Real Recovery Podcast

Julie and Peter

Real Recovery Podcast Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN: 99-1347297) that empowers, enlightens, and inspires those on their recovery journey by sharing authentic stories, practical advice, and community insights. We create a safe and engaging platform for individuals to find solace, strength, and solidarity. Our podcast demystifies the recovery process, celebrates progress, and fosters belonging among listeners. By amplifying diverse voices within the recovery community, Real Recovery aims to be a beacon of hope.

  1. RRP 117 — Skyler Ray / Skyler Ray's High-Energy Road to Recovery — Revisited (Summer Bash 2026 Special Edition)

    5d ago

    RRP 117 — Skyler Ray / Skyler Ray's High-Energy Road to Recovery — Revisited (Summer Bash 2026 Special Edition)

    RRP 117 — Skyler Ray / Skyler Ray's High-Energy Road to Recovery — Revisited body{font-family:Georgia,serif;max-width:680px;margin:0 auto;padding:24px;background:#F2EAD5;color:#0F1123;} h1{font-size:1.1em;color:#771719;border-bottom:3px solid #F45331;padding-bottom:8px;margin-bottom:4px;} .meta{font-size:.85em;color:#3C82C1;margin-bottom:16px;} p{line-height:1.7;margin-bottom:14px;} ul{padding-left:18px;} li{margin-bottom:6px;line-height:1.6;} .pill{display:inline-block;background:#0F1123;color:#F2EAD5;font-size:.72em;padding:2px 7px;border-radius:10px;margin-right:6px;font-family:monospace;} blockquote{border-left:4px solid #F45331;margin:20px 0;padding:10px 16px;background:#fff;font-style:italic;color:#771719;} blockquote cite{display:block;margin-top:8px;font-style:normal;font-weight:bold;color:#0F1123;font-size:.9em;} .cta-row{display:flex;gap:10px;margin:20px 0;flex-wrap:wrap;} .btn{padding:10px 18px;border-radius:4px;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;font-size:.9em;} .btn-listen{background:#F45331;color:#fff;} .btn-blog{background:#3C82C1;color:#fff;} .btn-news{background:#771719;color:#fff;} .hashtags{font-size:.82em;color:#3C82C1;margin-top:16px;} .websites{font-size:.9em;line-height:1.8;} .websites a{color:#3C82C1;} footer{margin-top:24px;font-size:.75em;color:#771719;border-top:1px solid #F45331;padding-top:10px;}RRP 117 — Skyler Ray / Skyler Ray’s High-Energy Road to Recovery — Revisited (Summer Bash 2026 Special Edition)Presenters: Julie P. Lewis & Peter B. Dowell  |  1 hr 50 min  |  June 5, 2026 Julie and Peter revisit one of their most beloved episodes — Skyler Ray’s story from Episode 22. Since that first conversation, Skyler has grown to over 250,000 followers, launched the Road to Recovery Tour into its third national year, and married his musical partner Kala Mulcahy. This special edition is timed to Skyler’s Summer Bash 2026 performance at 4D Recovery Vancouver on June 13th (7201 NE 18th Street, 2–5 PM, free). The original interview is as powerful as ever. At nine, Skyler’s mother left him at a Portland shelter and never came back. Police split him from his brother into separate foster homes the same week. He masked the loss for years — through fights, expulsions, meth at ten, selling, and cycling in and out of Portland’s Justice Center. He rose to sales manager at an office looking directly down on the street corners where his addiction played out, then lost it all. In prison, alone on his bunk, he finally asked himself honestly what he wanted: music. He had never done it sober. His clean date is December 6, 2018. 0:00 Re-release intro: 250K+ followers; married to Kala; Summer Bash June 13th at 4D Vancouver 16:00 Age 9: mother leaves him at a shelter; police separate him from his brother into different foster homes 24:00 Age 18, homeless; meth use and street life around Paranoia Park (O’Brien Square) 28:00 Starts selling meth — abandonment issues fuel the addiction to power and acceptance as much as the drug 38:00 Sales job to manager of 100-person office in Union Bank Tower — private window overlooking Paranoia Park 44:00 Relapse to IV meth at the office; VP personally offers to fund rehab; Skyler declines 57:00 The conversation in prison: “I owe it to my nine-year-old boy” — decides to pursue music sober 1:04:00 Vision boards cover every wall of his Central City Concern room 1:06:00 Meets Kala Mulcahy — opera-trained — at dinner; they write their music dreams together as strangers 1:11:00 Everything on that list has happened: 250K+ followers, tens of millions of plays, opening for Kevin Gates 1:14:00 “My significant other has never seen me under the influence” 1:24:00 Road to Recovery Tour: 3rd year, 70+ events, performing in rehabs, jails & prisons nationwide 1:27:00 Upcoming: Gresham Smith Center June 28th (free); 4D Hillsboro Aug 10th; Recovery Out Loud Sept 6th Websites Discussed: OfficialSkylerRay.com — Music, tour dates & We Do Recover merch 4D Recovery — Tony V’s recovery community organization 4D Summer Bash 2026 — June 13th, 2–5 PM, 7201 NE 18th St, Vancouver WA 98661 4D Gratitude Night — Early Bird Tickets RRP Episode 22 — Original Skyler Ray Interview Real Recovery Podcast ▶ Listen Now Read the Blog Newsletter “Recovery has provided me everything I have ever wanted, right? There’s still levels to it, but it’s still provided me everything I have ever wanted.” — Skyler Ray#RealRecoveryPodcast #SkylerRay #Recovery #SummerBash2026 #RoadToRecovery #AddictionRecovery #MusicInRecovery #SoberLife #WeDoRecover #4DRecovery   @OfficialSkylerRay @4DRecovery @RealRecoveryPodcast Real Recovery Podcast is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. EIN: 99-1347297

    1h 50m
  2. RRP 116 — Aaron Burrell / From "Money" to Hope Dealer: Gangs, Prison, and the Walk That Does the Talking

    May 29

    RRP 116 — Aaron Burrell / From "Money" to Hope Dealer: Gangs, Prison, and the Walk That Does the Talking

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Lewis and Peter B. Dowell  |  Episode Length: Approximately 1 hour 48 minutes  |  Release Date: May 29, 2026 SummaryAaron Burrell grew up in Salem with his father in federal prison for twenty years — and a gang heritage he tried to live up to under the street name “Money.” After his father paroled, relapsed, and pulled him into a crystal meth operation, Aaron ended up in the same county jail as his dad. A note slipped under his cell door brought him to his first prayer. What followed was another prison bid, a near-suicide in Two Rivers, a dream that pointed to a single Bible verse, a courtroom turn no one saw coming, and the path to peer recovery work. Today Aaron is 30 months clean — the first sustained sobriety of his adult life — and wears a Hope Dealer hat to work. Key Points 00:03:00 Father in federal prison from the time Aaron was one year old — attempted murder and a bank robbery spree. The gang heritage that surrounded him was idolized in Aaron’s circle. 00:06:00 First prison bid at 21. Aaron is called for a visit thinking it’s a girlfriend — turns around and meets his father face-to-face for the first time at Oregon State Penitentiary. 00:11:00 Father paroles, becomes a recovery poster child, then relapses. Aaron walks into a duffle bag of cash and crystal meth on his own kitchen table. 00:22:00 Both in Marion County Jail. A note appears under Aaron’s cell door: two names, two addresses, an order to make sure they don’t make it to court. 00:24:00 First prayer of Aaron’s life: “If you’re real, I need you to do something.” The next morning his father is sent to the hole. Aaron opens a Bible at random to Matthew — do not worry. 00:31:00 Aaron refuses to carry out his father’s orders. His father’s response: “You’re dead to me. Change your last name.” 00:42:00 A relapse, a revocation, and over 50 more months inside. Aaron renounces his gang life, finds Celebrate Recovery, and facilitates step studies for the first time. 01:00:00 In court for a second revoke, the judge sentences him to 48 months without looking up. Aaron charges him. Another 18 months are added. October 16, 2023. 01:18:00 Three nights of dreams that all point to 1921. On the fifth night Aaron opens the Bible at midnight and lands on Proverbs 19:21. 01:22:00 A new judge plays the video of him charging the old one — then pulls out letters from released inmates and corrections officers vouching for who Aaron is now. “You’re going to City Team.” 01:34:00 From City Team → mentor at 4D Recovery → The Peer Company. 30 months clean — his first sustained sobriety. He wears a Hope Dealer hat from Be Bold Street Ministries to work.Guest Quote “In that darkness is when I seen the light.” — Aaron BurrellListen & Connect ▶ Listen Now 📖 Read the Blog ✉ Newsletter Websites Discussed City Team 4D Recovery The Peer Company Be Bold Street Ministries Celebrate Recovery Real Recovery Podcast Hashtags & Mentions #RealRecoveryPodcast #Recovery #AddictionRecovery #HopeDealer #OregonRecovery #PrisonToPurpose #PeerSupport #SecondChances #CityTeam #4DRecovery @realrecoverypodcast @cityteampdx @4drecovery Real Recovery Podcast Inc. — 501(c)(3) Nonprofit — EIN: 99-1347297 — www.realrecoverypodcast.com

    1h 49m
  3. RRP 115 — Jeremiah N.: I Didn't Put Recovery in My Life — I Put My Life Into Recovery

    May 22

    RRP 115 — Jeremiah N.: I Didn't Put Recovery in My Life — I Put My Life Into Recovery

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Lewis and Peter B. Dowell  |  Episode Length: 1 hour 35 minutes  |  Release Date: May 22, 2026 SummaryJeremiah N. spent years convinced addiction wasn’t shaping him — until his mom died and he lost everything with her: his job, his shop, his house. Nearly a decade of heroin, fentanyl, meth, a tent in Seaside, and county jail followed. A frog necklace at a methadone clinic — tied to his late mother’s FROG acronym, Fully Rely On God — changed his direction. He said “send me to treatment” in a courtroom, got into outpatient at Another Chance, and built a recovery life so full he eventually had to step back to protect his mental health. More than two years later, he’s an Oxford House chapter officer and still moving forward. Key Points 00:07:00 Jeremiah’s childhood: his mom’s approach was “do it at home, so I know you’re safe” — but addiction didn’t take hold until adulthood. It ran in the family: his mom had done time for drugs; his biological father was absent. 00:10:00 His mom’s death was the turning point. She was his best friend. When she passed from cancer, he lost his job, his custom truck shop, his tow truck, and every vehicle he owned — and let himself fall fully into addiction. 00:13:00 Five-year downward spiral: heroin to fentanyl to meth; tent at a Seaside homeless camp alternating with county jail. Every cop in the county knew him by face and name. 00:16:00 Overdosed at a friend’s house. They almost couldn’t bring him back — and told him he had to leave. 00:21:00 Walked into the Seaside methadone clinic and found a frog necklace on the counter. Nobody knew where it came from — and his mom loved frogs. Her acronym: FROG, Fully Rely On God. He kept it. He knew he was in the right place. 00:24:00 January 19, 2024: walking back to his tent, he prayed for a way out. He was arrested that night for something he didn’t do. The case was dropped in court, but his probation officer hit him with six revokes. Jeremiah said: “Send me to treatment.” 00:38:00 Connected with Sober Housing of Oregon; moved into sober housing; started outpatient at Another Chance. First meeting: Rule 62 on a Saturday night — Don’t take yourself so seriously. 00:43:00 Found sponsor Kerry Poorman at Plinky’s and the Men’s SIS meeting. Sponsor’s strategy: agree to one suggestion — “Don’t say no to any unreasonable request.” Jeremiah didn’t realize he’d just agreed to everything at once. 00:53:00 PTSD since age 14 from childhood abuse by his father — it drove deep social anxiety. He pushed through it by volunteering H&I meetings at City Team nearly every week for almost two years. 00:57:00 Started his own meeting at 4D Recovery in Clackamas — Unwasted on the Weekends — and ran it for about six months before passing it to a sponsee. 01:02:00 Seven months sober: after consulting his sponsor, counselor, and house manager, Rob Blackhouse asked Jeremiah to manage two sober houses. He said yes without hesitation. 01:28:00 Words of wisdom: no matter what, just keep going forward. Take suggestions one at a time. Sobriety date: January 20, 2024. Currently a chapter officer for Oxford House.Guest Quote “I didn’t just put recovery in my life, I put my life into recovery.” — Jeremiah N.Listen & Connect ▶ Listen Now 📖 Read the Blog ✉ Newsletter Websites Discussed Another Chance 4D Recovery City Team Sober Housing of Oregon Alano Club of Portland Oxford House Real Recovery Podcast Hashtags & Mentions #RealRecoveryPodcast #Recovery #AddictionRecovery #OregonRecovery #KeepMovingForward #SoberLiving #ServiceWork #AA @realrecoverypodcast @4drecovery @anotherchancerehab @oxfordhouse Real Recovery Podcast Inc. — 501(c)(3) Nonprofit — EIN: 99-1347297 — www.realrecoverypodcast.com

    1h 35m
  4. RRP 114 — Deena Feldes: Trudging the Road with Purpose — From Prison to 30 Locations of Hope

    May 15

    RRP 114 — Deena Feldes: Trudging the Road with Purpose — From Prison to 30 Locations of Hope

    Real Recovery Podcast — Episode 114 RRP 114 — Deena Feldes: Trudging the Road with Purpose — From Prison to 30 Locations of Hope Presenters: Julie P. Lewis and Peter B. Dowell Episode Length: Approximately 1 hour 42 minutes Release Date: May 8, 2026 Deena Feldes grew up in a Pasco, Washington trailer park with easy access to substances and no one watching the door. Today she is Executive Director of , a Portland-area recovery housing nonprofit with 30 locations, 80% fully funded stays, and a 39-unit building under construction in Hillsboro. What happened in between is one of the most honest accounts of addiction, survival, and purpose we’ve heard on this show. Key Points 00:06:00Deena grew up in a single-parent alcoholic household in Pasco, Washington — stealing marijuana from her older sister and wine from the corner convenience store by elementary school.00:14:00Pregnant at 15, she gave birth two weeks before her 16th birthday, got her first welfare apartment at 16, and began blacking out regularly.00:18:00A move to Ogden, Utah introduced her to crack cocaine. She later lived with her son in a 10-by-12 room in Oakland with no kitchen and a shared bathroom.00:22:00Back in the Tri-Cities, Deena was arrested with nine ounces of cocaine. Her daughter was born at 4 pounds 12 ounces with pneumonia. Deena went to prison, planted trees for 36 cents an hour, and saw her daughter take her first steps during a visit.00:30:00Released and attending meetings, she accepted one beer from coworkers — the start of what she calls 10 more years of misery. She moved to Portland in 1996, the year of the floods.00:37:00After losing four children to DHS, Deena stood on an overpass near the Lloyd Center and wanted to jump. A stranger on a TriMet bus challenged her: “When am I gonna see you in a meeting?” She found the West Side Service Center in Beaverton.00:44:00A nine-and-a-half-year DHS custody battle followed — seven lawyers, CASA, and DHS — all while she stayed sober. A foster parent joined the case and fought her for two of her boys for years after she won at trial.00:51:00Outside In removed 11 of her tattoos — including a teardrop from her face — through their gang-affiliated tattoo removal program.01:07:00At a Jan Pro job interview, the hiring manager turned out to be a friend of Bill’s. He hired Deena despite her record. She worked there 11 years and rose to operations director.01:21:00In 2018 she was called in to save a failing recovery housing nonprofit called Fairhaven. On Christmas Day 2019, one of the houses burned down. The board dissolved. She was handed a checkbook in the negative and voted in as executive director.01:22:00At the same time, her son was diagnosed with schizophrenia, became addicted to meth laced with fentanyl, and dropped to 86 pounds in the ICU at Providence. Deena obtained medical guardianship and authorized a forced feeding tube to keep him alive.01:23:00Today Transcending Hope operates 30 locations with 80% fully funded stays, serves people with SUD and co-occurring conditions, and has over 50 employees. A 39-unit building is under construction in Hillsboro.01:39:00Deena’s closing words: “I’ve been to hell many times. If I wanna go back, I know how to get there. And if I wanna stay out, I know how to do that, too.” “I’ve been to hell many times. If I wanna go back, I know how to get there. And if I wanna stay out, I know how to do that, too.” — Deena Feldes Websites Discussed Transcending HopeOutside InReal Recovery Podcast #RealRecoveryPodcast  #RecoveryIsPossible  #TranscendingHope  #AddictionRecovery  #RecoveryHousing  #SubstanceUseDisorder  #RecoveryCommunity  #DontStopBeforeTheMiracle, @TranscendingHope Real Recovery Podcast Inc. — 501(c)(3) Nonprofit — EIN: 99-1347297 —

    1h 44m
  5. RRP 113 — Kathryn L. / Is It Odd or Is It God?: Recovery, Spirituality, and the Long Road to Portland

    May 8

    RRP 113 — Kathryn L. / Is It Odd or Is It God?: Recovery, Spirituality, and the Long Road to Portland

    RRP 113 — Kathryn L. / Is It Odd or Is It God?: Recovery, Spirituality, and the Long Road to PortlandRRP 113 — Kathryn L. / Is It Odd or Is It God?: Recovery, Spirituality, and the Long Road to Portland Presenters: Julie P. Lewis and Peter B. Dowell  |  Episode Length: Approximately 1 hour 47 minutes  |  Release Date: May 8, 2026 Kathryn L. grew up south of Boston in a home where alcohol was always present — a stocked liquor cabinet, homemade sambuca, and big parties that normalized drinking from an early age. By the time she hit her corporate career, she was a blackout drinker trying and failing to control something that was already controlling her. The death of her mother at 25, a tumultuous marriage, and a string of relationships driven more by loneliness than love — none of it stopped the drinking. What finally did was waking up on the bathroom floor on July 29, 2011, physically sick, emotionally sick, and spiritually sick. What followed was a decade-long journey through AA in Boston — the AWOL women’s group, a home group of 200 people in Braintree, and a sponsor named Rita whose son had just died from the disease. Then a career pivot from six-figure sales work to cutting fruit at a deli. Then, in March 2022, an 11-day cross-country drive from Boston to Portland. Halfway across the country, she realized she had everything. Now coming up on 15 years sober, Kathryn lives by one question: is it odd, or is it God? Key Points “I never want to forget what it was like waking up on the bathroom floor, physically sick, emotionally sick, and spiritually sick.” — Kathryn L. Websites Discussed Sweet and Salty PDX Cookies 4D Recovery Real Recovery Podcast #RealRecovery  #RecoveryPodcast  #SoberLife  #AARecovery  #TwelveSteps  #RecoveryIsPossible  #Sobriety  #IsItOddOrIsItGod  #Portland  #RecoveryCommunity  @realrecoverypodcast Real Recovery Podcast Inc. — A 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization — EIN: 99-1347297

    2h 3m
  6. RRP 112 — Paul O. / One Burgundy Sock at a Time: Recovery, Service, and the Art of Staying

    May 1

    RRP 112 — Paul O. / One Burgundy Sock at a Time: Recovery, Service, and the Art of Staying

    RRP 112 — Paul O. / One Burgundy Sock at a Time: Recovery, Service, and the Art of Staying Presented by Julie P. Lewis & Peter B. Dowell  •  Release Date: May 1, 2026  •  Runtime: 1 hr 33 min Paul O. showed up at his first AA meeting on October 7, 1991—a lesbian stag meeting in Reno where they welcomed him only as “Pauline.” More than three decades later, he carries a story you won’t forget: how a gentle inner voice once talked him into getting sober one burgundy sock at a time. Paul traces his journey through multiple addictions, a relapse after 13 years, a completed First Step, and the daily practice of mending his net—meeting by meeting, sock by sock. Key Points 00:04:00Paul’s sobriety date—October 7, 1991, Reno, NV—and his full picture of addiction: alcohol, compulsive sex, overeating, and casino gambling00:05:00Standing near a bridge with no money and no hope—and the one thought of his mother that pulled him back00:06:30His first meeting: welcomed as “Pauline,” and the Brooklyn woman named Kathy who hugged him and said “you keep coming back”00:13:30The Burgundy Sock Story—how one voice negotiated him from “all the clothes” down to just one sock, and the lesson he’s carried for 35 years00:17:30Walking near Mount Tabor with suicidal ideation—asking God for 15 seconds of quiet, then 30 minutes, then four days, then gone00:38:00Becoming “Coffee Pot Guy”—how service gave him his identity in the rooms and why he calls it magic01:11:00New Zealand: 13 years sober, a checklist, and the relapse that finally completed his First Step01:22:00The fisherman’s net—Paul’s metaphor for daily meeting attendance and what happens when you stop mending01:28:00How Paul learned to love the people who annoyed him most—and the strategy his mother gave him that still works01:37:00Noticing resistance, finding a shred of willingness, and the pause between impulse and action “Sometimes when a task feels so overwhelming that you just gotta keep breaking it down to whatever you actually can do.” — Paul O. Websites Discussed Alcoholics Anonymous — The Big Book — https://www.aa.org/the-big-bookTwelve Steps and Twelve Traditions — https://www.aa.org/twelve-steps-twelve-traditionsLiving Sober — https://www.aa.org/living-sober-bookDrop the Rock / Drop the Rock — The Ripple Effect — https://www.hazelden.org/store/item/488137Daily Reflections — https://www.aa.org/daily-reflectionsJust for Today (pamphlet) — https://onlineliterature.aa.orgLunch Bunch / Extended Family AA Online — https://sites.google.com/view/lbefaaReal Recovery Podcast — https://www.realrecoverypodcast.com #RealRecoveryPodcast  #Recovery  #Sobriety  #AA  #AlcoholicsAnonymous  #RecoveryIsPossible  #OneDayAtATime  #SoberLife  #MentalHealth  #Podcast Real Recovery Podcast Inc.  •  501(c)(3) Nonprofit  •  EIN: 99-1347297  •

    1h 33m
  7. RRP 111 — Tiffany D.; Rejection Is Redirection: One Year Sober and Just Getting Started

    Apr 24

    RRP 111 — Tiffany D.; Rejection Is Redirection: One Year Sober and Just Getting Started

    RRP 111 — Tiffany D. | Real Recovery Podcast :root { --navy:#0F1123; --red:#F45331; --blue:#3C82C1; --cream:#F2EAD5; --burg:#771719; --white:#ffffff; --muted:#555566; } * { box-sizing:border-box; margin:0; padding:0; } body { font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size:15px; line-height:1.7; color:#1a1a2e; background:var(--white); max-width:780px; margin:0 auto; padding:32px 24px 48px; } .ep-header { border-top:6px solid var(--red); padding-top:20px; margin-bottom:6px; } .ep-header h1 { font-size:24px; font-weight:700; color:var(--navy); } .ep-subtitle { font-size:15px; font-style:italic; color:var(--blue); margin-top:5px; margin-bottom:18px; } .meta-table { width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; margin-bottom:20px; font-size:14px; } .meta-table td { padding:5px 10px; border-bottom:1px solid #e0e0ec; } .meta-table td:first-child { font-weight:700; color:var(--navy); width:155px; } h2 { font-size:16px; font-weight:700; color:var(--navy); margin:24px 0 10px; padding-bottom:5px; border-bottom:2px solid var(--red); } .summary { font-size:14px; margin-bottom:4px; } .key-points { list-style:none; padding:0; } .key-points li { display:flex; gap:12px; margin-bottom:11px; align-items:flex-start; } .timecode { display:inline-block; background:var(--navy); color:var(--white); font-size:11px; font-weight:700; padding:2px 8px; border-radius:20px; white-space:nowrap; flex-shrink:0; margin-top:3px; } .kp-text { font-size:13.5px; line-height:1.6; } .guest-quote { border-left:5px solid var(--red); background:var(--cream); padding:14px 18px; margin:6px 0 18px; font-style:italic; font-size:14px; line-height:1.65; color:var(--navy); } .guest-quote .attribution { font-style:normal; font-weight:700; color:var(--burg); margin-top:6px; display:block; } .websites { list-style:none; padding:0; } .websites li { margin-bottom:7px; font-size:14px; } a { color:var(--blue); text-decoration:none; } a:hover { text-decoration:underline; } .cta-row { display:flex; flex-wrap:wrap; gap:10px; margin:14px 0 20px; } .cta-btn { display:inline-block; padding:9px 20px; border-radius:4px; font-weight:700; font-size:13px; text-decoration:none; } .cta-listen { background:var(--red); color:var(--white); } .cta-blog { background:var(--navy); color:var(--white); } .cta-news { background:var(--blue); color:var(--white); } .hashtags { font-size:12.5px; color:var(--muted); line-height:1.9; } .footer { margin-top:36px; padding-top:14px; border-top:3px solid var(--navy); text-align:center; font-size:12px; color:var(--muted); } RRP 111 — Tiffany D. Rejection Is Redirection: One Year Sober and Just Getting Started PresentersJulie P. Lewis & Peter B. Dowell Release DateApril 24, 2026 Episode Length1 hour 11 minutesEpisode SummaryJulie and Peter welcome Tiffany D., one year sober, whose story moves from hidden wine bottles and blackout DUIs to a spiritual awakening in a jail cell and a job in recovery services. After 46 days awaiting sentencing, a judge released her to treatment at NARA in Portland. Today she has her kids, her own home, and a clear-eyed philosophy: rejection is redirection, and investing in yourself is the only way forward. Key Points 00:02Julie introduces Tiffany, met through the nighttime Extended Family AA group, and celebrates her one-year sobriety milestone. 00:07Drinking started as partying and became a vice over years, with the last five going full throttle — hiding bottles, skipping her kids’ activities, drinking from the moment she woke. 00:14Root causes: depression, a divorce at 25, and taking guardianship of her younger brother (seventh grade) and sister (a freshman) from her father’s side while he was in prison — all while being a single mom. Capable outwardly; deteriorating inside. 00:26Multiple DUIs, reckless driving, driving while suspended. Her most serious DUI was on a highway in Klamath County driving back from Arizona. She does not remember passing Las Vegas. 00:31Sat in jail 46 days before sentencing, facing two simultaneous convictions with a detainer from Klamath Falls. Attended church services, requested pastor visits, and began learning about surrender and faith. That cell became her foundation. 00:35Sentenced to six months; judge released her to treatment at NARA in Portland — something she had never considered. She had never known anyone who went to rehab. Waited 48 more days for a bed and for the Klamath detainer to clear. 00:41Picked up from jail by a peer mentor she now works alongside, and driven from the Oregon coast to NARA in Portland. Her coworker recently told her she was already “ready to conquer recovery” on that drive, fresh out of jail. 00:56Tiffany is sober for herself — not her kids or anyone else. When she is alone, she has to stay accountable to herself. Recovery is her first job. 01:02Chaired her one-year anniversary meeting on “trusting the process.” After treatment: no home, no job, kids not yet with her. Within about a month: housing secured, kids reunited right after, hired two weeks later at the same outpatient program where she received treatment. 01:06“Rejection is redirection” — shared in the Extended Family meeting — defines this episode. A rejection at a front-office desk job Tiffany believes was tied to disclosing her recovery redirected her into working in recovery services. 01:10Closing wisdom: take your time healing. Invest in yourself mentally, physically, and spiritually. Feed your soul and your mind. You are not defined by where you’ve been.Guest Quote “People can’t say anything about me that I don’t already know, already heard — because I know my story and I am not ashamed of it. I own up to it. I take accountability because of the fact that that’s not me anymore.” — Tiffany D.Websites Discussed NARA — Native American Rehabilitation Association of the Northwest Wellbriety Meetings Real Recovery PodcastListen & Connect Listen to Episode 111 Read the Blog Post Subscribe to Newsletter Hashtags & Mentions#RealRecoveryPodcast #Recovery #SobrietyJourney #OneYearSober #AddictionRecovery #RejectionIsRedirection #TrustTheProcess #RecoveryIsPossible #SoberLife #MentalHealthMatters #NARA #Wellbriety #RecoveryPodcast #HopeInRecovery #JustForToday @RealRecoveryPodcast Real Recovery Podcast Inc. — 501(c)(3) Nonprofit — EIN: 99-1347297 www.realrecoverypodcast.com

    1h 11m
  8. RRP 110 — Host Check-In: 108 Miracles and Counting

    Apr 17 ·  Bonus

    RRP 110 — Host Check-In: 108 Miracles and Counting

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Lewis & Peter B. Dowell Released: April 17, 2026 Runtime: Approx. 55 min. Episode Summary Co-hosts Julie and Peter step away from the guest format to mark two years of the Real Recovery Podcast. Peter reflects on his cancer diagnosis, 80-pound weight loss, and clear scans. Julie shares her parallel journey through job loss and a new beginning. Together they celebrate 104 episodes without missing a Friday, global listener reach, and the guests — 108 of them — who have shaped the show. They cast a vision for year three: round tables, community events, new guests, and a Fred Meyer-funded grant that could change everything. Key Points 00:02:00 Julie and Peter open from Studio H — no guest tonight, just the hosts (and Boots the cat). 00:05:00 Two full years: 104 episodes, every Friday, without missing one. 00:06:00 Peter’s cancer journey: sublingual carcinoma diagnosed March 2025, 80 lbs. lost during treatment, latest scans clear. 00:09:00 Post-diagnosis planning mode — wills, finances, zero camping trips (vs. 12 the year before). 00:11:00 Up to five recordings a week to bank episodes before treatment. Julie draws a parallel to guest Doyle Smith (EP 56), who fought a nearly identical cancer. 00:12:00 Julie’s parallel hardship: laid off, severance gone, interviewing as Peter started treatment. 00:13:00 Julie prayed for a sign — GTD – Go the Distance sponsor Izzy Alvarado walked into her building that same day. 00:16:00 Despite everything, the podcast flourished. A listener told Julie the show saved their life. 00:19:00 Global reach: #32 in Australia, listeners in Portugal and Italy. Childhood friend Felicia binged 70+ episodes. 00:21:00 Julie: “I’ve had 108 miracles in my life.” The show features only real, known stories — no pay-to-play. 00:26:00 Both hosts work full-time jobs. GTD became the podcast’s first-ever sponsor. 00:30:00 On overcoming shame: Julie hid her addiction; Peter once thought recovery was for “bums under the Burnside Bridge.” 00:32:00 Julie credits two male guests for helping her heal from trauma she held until age 55. Former guest Ebony is now on a full scholarship to Portland State University. 00:41:00 Year three preview: peer services round table, cancer recovery episode with Doyle Smith, new guests including Mordecai from True Colors Recovery. 00:43:00 Julie’s sponsor told her she’s his favorite person — the first time in her life she’d heard it unconditionally. 00:47:00 The mission: be “one voice for all recovery” — amplifying every resource, every organization, every path. 00:49:00 Oregon Humanities Grant (Fred Meyer-funded) submitted; decision expected June. Third year at Oregon Recovers Walk and GTD 5K coming in September. 00:51:00 Gratitude to guests, home groups, Lunch Bunch / Extended Family AA, and number one fan Leanne. Leave a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Featured Quote “I don’t know how many people can say they know a miracle or have had a miracle in their life. I know 108 of them. I’ve had 108 miracles in my life. These people probably shouldn’t have made it, didn’t know they could have — and they did.” — Julie P. Lewis Websites Discussed GTD – Go the Distance Skyler Ray 4D Recovery True Colors Recovery Another Chance Recovery Oregon Recovers Painted Horse Recovery Lunch Bunch / Extended Family AA Online Portland State University Real Recovery Podcast Listen & Connect ▶ Listen to Episode 110 📝 Read the Blog Post 💌 Subscribe to Newsletter Hashtags & Mentions #RealRecoveryPodcast #Recovery #Sobriety #RecoveryPodcast #AddictionRecovery #SoberLife #RecoveryCommunity #MentalHealth #Hope #Podcast #PeerSupport #WeDoRecover #Oregon #Portland @RealRecoveryPodcast @GTDGoTheDistance @SkylerRayMusic @4DRecovery @TrueColorsRecovery @OregonRecovers Real Recovery Podcast Inc. — 501(c)(3) Nonprofit — EIN: 99-1347297 www.realrecoverypodcast.com

    51 min

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Ratings & Reviews

4.5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

Real Recovery Podcast Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN: 99-1347297) that empowers, enlightens, and inspires those on their recovery journey by sharing authentic stories, practical advice, and community insights. We create a safe and engaging platform for individuals to find solace, strength, and solidarity. Our podcast demystifies the recovery process, celebrates progress, and fosters belonging among listeners. By amplifying diverse voices within the recovery community, Real Recovery aims to be a beacon of hope.