Shon Tripp grew up in a one-room shack with an outhouse in unincorporated Johnson County, one of five kids in a family where addiction and mental illness went unnamed — just "dysfunction." She became the family caretaker before she understood why, and found her calling in the kitchen, turning whatever was in the cabinet into a meal for her siblings.

Years later, Shon met her husband, a man in recovery who was honest with her from the start about sobriety coming first. That honesty cracked open her own codependency: the control, the resentment, the belief that if she just managed everyone else's life well enough, she'd be safe. In this conversation with host Michael Herbert, Shon traces her path from unprocessed childhood trauma to marriage counseling, "Codependent No More," and the slow work of becoming an equal partner instead of a parent. Today she's a professional chef at a rehab facility, where she's learned that a plate of food can be its own form of dignity, love, and healing — for her clients and for herself.

Follow Guardian: https://www.instagram.com/guardianrecovery/

This episode is sponsored by Guardian Recovery. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or mental health challenges, Guardian can help.

0:00 Cold Open

What happens when someone loses everything... and decides to rebuild from the ground up?

Derek Lewis shares his remarkable journey from addiction, multiple arrests, and prison to becoming the owner of one of South Florida's largest electrical companies.

Derek opens up about the denial that kept him trapped, the relapse that nearly cost him everything after four years of sobriety, and the mentors who refused to give up on him. He explains how recovery became more than simply staying sober—it became a blueprint for building a successful business, raising a family, and giving others the same second chance he was given.

This conversation explores addiction, resilience, entrepreneurship, discipline, faith, and the power of consistent action. Whether you're in recovery, love someone who is, or simply need encouragement to keep moving forward, Derek's story is proof that your past does not determine your future.

Follow Guardian: https://www.instagram.com/guardianrecovery/

This episode is sponsored by Guardian Recovery. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or mental health challenges, Guardian can help.

00:00 Introduction

In this episode, Craig Robinson shares how his own recovery journey reshaped his life, gave him a deeper sense of purpose, and ultimately led him to help families navigate one of the most painful situations imaginable: watching a loved one struggle with addiction while refusing help. The conversation explores why intelligence, success, and problem-solving skills can sometimes work against someone in addiction, and why recovery often requires humility, honesty, and a willingness to let go of old ways of thinking.

Craig and Michael also unpack the difficult role families play in recovery, especially when love turns into enabling. They discuss why setting and holding boundaries can be one of the most loving things a family can do, even when it feels painful in the moment. The conversation also dives into the Marchman Act, how it works in Florida, who may qualify, and why it can be a critical legal tool when someone is impaired, unsafe, and unable to recognize their own need for care.

Follow Guardian: https://www.instagram.com/guardianrecovery/

This episode is sponsored by Guardian Recovery. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or mental health challenges, Guardian can help.

00:00 – Introduction

In this episode of The Recovery Guide Podcast, we sit down with Marc Kantor for a powerful conversation about addiction, intervention, family support, enabling, food addiction, and what long-term recovery really requires.

This conversation goes deep into the truth about interventions. Marc explains why most interventions are not the explosive scenes families imagine, why the loved one often reacts with fear or anger, and why the family plays the most important role in whether the intervention succeeds.

Marc also breaks down how family members can unintentionally enable addiction by rescuing, sending money, removing consequences, or trying to make life comfortable for someone who needs accountability. He explains why treatment can save lives, but real recovery requires long-term structure, continuing care, and family involvement.

The episode also explores food addiction, binge eating, sugar, executive addiction, control, relationships, and why families need their own recovery process too.

This episode is for anyone in recovery, anyone who loves someone struggling with addiction, or any family trying to understand how to support a loved one without enabling them.

Follow Guardian: https://www.instagram.com/guardianrecovery/

00:00 — Introduction

This episode is sponsored by Guardian Recovery. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or mental health challenges, Guardian can help.

Today, Danielle Sharpe shares her powerful story of addiction, trauma, survival, and recovery in this deeply honest conversation about rebuilding a life from the ground up.

Growing up around addiction and chaos, Danielle found herself trapped in a cycle of alcoholism, drugs, survival mode, and self-destruction that eventually led to arrests, suicide attempts, and rock bottom moments.

But through recovery, therapy, self-discovery, and relentless personal growth, she transformed her life into one filled with purpose, healing, and hope.

In this episode, Danielle opens up about:

This is a powerful conversation about resilience, healing, and discovering who you truly are after addiction.

Follow Guardian: https://www.instagram.com/guardianrecovery/

This episode is sponsored by Guardian Recovery. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or mental health challenges, Guardian can help.

00:00 – Introduction

Today we sit down with mental health professional John Puls to discuss the growing mental health crisis, the dangerous rise of high-potency THC, the failures within addiction treatment, and why recovery needs to evolve.

John breaks down the shocking differences between marijuana from decades ago versus today’s highly concentrated THC products, explaining why anxiety, panic attacks, psychosis, and hospitalizations are becoming increasingly common—especially among young adults.

This episode is an honest and eye-opening discussion about modern mental health, recovery, and the systems meant to help people heal.

Follow Guardian: https://www.instagram.com/guardianrecovery/

00:00 – Introduction

Sex addiction is one of the most misunderstood and hidden addictions—and it’s affecting more people than you think.

Follow Guardian: https://www.instagram.com/guardianrecovery/

00:00 – What Is a Sex Addiction Therapist?

This episode is sponsored by Guardian Recovery. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or mental health challenges, Guardian can help.

What if the way you’re working out is actually accelerating your aging?

💡 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

Follow Guardian: https://www.instagram.com/guardianrecovery/

00:00 Why fitness hasn’t evolved in 50 years

What if addiction isn’t just about the person struggling… but the entire family system?

In this powerful episode of The Recovery Guide Podcast, licensed mental health counselor Tommy McGee shares his journey from addiction to becoming a therapist—and reveals the hard truths most people never hear about recovery.

From childhood trauma and loss to navigating the limitations of traditional 12-step programs, this conversation dives deep into the realities of addiction, family dynamics, and what it truly takes to heal.

You’ll learn why families often unknowingly enable addiction, how control can actually make things worse, and what real recovery looks like beyond surface-level solutions.

If you or someone you love is struggling, this episode will shift your perspective and give you a deeper understanding of what needs to change.

What You’ll Learn:

Follow Guardian: https://www.instagram.com/guardianrecovery/

Follow Tommy:  https://www.instagram.com/balance_matters/

This episode is sponsored by Guardian Recovery. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or mental health challenges, Guardian can help.

Visit https://www.guardianrecovery.com  or call 888-721-3790 for confidential support and guidance.

00:00 – Childhood trauma, loss & first drink

03:02 – The moment that started recovery

06:09 – From “good kid” to addiction

11:35 – Falling into the recovery field by accident

15:04 – Early struggles as a therapist (imposter syndrome)

17:03 – The limitations of 12-step recovery

20:32 – Choosing integrity over money

26:12 – Learning culture over credentials (Seminole Tribe)

30:28 – Working with high-level clients & new environments

31:54 – Race, culture & therapy challenges

35:19 – Why people resist therapy

37:01 – Religion vs therapy (and bridging the gap)

42:26 – Outgrowing your environment

45:07 – Why action matters more than insight

46:31 – Working with couples & families

49:21 – Families suffer just like addicts

53:14 – The truth about control & enabling

55:19 – When families lose hope

56:09 – There IS hope in recovery

59:19 – Why families relapse too

01:01:34 – Final thoughts + how to connect with Tommy

What if yoga isn't a supplement to addiction recovery — but one of its most powerful tools? In this episode of The Recovery Guide Podcast, host Michael Herbert sits down with Fern L Conn, a certified yoga teacher with 35 years of experience and owner of the Dancing Lion Studio in Delray Beach, Florida, to make exactly that case.

Fern brings a grounded, science-backed perspective on why yoga — and Yin yoga in particular — belongs at the center of recovery programs rather than as a schedule filler. Through breathwork, present-moment awareness, and moving the body as a vessel for healing, she explains how the practice addresses what traditional talk therapy often can't: the stress locked in the nervous system, the cravings held in the tissues, and the shame quietly running the show.

Michael shares his own journey into yoga — the skepticism, the six-month commitment, the daily attendance, and the genuine transformation he's experienced. Together they explore comparison, self-judgment, surrender, and what it means to find stillness when the world won't slow down.

Follow Guardian: https://www.instagram.com/guardianrecovery/

This episode is sponsored by Guardian Recovery. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or mental health challenges, Guardian can help.

00:00 Introduction