Keesha Scott is the Co-Founder and National Care Director for Guardian Recovery’s Adolescent Program. In 2008, she helped her husband Josh establish Guardian Recovery, laying the groundwork for the life-changing services the organization provides today. With a Master’s degree in Psychology and over 15 years of professional experience—plus more than two decades of sobriety—Keesha has dedicated her life to helping women and young people overcome the challenges of addiction and mental health issues. When her own teenage daughter began to struggle, Keesha recognized a significant lack of local resources for families like hers. Motivated to create a solution, she developed Guardian Recovery’s Adolescent Program, fueled by her desire to provide compassionate support, education, and hope to teens and their families nationwide. Keesha’s commitment continues to shape Guardian Recovery’s approach, ensuring every young person and family can find the care and guidance they need.

She’s also the Host of Cake for Dinner, a podcast for women who are done pretending. It is where founders, experts, celebrities, and parents pull up a chair and get honest about motherhood, marriage, hormones, healing, and the messy middle. No filters. No fluff. No performance. Just the conversations women are actually having in their heads but rarely say out loud. Because real life doesn’t look perfect — and it was never supposed to.

Stay tuned for Cake for Dinner, Scott’s forthcoming book releasing in April, 2027! It’s an ultimate guide to ditching curated perfection and embracing the beautiful reality of motherhood. No new parenting systems to master—just the laughter, truth, and permission you need to let go of the plan and trust your gut.

In this episode Keesha shares her experience, strength, and hope as a woman in long- term recovery raising teenagers (who are also twins!) while ditching perfection, how German cake saved her, the importance of sharing stories-not instructions, and entrepreneurship.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kelleykitley.substack.com

Eva Pilgrim is about to celebrate one year as anchor of the long-running syndicated CBS newsmagazine, Inside Edition. She succeeded Deborah Norville, who was there for thirty years, making Eva only the fourth anchor in the history of the show.

Previously, Pilgrim worked for ABC News for almost ten years. She served as co-anchor of GMA3: What You Need to Know, where Kitley met her as a guest expert on the show, hours after her team was informed of a mass lay-off. Eva served as ABC News Senior National Correspondent based in New York. Her reports could be seen across multiple ABC News programs and platforms, including 20/20, Good Morning America, Nightline and World News Tonight with David Muir.

Pilgrim is the author of Walter Does His Best, which teaches children about kindness and love. She’s also the wife of Ed, mother of an adorable four-year-old daughter Ella, and dog mom to real life Walter, who’s a Frenchie.

Eva was born in Seoul, South Korea, into a military family and grew up moving around the world. She attended the University of Florida and the University of South Carolina where Kelley has two children attending in the fall.

In this episode, Kitley and Pilgrim share raw emotions discussing a spiritual interaction upon their meeting—a god wink, if you will. Eva’s career pivot as a woman in her 40’s, finding balance, motherhood, her strong faith which ultimately leads to joy. Eva radiates light to everyone she meets.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kelleykitley.substack.com

AJ Rompza grew up in Chicago as the youngest of five children and attended Whitney Young High School. As a 5'5 freshmen, he started varsity in one of the toughest conferences in the country. Playing against now NBA stars Derrick Rose, Sherron Collins, Patrick Beverly and Jerome Randle. He became of the top point guards not only in the state but the country.

He earned a full scholarship to University of Central Florida where he started all four years and became one of the top point guards in college basketball despite only being 5'7.

Rompza’s stats include earning top 10 in steals in the country, top 15 assists in the country and led UCF to a number 15 ranking in college basketball; the first time that UCF was ever ranked in basketball. Rompza played professionally overseas then moved back to Chicago to help in the family restaurant business.

In 2019 he moved to Los Angeles to inspire and motivate more people throughout the world. He’s on a journey to reach over a billion people through the game of basketball and hard work. Some of his clients have included Adam Levine, Kevin Hart, Master P, Iman Shumpert, Russ, Skyy Clark.

In 2025 he published M1NDSET a book of quotes to help people stay motivated everyday! Follow him on all social media outlets @arompza3 for daily inspiration!

In this episode Rompza discusses how he believed in himself at a young age even when people around him told him he couldn’t, shouldn’t, or won’t. His will to never give up as a basketball player since the age of three, transformed him into the thirty-six year old man he is today spreading love to everyone he comes in contact with. AJ’s positive energy is contagious and will motivate you to achieve your dreams and goals by believing in yourself!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kelleykitley.substack.com

Robbie Shaw is a former basketball player and graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has a Master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from the University of Southern Maine.

Shaw has spent the last decade working with families and individuals who battle various levels of addiction. Since gaining a foothold in the podcast space, he opened up a content production studio, called EVRYBDY Studios, and spends his time helping organizations and individuals tell their stories.

He feels that the many opportunities he has had to work with others continues to inform the techniques and strategies used to educate, guide and inspire clients.

In this episode, Robbie shares his experience, strength, and hope as a man in long term recovery raising a sixteen-year-old daughter with his wife, the development of his wildly successful podcast Champagne Problems, and the creation of EVRYBDY Studios, a premium content and podcast studio.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kelleykitley.substack.com

Cohen Miles-Rath is a fellow social worker, speaker, and mental health advocate whose nearly fatal mental health crisis transformed his life and clarified his purpose: to strengthen our mental health systems and deepen our collective understanding of mental illness and recovery. He’s the author of Mending Reality: An Advocate’s Existential Journey with Mental Health.

I learned about Cohen listening to his episode as guest on Armchair Expert Podcast sharing his experience, strength, and hope. Not only is his story utterly incredible, but the reach he had on this platform to educate the general public about mental health and how to help someone is astounding!

In this episode Cohen vulnerably discusses mental health along a spectrum, managing schizoaffective symptoms, substance misuse, family dynamics, the importance of peer support, becoming a father, and his mission as a macro level social worker.

To learn more or book him for speaking engagements click on his website below.

https://cohenmilesrath.com/

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kelleykitley.substack.com

Christie Tate is an essayist and author who writes creative nonfiction and memoir. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller Group, which was a Reese’s Book Club selection and has been translated into 19 languages. She is also the author of B.F.F.-- A Memoir of Friendship Lost & Found. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and elsewhere. Her essays have been nominated for Puschcart Prizes, and Kiese Laymon selected her essay, Promised Lands, as the winner of the New Ohio Review’s 2019 nonfiction contest. She writes about addiction, eating disorders, friendship, alienation, recovery, and her Grandma’s farm in Forreston, Texas. She grew up in Dallas and now lives in Chicago with her family. She has finally stopped telling people that she graduated first in her law school class. Please don’t hate her because she has no pets.

In this episode Christie shares her experience, strength, and hope as a woman in recovery from an eating disorder, the daily tools she uses rooted in a spiritual practice, and the world’s obsession with being thin through the use of GLP-1’s especially for middle aged women, who don’t medically need it. Tate’s book’s are deeply relatable, vulnerable, and offer a refreshing perspective on how we move through this one precious life.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kelleykitley.substack.com

Tricia Sims became a sobriety podcast trailblazer in 2018 when she created the Recovery Happy Hour podcast and since then has archived 139 episodes! Each conversation celebrates inspiring stories of recovery from alcohol addiction and gray area alcohol abuse. She and her guests look at life beyond the bottle and what's current in sober culture. Kitley was a guest on Episode #12 of Recovery Happy Hour talking about the power of surrendering.

Kitley and Sims reconnect years later as women in long term recovery on America’s Social Worker Unfiltered podcast. They discuss life changes as Tricia recently celebrated her 45th Birthday, heading into year 10 of recovery, a new marriage, leaving a corporate job and transitioning into teaching pilates.

Tricia vulnerably lays out her drinking history starting at the age of sixteen with three shots of whiskey and the progression of her alcohol use as a high achieving, perfectionistic woman in her mid 30’s. She describes the thinking obsession around alcohol use and knowing she’d eventually have to stop drinking after witnessing the destruction and chaos substance use disorder caused her family.

As we near the end of May, Mental Health Awareness Month, many of our guests have shared their experience, strength, and hope with alcohol use and their co-morbid mental health disorders, often using substances to self medicate. Tricia talks about her journey with ADHD, anxiety, how she manages her mental health today and the importance of being of service to others.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kelleykitley.substack.com

Riley Whelan is a prominent TikTok creator, sober advocate, and shares content about addiction recovery, ADHD, emotional sobriety, relapse, and the importance of community. Her audience grew through candid videos mixing humor, vulnerability, and recovery education. As a young person, (29 years old) with three years of recovery, one of her videos has 6.7 million views after sharing her story of relapse and hope.

Riley is the Social Media Marketing Coordinator for Recovery.com, a tech company that combines independent research with expert guidance on addiction and mental health treatment. Their mission is to help everyone find the best path to recovery through the most comprehensive, helpful network of treatment providers worldwide.

In this episode Whelan shares her experience, strength, and hope identifying as an alcoholic, her journey as a young person in treatment and transitioning to sober living in Charleston, SC, family dynamics, and changing the conversation of mental health and addiction recovery through social media. Riley is inspiring the next generation of people on a sober journey and provides fresh energy with new perspective for those who have been around for a while and looking to enhance their sober journey!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kelleykitley.substack.com

Mary Tilson is a Certified Professional Recovery Coach (IAPRC) with a Master’s Degree in the Psychology & Neuroscience of Mental Health.

She draws on a holistic background, which includes Somatic Experiencing, a body-based approach to healing trauma and stress-related disorders and over a decade of experience as a Yoga & Mindfulness Teacher.

Having experienced drug and alcohol addiction firsthand, her approach to coaching is rooted in compassion and understanding. She’s been sober for 13 years and is passionate about helping others build fulfilling lives substance-free.

Mary got sober at the age of twenty-three after attending treatment at Hazelden. She then moved to Southeast Asia where she lived at a meditation center and practiced yoga and ultimately landed back in Colorado where she attended college. She’s a spiritual nomad who leads retreats for sober women around the world and hosts the Sun and Moon Sober Living Podcast.

In this episode, Mary shares her experience, strength and hope as a woman in recovery, working through perfectionism and anxiety, living a life in early sobriety when she thought life was going to be boring to living a life beyond her wildest imagination, climbing mountains in Nepal.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kelleykitley.substack.com

Caroline Beidler is an author, speaker, and the Managing Editor of Recovery.com, a company that combines independent research with expert guidance on addiction and mental health treatment. Our mission is to help everyone find the best path to recovery through the most comprehensive, helpful network of treatment providers worldwide. She is the author of three books, When You Love Someone in Recovery: A Hopeful Guide for Understanding Addiction with Nelson Books, Downstairs Church, and You Are Not Your Trauma.

Her own lived experience in addiction, mental health, and trauma recovery inspires her to help other others find recovery in all its varying forms. In five short years, she has built a global network of recovery supporters through her storytelling platform and accompanying newsletter, Circle of Chairs which reaches thousands weekly. She is a creative and visionary, founding an annual global event on International Women’s Day with different sponsoring organizations each year that brings in thousands of supporters, along with co-leading a global research initiative on family recovery with leaders around the world. Her writing is described as funny, gritty, relatable, and insightful. When she isn’t writing, speaking, or building community, Caroline lives in Eastern Tennessee with her husband and seven-year-old twins where she enjoys hiking in the mountains and building up her community’s local recovery ministry.

In this episode, Caroline shares her experience, strength, and hope as a woman in long-term recovery (15 years!), past toxic relationships and trauma, being a sober mom and wife, her passion for the work she embodies, different seasons of recovery, reframing language, talking to our kids about addiction recovery, and the gentle invitation on a spiritual path.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kelleykitley.substack.com