Let's Talk

My guest for this episode Jim Scarpace!  Jim is the Executive Director at Gateway Foundation in Aurora, Illinois, and comes with 28 years of experience in mental health, substance use disorder, and criminal justice. If directing addiction treatment programs wasn’t enough, he’s also an assistant professor at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, where he’s taught for the past 17 years.  Jim is an authority in the Chicagoland area on the topic of stigma and addiction, and has an unparalleled perspective of the Chicago recovery community due to his work on the ground managing multiple Gateway treatment locations.

If you'd like to get in touch with Jim, he's available at [email protected].

My guest for this episode is Rachael Cooper, and we’ll be talking about mental health and addiction in the workplace, as well as what employers can, and should, be doing about it.  Rachael is currently the Associate Director for the National Stigma Initiative at Shatterproof, a non-profit that is working to end addiction in the United States at the population health level. At the time of recording, Rachael was working with the National Safety Council as their Senior Program Manager over the opioid epidemic projects. She is an expert on the impact of the workplace on mental health, best-practice approaches to supporting employee wellbeing, and on how employers can build a recovery-friendly workplace culture.  

My guest for this episode is my friend and mentor, Dr. Kevin Sabet!  Dr. Sabet is the President and CEO of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, which he founded with former Congressman Patrick Kennedy in 2013. He has worked in the Clinton (2000), Bush (2002-2003), and Obama (2009-2011) administrations, and is one of the only drug policy staffers to have ever served as a political appointee in both Democratic and Republican administrations.  Dr. Sabet recently released his second book, Smokescreen, in April, and over the past decade has been featured in just about every major national news outlet and publication for his expertise on marijuana commercialization.

My guest for this episode Dr. Michael Miller!  Dr. Miller is the CEO and medical director of Miller Care Group, and passionate about best-practice medication-assisted therapy.  In addition to his work with opioids, he is currently studying novel treatments for methamphetamine addiction, and is advocating for a paradigm shift in how we define methamphetamine addiction and treatment.  

My guest for this episode is an absolute rock-star in youth drug prevention, Andy Duran.  Andy is the CEO of LEAD, a youth prevention organization based out of Lake Forest, Illinois.  Andy and LEAD have been driving innovation and change in the prevention space for years, helping organize and train other prevention organizations across Illinois and the rest of the country.  One of his broadest initiatives is the Text-A-Tip hotline, which covers 10 million people in Illinois with 24/7 access to text-based support if they’re having an emotional or substance-related crisis.

If you’d like to get in touch with Andy, you can drop him an e-mail at [email protected]!

My guest for this episode is my good friend, Dr. Kathleen Burke, PhD! Dr. Burke is the Director of Substance Use Initiatives in the Will County, Illinois. She manages the Illinois Drug Overdose Prevention Project in Will County, and serves as a member of the Illinois Opioid Crisis Response Advisory Council. She is also a member of the Governor State University Addictions Studies and Behavioral Health Advisory Committee and the Stepping Stones Treatment Center Board of Directors. Everyone plugged-in to opioid overdose prevention efforts in the West and Southwest suburbs of Chicago knows and loves Dr. Burke, and I’m thrilled she’s able to come on the show!  

I have three marvelous guests for this episode! The first two are Tim Ryan, A&E's Dope Man and a substance abuse interventionist, and Jennifer Gimenez-Ryan, world renowned model, actress, substance abuse counselor, and reality TV star. Tim and Jenn are tireless advocates for recovery, and spread their message through their frequent speaking appearances and on their weekly podcast, The Tim and Jenn Show (dopetohope.com).

My third guest is Dr. Russell Surasky, FAAN, ABAM, ABPM. Dr. Surasky is a triple board certified neurologist, and the only physician in the U.S. with his combination of credentials. He serves as the chief physician and consultant to multiple addiction centers on Long Island. His private practice, Recovery Revolution, is located in Great Neck, New York. Dr. Surasky is a sponsored national speaker on the topic of opiate and alcohol addiction - find out more about Dr. Surasky at https://www.drsurasky.com/ .

My guest this week is Dr. Mark Gomez, MD - often known by his superhero name, Dr. G! Dr. Gomez is a board-certified internal medicine physician, and the host of "To Your Health with Dr. G," a fantastic health-based podcast and radio show, which has recently transitioned into "Health 360 with Dr. G" - his new show launching in January.  Topics covered with Dr. G include the COVID-19 vaccine, how to have productive conversations with your primary care doctor about sensitive issues, how to pick a new doctor if you're looking for a change, and more!