Recovery Media Podcast: A Conduit of hope, safety and trust.

Recovery Media Podcast: A Conduit of hope, safety and trust.

By Louis IaconaEducationSelf-Improvement
Download on the App Store

Recovery Media Podcast: A Conduit of hope, safety and trust. episodes

  • Gratitude and Purpose in the Journey

    Meet Albert Duarte!

    Jim welcomes Albert to the podcast for an emotional and powerful conversation. Albert is an Ontological Life Coach and Meditation Trainer & on the path to becoming a Transformational Trainer as well. He also has a 20-year background in the financial services industry as a life insurance agent. Through coaching and meditation, Albert helps people find their place of peace and life purpose.

    "The good and bad angels", as Albert puts it, always remained on his shoulders. The push and pull to and from addiction, led him down more than a few bad roads but thankfully Albert received his wake up call in 2015. By experiencing his own transformation, just 5 years ago. and overcame kidney cancer, a 13-year drug and alcohol addiction all at the same time without rehab, A.A or N.A. By the grace of God, Albert survived it all, and learned YOU create the life you want. The journey, for all of its twists and turns, has left Albert in gratitude for the experiences and led him to his purpose, helping others on their path to recovery as well.

    Jim and Albert only recently connected prior to this conversation. The vulnerability and openness they both lean into, serves as a reminder to always be willing to share your journey in recovery as it brings understanding, comfort and hope to those in recovery and those seeking to get on the path to sobriety as well.


    44 min
  • TED TALK REVIEW: Everything You Think You Know About Addiction is Wrong
    Today is a unique episode with Louis Iacona and Jim Grant.
    There are many different views, perspectives and narratives around addiction. Johann Hari led a TED Talk that, in many ways, touches on points which Louis and Jim align with.
    However, nothing can be as simple as "right or wrong" "this or that". So much of what Jim and Louis discuss on the podcast is about nuance and the unique elements that make up a common overall story for those struggling with addiction.
    Louis and Jim discuss the definitive nature of the title, methods of punishment for addicts, "Rat Park" and misleading information that can lead individuals to make life choices with dangerous repercussions.
    They do acknowledge elements that Johann brings up which they feel are valid -- and, it is the simplicity in which he frames recovery that can be concerning. Addiction is not a paint by numbers process to recovery and can be dangerous to be presented as such.
    Louis and Jim flesh out thoughts beyond Johann's TED Talk, further highlighting the need and ability to dive into the details before identifying the unique solutions individuals need along their path to recovery.
    Louis Iacona: Laguna View Detox | [email protected] | (866) 819-7187
    Jim Grant: Jim Grant Coaching | [email protected] | Facebook: Jim Grant Coaching
    28 min
  • Sober Living with Ryan Baum
    Meet Ryan Baum! Louis and Jim welcome Ryan Baum, a motivated and determined owner of Wellness Transitional Living homes, and who is in long term recovery from Alcohol and Drug addiction.
    His sober living homes are located in Suffolk county on Long Island in New York. They provide a safe and structured environment to help men transition back into society while maintaining sobriety. His life’s passion is to provide individuals with an environment to find themselves and achieve greatness.
    Louis and Jim have great conversation diving into Ryan's story, his path in recovery and how he now serves in support of others.
    Louis Iacona: Laguna View Detox | [email protected] | (866) 819-7187
    Jim Grant: Jim Grant Coaching | [email protected] | Facebook: Jim Grant Coaching
    1 hr 7 min
  • Creating Your Story
    Louis and Jim welcome Aron Myers to the podcast!
    Aron experienced addiction as a child through his father and this molded his approach to life as an adult. He found himself dealing with rejection from a young age within his family and dealing with addiction (even with never having touched a substance). Aron developed a pattern of being a "forced giver" — not allowing others to give to him and always seeking approval through actions. He found himself unable to accept himself as being worthy of the love, admiration and community of those close to him. In his words, Aron needing to "be seen” rather than being comfortable with how he was seen.
    Ultimately this conversation is about the life philosophy Aron holds — helping people to create their own story, and honoring their own voice. This is an active decision Aron makes, taking responsibility to support those around him every single day. Aron Myers brings a passion and love to the conversation of support; of those in need, of those we care for, and of ourselves.
    Aron Myers is the Principal Leadership Strategist at A-Game Leadership and holds a master’s degree from the Case Western Reserve University’s, nationally ranked Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences.
    He is an alumnus of Ideal Coaching Global and received training from the Mandel School of Nonprofit Management. Aron holds a certification as  Professional Certified Coach from International Federation of Coaches and member of the National Association of Social Workers,
    and has excelled in leadership positions for more than thirty years and has held senior leadership positions for over 20 years, including Chief Operating Office at a national AIDS service organization, National Director for Child Welfare Programs and currently is the Principal and Chief Leadership Strategist/Coach at the A Game Leadership Group.
    Aron is a seasoned coach working with individuals and organizations to create their professional and personal A-Game. As an alumnus of the foster care system from age five to adulthood, Aron knows what it means to persevere.  Aron utilizes his life story, clinical skills and coaching acumen to inspire and motivate the leaders.
    Louis Iacona: Laguna View Detox | [email protected] | (866) 819-7187
    Jim Grant: Jim Grant Coaching | [email protected] | Facebook: Jim Grant Coaching
    54 min
  • Empowering Your Authentic Self

    Meet Sarah Stinson!


    Sarah grew up in a family that battled addiction. Her brother led the way by getting sober 22 yrs ago.

    Her fascination in understanding human behavior led her to receive a bachelor of arts degree with a focus in psychology. Her first professional job out of college was working for Origins Recovery Center where they treat addiction with co-occurring disorders. Sarah fell in love experiencing and witnessing the evolutionary transformation of the male patients that recovered.

    She was inspired to powerfully choose sobriety after years of heavy drinking and struggling to be in relationship with an alcoholic.

    Today, she coaches and empowers people to live from their authentic selves and remove all the b.s. that inhibits their soul expression on this earth.

    Following this great conversation, Jim Grant discusses his new work shop on April 24th and 25th: "Heart of a Man." This is an opportunity for men to connect, look back at the past and how it impacts us today, and of course continue to to grow as human beings in our lives. Additional information can be found through Jim Grant's Facebook Page.

    Louis Iacona: Laguna View Detox | [email protected] | (866) 819-7187

    Jim Grant: Jim Grant Coaching | [email protected] | Facebook: Jim Grant Coaching

    55 min
  • Showing Up For Yourself

    On today's episode Jim and Louis welcome in Jen Villarruel. For Jen, everything happens for a reason. Her father, even through all the pain and chaos of dealing with alcohol addiction, still had a tremendous, and even positive impact on her life. Being raised by a single mother, offered experiences that would create a thread throughout Jen's life.

    Her story is about seeking out: experience, structure, guidance and about creating her own path.

    Jen was seeking "normalcy" in her life, and when a surprise pregnancy came at the age of 19, it was family and friends who brought a support system, but also Jen's attitude and determination to "get my shit together." This moment was when all of Jen's childhood, her familial experience - was the catalyst to how she wanted her child to grow up. Again, Jen was met with struggles in raising a child with a parents in separate homes.

    But again Jen made the difficult choices, to acknowledge where she was struggling, admit her shortcomings and seek to be the best version of herself. The unconscious influence in her life, on the relationships she has cultivated, have always carried the weight in wanting stability and reliability. Not every choice is an active one, but Jen has a clear drive and dedication to having a different and positive life experience from the childhood she came from.

    Jen now works as an Inner Child Advocate and workshop facilitator, and also working on projects like Conscious Clothing, Coaching and Up-Coming Certified Breath Work facilitator.

    Louis Iacona: Laguna View Detox | [email protected] | (866) 819-7187

    Jim Grant: Jim Grant Coaching | [email protected] | Facebook: Jim Grant Coaching

    59 min
  • A Career in Recovery with Danielle Sweeney-Kirson
    In today’s episode, Louis and Jim are joined by an old friend, Danielle Sweeney-Kirson.
    With an undergraduate degree in Psychology and Social Work and a Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling, Danielle has dedicated herself to helping those in need. Her story and the stories of those she’s working with overlap at different points — as with many guests, Danielle has her own path to and away from addiction.
    Danielle speaks to the societal perspective on alcohol and drinking and how it can make "normal social functions" difficult circumstances to navigate. She also shares with Louis the difficulty around people pleasing and self destructive patterns, not always simply the desire to drink or need for a release.
    Now, in recovery, Danielle speaks to her professional career and how through recovery she was better able to serve those in need. Danielle’s career at Outreach Development began in 2003 after completing her internship and being hired full time as the Vocational Counselor. She was fortunate to have held a variety of positions within Outreach including: Vocational Coordinator, Aftercare Coordinator, House Manager, Clinical Coordinator, and, finally, Director in 2012 until taking maternity leave in 2015.
    Her first daughter Isabella was born November 24, 2015 followed by twin girls, Madison and Charlotte, in June 2019.
    Currently Danielle is a stay at home mom as well as private therapist where she has maintained a steady flow of clients specializing with adolescents and young adults. Her education, along with her personal experience in recovery, has afforded her many opportunities to learn and grow professionally.
    Louis Iacona: Laguna View Detox | [email protected] | (866) 819-7187 Jim Grant: Jim Grant Coaching | [email protected] | Facebook: Jim Grant Coaching
    1 hr 21 min
  • Becoming the Hero in the Fight

    Today, Louis and Jim welcome in Danny Albert to the Recovery Media Podcast to discuss his experience with substance abuse.

    Danny speaks to how there is not always an extreme circumstance that triggers addiction, there can also be a cumulative impact over time. Danny grew up in a household with parents who believed they were doing "the right thing." Offering to try a beer or marijuana in a controlled environment felt like the responsible thing to do and yet Danny discusses the far reaching impacts for such a decision. The need to use a substance became a daily requirement for him, which led to skipping school and getting into more serious issues outside the classroom.

    In spite of it all, Danny found his way to college but ultimately into juvenile detention center following an arrest. His college experience lasted only a year and he eventually found himself bartending and elevating his substance abuse to heroine along the way.

    Danny talk about his daughter and how he was not in touch with her at the time. He was back living at home with his parents and finally bottomed out. He shares how recovery did not take immediately. He continued to blame others and abuse heroin.

    Finally, a call from his daughter turned things around for Danny. He shares how she expressed not wanting him to be sick anymore which led him to getting treatment. That was the beginning of his sober life, entering a sober living house — surrounding himself with positivity and people he loved and wanted to emulate.

    Danny finally committed to learning about himself — who he was and what he wanted his life to be. He is now a successful manager of a restaurant chain and paying it forward through his grassroots community recovery organization, Hero in the Fight which provides hope and support to those in recovery.

     Danny Albert: on Facebook Hero In The Fight | Herointhefight.org | [email protected] Louis Iacona: Laguna View Detox | [email protected] | (866) 819-7187 Jim Grant: Jim Grant Coaching | [email protected] | Facebook: Jim Grant Coaching

    48 min
  • Adventure in Recovery
    Today, Louis and Jim welcome Guy Fitzgerald into the Recovery Media Podcast.
    Sober since 1988, Guy brings an energy and enthusiasm to every aspect of his life. Guy is "an open book" and takes no issue discussing his past, his struggles and continuing to live in recovery.
    Guy was introduced to alcohol and drugs at just 9 years old — with the impact extending to all areas of his life. A self described, angry, lying, stealing young kid, what he lost in his youth was his love and enjoyment of sports and his attention and drive in school. Coming from a family, where other siblings were also abusing substances, Guy's issues went unaddressed until well into his college years. Underneath all the addiction was shame about himself.
    Their discussion highlights the evolution of AA and the difference in approach of getting sober. Guy acknowledges it ultimately needed to "bottom out" before he was willing to enter the room with a desire to clean himself up. His sobriety is through his own effort and his own desire to change. Though his personal experience, Guy believes that both life and people change and finding the best way to maintain sobriety looks very different for each individual.
    Today, Guy remains incredibly active, both physically and mentally — staying engaged with activities like golf, ski-ing, running, listening to podcasts and reading. A long time friend of Jim Grant, the conversation is also a reminder of the connections with people — the connections in friendship that allow us to have people we can rely on and trust to help stay on the path of sobriety.
    https://linktr.ee/RecoveryMediaPodcast
    Louis Iacona: Laguna View Detox | [email protected] | (866) 819-7187
    Jim Grant: Jim Grant Coaching | [email protected] | Facebook: Jim Grant Coaching
    1 hr 14 min
  • Recovery and Environment
    On today's episode, Jim and Louis welcome in Ray Ortiz, a retired military veteran and Substance Abuse Counsellor for more than 30 years.
    This conversation looks at the foundation, that is set from a very young age, and the role it can play in the addiction and abuse process. It took Ray's experience through the Outreach Program as a youth to have a mirror to his own life and learn what "should not be normal" for a child developing in the world.
    This continues the themes on Recovery Media Podcast around cognitive development, the ability for young children to process and understand trauma, and the very real impact it can have on a human if outlets and resources are not available to them.
    Jim and Ray have a long standing connection through their work as counsellors and they discuss the ways in which techniques and methods evolve and change over time. They talk about how, at the core, it’s about being there and being in service of those in need and understanding there may be different techniques and methods as more science and research inform how we as a society approach addiction and its treatment.
    This is a reminder of the fight that it takes and the fight it took for Ray Ortiz to learn, grow, and move beyond the addictions he had to ultimately be able to put himself in a position to help those in need.
    Louis Iacona: Laguna View Detox | [email protected] | (866) 819-7187
    Jim Grant: Jim Grant Coaching | [email protected] | Facebook: Jim Grant Coaching
    1 hr 7 min

About Recovery Media Podcast: A Conduit of hope, safety and trust.

From the publisher's feed

Our purpose and vision for our lives is to be in service of others and to support them in understanding that they matter. This podcast is one vehicle we have chosen to make that happen. Through open…