Jenny Reese Clark, a multiple felon of various drug charges including Unlawful Manufacturing of Methamphetamines, is no stranger to breaking the rules or suffering their consequences.

In April of 2010, Jenny’s life hit an all-time low as she turned her back on the home burning behind her. As a result of a chemical interaction, the clandestine laboratory that she brought secretly into her sister’s home exploded. As she took off shoeless, she ran as far as she could to escape the consequences. With her sister’s pet dead inside and her relationships destroyed through her own betrayals, Jenny woke up as a Jane Doe on a ventilator in an ICU 24 hours later knowing there was no way to come back from such destruction.

It wasn’t until Jenny went to prison on a 15 year sentence and lost every relationship, possession, and privilege she ever had that she began to honestly understand her true need and dependency upon her faith. She returned to her roots and picked up her biblical studies where they left off, this time clinging to every word knowing it meant her life or death.

After completing her first Christian fiction novel only a year and a half after her release, in her own words, she shares why she chooses to exploit her past weaknesses before the world.

“I’m not proud of how I’ve obtained the authority to write or speak on the subjects I do, but my incarceration and faith go hand in hand. Until I was still, I couldn’t see past myself; once I surrendered my selfish ways, the haze lifted and life began. The many lessons achieved through a consequence so great, is what inspires me to share these stories that carry both warning and hope.”

Paul Schmitz is the author of Everyone Leads: Building Leadership from the Community Up (Jossey-Bass); CEO of Leading Inside Out; Senior Advisor to The Collective Impact Forum; and a fellow at Georgetown University’s Beeck Center for Social Innovation and Impact.

Schmitz outlined what he learned about leadership from addiction recovery here, for the Huffington Post.

Justin Luke Riley is 28 years old, and has been in long term recovery since 2007. He is President & CEO of Young People in Recovery (YPR), and a founding member. Justin has done organizational development consulting for different industries. He was a Youth & Community Engagement Pastor as well as a private Life Coach. He graduated cum laude from the University Colorado at Denver in the University’s Honors & Leadership Program in 2013, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Communication, Mediation, and Public Relations. He is currently completing his Executive MBA from the University of Colorado. As a natural leader and gifted public speaker, Justin has been featured in many media outlets for for his involvement in youth leadership and community engagement. Justin is a prolific leader in recovery, served on the Executive Board of multiple nonprofit enterprises. Justin also serves in many other service-oriented capacities. We were thrilled to have Justin on our podcast to hear his story and a number of the exciting initiatives YPR is currently involved in!

Rose McKinney, aka Midwestern Mama, is the founder of Our Young Addicts an online community of parents and professionals sharing experiences, resources and hopes on the spectrum of addiction, treatment and recovery. Rose took some time to chat with Brian about her son’s story of drug addiction and his journey to recovery and sobriety, as well as the importance of the Our Young Addicts community in the journeys of so many who have become involved. Rose has been featured on numerous podcasts and in Renew Magazine.

Episode 6 features Erin Bahadur, a recovering addict, NASM certified personal trainer, fitness instructor, and blogger. Her goal is to help everyone realize that true wellness comes from within (and sometimes through desserts). Brian and Erin discuss her story and how it is so powerful and relatable. Erin offers insight into addiction and recovery through personal experiences that take us from where drugs took her to where she is today. Her blog is at ErinsInsideJob.com Erin has been featured in numerous publications, podcasts and broadcasts and we were excited to have an opportunity to chat!

Crystal Oertle is a survivor of a 12-year heroin addiction and a recovery advocate working to Erase The Shame™. As her site proclaims, “Erase the shame  is not just a slogan. It’s a way of life. For those struggling with drug addiction, the will and desire to seek help is often stifled by the judgement of others. To break free of that judgement, addicts truly need to erase the shame and move forward without doubt or fear. ” Crystal shares her powerful story, advice and her experience giving a TEDx Talk that led to a meeting with President Obama while sitting on a panel moderated by Dr. Sanjay Gupta at the National Prescription Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit in Atlanta, GA. Crystal has since appeared on CNN with Anderson Cooper on the 360 Town Hall: “Prescription Addiction Made in the U.S.A.“

Drew Billeter recently celebrated seven years of sobriety and is having the best day of his life. His organization, Plus P Productions believes that living on the Plus side is a state of mind where being happy is our choice. Plus P Productions advocates for those in recovery and seeks to support them, their families and friends and anyone else who chooses sobriety as their path. Their products represent what happened, what it was like, and what it’s like now. Listen to Drew’s story and advice, learn more about the Hope Chip and more!

Our guest for Episode 3 is Shane Ramer. Shane is nearly 3 years sober and the host and founder of That Sober Guy Podcast. He started experimenting with drugs and alcohol in High School. When he realized that he had completely lost control of his life, he admitted to his wife that he needed help and began his journey with a 30 day inpatient rehab.  In rehab, he had the spiritual awakening that inspired him on a path to help others.  He decided then to begin producing That Sober Guy Podcast and the community built around it.  Shane’s story and his passion are inspiring and unforgettable.

Our guest for Episode 2 is Justin Phillips. Justin is a mother of three children, two boys and a girl. She lost one of her sons, Aaron age 20,  due to an overdose of heroin in October 2013.

Justin has spent her career in the nonprofit and public sector educating parents and caregivers on the prevention of childhood injuries. In her personal life she has involved herself with the important cause of alcohol and drug recovery. Despite her best efforts, she could not help Aaron win his fight or beat the powerful drug heroin.

Justin believes in advocacy and grassroots efforts to make impact in the community. Following the death of Aaron, Aaron’s friend Jake, and countless other lives from heroin and other drugs, Justin has decided to dedicate her life in their memory.

Justin provides her expertise, her passion, and her experience through Overdose Lifeline, Inc., a non profit created to raise awareness and eliminate the stigma of drug addiction. Overdose Lifeline, Inc. is a place for hope.

It’s the debut episode of the Rise2Recovery Podcast!

This episode, Brian talks with Sober Nation Co-Founder and owner, Tim Stoddart about his road to recovery, Sober Nation, Stodzy Internet Marketing and more.

Thanks so much for listening to our podcast. To find out more about Ascent, visit ascent.org and if you would like to be a guest on our podcast, please email Brian at [email protected].