Unfiltered: Dare to Level Up

In this powerful episode, we sit down with Kalei as she reflects on a major milestone: celebrating 13 years of recovery alongside her son’s 13th birthday. Kalay opens up about her journey from a turbulent youth—which included running away and experiencing homelessness on the streets of Seattle at just 12 years old—to finding her true calling in community advocacy. She shares how her relationship with recovery has evolved over more than a decade, transforming her from someone focused strictly on meetings into a dedicated mother, leader, and mentor who makes intentional space for family and service.

As the development manager at the Everett Recovery Cafe, Kalei dives into the logistics and deep rewards of building sustainable support for those seeking help. She discusses the realities of managing everyday relapse triggers, why choices like non-alcoholic beer didn't feel safe for her path, and how she navigates the unique fears of parenting a teenager when her own adolescence was so chaotic. Through her work teaching the Recovery Coach Academy, Kalei highlights the vital role of boundaries, professionalism, and diverse lived experiences in creating safe spaces for healing.

Looking forward, Kalei reveals her change to study social justice to support middle-school students during their most vulnerable years. Tune in to hear an inspiring conversation about the everyday victories of recovery—from watching members regain hope and obtain driver's licenses after major setbacks, to the profound impact of showing up for your community with empathy, boundaries, and a clear sense of purpose. 

For more information, visit: 

https://kennedysplace.org/  

https://everettrecoverycafe.org/ 

In this episode of Unfiltered, guest Mike Wassemiller joins host Lynn for a deeply candid conversation about resilience, leadership, and the reality of addiction recovery. Mike shares his journey from navigating early fatherhood and racing motorcycles to managing a career at Boeing, explaining how his recovery tools shaped his management style. He later transitioned into coaching and human services, and he opens up about navigating burnout as well as a relapse after more than 15 years of sobriety. He details the intense shame and disconnection he felt, and the powerful moments of surrender, vulnerability, and faith that ultimately brought him back to a life of recovery.

The episode also highlights the profound impact of peer support networks, community collaboration, and the simple joy of living "high on life" without substances. Mike discusses his current work as a program development manager and peer support director, using tools like community softball to teach participants that mistakes do not define their identity. Together, Mike and Lynn—who shares her own powerful story of rebuilding trust after a life-changing drunk-driving crash—emphasize that recovery agencies must work together rather than compete. They advocate for solution-focused leadership, housing, and wraparound services that collectively help people overcome barriers and truly come back to life.

For more information, visit: 

https://kennedysplace.org/ 

For more information, visit: 

https://kennedysplace.org/ 

In this powerful episode, hosts April and Lynn explore how the journey of recovery can transform deep shame, survival, and loss into a life of purpose, service, and systemic advocacy. April candidly shares her personal trajectory from a stable, "white-picket-fence" life to severe substance use, homelessness, and operating in constant crisis while living in a tent. Together, they dive into the raw emotional realities of early sobriety, discussing the physical toll of survival mode, the challenge of learning to feel vulnerability and joy again, and the deep healing that comes through peer support, community housing, and self-forgiveness.

The conversation also highlights why recovery is never a one-size-fits-all journey. April outlines her unconventional path to wellness—including couples recovery housing, harm reduction, and medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD)—which eventually led her to vital peer support work at the Snohomish County Diversion Center. Ultimately, April and Lynn demonstrate how lived experience can fuel political advocacy, encouraging listeners to "show up, suit up," and use their own stories to shape policies and inspire systems change. 

For more information, visit: 

https://kennedysplace.org/ 

For more information, visit: 

https://kennedysplace.org/ 

What does it actually take to rebuild a life after addiction, incarceration, or homelessness? In this episode, host Lynn, founder of Kennedy's Place, sits down with podcast coach Laurie Hardie to discuss why true recovery housing requires structure and accountability, not just a roof over someone's head. Drawing from her own sobriety journey and real estate background, Lynn breaks down why "housing first" models often fail without the proper tools, and how routines, phases, and clear boundaries help residents move from survival mode into long-term growth. 

Lynn and Laurie dive deep into the messy, necessary work of learning how to live again—from mastering basic daily chores and rebuilding family trust to overcoming the health consequences of addiction. Together, they challenge the stigma surrounding recovery, explain the critical difference between enabling and empowering, and share how structured community support provides the foundation people need to truly help themselves. 

What you will learn in this episode: 

Notable Quotes: 

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For more information, visit: 

https://kennedysplace.org/ 

When a young Jeremy mistook a plate of powder for mashed potatoes, his life flipped into a 20-year spiral of meth, violence, and survival on the streets. This episode traces those dark years—robberies, kidnappings, and a near-fatal escape—then follows the tiny cracks of hope that finally let light in.

Listener by listener, Jeremy recounts the moment he slept on a curb and chose treatment, the hard truth of 28 days at Spark, and the slow, stubborn work of learning to respond, not react. Through writing, counseling, and the structure of Kennedy’s Place, he becomes a leader, a father fighting to get his son back, and the steady ‘‘glue’’ his community needs.

Raw, courageous, and unfiltered, this conversation is about the cost of recovery and the power of second chances—how one decision after another can turn a life of destruction into a life of purpose. 

For more information, visit: 

https://kennedysplace.org/ 

Tiffany Fry’s story unfolds like two lives in one—wild, desperate survival in the ‘jungle’ and a hard-earned, daily resurrection after a near-fatal hospital stay. This episode opens with the chaos of her past and the single choice that began everything changing.

Through surgery, detox, and relentless meetings, Tiffany rebuilds—losing weight, reclaiming motherhood, and learning to trust again. Her honesty about stolen moments, pain, and small victories makes every step feel real and urgent.

Today she brings that lived experience into the county jail, guiding others with compassion, grit, and hope. Tune in to witness a transformation that proves one decision can rewrite a life—and to feel the power of recovery lived in full color. 

For more information, visit: 

https://kennedysplace.org/ 

Lynn interviews Jeremy Williams about his path from addiction, prison, and homelessness to recovery through drug court, sobriety routines, and entrepreneurship. Jeremy shares how meditation, community, and accountability helped him rebuild his life and start multiple businesses.

This candid episode explores second chances, resilience, and practical lessons for anyone facing addiction, trauma, or the challenge of leveling up in life. 

For more information, visit: 

https://kennedysplace.org/ 

Episode 1 is an unfiltered conversation with Lynn Zielasko and guests Art, Max and Corey about recovery, street life, and the work Battlefield Addiction does in Washington state. Guests share personal journeys—from homelessness and addiction to finding purpose through work, community and accountability—and explain the program’s focus on families, housing, and real-world interventions.

The episode blends candid stories (an ex-NFL player’s fall, years on the streets, and early sobriety wins) with a call to action around public safety and policy (the “Hey Bob” campaign). It highlights responsibility, practical steps toward stability, and the power of community in recovery. 

For more information, visit: 

https://kennedysplace.org/ 

https://www.battlefieldaddiction.com/