Sheli Jo Metzger's story truly comes full circle in this conversation. At 38 she began using methamphetamine and within four months she picked up nine felony charges. Today she is a respected professional in the justice and recovery ecosystem, earned a gubernatorial pardon in Wisconsin, and helps lead therapeutic community and SUDS programming inside the same jail where she once appeared as a defendant. We talk about her early life and the rapid escalation of substance use, the consequences that followed, the moment she chose a different path, and how receiving a pardon changed the direction of her career and opened the door to meaningful service. She shares what it took to rebuild family relationships and self-worth, how her views around medications for addiction treatment shifted over time, and what accountability can look like in early recovery. If you or someone you care about is navigating addiction, this conversation is honest, real, and hopeful.

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