CLTIVATE is a project Zack started in 2016, not really knowing what it would become. “My heart beats to help others find freedom from drug addiction and alcoholism – because I’ve been there,” Zack said. “Just following God one day at a time as I work to write curriculum and build a wilderness therapy program that will (hopefully) help a ton of people!”

Zack is currently traveling the entire country to serve the recovery community, build this program, and figure out this crazy thing called life. He’s probably coming to a city near you soon!

Lara Frazier is a healer and truth-teller, a sobriety warrior, a speaker and a writer. She

Lara Frazier lives in Tampa, Florida with her pig, Peaches. She received her MBA in

Lara has worked in the addiction recovery space for the last four years.  Lara was the

Lara carries a powerful message to women in recovery about freedom, connection,

Find more at Instagram: @sillylara

Website: http://www.larafrazier.com/

The Rise 2 Recovery podcast is back with a very special guest! Nadine Machkovech is an educator through story-telling and certified recovery coach in long-term recovery. As a scholar of addiction recovery, she helps to improve the recovery landscape for adolescents, especially young women, across the country.

She is the Program Manager at RISE TOGETHER; a program that is progressively encouraging our youth to stand up for what they believe in, no matter what it is. Rise Together’s vision is to create a community where our youth are heard, loved, and inspired to live in hope. It is Nadine’s message of finding purpose, loving yourself & neighbor, having courage, and knowing what it means to be vulnerable that is making a long-lasting, positive difference, in individuals and throughout the community.

Over the past 2 years she has been able to speak to 1,000’s of people across the nation in a variety of settings. In doing so, with her servant leadership and solid advocacy philosophy she has helped create social change while educating students, teachers, professionals, and peers on topics of substance use and misuse, mental health awareness, leadership, and the development of life skills.

She carries this responsibility with a great amount of passion & purpose in hopes that these efforts will help to not only develop peer leaders but also help save the lives of our nation’s youth.

Episode 17 of the Rise2Recovery podcast features Wayne and Kit Nix sharing an emotional story about addiction, loss and the many challenges involved. Wayne and Kit have experienced the unfathomable damage that addiction causes as they lost both of their sons over the past eight months. They now hope that their story will help others struggling with the awful disease find their way out of the depths of addiction and into recovery. Listen here and on iTunes and Stitcher.

In 1983, the pain of Alan Charles’ dysfunctional upbringing caught up with him. Seeking relief from his lifelong feelings of anxiety and loneliness, he became addicted to cocaine, which ultimately caused him to lose it all including every relationship he ever had. Over a period of 24 years, Alan struggled with his addiction eventually believing that this is more than likely how he would die.  In and out of rehab and countless meetings at Cocaine Anonymous and Alcohol Anonymous it wasn’t until 2007 that Alan finally hit bottom.  Deciding once and for all to battle his inner demons, Alan was determined to become sober and change his life.  As of December 8, 2007, Alan got clean and remains sober to this day. With a combination of CA and AA, an amazing therapist and friends who believe in him, Alan is happier than he has ever been.  Today, he is the doting father of two daughters as he takes life one day at a time. You can learn more about Alan and his story by viewing his website.

An authority on body dysmorphic disorder, male eating disorders and addiction, Brian Cuban is the author of the best-selling book, Shattered Image: My Triumph Over Body Dysmorphic Disorder. It chronicles his first-hand experiences living with, and recovering from, twenty-seven years of eating disorders, alcoholism, drug addiction and Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD).

Cuban has appeared on prestigious talks shows such as the Katie Couric Show as well as numerous media outlets around the country. He also writes extensively on these subjects. His columns have appeared on CNN.com, Foxnews.com,The Huffington Post and in online and print newspapers around the world.

Cuban speaks regularly about his recovery and breaking the stigma surrounding eating disorders, addiction and mental illness. He is a highly sought after college, non-profit event and conference speaker regarding body image, addiction, eating disorder awareness and recovery. Cuban has spoken across the United States and in Canada.

His new book, The Addicted Lawyer, is set to be released on June 13th of this year and chronicles his struggles with drugs and alcohol during his time as a lawyer. Follow Brian on Twitter to learn more about the book and what he is doing in the addiction and mental health industry. You can check out his website here.

Tammy lives in the Pacific Northwest with her partner and best friend of ten years. She has two amazing cats and spends everyday trying to be a caped crusader against the crazy. Mask and costume optional. She counts Brian among her close friends.

Gloria Englund, founder of Recovering U, breaks new ground in the field of addiction recovery and support. As an ally of the recovery community, she honors all pathways of recovery. She is a psychotherapist, who holds a Master of Arts degree in Human Development. As a certified Recovery Coach, she works with individuals and families dealing with an addiction to alcohol, drugs, food, and relationships. Gloria has personal as well as professional knowledge of addiction and recovery; her oldest son, Aaron, died of a heroin overdose in 2007. As an accomplished public speaker, advocate and published author, Gloria brings a message of hope and recovery to others.

Gloria offers two on-going coaching support groups. Courageous Caregivers©  is a group for those who have a loved one experiencing active addiction, or who are new to recovery. A Different Kind of Grief© is a group for those who have a loved one who has died from addiction.

Gloria England’s acclaimed book, Living in the Wake of Addiction: Lessons for Courageous Caregiving is available here.