Let The Journey Begin

James M. joins Hilary and Jason this week to talk about his journey. After experiencing his parents' divorce at a young age, James tells of how he spent his childhood in Utah with his father, where he came to know prejudice and racism that left a sour taste in his mouth. James realized at an early age that he was gay, but with the prejudice and racism he witnessed in Utah, even from his own family, he knew he would be forced to hide his sexuality from his father. By having to suppress his true feelings, he began using substances as a coping mechanism at eight years old, ultimately leading to his entering of a treatment facility at the age of 19. James also explains how the AIDS epidemic of the late 80's and 90's had a big impact on him while he was in treatment, recalling a heartbreaking story in which many of those seeking help alongside him lost their lives due to the deadly virus. James says that he is a totally different person than he was years ago and the key for his own sobriety today has been finding and thinking about ways to help others who battle similar struggles and addictions.

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This week, Hilary and Jason are joined by Victor Assad, a man who has been a valuable mentor to Jason throughout the years. Vic grew up striving to become a professional tennis player, but found that the sport served more as a coping mechanism for his early trauma and as a means of acceptance from his peers. Along those lines, Vic recounts how, at an early age, a trusted individual within his family forced him into making choices he did not want to make, which ultimately had lasting consequences on his life. Finally, Vic tells Hilary and Jason about a particular experience 14 years ago with a brutally honest marriage counselor that ended up changing his life and leading him to sobriety.

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This week, Daniel Williams-Goldberg joins Hilary and Jason to break down how his addictions ruined many opportunities and almost ruined his life. Originally wanting to be a musician, Daniel explains how in his early 20's he was in a band that was on its way to a record deal, only to find out years later that his drug and alcohol addictions were what ultimately caused the deal to fall through. He also discusses that during the darkest moments of his addiction he turned to violence, which resulted in the loss of his job and homelessness. Today, after 21.5 years of sobriety, Daniel stresses the importance of exercise and how his morning routine is vital for his recovery. Even more importantly, Daniel also happens to have had a big impact on Jason's own recovery as Daniel was the particular individual that turned Jason onto the Prayer/Action For The Day, something that Jason does every single morning.

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This week, Daniel Patterson of Patterson Perspective joins Hilary and Jason to talk about his journey and the passion he has for helping struggling adolescents. Daniel dealt with his own fear and mental trauma growing up, eventually leading to the alcoholism that steered him away from pursuing his dream of becoming a political speech writer. While spending the greater part of 17 years in education, Daniel explains how at one point in his life he was his own paradox: living one well-kept, socially acceptable life in public but also delving into his own addiction behind closed doors. Finally, he details his moment of clarity on one particular New Year's Day which ultimately caused him to get help and has stuck with him ever since. Drawing from his own struggles with mental health and addiction, Daniel works today in educating and assisting teenagers through several of his organizations, foundations, and books.

You can find Daniel Patterson and his work at the links below:

https://www.pattersonperspective.com/

https://www.recoveredu.com/

The Assertive Parent: Hacks, Traps & Strategies for Raising Authentic Teens

https://amzn.to/3fVdybt

RECOVER[edu]: A Communication Guide for Addressing Mental Health in Schools

https://amzn.to/31fvAkH

New episode every Thursday!

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This week, Cathryn K. joins Hilary and Jason on Let The Journey Begin to further discuss love addiction and the importance of resiliency. Cathryn explains how at one point in her life she would be whatever anybody wanted her to be just so that she would be accepted and loved. Because of this, she believed she had become "defiantly autonomous," a "competent imposter," and perhaps a "counterfeit human-being." She also details, in a rare situation, how her mother was really the issue whilst growing up even though her father was the alcoholic. Today, Cathryn credits prayer and meditation as successful daily components as well as writing things down, in which she introduces the idea of a "powerlessness list."

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On Let The Journey Begin, we like to bring on guests who have suffered from all different kinds of addiction and trauma. This week in particular, Hilary and Jason bring on Dallas-based therapist and author of The Shame Game, Janice Gaunt, to talk about love addiction. Janice breaks down exactly what love addiction is, the definition of co-dependency, and her own early struggles with both. Life is much different now for Janice and she stresses how important self-worth is in overcoming all forms of addiction.

The Shame Game is aimed at helping others get beyond the adapted learned cyclical behavior that shows up when we have yet to recover the concept of abundance in our living. You can find her book at the link below:

https://amzn.to/37iDcnr

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This week, Hilary and Jason are joined by Jay Quinn. Jay details how a few innocent drinks during business trips quickly became a full-blown habit and an addiction. He explains how in the past he never thought he had a problem until he was faced with an empty home, to which alcohol became the solution. For Jay, facing his children was the hardest part of his recovery, but he tells Hilary and Jason that they are some of the most important people in his life when it comes to keeping accountability throughout his journey. After getting sober, Jay explains how his entire daily routine has changed and how journaling has helped him on a day-to-day basis. Finally, Jay believes we are all put on this Earth to serve others, not to be served and leaves us with a simple message that it is impossible to walk down the road of recovery alone.

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Pauly Anderson joins Hilary and Jason a few early weeks into quarantine to walk us through his road to recovery. Pauly details what it was like growing up in southeastern Wisconsin in the 1970's and how his desire of becoming a professional athlete was derailed by his addictions. After being in active addiction for nine years, Pauly finally surrendered and was willing to do whatever it would take to get sober in order to be there for his children. Throughout the episode, Pauly stresses the importance of mentorship as it has helped him stay sober for the past 31 years! He also explains how there are many things in his life that provide natural highs, such as riding motorcycles and being in nature, both of which have been vital assets in his daily routine.

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Richard "Richie" Blair, the Founder and CEO of Catalyst Recovery, has worked in the recovery field since 2002. Early on Richie realized his passion for helping those afflicted with substance abuse. He has spent the majority of his 17 years in the treatment field facilitating interventions, detoxes, and coaching cases.

This week, Hilary and Jason are joined by one of Jason's longtime friends, Richie Blair. Richie details how growing up in a single parent household contributed to his desire to become an actor and how that early-on pursuit added to his feelings of low self-worth. Richie discusses how substance abuse destroyed his relationships, drove him to homelessness, and caused his family to want nothing to do with him. Finally, Richie details an incredible and emotional story of how he believed the father he had never met had passed away, only to find out that wasn't the case at all. Today, Richie uses his experiences to help those in need and to help those individuals recognize their own self-worth.

New episode every Thursday!

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This week, Hilary and Jason are joined by longtime broadcaster, John "JT" Tomkinson. He tells us the story of how he was able to achieve his childhood dream of becoming a broadcaster, only to have it derailed by his addictions. Not only did JT's addictions jeopardize his career, but they also contributed to his feelings of worthiness and self-doubt. Today, after many ups and downs, he has a found a new way to live. JT details the day he got sober and credits "living in the moment" as one of the main reasons he has been able to maintain his sobriety for 17 years. Finally, JT gives us a powerful "Action For The Day" not only for those struggling with addictions, but those struggling with life in general.

New episode every Thursday!

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