On this episode Evie Velez sits down with coalition board member Summer to discuss her experience with clinical burnout while working in residential treatment during COVID, the moment she realized she needed help, and the slow path back through therapy and medical care.

They explore how systems rely on overburdened leaders, the importance of community-based supports like recovery cafes and local nonprofits, and practical ways to prevent and recover from burnout while staying connected to recovery work.

This conversation highlights the power of community, low-barrier resources, and creating sustainable systems that protect both people in recovery and those who serve them. 

In this episode, April interviews Cathy Asada, Substance Use Dependence Department Director at Center for Human Services. Cathy shares about about the agency's history, recovery spaces, and serving thousands of participants each month.

Cathy shares a powerful anonymous success story of a young person who overcame opioid use disorder, pursued certification to help others, and remains in active recovery. She also discusses the role of lived experience, maintaining professional boundaries, and the importance of community partnerships in supporting recovery.

Resources mentioned include:

www.chs-nw.org

www.everettrecoverycafe.org

and www.snocorecovers.org

Tune in for practical insights on local recovery services, reducing stigma, and paths to healing.

April interviews Cathy Asada, Substance Use Department Director at Center for Human Services, about the agency’s trauma-informed, person-centered approach to substance use and mental health treatment. They discuss outpatient and intensive outpatient (IOP) care, ASAM-guided placement, Wraparound/WISE family services, peer support, harm reduction (naloxone and supplies), and community-based intensive services.

Listeners learn how to access care — same/next-day assessments in Shoreline and Everett, walk-in screenings, and help with housing, transportation, and bilingual family support — and are encouraged to call screening at 206-362-7282 to get started. This episode is for people in recovery, their supporters, and anyone seeking to understand local recovery resources.

Hosts Jack and EV have a candid conversation about gratitude in recovery, drawing on EV's 10-year journey from heroin addiction to purposeful work in the Snohomish County Recovery Coalition. They reflect on rebuilding relationships, accepting praise, and the power of community support.

The episode explores practical recovery tools—gratitude practices, peer support, and cognitive reframing—while confronting guilt, loss, and the desire to make amends. The core message: there is a way back and it’s worth the work.

For help or more information visit:

www.snocorecovers.org 

www.everecoverycafe.org 

In this episode, Bo Baker shares his journey from growing up in Granite Falls and using meth from a very young age to years of homelessness, repeated treatment attempts, and finally recovery with the support of his partner. Bo describes the slow process of detox, the challenges of staying sober, and how rebuilding his life — including pursuing a plumbing journeyman license and dental reconstruction — gives him hope to help others.

Resources: 

www.snocorecovers.org

www.everettrecoverycafe.org

In this episode April speaks with Louella Baker about her recovery journey, internship with the Snohomish County Recovery Coalition, and work as a substance use counselor at Therapeutic Health Services. They discuss methadone treatment, the challenges of the fentanyl crisis, addressing trauma, the role of MAT, and reducing stigma around recovery.

For resources and support visit:

www.snocorecovers.org 

www.everettrecoverycafe.org

In this episode hosts Jack and April reconnect in Everett to explore how people find joy in recovery — from the early "pink cloud" and the power of laughter to rediscovering hobbies like music, dancing, roller skating, crafting, and open mic nights. They highlight community events (including the upcoming Inclusion Infusion), local resources, and practical steps to get involved and rebuild a life with meaning.

Resources:

www.snocorecovers.org 

www.everecoverycafe.org 

Jack from the Snohomish County Recovery Coalition tells his personal story of childhood trauma, long-term substance use, multiple heart attacks, and the turning point that led him into treatment and nearly ten years of recovery.

He shares how faith-based programs, peer support, and the Recovery Cafe helped him rebuild his life, become a case manager and advocate, and offers hope and practical encouragement for others seeking recovery.

Resources:

www.snocorecovers.org and

www.everettrecoverycafe.org.

On this episode of Recovery on Rucker, host Jack speaks with Nikki Speaks — a clinician, advocate, and longtime peer in recovery with 27 years of sobriety — about her work in behavioral health, co-occurring disorders, and the importance of lived experience in supporting others.

They discuss system gaps from detox to housing, the power of peer support as a bridge to long-term recovery, Nikki’s Seed and Bloom Therapy private practice and equine-assisted work, and how collaborative community efforts can better meet people where they are.

Links & Resources:

Connect with the Snohomish County Recovery Coalition at snocorecovers.org.