Tammah Watts is a licensed therapist, certified outdoor guide, and SMART Recovery facilitator in San Diego. Her active lifestyle came to a screeching halt after an unexpected health condition left her homebound. Discouraged and in despair, one day she was surprised by a moving encounter with a small bird. Now she's written a wonderful book that shares lessons from the new direction her life took as a result of embracing the world of birdwatching.  

Tammah's book is titled, "Keep Looking Up, Your Guide to the Powerful Healing of Birdwatching." In this podcast she describes how paying attention to life in the skies can keep us firmly grounded in a positive life here on earth. 

For more information about Tammah and her new book, visit HERE

Dr. Alison Beck is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Clinical Psychologist based in the School of Psychology, University of Wollongong in Australia. Her recent work includes research on the effects of online SMART Recovery meetings during the pandemic in Australia. It turns out that many individuals got great benefits from participating, and the Australian government's financial support made a difference. 

In this podcast Alison talks about her love of research and belief that by finding things out, we can make things better. 

Carolyn Straub moderates a thriving online community for those interested in SMART on the social media platform Reddit. She enjoys helping others engage around how much SMART's tools and resources help those seeking recovery from addiction.

In this podcast, Carolyn also shares her personal journey of recovery, which she wrote about in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry in the essay Mind On Fire.   

The Greater Cleveland Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI GC) has spent years providing education and advocacy on behalf of individuals and families affected by mental health conditions. Increasingly, substance use disorders co-occur in many persons, making treatment more complex.

In this podcast NAMI GC Executive Director Katie Jenkins and Hispanic Outreach and Education Coordinator Monica Olivera discuss their work to bring mental health issues to parity with other kinds of physical illnesses in terms of acceptance and treatment. 

Killian Noe and Dr. Ruby Takushi co-founded the first Recovery Cafe in Seattle in 2004, envisioning a healing space for people who have experienced trauma like homelessness, substance use disorder, addiction and other mental health challenges. Today there are more than 60 cafes that work together as part of the Recovery Cafe Network across the U.S. and Canada.

In this podcast Killian and Ruby describe the early days of their movement and how cafes have  grown into places of authentic connection and transformed lives.

Michael Werner is a chemist by background and a philosopher by disposition. He was also the President of the American Humanist Association at the time they were looking for a secular recovery alternative to highlight, and that was how he eventually learned about and fell in love with SMART.

Michael has facilitated thousands of SMART meetings and believes at least one thing with all his heart: everyone can recover. He is the author of the recently published Quit Your Addiction Now, a book filled with practical tools for combating addictions of all kinds.

In this podcast Micheal talks about how changing our thinking can change our lives, how motivation is the key to long-term recovery, and why being bold and direct is the best way for him to facilitate meetings. 

Dave Howard is a SMART Facilitator in Poway California. He spent years going to 12-Step recovery meetings before finding SMART. Now he is convinced that what SMART offers can help anyone seeking recovery no matter what perspective they bring to the table.

In this podcast Dave talks about his almost 20 years of drug and alcohol misuse, reaching a crisis point in recovery, deciding to become a certified addiction counselor, and why he thinks SMART's practical tools are magic.

Nonie Sims has facilitated SMART meetings for 14 years in Tucson Arizona. Nonie knew that SMART Recovery was the right fit for her in the first 10 minutes of her first meeting. Now she spends her time making sure others get a chance to see if it's the right recovery pathway for them too. 

Jay Phillips is the Executive Director and Board President of Seed Sower, Inc., a provider of housing and other support services for women recovering from substance use disorders in West Virginia.

In this podcast Jay talks about his awakening to the great need for recovery services, the decision to leave a comfortable job and commit to a new path in life, the concept of recovery ecosystems, and the daily inspiration he gets from witnessing change in action.   

Newly minted SMART Recovery facilitator Tracy Gryp and her mentor Rick Kuplinski share their personal SMART journey and how they created better lives for themselves through the program. In the spirit of paying it forward, they now work together to bring the best support group meetings possible to their meeting participants.