Our Mental Health Ambassador, Kiara Grace Nalle was joined by a recent graduate of New Hope. Nathan Simmons completed his treatment a few years ago and is now living in Seattle, Wash. He is currently working in the mental health space, giving back to kids that had a similar upbringing and face similar battles.

Ian once embraced the “work hard, play harder” mentality, diving head first into a lifestyle that celebrated excessive drinking. He started sipping beer at the age of 1, bartended in the middle of nowhere at 13, built a business from the ground up in 2003, endured two failed marriages, and ultimately sold his company in 2016 while fat and drunk in Vegas. Ian then reached a breaking point and began his journey to reclaim his life. This time, he rebuilt everything—his relationships, his business, and his sense of purpose—without relying on the crutch of martini lunches or wine dinners.

Today, Ian is a successful author, his book Wild Ride to Sobriety can be found on Amazon, an entrepreneur, and the creator of Make It Great (MIG). Proudly sober since 2017, he has dedicated himself to personal growth, family, and living a life of purpose and clarity. His journey from addiction to empowerment has become his mission: to help others trapped in the same cycle of self-destruction break free and embark on their own transformative path to health, passion, and a renewed mindset.

Through his book, Wild Ride To Sobriety, Ian aims to inspire others to overcome their struggles and embrace a life of balance, success, and fulfillment.

(00:02:16-00:08:47) – His book.

(00:08:48-00:20:04) – How his upbringing and environment played a role in his addiction to alcohol.

(00:20:05-00:23:21) – His rock bottoms and what sparked a change in his behavior.

(00:25:17-00:43:49) – His core 4 and what it is in his life that keeps him on his path of sobriety; the relationship he has with his family, friends and loved ones today.

(00:45:33-00:52:49) – Make it Great

00:52:50 – The Stuff that Matters

Watch full episodes on YOUTUBE.

Introducing a new series to the STM channel! Hope Grown features New Hope success stories. This highlights a former resident turned current employee! Nathan graduated from New Hope several years ago. He discusses his childhood, upbringing, some of the struggles he was face with both prior to entering into New Hope's care and then after as well. He and Kiara dive into the impact that being back at New Hope has had on him and the impact he is making on the kids being served. This is the definition of FULL CIRCLE!

Victor Armstrong - Vice President for Health Equity & Engagement at The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. He is a nationally recognized speaker on issues regarding health equity and access to healthcare, particularly as it relates to individuals living with mental health challenges.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Victor previously served as North Carolina DHHS’s inaugural Chief Health Equity Officer, with responsibility for leading the overarching strategy and operational goals to promote health equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Victor also served as Director of NC Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services (Mental Health Commissioner). Prior to this role Victor served as Vice President for Behavioral Health with Atrium Health in Charlotte, NC.

He is the host of “Strong Talk”, a monthly podcast dedicated to the discussion of equity, access, and impact as it pertains to mental health and addictions.

Victor currently serves on the Steering Committee of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. He also serves on the Board of Directors for i2i Center for Integrative Health, College for Behavioral Health Leadership, and McLeod Centers for Wellbeing. In addition, Victor serves on the board of advisors for East Carolina University School of Social Work and the 988 National Steering Committee. He is a member of the NC Institute of Medicine and National Association of Social Workers.

Victor’s awards and recognition include:

• Living Waters Annual Mental Health Summit 2022 “Lifetime Mental Health Champion” Award

• National Association of Social Workers North Carolina (NASW-NC) 2022 Social Worker of the Year

• Addiction Professionals of NC (APNC) 2021 DEI Leadership & Impact Award

• Mental Health America’s 2021 H. Keith Brunnemer, Jr. Award for “Outstanding Mental Health Leadership”

• Black Mental Health Symposium 2019 Mental Health Advocate of the Year

• Atrium Health 2019 Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion Award

• East Carolina University School of Social Work 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award

• i2i Center for Integrative Health 2018 Innovation Award for "Whole Person Care"

• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) NC, 2012 Mental Health Professional of the Year.

00:02:30-00:22:15 - His background and experience, the story of his trip to Cameroon.

00:23:59–00:43:17 - 988, mental health resources, soul shops.

00:43:19-00:55:55 – Growing up as the son of a preacher.

00:58:51-1:02:32 – His podcast – “Strong Talk”.

1:02:35-1:05:25 – Community events, charity events for suicide prevention, the impacts they have on the research and raising awareness.

1:05:26 – Victor’s Stuff that Matters.

Subscribe and like, you can also watch full episodes on YouTube.

WEBSITE

We speak with the Executive Vice President and COO of Grafton Integrated Health and the President of Ukeru Systems, Kim Sanders.

00:02:30-00:14:28 – All about Ukeru.

00:14:29-00:27:14 – Outcomes and datasurrounding Ukeru.

00:28:58-00:38:33 – Ukeru’s approach toprevention with proactive interventions.

00:38:35-00:44:24 – The reaction to Ukeru’ssystem from the residents, kids, youth.

00:47:20-00:51:51 – How Ukeru is gettingapproved and how far the reach is, with more than 1000 schools and facilities utilizing the system throughout the globe.

00:51:52-00:58:08 - How long it took for Kimto see the benefits and impact Ukeru could have and the reception from the Grafton staff when it first launched.

00:58:09 – Kim's Stuff that Matters.

Subscribe and like, you can also watch full episodes on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@NewHopeTreatmentCenter

WEBSITE: https://www.newhopetreatment.com

Dr. Cynthia Persily at the site of one of our West Virginia transition homes. We held an Open House with 50+ providers, partners and stakeholders in the state. Dr. Persily recently served as the Cabinet Secretary, West Virginia Department of Human Services. She has years of experience on boards, working in hospital settings and also spent 20 years at West Virginia University. We discuss her accomplishments in the state and the need for what New Hope will be providing, which is a chance to keep West Virginia's youth home.

Subscribe and like, you can also watch full episodes on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@NewHopeTreatmentCenter

WEBSITE: https://www.newhopetreatment.com/

Stephen Trzeciak, MD, MPH is a physician scientist, the Edward D. Viner Endowed Chief of Medicine at Cooper University Health Care, and Professor of Medicine at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University in Camden, New Jersey. Dr. T, or Steve as he so graciously allowed us to call him during this episode, is a practicing intensivist (specialist in intensive care medicine), and a clinical researcher with more than 100 publications in the scientific literature. Of those publications, there are two books in which Steve is the co-author. Wonder Drug: 7 Scientifically Proven Ways That Serving Others Is the Best Medicine for Yourself released in 2022, and Compassionomics: The Revolutionary Scientific Evidence that Caring Makes a Difference came out in 2019. His work has been featured in numerous media outlets including CNN, NPR, USA TODAY, The Washington Post, Harvard Business Review, Freakonomics and now Stuff that Matters. Steve’s mission is helping people see the power of compassion, kindness, and hope — through science. As a self-proclaimed research nerd, we dive into Steve’s research and data that went into Compassionomics, what led to that research, the impact it has had on the healthcare industry and more.

00:02:10-00:20:39 His book Compassionomics. What got him started down the path of researching compassion in healthcare and the science behind compassion translating in a healthcare setting.

00:22:23-00:36:33 - Burnout and compassion fatigue.

00:36:34-00:41:37 - What impact the book had on the healthcare industry.

00:41:38-00:47:57 - His latest book, Wonder Drug.

00:49:52 - The stuff that matters.

Subscribe and like, you can also watch full episodes on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@NewHopeTreatmentCenter

WEBSITE: https://www.newhopetreatment.com/

We are joined by the CEO and Clinical Director of Youth Haven Services, Dawn Johnson. Dawn is also the author of the book, I Survived...So Far, which outlines her incredible story as a mother who has endured the unimaginable pain of burying two of her children and a grandchild. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker specializing in child mental health, she offers a unique perspective that intertwines professional expertise with personal experience. Her journey through grief is not just a tale of sorrow but a testament to resilience and determination. Her story is a powerful illustration of the enduring power of love and the infinite perseverance of the human spirit.

00:01:22- 00:15:36 – Her story and ultimately what went into the book.

00:14:15-00:19:57 - How she was able to push forward and the hurdles she faced.

00:22:19-00:27:52 – How tragedies and challengesin life can put things into perspective and change how you live yours.

00:27:53-00:36:43 – Some of the misconceptionsabout trauma pertaining to ones mental health and if her past experiences as a counselor helped her get through her own trauma with her family.

00:38:28-00:41:50 – How she’s able to find thejoy in life and has been able to push forward as a mom, CEO, simply living her life.

00:42:23-00:48:34 – More about Youth Haven Services.

00:48:52 – The Stuff that Matters.

Subscribe and like, you can also watch full episodes on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@NewHopeTreatmentCenter

WEBSITE: https://www.newhopetreatment.com/

Episode 30! We’ve made it, and we’ve officially made it to March, which celebrates many things including Women’s History Month which you can hear throughout this episode, National Social Work month and the first day of Spring. With that comes a busy time for students across the country, so we were honored to welcome on Clinton Reynolds, Vice President of Programming at Communities in Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, or CIS for short.

Clinton is a servant leader in the education and mental health community who chooses to connect daily with his inner teacher and mentor. He has a passion for unraveling the great potential in today's youth through education, exposure, and compassion.

In this episode, we dive into the state of adolescents and kids and families, how it connects to mental health and what Clinton see through his work at CIS. We will also take a broader look at the state of kids and schools and communities in today’s world.

After working as a high school instructor in Charlotte, Clinton spent more than four years in the residential setting leading the education department before returning to teaching. He shares what he was able to learn from both environments and how much being an educator prepared him for working with youth in need.

As Clinton said, students and kids need a caring adult. He has certainly been that through the relationships he has built which has allowed him to become the leader he is today.

01:01:31-00:10:53 His background, what CIS is.

00:11:23-00:18:49 Diving into the attendance rates across high school kids in the greater Mecklenburg county and across the country as well, specifically post covid. Also, the state of educating in the school systems, how are kids these days responding to being in school.

00:19:22-00:30:26 Parents engagement in school functions and how challenging it has become for parents to attend things given the time, day, scheduling conflicts.

00:32:07-00:41:51 – Transitioning from an education background and the school settings to working in the mental health space and residential settings.

00:42:24-00:46:55 – How Clinton has grown as a leader applying it his current work with CIS.

47:12 - The Stuff that Matters.

Subscribe and like, you can also watch full episodes on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@NewHopeTreatmentCenter

WEBSITE: https://www.newhopetreatment.com/

We're back! We kick 2025 off with Brant Evans. He is a therapeutic consultant and author. He helps connect kids and families to services, having gained a ton of experience and knowledge from his work in Wilderness therapy programs. He was very observant and taught himself different techniques, practices, preparing himself for more of a leadership role. He went on to work as an Executive Director for a recovery program, co-author his book co-author of Gods, Heroes, and Groups, to explore how timeless stories offer powerful insights into modern therapy and leadership. Brant is now a therapeutic consultant at Stucker, Smith, and Weatherly.

00:00:09 - How he got started, culture shifts, examining the family system and helping kids through a different perspective and lens. How the wilderness program allowed him to examine different approaches.

00:19:23 (19:20 vdeo) The causality of a shift in the wilderness therapy model and working with families from a therapeutic angle as it pertains to placement in residential treatment facilities.

00:30:43 (30:55 video) The family involvement when a child does need to go into a residential setting.

00:40:40 (41:00 video) His transition into a leadership role and therapeutic consulting, what lessons he learned that has carried along throughout his personal and professional journey.

00:44:06 (45:29 video) We dive into his book.

00:55:49 (57:11 video) The Stuff that Matters.

Subscribe and like, you can also watch full episodes on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@NewHopeTreatmentCenter

WEBSITE: https://www.newhopetreatment.com/