Recovering From Reality

In this week’s episode, I hop on a call with Triana Browne!  Triana competes in pageant circuits, and was crowned Miss Oklahoma 2017, Miss America 2018, and Miss USA runner up.  She is also a college graduate with a degree in Human Development and Family Sciences, and a Division 1 athlete.  Seriously, what can’t this girl do!  

I chat with Triana about being multiracial and embracing her race despite adversity in society, school, and the pageant industry. Triana is half African American and half Native American, and works hard to give Native Americans recognition. She speaks up for Native rights and gives her people the support they deserve.  

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This episode is a bit different because we are doing a call-in show with my friend Bob Forrest!  If you haven’t heard my previous episode with Bob, the co-founder of Alo House Recovery Center, be sure to check that out next.  

So, we gave out a number and had you guys phone in with all your questions regarding sobriety, addiction, codependency, recovery, and my supposed debt to Orlando Bloom. It gets real on this episode, so I hope you enjoy!  I look forward to more connection with you guys in the future. It is really great to connect and interact beyond Instagram comments and DMs.    

Some stand-out questions were: 

• Our opinion on needle exchange systems and clean injection sites
• How to recover from being a “weekend warrior”
• Enabling and its destructive outcomes
• Finding mental health care and support in difficult financial circumstances 
• Overcoming insecurity and anxiety

And that just scratches the surface.  We get deep into each topic, and Bob offered some stellar advice.  Many questions were about being a loved one to an addict. My heart truly goes out to those in this situation.  I see your pain, and I believe acknowledging your own pain is really important to the healing process. You can’t bring negative energy and shame to your loved one, and you definitely can’t force them to recover.  But you can heal yourself first.  

We are all on this earth to process something on a spiritual level.  Sometimes, addiction and healing are part of this process. Don’t let negative feelings and energy have power over you.  Reach out and get help, no matter the scale. Just start with the next indicative action, and take baby steps from there.  

Hearing my listeners’ stories is why I do this work.  All I do is for the collective. And the message I share is that you can recover, despite the trauma and pain.  Trust me, you can do this thing.   

If I can make a living amends, pay off my court fees 8 years later, and thank Orlando Bloom for kind of saving my life, then you can recover too!  You’ll just have to listen to the episode to understand!

#ANDSOITIS

If you or someone you love needs help, go to alorecovery.com 

Resources we discussed in this episode: 

• Families United for Recovery
• Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA)
• Brené Brown
• Alo House 

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In this week’s episode, I’m having a conversation with the most iconic of queens, Langanja Estranja!  If you haven’t heard of Langanja, seriously, where have you been?! She is a talented drag queen who was on Season Six of RuPaul’s Drag Race, was recently on So You Think You Can Dance, has a huge Instagram following, is a dancer and choreographer, and is overall just fabulous.  In this episode, we talk about her upbringing, how her drag queen name and character were formed, and her journey after filming Drag Race.  We also get into some hot topics regarding sexism, gender, healing, and more.  

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In this episode I’m owning my story. Last week over Twitter I (half jokingly) invited Nancy Jo onto the podcast. Well… not only did she decline the invitation, but we got into it over Instagram DMs.  And let me tell you, shade was thrown guys!  

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In this episode, I chat with my good friend and fellow mama, Ali Levine.  Ali is truly such a light in my life, so I’m excited to share her with you all!  She is the host of two podcasts, Things We Are Too Lazy to Blog About and Striptd Down with Ali Levine.  She is also a stylist and personality on Bravo’s TV show, Stripped.  Now, she has struck a balance between work life and mama life, which is so inspiring to me.  

Ali and I’s friendship really blossomed when she asked me to be her doula.  Her birth experience is definitely one I’ll never forget! We share all the details here, from the birthing center, to the hospital, and once her baby was born.  We also talk about misconceptions toward pregnancy and motherhood. It’s not always this beautiful, magical time we see in the movies. Ali describes her struggle with postpartum depression and feeling like a “failure” as a mom.  No one can fully prepare you for these challenges, so it’s nice to have mom friends to lean on.

• Symptoms with pregnancy

• Castor oil to induce labor

• The difference between a birth plan vs. birth preferences

• Doulas and midwives

• Family boundaries during birth and early motherhood

• Nursing and lactation consultants

• How to navigate postpartum depression: therapy, meditation, mindfulness, and social media breaks

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“You’re literally pretty wild if you’re going on a reality show.”  

In this episode, I’m joined by Dan Levy to discuss my experience with reality TV.  Dan is a comedian, writer, and producer and one of the creators of Pretty Wild. He was just ballsy enough to take on the project, and to work with a family as crazy as mine! Dan and I talk all about Pretty Wild behind-the-scenes, what he thought of the show and working with us, and what Dan is creating in the present day.  A lot has changed in both of our lives since filming, so it was cool to share who we are today. Living as a happy, sober person is a side Dan never saw from me, and I’m grateful we got to talk about it.  Dan is also an incredibly funny and talented guy, so I know you all will enjoy hearing his take on life. 

I was definitely living a double life while filming Pretty Wild.  On camera, Tess and I were just these little party girls, but in reality, we had debilitating addictions. We were a chaotic bunch, but that’s what made the show a pop culture phenomenon. I’m now so far removed from that Alexis, and truly believe going to jail was the best thing that ever happened to me.

Here are some episode highlights: 

• Dan’s career prior to Pretty Wild

So sure, my life may not be reality TV-worthy anymore, but it’s crazy and exciting in new and special ways. Just a little less wild.  

Where to find Dan’s work: 

IMDb: Dan Levy

Instagram: @danlevyshow

If you or someone you love needs help please visit alorecovery.com  

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“It’s important to use our platforms as a way to connect with others and to be able to share.”

In this episode, I sit down with my childhood friend and true inspiration, Josi Pellicano!  I met Josi in middle school, and have always admired how resilient she is. She has a really interesting story to share that I know you guys will learn a lot from her strength. We talk about her dad’s incarceration for most of Josi’s life, her shifting family dynamic now that he’s out, and how she has adapted to all this trauma and adversity. Josi also shares her experience getting her Master’s degree, and how that guided her to where she is today. 

Shoutout to one of my favorite sponsors Cured Nutrition CBT capsules and tinctures. This episode is brought to you by Cured Nutrition, a wholistic supplement company based in Boulder, Colorado. If you’re in tune with the wellness industry, I’m sure you’ve noticed how selecting the right CBD products can get confusing. Cured Nutrition has made it easy. In addition to their 100% locally-sourced Colorado hemp extracts, Cured also guarantees a rigorous quality control system.
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I love that Josi is using her platform to open up about this story.  When a family member goes to prison, the entire family goes along too. Josie is creating a safe space to discuss this issue and reminding us to embrace when we’re not okay and talk about our shame.  The tough times shouldn't be kept a secret. 

Here are some more points we covered: 

• Shifting family dynamics and how we cope 
• How our families were different from the “norm” in our cushy California neighborhood.
• Josi’s current relationship with her father.
• US mass incarceration rates.
• Shame culture and why it needs to change!

To keep up with Josi and her killer Instagram feed, follow her @averagejoblog. 

#ANDSOITIS

If you or someone you love needs help, go to alorecovery.com

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In today’s episode, I spend some precious time with my spiritual mentor and reiki master, Ute Fleishman. A few episodes back, I talked about my profound reiki experience, and that all happened in a session with Ute! She has had such an impact on my life and spiritual journey, so I am very grateful to have her on the podcast, sharing with us. We talk about how Ute started energy work and how reiki has completely transformed both of our lives. We also give you guys some tips and tricks to help you move from an existence of pain to one of peace.

Read more about this episode on the blog!

Connect w/ Alexis here

Connect w/ Ute here

If you or someone you love needs help, go to alorecovery.com

#ANDSOITIS

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In this episode, we are sitting down with Alexis’ mom, Andrea Arlington to talk all things early childhood, manifestation, and family recovery.  Alexis asks Andrea some juicy questions, and she dishes on dating as a single parent, if she regrets Pretty Wild, and what her spiritual practice/recovery looks like today.  They also serve some hard truths about family dynamics. So if you’ve ever wondered what Alexis was like as a child and in early recovery, this is the episode for you!

Read more about this episode on our blog

Connect w/ Alexis here

Connect w/ Andrea here or her website: Families United for Recovery

If you or someone you love needs help, go to alorecovery.com

#ANDSOITIS

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With the 2020 election right around the corner, it’s time to start getting informed! We get political on today’s podcast with Alexis, Evan, and author, Molly Jong-Fast. Molly is an author of two novels, Normal Girl and The Social Climber’s Handbook and has a fantastic Twitter feed that makes you wonder if she ever sleeps. Today, we discuss everything scarily wrong with our political climate, from “Trumpism”, to looming racism/sexism, to climate change and of course, how we look after our collective mental health.

Read more about this episode on our blog!

Connect w/ Alexis here

Connect w/ Molly here

If you or someone you love needs help, go to alorecovery.com

#ANDSOITIS

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