Recovery Lab

Today on Recovery Lab, David Sugg, Brynn Knox, and Daniel Anderson welcome Mary Jane Williams to Audio Alchemy Studios for a conversation about recovery, resilience, and the life that can be found on the other side of addiction.

Mary Jane shares her experience, strength, and hope, reflecting on where her journey began, the challenges she faced along the way, and what recovery looks like in her life today.

It’s an honest conversation about struggle, growth, connection, and the power of sharing our stories so that others know they don’t have to walk the road alone.

Produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.

In Episode 149 of Recovery Lab, Brynn Knox, Daniel Anderson, and David Sugg sit down with Ron Permenter for a wide-ranging conversation about recovery, life, and the road that brought him to where he is today.

Ron opens up about his journey through addiction and recovery, the experiences that shaped him, the turning points that changed his direction, and what life looks like on the other side.

But this isn’t just a recovery story. The crew gets into Ron’s life today, his work in nursing and healthcare education, lessons learned along the way, and plenty of unexpected, funny, and interesting detours.

Recovery is about more than what you leave behind. It’s about the life you build afterward.

Produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.

In Episode 148 of the Recovery Lab Podcast, David, Brynn, and Daniel welcome Ruth Ann Rigby back to the Audio Alchemy Studios to talk about her new consulting endeavor, Rigby Consulting, LLC, and the next chapter of her work in behavioral health, crisis navigation, recovery, and community education. Ruth Ann brings nearly 30 years of experience in addiction treatment and behavioral health to this new venture.

The conversation also turns to the recent deaths of two University of Mississippi students in Oxford and the broader question of what can be done to prevent overdoses on college campuses and across the country.

Ruth Ann also shares insight from her new article, “Gas Station Heroin, Huffing, and the Drugs Hiding in Plain Sight,” which focuses on substances families may not recognize, including kratom and concentrated 7-OH products, nitrous oxide and inhalants, tianeptine, counterfeit pills, and the emerging synthetic opioid cychlorphine.

The group discusses warning signs, Narcan access, education, harm reduction, early intervention, and why families should act when something feels wrong rather than waiting for a crisis. Ruth Ann’s message is simple: awareness and early action can save lives. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RGOOBY9vGsgXNqrO9HiMq3MAUIl9RYnayZdxPvHt4Bg/edit?usp=sharing

It’s a conversation about leadership, prevention, recovery, and finding new ways to help families before tragedy happens.

Produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.

The Yana Club has been the heart of recovery in Jackson, Mississippi for nearly 50 years, providing thousands of alcoholics and addicts with a safe place to attend meetings, find sponsors, build friendships, and begin a new way of life.

In Episode 147 of The Recovery Lab Podcast, Daniel Anderson and David Sugg welcome Emma Johnson, Walter Boon, and Vernon Jones for an important conversation about the past, present, and future of the Yana Club.

The guests discuss the devastating fire that damaged the clubhouse earlier this year, the unexpected challenges that followed, including asbestos remediation, structural repairs, roofing, flooring, accessibility improvements, and other expenses not covered by insurance. They also explain why preserving Yana is about much more than restoring a building. It’s about protecting one of the most important recovery resources in Central Mississippi.

You’ll hear how the newly formed Yana Finance Committee is working alongside the Board of Directors to create long-term financial stability through a monthly membership program, community partnerships, fundraising efforts, and a vision that will allow the clubhouse to serve future generations.

The conversation also explores why service work is essential to long-term recovery, the importance of helping newcomers, the unique role clubhouses play within the recovery community, and how every person who has ever benefited from Yana has an opportunity to help ensure its doors remain open.

Whether Yana played a role in your recovery or you simply believe everyone deserves a safe place to find hope, this episode is a reminder that recovery is strongest when a community comes together to give back.

To learn more about the Yana Club, become a monthly member, or support their mission, visit www.yanaclubms.com⁠.

Produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions. 

On this powerful episode of Recovery Lab, Brynn, Daniel, and David sit down with Cordie Rodenbaugh and Renee Clements, two mothers carrying unimaginable grief and turning it into action.

Cordie shares the story of her son, Parker, whose death led to the creation of Parker’s Law, legislation designed to hold drug dealers accountable when their actions lead to death. Renee shares the heartbreaking story of her son, Mason, who died at just 18 years old after fentanyl changed the course of his life and devastated everyone who loved him.

Together, they discuss grief, stigma, fentanyl poisoning, Narcan, justice, motherhood, and the upcoming Walk for Lives event in Madison, Mississippi. This community event honors lives lost, educates families, provides free Narcan, connects people with recovery resources, and reminds us that this crisis can impact any family.

Join the Walk for Lives on Saturday, July 11, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at 100 Liberty Park Drive in Madison, Mississippi. Bring your family, hear powerful stories, connect with local resources, and help raise awareness about the dangers of fentanyl and synthetic drugs.

This episode is heavy, honest, and deeply important. It is a call to show up, say their names, support grieving families, and help save lives.

No shame. No judgment. Just truth, grace, and hope.

Produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.

In Episode #143 of the Recovery Lab Podcast, Brynn Knox, David Sugg, and Daniel Anderson welcome Stephanie Hathorne, a therapist with The Shepherd’s Staff and founder of Broken Branch Equine Assisted Psychotherapy in Mount Olive, Mississippi.

Stephanie shares her personal journey through anxiety, panic, depression, therapy, faith, and healing, and how those experiences eventually led her into the counseling field. She also opens up about the impact of Ruth Glaze, the sacred work being done at The Shepherd’s Staff, and the importance of therapists doing their own healing work.

The conversation then moves into the world of equine assisted psychotherapy, where horses become powerful mirrors for honesty, boundaries, trust, regulation, and emotional awareness. Stephanie explains why horses are uniquely able to sense misalignment, respond to anxiety, reveal hidden patterns, and help clients work through trauma, addiction recovery, neurodiversity, family dynamics, and emotional blocks in a way traditional talk therapy sometimes cannot reach.

This episode explores therapy, recovery, nature, faith, vulnerability, and the healing power of being fully present.

Topics include:

Sometimes the truth we need most is revealed in silence.

On episode 142 of the Recovery Lab Podcast, David Sugg, Brynn Knox, and Daniel Anderson welcome Darryl Brown into the Audio Alchemy Studios from Dallas, Texas for an honest and deeply inspiring conversation about addiction, recovery, leadership, and transformation.

Darryl Brown is a strategic advisor, activist, speaker, consultant, and former Executive Vice-President of ABC Radio Networks who has spent decades helping organizations, universities, and communities create meaningful change through compassion, equity, and leadership. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees at Fordham University, is a leader within the First Unitarian Church of Dallas, cohosts the Compassionate Leaders Circle podcast.

But today’s conversation goes far beyond titles and accomplishments.

Darryl opens up about what life used to look like before sobriety, the struggles and turning points that changed everything, and what life looks like today living in recovery. He shares powerful insight into identity, healing, leadership, accountability, and the importance of connection and purpose.

The conversation also explores:

This is a raw, thoughtful, and hope-filled episode from a man who has experienced both professional success and personal redemption, and who now dedicates his life to helping others grow, heal, and lead with purpose.

Produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.

In Episode 141 of the Recovery Lab Podcast, Brynn Knox, David Sugg, and Daniel Anderson welcome Jordan Butler for an honest and powerful conversation about addiction, relationship with food challenges, recovery, community, and what it looks like when survival turns into service.

Jordan shares how her struggle began in high school with food, exercise, control, and the need to change the way she felt. Over time, that pattern shifted into alcohol, drugs, isolation, and a life that looked functional on the outside while everything was falling apart underneath.

This episode walks through Jordan’s journey from Jackson to college, New Orleans, the Arkansas Delta, and back home again, where she finally found recovery, connection, and a new way to live. Her story is a reminder that healing often begins when we stop trying to hold everything together alone.

Jordan also shares about the First Annual McCoy House Recovery Classic, an alcohol-free charity golf tournament supporting The McCoy House Extended Care for Women’s mission to provide a safe, supportive space for women in recovery.

McCoy House Recovery Classic Tournament 2026

Date: Friday, May 8, 2026

Location: Live Oaks Golf Club, 11200 US 49 N, Jackson, MS 39209

Format: Four-person scramble

Cost: $1,000 per team or $250 per player

Grand prizes include:

4 days and 3 nights at a Gulf Shores beach house, golf equipment valued at $2,500, a $1,000 Koestler Prime gift card, and a hole-in-one prize for a new Honda from Patty Peck.

For more information, email [email protected] or visit www.themccoyhouse.com.

Produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.

#RecoveryLabPodcast #RecoveryLab #JordanButler #McCoyHouse #McCoyHouseRecoveryClassic #AddictionRecovery #EatingDisorderRecovery #Sobriety #RecoveryJourney #JacksonMS #MississippiRecovery #SoberCommunity #WomenInRecovery #HopeInRecovery #AudioAlchemyProductions

What are the 12 steps, really, and why do people in recovery talk about them like their lives depend on them?

In Episode #140 of Recovery Lab, Brynn Knox, David Sugg, and Daniel Anderson break down the 12 steps in plain language for people who may not be in addiction recovery themselves, but want to understand what this process actually is and why it matters so much.

This episode walks step by step through the spiritual principles, personal honesty, surrender, accountability, amends, and daily maintenance that make long-term recovery possible. Along the way, the conversation gets deeply personal as the hosts share their own experiences with powerlessness, rock bottom moments, resentment, character defects, sponsorship, making amends, and learning how to live differently.

This is an honest, practical, and hope-filled conversation for anyone curious about recovery, whether you are in it yourself, love someone who is, or have heard about the 12 steps and never fully understood what they mean.

Recovery is not about perfection. It is about honesty, action, growth, and learning how to live free.

#RecoveryLab #AddictionRecovery #12Steps #Sobriety #AlcoholicsAnonymous #RecoveryPodcast #Healing #MentalHealth #SpiritualGrowth #SoberLiving

Produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions. 

In Episode 139 of The Recovery Lab Podcast, David Sugg and Brynn Knox welcome back Kirk Hartley for part 2 of his powerful story. If you missed part 1, go back and listen to Episode 136 first.

In this deeply moving conversation, Kirk shares what it looked like to walk through unimaginable loss while staying sober. He opens up about the death of his son, the healing and reconciliation he experienced with his father before his passing, the ups and downs of marriage in recovery, and the hard lessons that came from anger, grief, and surrender.

Kirk also shares the heartbreaking journey of walking alongside his wife Joanne through Lewy body dementia, honoring her with unwavering love and care until her final breath. Through every season, loss, parenthood, marriage, recovery, and service, Kirk’s story points back to one truth: staying connected to God, the program, and the fellowship is what keeps us ready for life’s hardest moments.

This episode is full of wisdom for anyone in recovery, anyone grieving, and anyone wondering whether long-term sobriety is really worth it. Kirk’s answer is clear: absolutely.

#RecoveryLabPodcast #RecoveryLab #AddictionRecovery #Sobriety #LongTermSobriety #Healing #GriefAndRecovery #HopeAfterLoss #AARecovery #TwelveStepRecovery #RecoveryJourney #MentalHealth #FaithAndRecovery #Inspiration #Podcast

This episode is produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.