ALIGNED VOICES: Mental Health And Personal Growth

HEALTHY ALIGNED LIVING
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Health & Fitness
  • Updated Biweekly

Aligned Voices is where lived experience becomes leadership. Real stories. Real recovery. Real growth. No polish. No masks. Just voices rising from adversity into clarity strength and purpose. If you want conversations that wake you up challenge you and push you forward this is your space.

  1. 3d ago

    High-Functioning Alcoholic: The Day I Said 'I Can't Do This Anymore'

    What happens when your life looks "picture perfect" — but alcohol is quietly running it? In this episode of Aligned Voices, author Mary Alice Stephens shares the story behind her memoir Uncorked: A Memoir of Letting Go and Starting Over. She opens up about being a high-functioning alcoholic: a successful television producer and mother of two who hid her drinking behind a "fun Mary" persona for years. She reveals the exact moment everything changed — getting blackout drunk at a daytime pool party in front of her 4- and 5-year-old children, unable to remember putting them to bed. That next morning, she said the words that ended her drinking: "I can't do this anymore." Mary Alice walks through the brutal first 90 days of sobriety, why quitting drinking is only half the battle, the role of community and AA, and the advice that kept her going: "do the next right thing" and "one day at a time." If you're questioning your own relationship with alcohol — or love someone who is — this one's for you.

  2. Aug 13

    She Gave Up Everything to Protect Uganda's Children Online | Part 2

    She Gave Up Everything to Protect Uganda's Children Online. In this episode of Aligned Voices, we sit down with Hadijah Mwanje — journalist, single mother, and founder of High Sound for Children. Hadijah opens up about the personal sacrifices behind building her organization from nothing, the cultural barriers that silence children in Uganda, and the hidden online dangers kids face when no one is listening.From media literacy clubs to the "Echitimba Unpacked Media Holiday Camp," Hadijah shares how she's amplifying children's voices — and why policymakers, parents, and communities must act now to keep kids safe in a digital world.⚠️ Content note: This episode contains discussion of domestic violence and childhood trauma. Listener discretion is advised.

  3. Aug 10

    I Survived the Crash That Was Meant to Wake Me Up: Jacques Delorme's Story

    Join Jacques Delorme on his profound spiritual journey as he recounts the unforgettable night that changed his life forever, a moment of truth that sparked a deep impact and radical change within him. This real life story of spiritual awakening is a testament to the human experience, where a single night can be a turning point, leading to a new beginning and a deeper understanding of one's soul purpose. As a starseed and lightworker, Jacques Delorme's spiritual growth and awakening is a powerful reminder of the importance of divine timing and ascension in our lives. Through his personal journey, he shares his experiences with spiritual awakening symptoms, and the role of the third eye and kundalini in his metaphysical journey towards higher consciousness. This story of existential crisis and transformation is a must-watch for anyone seeking inner peace, looking to connect with their higher self, and understand the divine masculine and feminine principles that guide us towards our soul purpose. Jacques Delorme's life lesson is a powerful reminder that we all have the capacity for spiritual growth and awakening, and that sometimes, all it takes is one night to change our lives forever, leading us to a path of higher self awareness and spiritual ascension.

  4. Aug 1

    Why I Gave Up Child Support to Escape My Abuser — Tricia's Story

    Tricia survived childhood sexual abuse starting at age 12 and two decades trapped in an abusive marriage that nearly cost her life. After a breaking-point incident in 1997, she left everything behind, including child support, to sever ties with her abuser for good. Through years of therapy and EMDR, she's worked to unpack her trauma and stop the cycle from reaching her kids. Today she shares her story to help others still finding their way out.

  5. Jul 26

    13 Years Sober: How One Mother Built the World's Biggest Sober Movement

    What if your wake-up moment wasn't hitting rock bottom — but standing in your own kitchen, wine glass in hand, while your son told you he didn't fit in? Kim Bellas is the founder of Sober Is the New Cool, an international sobriety and wellness movement she's been building for over 13 years. After her son Matthew was diagnosed with epilepsy at 13 and stripped of the things he loved most sports, riding his bike, fitting in with peers— Kim made a promise. She put down the glass. And she never picked it up again. In this episode of Aligned Voices, Kim gets radically honest about: Why she drank, what it masked, and the exact moment everything shiftedBuilding a global, judgment-free community around sobriety before it was mainstreamThe White Heart Initiative — a tiny act of kindness that's changing lives around the worldWalking in Fashion Week at 62, sober and terrified — and why she says she didn't miss a single memoryRelapse without shame: why recovery isn't linear and that's okayWhy she uses the word wellness instead of recovery — and how it opens more doorsThe affirmation practice she teaches others: "I am ____."What it means to finally say out loud: I am enough.This isn't a rock-bottom story. It's a story about a mother's love, the courage to choose yourself, and why anyone — at any age — can start building a better life. 🤍 Connect with Kim: soberisthenewcool.ca | Instagram: @soberisthenewcool🌍 Walk with us: International Recovery Walk — September 26th (National Recovery Day) Healthy Aligned Living is a Canadian nonprofit supporting at-risk youth and communities through trauma-informed mental health education and addiction recovery support. 📧 info@healthyalignedliving.com▶️ YouTube : @healthyalignedlivingtv Social media: @healthyalignedliving

  6. Jul 16

    Recovery Isn’t Linear: Relapse, Motherhood, & ADHD with Jessica Part 2

    Recovery is rarely a straight line, and yet we don't talk enough about the setbacks. In this powerful continuation of our conversation, Jessica gets brutally honest about her journey beyond her initial 13 years of sobriety. She shares the reality of hitting a relapse during the pandemic, the unique challenges of navigating motherhood with undiagnosed ADHD, and why she believes the "perfect mom" myth is a trap. In this episode, we dive into: The Reality of Relapse: Why shame is the biggest barrier to getting back on track and why you must keep trying.Motherhood & Mental Load: Balancing the exhaustion of parenting with neurodiversity and sobriety.The Art of Reintroduction: How sobriety is an ongoing process of discovering who you truly are, not just stopping a substance.Finding Your People: Why community and accountability are the antidotes to the isolation of addiction.Jessica’s message is clear: You don't have to be perfect to be in recovery. You just have to be present. Connect with Healthy Aligned Living:🌐 Visit our website: If this conversation helped you feel less alone, please share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. healthyalignedliving.com📸 Follow us on Instagram: @healthyalignedliving📞 Need support? Call us: 1-866-213-0518📧 Email us: info@healthyalignedliving.com#recoveryrelapse #sobrietyjourney #motherhoodandaddiction #ADHDinwomen #mentalhealthstruggles #overcomingrelapse #sobermom #traumainformedrecovery #addictionhealing #mentalhealthsupport #healthyalignedliving

  7. Jul 16

    High-Functioning Addiction & Finding Freedom: Jessica’s 13-Year Sobriety Story Part 1

    Can you be 'thriving' on the outside while drowning in self-loathing on the inside? Today, we sit down with Jessica—an author, mother, and 13-year survivor of alcohol and substance addiction—to talk about the reality of high-functioning addiction. In this raw and honest conversation, Jessica pulls back the curtain on: The 'Master Manipulation': How she successfully hid her addiction while excelling in grad school and her career.Early Signs: Her internal struggle with OCD and undiagnosed ADHD before alcohol became her coping strategy.The Turning Point: The moment she hit rock bottom and finally asked for help, and how she navigated early sobriety while pregnant.Connection as the Cure: Why she believes connection is the direct opposite of addiction.If you are feeling lost, alone, or like you’re just barely holding it together, please know you don’t have to do it alone. Connect with Healthy Aligned Living:🌐 Visit our website: ⁠healthyalignedliving.com⁠📸 Follow us on Instagram: @healthyalignedliving📞 Need support? Call us: 1-866-213-0518📧 Email us: ⁠info@healthyalignedliving.com If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who needs to hear it. #addictionrecovery #highfunctioningalcoholic #sobrietyjourney #sobermom #mentalhealthawareness #overcomingaddiction #alcoholfreelife #traumahealing #connection #mentalhealthsupport #recoverystory

  8. Jul 7

    From Uganda to Living in a TENT in Canada | Bryan Mwaka Recovery Story

    Bryan Mwaka: From Uganda to Canada's Streets — A Survival Story Bryan Mwaka arrived in Canada on January 24th, 2020. It was -30°C. He had nowhere to stand. What followed was a raw, unfiltered journey through homelessness on Canadian streets — during a global pandemic, alone, far from everything he knew. Growing up in Uganda with structure, boarding school discipline, and natural leadership, Bryan never imagined this would be his story. Canada was supposed to be the dream. Instead, it became his greatest test. In this episode of Aligned Voices, Bryan shares what it actually means to live in a tent, lose a friend to the streets, and find the will to keep climbing when every reason to stop is right in front of you. We talk about: What homelessness during COVID lockdown really looks likeWhy 98% of unhoused people have adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) — and what that means for how we respondThe difference between the human spirit and the brain, and why it matters for recoveryWhy connection — not willpower — is the true opposite of addictionWhat families get dangerously wrong when a loved one is strugglingHow Bryan went from sleeping in a tent to Campus Navigator at Mustard Seed EdmontonThis isn't a redemption arc wrapped in a bow. It's an honest conversation about survival, humanity, and what it costs to keep climbing. Bryan is now launching Your Voice Chronicles — a podcast giving lived experience its own platform. 🎧 Listen. Share. It might be the episode someone in your life needs today. #addictionrecoverystories #mentalhealthpodcast #survivalstory #adversechildhoodexperiences #homelessinCanada #addictionandconnection #substanceabuse #mentalhealthawareness #homelessnessrecovery #traumarecovery #addictionrecovery #recoverypodcast #UgandatoCanada #recoverystories #MustardSeedEdmonton #at-riskyouth #emotionalresilience #AlignedVoicespodcast #immigrantstoryCanada #lived experience

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Aligned Voices is where lived experience becomes leadership. Real stories. Real recovery. Real growth. No polish. No masks. Just voices rising from adversity into clarity strength and purpose. If you want conversations that wake you up challenge you and push you forward this is your space.

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