ABOUT THE EPISODE:

When Steven Petrow's mother died in 2017, he decided to take up a practice that he'd heard about but never tried: gratitude journaling. As an award-winning journalist for the New York Times and Washington Post and author of several books, he was intimately familiar with writing. But finding joy amidst such an immense sense of loss seemed impossible and a gratitude practice seemed a little woo-woo.

Within a year of beginning, his father also died, his marriage was crumbling, and his sister was diagnosed with cancer. 

So when the pandemic hit in 2020, Steven began intense research into the accumulated data and wisdom surrounding joy and happiness. His in-depth work has now culminated in a new book, The Joy You Make: Find the Silver Linings -- Even on Your Darkest Days.

In this episode, Steven and I discuss how everything he learned helped him through his most challenging season of life, the important difference between happiness and joy, and what happened when he decided to honestly answer a stranger who asked, "How are you?"

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Steven Petrow’s website & books
• Steven on Instagram

This podcast is part of a nonprofit called Hopestream Community
Learn about The Stream, our private online community for moms
Find us on Instagram: @hopestreamcommunity
Download a free e-book, Worried Sick: A Compassionate Guide For Parents When Your Teen or Young Adult Child Misuses Drugs and Alcohol

Hopestream Community is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and an Amazon Associate. We may make a small commission if you purchase from our links.

ABOUT THE EPISODE:

The tradition continues! Each year, I share a “Golden Nuggets” episode with segments from some of the best of the year. This year, you’ll hear from me, along with Kristina Kuzmič, Mary Crocker Cook, Dr. Amy Hoyt, and Jared Murray. Be sure to head to the show notes and download the PDF with links to each of the full episodes.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Download the episode PDF with links to all episodes
• ACES - Adverse Childhood Experiences questions
• Assoc. Of Recovery High Schools
• Afraid To Let Go - Mary Crocker Cook’s book
• Kristina Kuzmič - ep. 244
• I Can Fix This - Kristina Kuzmić’s book
• Brenda Zane on How to Use CRAFT, ep. 239
• Dr. Mary Crocker Cook, ep. 223
• Brenda Zane - Mother’s Day Tribute, ep. 218
• Dr. Amy Hoyt, ep. 236
• The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel van der Kolk, Ph.D.
• Brenda Zane on the state of the treatment industry, ep. 203
• Jared Murray, ep. 243

This podcast is part of a nonprofit called Hopestream Community
Learn about The Stream, our private online community for moms
Find us on Instagram: @hopestreamcommunity
Download a free e-book, Worried Sick: A Compassionate Guide For Parents When Your Teen or Young Adult Child Misuses Drugs and Alcohol

Hopestream Community is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and an Amazon Associate. We may make a small commission if you purchase from our links.

EPISODE DESCRIPTION:
In this personal episode, I sat down with my son Enzo Narciso to discuss his journey of recovery, personal growth, and transformation. Enzo shares candid insights into managing ADHD, maintaining sobriety, and working with adolescent boys struggling with substance misuse.

Drawing from his own experiences of overcoming a high-risk lifestyle and addiction and having to rebuild his health after a life-threatening overdose, Enzo provides hope and practical strategies for parents navigating their child's recovery journey.

The conversation covers topics including setting boundaries, managing triggers, and the importance of consistency in supporting young people through challenging times. I feel so fortunate to be able to have a conversation like this with my son - I hope it brings you peace and encouragement no matter where you are on your path.

EPISODE RESOURCES:
Narciso Life Strategies Mentoring: call, WhatsApp or text: 619.534.8520 

This podcast is part of a nonprofit called Hopestream Community
Learn about The Stream, our private online community for moms
Find us on Instagram: @hopestreamcommunity
Download a free e-book, Worried Sick: A Compassionate Guide For Parents When Your Teen or Young Adult Child Misuses Drugs and Alcohol

Hopestream Community is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and an Amazon Associate. We may make a small commission if you purchase from our links.

ABOUT THE EPISODE:

A significant number of parents in the Hopestream community find themselves facing three major issues with their kids: ‘unfinished’ adolescence brains, heavy use of marijuana, and ADHD. That probably shouldn’t be surprising; kids with ADHD are more likely to use substances earlier and more dangerously than neurotypical kids. Fortunately, though, my guest today has studied the intersection of substance use and ADHD for years.  

In addition to her academic knowledge, Dr. Mariely Hernandez brings a lot of personal ADHD experience to the table: her own diagnosis, parenting a son who has been diagnosed, and a business practice that helps adults with ADHD recognize and play to their strengths.

In this episode, Mariely gives a wide-ranging explanation of all these issues, including the symptoms and experience of kids with ADHD who use, the catch-22 that makes it hard for them to get treatment, specific issues faced by girls, structural supports parents can offer, and why messages of delaying substance use can be more powerful than messages of abstinence.  

If your child is experimenting with substances and you suspect - or know- they have ADHD, do not miss this enlightening episode!

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Twitter & Instagram: @DrMarielyh
• Flare Calmer Ear Buds
• Dr. Hernandez Researchgate profile
• Marijuana & psychosis article - Child Mind Institute

This podcast is part of a nonprofit called Hopestream Community
Learn about The Stream, our private online community for moms
Find us on Instagram: @hopestreamcommunity
Download a free e-book, Worried Sick: A Compassionate Guide For Parents When Your Teen or Young Adult Child Misuses Drugs and Alcohol

Hopestream Community is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and an Amazon Associate. We may make a small commission if you purchase from our links.

ABOUT THE EPISODE:

Matt Lebris spent his early college years on the Dean's honor list, putting on a suit and smoking weed every morning. But after a minor traffic accident, mixing marijuana and muscle relaxers sent him to the hospital in an intense panic attack.

Since then, Matt has embarked on a mission to share not only the joys of sobriety but the incredible benefits of therapeutic self-work that have helped him come to terms with the emotional deficits of his youth. Matt is currently the host of the "Decoding Success Podcast", where he invites leaders in various fields to share their inner journeys -- especially how they've used their challenging life experiences to fuel massive success.

In this episode, Matt and I discuss marijuana use and addiction, what it's like to be "doing the work" on yourself as a male in modern society, and the hidden power of being a black sheep.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Matt’s website
• Matt’s podcast, Decoding Success
• Matt on Instagram

This podcast is part of a nonprofit called Hopestream Community
Learn about The Stream, our private online community for moms
Find us on Instagram: @hopestreamcommunity
Download a free e-book, Worried Sick: A Compassionate Guide For Parents When Your Teen or Young Adult Child Misuses Drugs and Alcohol

Hopestream Community is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and an Amazon Associate. We may make a small commission if you purchase from our links.

This Thanksgiving, join me for a heartfelt exploration of life's most challenging moments. When our carefully constructed and curated expectations shatter like dishes crashing from a flipped table, how can you find grace, gratitude, and grounding?
 
In this short solo episode, I draw from a deeply personal reflection sparked by loss and uncertainty. This episode speaks directly to anyone feeling untethered—parents struggling with family challenges, individuals navigating unexpected life transitions, or anyone wrestling with the gap between what is and what we thought life (or Thanksgiving) would be. 

Gift yourself 15 minutes and find ways to embrace your current journey compassionately, sit with discomfort, and discover that being "okay" looks different for everyone.

This podcast is part of a nonprofit called Hopestream Community
Learn about The Stream, our private online community for moms
Find us on Instagram: @hopestreamcommunity
Download a free e-book, Worried Sick: A Compassionate Guide For Parents When Your Teen or Young Adult Child Misuses Drugs and Alcohol

Hopestream Community is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and an Amazon Associate. We may make a small commission if you purchase from our links.

ABOUT THE EPISODE:

Kyle Robinson first represented someone in court at the age of 18 years old. He was representing himself, defending against charges of assault, disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace – for a fight that hadn’t even happened. If that’s not foreshadowing I don’t know what is.

Kyle had certainly been in a few fights before this particular arrest. The physical and emotional abuse he’d endured from his stepfather since the age of four had driven him to rebellion, fighting, misusing substances, and a 1.0 high school GPA. But he had checked himself into rehab at the age of 17, and was trying his best to stay out of trouble as a legal adult.

Kyle’s courtroom defense was successful. The acquittal made him feel as though he was putting himself on the right track. But when he was accepted to college against all odds, everything changed again.

In this recovery episode, Kyle shares the journey laid out in his new memoir, “Wandering Spark.” You’ll hear how he went from a jail cell to law school, how writing the book made him come to terms with the reasons he had used substances in the first place and the incredible importance of adults who take the time to encourage young people who are struggling. This episode is another great reminder that there is always hope!

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Kyle’s website
• Wandering Spark on Amazon
• No Bad Parts by Richard Schwartz (IFS)
• Self-Therapy: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Wholeness Using IFS, A Cutting-Edge Psychotherapy, 3rd Edition

This podcast is part of a nonprofit called Hopestream Community
Learn about The Stream, our private online community for moms
Find us on Instagram: @hopestreamcommunity
Download a free e-book, Worried Sick: A Compassionate Guide For Parents When Your Teen or Young Adult Child Misuses Drugs and Alcohol

Hopestream Community is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and an Amazon Associate. We may make a small commission if you purchase from our links.

ABOUT THE EPISODE:
In 2020, a documentary film titled "The Final Fix" introduced the public to a new treatment for opioid use disorder.  The claims of the neuroelectric therapy (NET) device are bold: opiate detox in 3-5 days with little or no withdrawal symptoms, discomfort, or cravings. Since the film’s release, I have personally known three people who acquired NET treatment for their kids, including two from the Hopestream community. All have had great experiences.

In 2021, double-blind trials of more than 100 people experiencing opioid use disorder began and the NET Device for OUD treatment was approved by the FDA in May of this year.

In this episode, I spoke with Jeff Lott, director of communications at NET Recovery. We discussed the surprising origins of this medical technology, how NET was accidentally discovered by a Scottish surgeon working in Hong Kong, the fact that its groundbreaking results are not a panacea for recovery, and plans for the future of the NET Device for widespread adoption and use in the treatment industry.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• A randomized, sham-controlled, quintuple-blinded trial to evaluate the NET device as an alternative to medication for promoting opioid abstinence
• Revolutionary Kentucky-based opioid use disorder treatment device receives FDA approval
• NET Recovery website
• Isiah House NET Recovery Information

This podcast is part of a nonprofit called Hopestream Community
Learn about The Stream, our private online community for moms
Find us on Instagram: @hopestreamcommunity
Download a free e-book, Worried Sick: A Compassionate Guide For Parents When Your Teen or Young Adult Child Misuses Drugs and Alcohol

Hopestream Community is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and an Amazon Associate. We may make a small commission if you purchase from our links.

ABOUT THE EPISODE:

When Nancy Landrum’s son was hospitalized with congestive heart failure, doctors didn’t expect him to live through the night. His misuse of amphetamines for more than a decade had left his heart double its normal size and generally wreaked total chaos on his life.

Nancy’s parents and other family members told her that her son’s substance use was her fault. And for a while, she believed them. It’s not surprising that she developed her own addictions to food and rescuing her son. But these dysfunctional coping mechanisms bred a resentment that plunged her into near-suicidal depression.

Nancy is now a highly sought-after relationship coach with a master's degree in spiritual psychology and the author of eight books. In this episode, we look back over the 15 years she spent parenting a child misusing substances to share the most important truths she’s taken away from the experience. We discuss the specific ways she learned to set and keep boundaries - without guilt - the relationship between resentment and depression, releasing the guilt parents often have about their child’s behavior and more.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Nancy’s website and books

This podcast is part of a nonprofit called Hopestream Community
Learn about The Stream, our private online community for moms
Find us on Instagram: @hopestreamcommunity
Download a free e-book, Worried Sick: A Compassionate Guide For Parents When Your Teen or Young Adult Child Misuses Drugs and Alcohol

Hopestream Community is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and an Amazon Associate. We may make a small commission if you purchase from our links.

ABOUT THE EPISODE:

Kristina Kuzmič had harbored some denial about her oldest son's depression, anxiety and substance use. "Lots of kids have problems. Maybe everything will work itself out," she thought. That denial ended abruptly the night she had to call the police.

Neighbors she hadn't even met yet stared from their driveways as her son was pushed into a police car, swearing loudly at her. Her three-word response to the shame and guilt she felt that night may just help change the way you view the world.

Kristina went on to write the book "I Can Fix This: And Other Lies I've Told Myself While Parenting My Struggling Child". Her son, now in recovery, encouraged her to write every gritty detail of the family's struggles -- and wrote the final chapter himself.

In this interview, Kristina brings the charm and humor that won Oprah's reality TV show to crucial issues facing parents with kids who are struggling. We discuss the power of shared experience in support groups, why she danced the night away as her son was in the psych ward, why the "good kids" in families often suffer in silence, and how parents can connect to them despite their sibling's struggles.  And so much more!

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Kristina’s YouTube Channel
• Kristina’s website
• Kristina’s Facebook
• Kristina’s Instagram

This podcast is part of a nonprofit called Hopestream Community
Learn about The Stream, our private online community for moms
Find us on Instagram: @hopestreamcommunity
Download a free e-book, Worried Sick: A Compassionate Guide For Parents When Your Teen or Young Adult Child Misuses Drugs and Alcohol

Hopestream Community is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and an Amazon Associate. We may make a small commission if you purchase from our links.