Let The Journey Begin

West Christian is an internet entrepreneur who most notably started Food Handler Solutions in 2015 which has since trained or certified more than 500,000 food service workers across the country. He attended the University of Arizona where he studied Business Marketing and discovered his love for music. Before starting his company, West traveled all over Arizona, Nevada and California as a DJ preforming on the same stages as some of the biggest names in electronic music at the time. In 2018 he was awarded the title of Marketer of the year by Marketing University for his business' rapid growth. West recently welcomed his second son to the world and is passionate about fatherhood and living by example.

West joins Hilary and Jason this week to give an outsider's look into the world of addiction and how the disease doesn't only affect the one who is addicted. West discusses how going from a small, tight-knit group of Christian peers to the University of Arizona was a big culture shock for him in his teenage years, which began to take him down a path of negativity that he successfully avoided. West also spends some time talking about how his uncle was directly affected by the disease of addiction and how much of an impact it had on him and the rest of his family. Today, West uses his own personal experiences as well as his uncle's demise as learning tools for which he can model his life and how he wants to live it. He urges that if you are struggling and need help, there is no shame in seeking assistance and that addiction does not have to be handled alone. Finally, in such a busy and difficult world, West stresses the importance of slowing down and taking a deep breath.

Instagram: @westchristian

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Join us as we conclude Part 2 of Jason Wahler's personal recovery story. We left off last week with Jason explaining how, after five years of sobriety, he fell into a relapse. Jason walks us through his relapse and expresses how much it negatively affected his personal life along with his progress in sobriety. Jason also explains what has changed this time around in his path to sobriety and how his approach is much different now than it has been in the past. Today, Jason is walking the walk with a solid foundation, ultimately stressing that the simpler things in life are what it's all about.

For more information on the Red Songbird Foundation, please visit:

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This week, our very own Jason Wahler sits down with Hilary to walk us through his path to sobriety. With early aspirations of becoming a professional baseball player, he was derailed in his teenage years by a life he would have never imagined himself living. He endured the lowest of lows while in the depths of his addictions but now uses his experiences to help others struggling and to hopefully make a difference in someone's life. With so much to get into, there was no way one episode could do Jason's story justice!

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This week, Hilary and Jason are joined by Army veteran and California Chapter Director of The Birdwell Foundation, Edward Choi, to discuss Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and what The Birdwell Foundation does to help those struggling with it. Growing up, Ed always knew that he wanted to spend his life helping others and being of service. At the age of 17, he discovered the ministry was his calling and at the age of 30, he enlisted in the military as an Army Chaplain. After serving three tours of duty overseas, Ed experienced his own fair share of trauma, whether it be firsthand or from spending thousands of hours helping others process their own. He was diagnosed with PTSD near the end of his second tour and talks about how this personally affected his own life and relationships. PTSD is a major concern within the military community and Ed explains why so many soldiers do not receive the proper treatment inside and outside of the armed services. In many ways, suffering from PTSD as well as suffering from addiction are very similar, and he stresses that there is no shame in seeking treatment. Today, as someone who experienced trauma and PTSD himself, Ed works closely with The Birdwell Foundation to provide assistance to veterans suffering from these conditions and letting them know they are not alone.

You can reach Ed and find more information on The Birdwell Foundation at the link below:

birdwellfoundation.org

For more information on the Red Songbird Foundation, please visit:

redsongbird.org

If you are interested in donating to the Red Songbird Foundation, please visit:

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This week, Hilary and Jason are joined by B. Taylor to discuss some of the traumas he experienced while serving in the military and what has helped him overcome these hardships. B. is a multi-award-winning artist, producer, songwriter, author, speaker, and decorated Navy veteran, in which he was awarded special duty and an honorary discharge by the Secretary of the Navy. Today, among many other things, he maintains an active presence as a Global Ambassador/Advocate of Music and Entertainment for the U.S. Military, Veterans, First Responders and their families, and has been supported by many top-ranking officials from all four branches of the U.S. Military. Today, B.'s number one goal is to serve as an ambassador for the armed forces, explaining how being surrounded by strong mentors has made him who he is today and that life should never be taken for granted.

You can find B. Taylor and his music at:

- BTaylor.com

- YouTube.com/user/btaylorsmusic

- Instagram: @btaylorofficial

- Twitter: @BTaylorOfficial

- Facebook: @btaylorofficialpage

For more information on the Red Songbird Foundation, please visit:

redsongbird.org

If you are interested in donating to the Red Songbird Foundation, please visit:

redsongbird.org/donate

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This week, Hilary and Jason are joined by Kayla Lyons, Founder and CEO of 1,000 Hours Dry as well as the host of The Dry Life podcast. Kayla spent a large portion of her childhood moving around the world due to her father's line of work. Unfortunately, the instability that comes with constant relocation at a young age contributed to a lack of self-identity. During her teenage years, Kayla turned to drugs and alcohol while trying to establish this missing identity which resulted in poor decisions harming her both physically and emotionally. It wasn't until the passing of her grandfather in which she realized that if she didn't get sober, either her drug and alcohol usage would kill her, or she would ultimately take her own life. Today, four years sober, Kayla founded 1,000 Hours Dry out of the belief that traditional methods of treatment don't always work for everyone. Accountability is key in achieving sobriety and Kayla hopes 1,000 Hours Dry will provide those struggling with a much-needed service that she wishes was available during her own path to sobriety.

For more information on 1,000 Hours Dry and The Dry Club, visit:

https://linktr.ee/1000hoursdry

Instagram: @1000hoursdry

You can also check out Kayla's podcast, The Dry Life, at the link below:

https://anchor.fm/thedrylife

For more information on the Red Songbird Foundation, please visit:

redsongbird.org

If you are interested in donating to the Red Songbird Foundation, please visit:

redsongbird.org/donate

New episode every Thursday!

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This week, Garvey Daniels is kind enough to join Hilary and Jason to talk about what sobriety means to him today. Garvey began dabbling with alcohol at an early age, but it didn't fully develop into a habit until college, which he later turned into a career. While working in the wine industry, he started to suspect he had a problem with alcohol and turned to an unlikely source for guidance: his mom. Garvey's mother had struggled with alcohol addiction when he was younger and because of this, he explains how she completely laid the groundwork and blueprint to achieve his own sobriety. Garvey stresses how thankful he is today for all the gifts sobriety has given him and how he may have never forgiven himself if he were not fully present during monumental moments throughout his life. Garvey provides a great deal of perspective in this episode and seems truly at peace today.

For more information on the Red Songbird Foundation, please visit:

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Natalia Taylor is an American model and singer who's made a name for herself on YouTube with over 2 million subscribers. With her fan's captive attention, Natalia spills the tea on current pop culture headlines and hot topics circulating online. With that, Natalia is quickly becoming a global phenomenon. Her recent IKEA video went viral globally and was featured in an interview with People Magazine, CNN, and Cosmopolitan España. In addition to viral videos, Natalia has released several singles including, 'Which Me,' with an accompanying music video, from her upcoming EP.

On this week's episode of "Let The Journey Begin," Natalia sits down with Hilary and Jason to talk about her own unique path toward sobriety. Natalia began finding success through YouTube and various other social media platforms in her late teenage years. However, with newfound success came a developing addiction. Success brought new people, and new people brought negative influences into Natalia's life as she moved into her early 20's. She also details her turning point in a "trip" gone bad, in which she lost her sanity and was frightened that she may never recover. Interestingly enough, Natalia is one of the few guests we've had on "Let The Journey Begin" who did not utilize a specific addiction recovery program to obtain sobriety. She simply credits finding God and utilizing the church as what ultimately helped her achieve her clear state of mind. There is a lot of relatability in Natalia's story for both Hilary and Jason, as faith has inspired her to use her social media influence to be a beacon of positivity.

You can find Natalia at her following channels:

- YouTube.com/NataliaTaylor

- Instagram: @natalia_taylor

- Twitter: @natalia_taylor_

- TikTok: @nataliataylorofficial

For more information on the Red Songbird Foundation, please visit:

redsongbird.org

If you are interested in donating to the Red Songbird Foundation, please visit:

redsongbird.org/donate

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On this week's show, Leonard Bade joins Hilary and Jason on National Sober Day to talk about his own sobriety of 37 years. Like many other alcoholics and addicts, they find at a certain point they are living a double life and Leonard was no different. After completing college, he was a high-ranking executive for a major corporation but was also a struggling alcoholic behind the scenes. It wasn't until he attended a group alcoholic meeting with a friend that he realized he needed help and that this particular place was where he belonged. Leonard stresses the importance of structure when obtaining sobriety and how staying true to your program makes all the difference. Also, in light of National Sober Day, Leonard and Hilary discuss how they think the perception of addiction has changed over the many years of their own sobriety and that the stigma of seeking treatment isn't nearly what it was years ago.

For more information on the Red Songbird Foundation, please visit:

redsongbird.org

If you are interested in donating to the Red Songbird Foundation, please visit:

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This week, Hilary and Jason are joined by the Red Songbird Foundation Executive Director, Alex Meschi. Alex is what many in recovery would refer to as a "normie," or one who is not currently in active addiction or recovery. However, even though Alex has not struggled himself with many of the things that individuals involved with the Red Songbird Foundation have, he has certainly had his own fair share of struggles.

Alex grew up with many big-time aspirations, whether it be a firefighter or an astronaut, but he knew early on that being a professional baseball player was his true calling. Alex worked hard to achieve this goal, even getting as far as receiving a scholarship to play at the collegiate level, but an unfortunate academic encounter at this very college forced a change of plans. Throughout his journey, Alex discusses why even though he didn't obtain the ultimate goal he had always wanted, he still has no regrets for the way in which his life has turned out today. Whether it be finding a new activity that brings you joy, seeing a therapist on the regular, or simply embracing life changes, Alex believes that many of things he's learned as the Executive Director of the Red Songbird Foundation have helped in his own daily life.

For more information on the Red Songbird Foundation, please visit:

redsongbird.org

If you are interested in donating to the Red Songbird Foundation, please visit:

redsongbird.org/donate

New episode every Thursday!

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