is a Shamanic Womb Coach, Spiritual Guide & a Yoni Steam Pracitioner. She talks with me about growing up in an abusive home, where she also faced neglect. She found her peace in nature and with animals. Once she grew up she knew she wanted to help others find peace through the ways she did. We talk about some very interesting topics, you do not want to miss this one!

Find Ashley on socials: 

www.divineelevation.ca
IG: divineelevation

Join me this week as I sit down and talk to Bradly. He didn't always have it easy growing up but he's turned his life around & is doing his best to make the best life for himself. He talks with me about growing up in a broken home. Having to move away & losing his dream of playing football in college. Then joining TikTok, meeting the girl he thought he was going to spend forever with, but now he's finally learning to heal all his traumas within so that he can be the best man for himself first & eventually for the woman he finds & settles down with.

I sit down with one of my dearest friends on this weeks episode in a two part episode to discuss what it was like growing up with an abusive father, a toxic first relationship that led to getting engaged. Then how Ryleigh ended up in a very public relationship on TikTok with someone she thought was going to be her forever but that changed when he wasn't ready to give her what she deserved. And now she has finally met her happy ever after & will be getting married next year!

Join me as I tell part 1 of my story with my second (now ex-husband) & my experience with domestic abuse in the first episode of Creating Yourself Podcast. 

[email protected]