Join Caroline Beidler, MSW as she speaks with Dr. Mary Roberson, the founder of the North Illinois Recovery Community Organization (NIRCO). She shares a part of her own recovery journey as a woman and Veteran and also how she was moved to serve her community by starting a non-profit organization and Recovery Community Organization.

NIRCO works a crisis outreach with the local PD and has other collaborative grants and projects that provide peer recovery support services in Northern Illinois in the U.S.

What does it mean to have a heart to serve? How can this change our own journey? How can service not only help the community, but promote resilience?

Listen in and learn from Dr. Mary Roberson!

Also, if you'd like to learn more about Recovery Community Organizations, check out this excellent resource from Faces and Voices of Recovery: the RCO Toolkit.

Dr. Mary Roberson has more than 29 years working in the Behavioral Health field. She is the founder and Executive Director of Northern Illinois Recovery Community Organization (NIRCO). NIRCO is a nationally recognized Recovery Community Organization whose mission is to promote recovery principles for individuals, families and communities impacted by substance use and mental health. Dr. Mary is a person in long term recovery for the past 29 years and has facilitated women’s specialized groups on various traumas for the Circuit Court of Lake County and serves as a member its Drug Court Team and Veterans Treatment Assistance Court. She has consulted and trained in Illinois, Wisconsin and Florida on several behavioral health topics related to women, veterans and the criminal justice system.  Dr. Roberson is a proud Navy veteran with deep roots in the veteran’s communities.  

Caroline Beidler, MSW talks with recovery advocate Angelo Lagares about why language accessibility for all Spanish speakers is important. He shares historical context, along with why having accountability with the provision of cultural and linguistic appropriate services (CLAS) is important in today's world.

Join me as  Angelo shares about his professional work and personal recovery journey!

You can learn more about LARA here and get involved today by contacting Angelo Lagares.

You can also submit your story in Spanish anytime at https://es.brightstoryshine.com/

Join host Caroline Beidler, MSW as she talks with Annalice Argyle, Founder of TracUK and woman in recovery who lives in Middlesbrough, England, about issues that effect women in or seeking recovery from addiction, mental health, and/or trauma. Annalice also shares some ways that she has learned how to support women and why building community in recovery is so important. 

She has extensive experience in the substance misuse field both in community and prison environments and is a qualified trainer with a vast amount of experience facilitating and setting up mutual aid groups. Annalice has a degree in Counselling – studying CBT at the Core Model, DID qualified to work with Trauma and Disassociation with a Diploma in NLP and a 12 Step Therapist/Smart Recovery Facilitator with training in The Rewind Technique – Trauma and Phobias.

Learn more about Annalice and her work with TracUK here. TRAC UK is an independent advocacy service for men and women, founded in 2015 by Annalice Argyle as a voice for people with substance misuse issues. TRAC UK also has a women only recovery service, you can visit our facebook page here.

Join host Caroline Beidler, MSW as she talks with founder of the Healing House, Inc, Bobbi Jo Reed about what it is like to answer the call to service in recovery.

Bobbi-Jo Reed is a person in long-term recovery with 26 years of continuous sobriety. She has provided safe, transitional housing for nearly ten thousand individuals over the past 20  years. Her passion in life is to help those suffering with substance use disorders find their purpose.

She is the Founder and CEO of Healing House, Inc. in the Historic Northeast Kansas City, MO; the ministry currently houses 200 adults and 30 children. She is Chair of the Kansas City Recovery Coalition, member of the Missouri-Division of Behavioral Health State Advisory Council, a Mental Health First Aid instructor, Trauma Informed Care trainer, Certified Peer Specialist- Supervisor and Medicated Assisted Recovery Specialist; recognized as a 2018 Mental Health Champion and an Executive Member of the Missouri Coalition of Recovery Service Providers and the National Association of Recovery Residences.

The award-winning documentary film, Bobbi Jo: Under The Influence, was released on various streaming platforms in 2021 and continues to be recognized amongst film festivals internationally. Her autobiography, Beautifully Broken, continues to bring others out of darkness and “Welcomed Home”.

Access more resources at www.brightstoryshine.com.

Join an important conversation with Jon Seidl, the author of the best seller:

Finding Rest: A Survivor's Guide to Navigating the Valleys of Anxiety, Faith, and Life

Jon is an incredibly talented writer, has worked with some pretty famous people and today will be sharing a bit about his own journey. I’m going to ask him about ways to promote recovery from things that we struggle with like anxiety – I’m raising my hand here, folks – and I’d also like to chat with him about some ways that we can support others on this often challenging journey.

How can we break free from patterns of anxiety?

What if it's okay to not be enough--and need others to support you?

You are going to learn a lot in this week's episode!

For more #brightstories  check out the blog at www.brightstoryshine.com. 

Author and speaker Elisa Morgan shows us that a woman of faith and dignity does not (ever) have it all together. She struggles, yet is honest about her journey. She rejoices, even in the hard times. And through all of it, she shares that no matter what we go through, we can rely on a loving God to be there.

 Elisa Morgan (MDiv) was named by Christianity Today as one of the top fifty women influencing today’s church and culture. She has authored over twenty-five books including The Beauty of Broken, Hello, Beauty Full, She Did What She Could and her most recent release, When We Pray Like Jesus. For twenty years, Elisa served as CEO of MOPS International and now is President Emerita. She has lived a very public faith and also a very public struggle, sharing openly about growing up in a home impacted by addiction, supporting her teen daughter’s pregnancy and more. 

The reality is God comes to us and provides hope for our messiness. 

Listen to an inspiring truth teller in my latest episode of Your Bright Recovery.

Find more resources at www.brightstoryshine.com.

Connect with your host @carolinebeidler_official 

If God is so good, then why is the world aching? 

Why am I in so much pain? 

How do I reconcile a loving God with a hurting world? 

 In his writings, world-renowned and best-selling author and journalist, Philip Yancey shows me that with doubt, can come a new faithful beginning. With pain and hurt, redemption. God’s world can become, regardless of our experiences, “a gift to enjoy with grace-healed eyes.” 

Over time because of guides like Philip Yancey, other addiction recovery supports, and God himself, I have been able to look back at tough events in my life: trauma, sexual violence, and addiction, with grace—even acceptance. Struggle might be a part of my story, of all of our stories, but it’s not the only chapter.

Join me as I have an incredible conversation with Philip Yancey.

www.brightstoryshine.com

Why is it important to have friends in addiction and mental health recovery?

How can we move past the awkwardness and fear to have real and intimate and vulnerable connections?

Join your host, Caroline Beidler, MSW, as she guides you through a quick reflection on friendship in recovery and provides some practical tips for moving forward.