Back from Broken Colorado Public Radio
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- Culture et société
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Back From Broken is an interview series about what it takes to recover from the biggest challenge of your life -- and what others can learn from your adversity. Colorado Public Radio’s Vic Vela, an award-winning journalist who’s also a recovering drug addict, hosts the podcast.
Vic talks with guests about challenges like substance abuse, mental illness, gambling addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder. Each story describes the highest highs, the darkest moments and what it takes to make a comeback. It’s a raw, empathetic show that’s ultimately about hope -- and how recovery is possible.
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Vic's Story: Part Two
The season ends with Vic Vela coming to terms with one of the biggest health scares of his life, while also navigating an emotional, historic championship run for his beloved Denver Nuggets.
Over the last few months Vic recorded audio diaries of his experiences. He shares some of his best and worst days as he copes with a health crisis that nearly took his life — along with edge-of-your seat playoff basketball musings — all while trying to stay sober and taking things one day at a time.
You can also check out Vic’s original memoir episode from Season 1.
Back From Broken is a show about how we are all broken sometimes, and how we need help from time to time. If you’re struggling, you can find a list of resources at BackFromBroken.org.
Host: Vic Vela
Lead producer: Jo Erickson
Editor: Erin Jones
Mixed by: Kibwe Cooper
Additional editorial support: Rebekah Romberg, Emily Williams, Andrew Villegas
Music: Daniel Mescher and Brad Turner with additional music from Universal Production Music
Executive producers: Brad Turner, Kevin Dale
Thanks also to Rachel Estabrook, Hart van Denburg, Jodi Gersh, Clara Shelton, Arielle Wilson, Kim Nguyen.
BackFromBroken.org
On Twitter: @VicVela1 -
Matthew & Steven Fisher
Matthew Fisher always felt like an outsider. He struggled to make friends and was overcome by mood swings. By age 13, he turned to drugs and alcohol to cope. His father, Steven, watched from the sidelines, desperately trying to help his son. This is the story of how a father and son found recovery and healed their rocky relationship.
Back From Broken is a show about how we are all broken sometimes, and how we need help from time to time. If you’re struggling, you can find a list of resources at BackFromBroken.org.
Host: Vic Vela
Lead producer: Rebekah Romberg
Editor: Jo Erickson
Additional editorial support: Erin Jones, Kibwe Cooper, Emily Williams, Andrew Villegas
Music: Daniel Mescher and Brad Turner with additional music from Universal Production Music
Executive producers: Brad Turner, Kevin Dale
Thanks also to Rachel Estabrook, Hart van Denburg, Jodi Gersh, Clara Shelton, Arielle Wilson, Kim Nguyen.
BackFromBroken.org
On Twitter: @VicVela1 -
Khadi Oluwatoyin
Khadi Oluwatoyin was always a high achiever. She excelled in law school and got her dream job, as a lawyer in New York City, in her early twenties. Racial and gender barriers didn’t stop her. Nothing stood in the way of her career, except alcohol. But when Khadi sought help for her drinking, she often found she was the only Black woman in the room. So she created her own recovery group for Black women and nonbinary folks to help others — and herself — through recovery.
Back From Broken is a show about how we are all broken sometimes, and how we need help from time to time. If you’re struggling, you can find a list of resources at BackFromBroken.org.
Host: Vic Vela
Lead producer: Emily Williams
Editor: Jo Erickson
Mixed by: Kibwe Cooper
Additional editorial support: Erin Jones, Rebekah Romberg, Andrew Villegas
Music: Daniel Mescher and Brad Turner with additional music from Universal Production Music
Executive producers: Brad Turner, Kevin Dale
Thanks also to Rachel Estabrook, Hart van Denburg, Jodi Gersh, Clara Shelton, Arielle Wilson, Kim Nguyen.
BackFromBroken.org
On Twitter: @VicVela1 -
Aaron Taylor
Aaron Taylor was a standout athlete at the University of Notre Dame. He went on to become a Super Bowl champion with the Green Bay Packers. But behind all that success, Aaron was a high-functioning alcoholic. After an injury ended his career, Aaron had to come to terms with his addiction and heal the childhood trauma he had never addressed.
Back From Broken is a show about how we are all broken sometimes, and how we need help from time to time. If you’re struggling, you can find a list of resources at BackFromBroken.org.
Host: Vic Vela
Lead producer: Kibwe Cooper
Editor: Rebekah Romberg
Additional editorial support: Jo Erickson, Erin Jones, Emily Williams, Andrew Villegas
Music: Daniel Mescher and Brad Turner with additional music from Universal Production Music
Executive producers: Brad Turner, Kevin Dale
Thanks also to Rachel Estabrook, Hart van Denburg, Jodi Gersh, Clara Shelton, Arielle Wilson, Kim Nguyen.
BackFromBroken.org
On Twitter: @VicVela1 -
Pebe Sebert
Pebe Sebert's dreams of becoming a professional songwriter started coming true when Dolly Parton recorded one of her songs and it became a hit. But Pebe felt like a fish out of water, and she used alcohol to deal with those feelings. Other drugs came into the mix, too. But after she had her daughter Kesha, Pebe knew something had to change -- and years later, Kesha became the pop star Pebe always dreamed of being.
Back From Broken is a show about how we are all broken sometimes, and how we need help from time to time. If you’re struggling, you can find a list of resources at BackFromBroken.org.
Host: Vic Vela
Lead producer: Emily Williams
Editor: Erin Jones
Additional editorial support: Jo Erickson, Rebekah Romberg, Kibwe Cooper, Andrew Villegas
Music: Daniel Mescher and Brad Turner with additional music from Universal Production Music
Executive producers: Brad Turner, Kevin Dale
Thanks also to Rachel Estabrook, Hart van Denburg, Jodi Gersh, Clara Shelton, Arielle Wilson, Kim Nguyen.
BackFromBroken.org
On Twitter: @VicVela1 -
Natalie Hodges
Growing up, Natalie Hodges practiced the violin every moment she could. She was good, and the practice made her excellent. She started down the path of becoming a professional violinist until debilitating performance anxiety put a wrench in her dreams. But it helped her discover the root of her problems -- and put her on the road to recovery.
Back From Broken is a show about how we are all broken sometimes, and how we need help from time to time. If you’re struggling, you can find a list of resources at BackFromBroken.org.
Host: Vic Vela
Lead producer: Rebekah Romberg
Editor: Erin Jones
Additional editorial support: Jo Erickson, Kibwe Cooper, Emily Williams, Andrew Villegas
Music: Daniel Mescher and Brad Turner with additional music from Universal Production Music
Executive producers: Brad Turner, Kevin Dale
Thanks also to Rachel Estabrook, Hart van Denburg, Jodi Gersh, Clara Shelton, Arielle Wilson, Kim Nguyen.
BackFromBroken.org
On Twitter: @VicVela1