115 episodes
Let The Journey Begin Hilary Roberts & Jason Wahler
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- Education
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5.0 • 47 Ratings
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On Let The Journey Begin, we want to provide a safe and comfortable environment to have an uncomfortable conversation. Singer-songwriter Hilary Roberts as well as actor and TV personality Jason Wahler are here to show that the disease of addiction does not discriminate. We will bring on guests from all walks of life to hear their stories, trials, and tribulations that they have faced or are facing. By looking at their journey, we hope to provide our audience with relatable content that may offer a different perspective or even a solution. Our goal is to help people heal from the darkness of their past.
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#116 - Headspace with Chad Towersey
This week, Jason and Alex are joined by local Orange County personality, Chad Towersey. Chad grew up in a very nice Newport Beach household with all sorts of sports aspirations, including baseball, golf, and surfing. Even with things seemingly as good as they could get for a young teenager, Chad describes how his first sip of alcohol, almost as if magic, soothed a deep-rooted feeling of anger inside him that he had always had. He believes he was already suffering from untreated alcoholism from the get-go and things only intensified as he got older and made his way into college. Today, with over two years of sobriety, Chad explains how he was spiritually bankrupt in his time battling addiction and how he feels more genuinely connected to those around him now that he is sober. He talks about how even though relapse is a part of his story, doing the same daily self-care things have proven to be a recipe for success and how striving for progress rather than perfection is key to his recovery. Additionally, Chad mentions that there will always be ups and downs in sobriety but that those are far better than being in and out of sobriety. Finally, Chad stresses that recovery is never something you have to do alone and how simply reaching out for help can change your life for the better.
Instagram: @ocinstanews
For more information on the Red Songbird Foundation, please visit:
redsongbird.org
If you are interested in donating to the Red Songbird Foundation, please visit:
redsongbird.org/donate
Follow us on Instagram at: @redsongbirdfoundation
New episode every Thursday!
Check us out on YouTube every Friday! Let The Journey Begin Podcast
Please subscribe, rate, and review!
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. -
#115 - Quest For More with Diana Beals (Part 2)
Celebrating her eight-year sobriety anniversary, Diana Beals returns with Jason and Alex to conclude the story of her recovery transformation. In this week’s episode, Diana discusses how at the beginning of her sobriety journey, she wrestled with the idea that she was truly powerless, which she believes is one of the main reasons why it took so long for sobriety to stick and why she ultimately passed through so many different treatment centers. Diana has always admired organizations and their traditions, and she tells the story of how a simple sobriety birthday candle would end up being a big turning point in her recovery. The group also discusses how negative influences can affect the progress of one’s treatment journey. Diana believes addicts have a difficult time getting rid of their negative peer groups because there are many life and death situations in the depths of addiction, and these negative people, for better or for worse, are always there when death is avoided. Finally, after eight years of sobriety, the key for Diana’s recovery has always been a combination of meditation and acting in a way that makes you proud to be yourself. She explains how this mantra created a snowball effect of good in her life. Today, Diana puts her own experiences to use working as the Director of Operations for Catalyst Recovery, which specializes and is the only Joint Commission accredited provider that brings all the needs of treatment to clients in the comfort and convenience of their own home.
catalystrecovery.com
Instagram: @catalystrecovery
Twitter: @CatalystRecover
Facebook: @Catalystrecovery
For more information on the Red Songbird Foundation, please visit:
redsongbird.org
If you are interested in donating to the Red Songbird Foundation, please visit:
redsongbird.org/donate
Follow us on Instagram at: @redsongbirdfoundation
New episode every Thursday!
Check us out on YouTube every Friday! Let The Journey Begin Podcast
Please subscribe, rate, and review!
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. -
#114 - Quest For More with Diana Beals (Part 1)
Jason and Alex are pleased to be joined this week by Director of Operations for Catalyst Recovery, Diana Beals. From an early age, Diana always described herself as a thrill-seeker. She would jump her bike off an unfinished deck in her backyard as a young girl because the feeling of inner peace she achieved was something she would continually strive for. She believes that this was an early indicator that the addict gene was in her all along…it was just waiting to be kindled. She eventually was introduced to hard drugs by an unlikely source, and it was only a matter of time before she dove headfirst into addiction. Diana discusses the circumstances that led to her first experience with hard drugs and how long after it took for her to become dependent on the substance. She talks about how she has never blamed the person who first introduced her to hard drugs because she believes it was her own mindset that led her to those circumstances. Furthermore, Diana talks about her parents’ reaction to the situation/her addiction and how early childhood trauma may have played a part in her struggles down the road.
Next week, in Part 2, Diana talks about her experience going through a plethora of different treatment centers, how she was finally able to make a lasting change, and what has been most effective in helping her maintain long-term.
catalystrecovery.com
Instagram: @catalystrecovery
Twitter: @CatalystRecover
Facebook: @Catalystrecovery
For more information on the Red Songbird Foundation, please visit:
redsongbird.org
If you are interested in donating to the Red Songbird Foundation, please visit:
redsongbird.org/donate
Follow us on Instagram at: @redsongbirdfoundation
New episode every Thursday!
Check us out on YouTube every Friday! Let The Journey Begin Podcast
Please subscribe, rate, and review!
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. -
#113 - Decision Making with Dr. Alan Barnard
This week, Alex Meschi and Jaana Woodbury are joined by speaker, entrepreneur, app developer, author, and CEO of Goldratt Research Labs, Dr. Alan Barnard. From an early age, Dr. Barnard was always fascinated by human decision making. He would wonder what would influence individuals to make the decisions they did and why many good people made bad decisions. He has since dedicated his work to the study of behavioral psychology and decision science to hopefully find an answer to these questions. He discusses with Alex and Jaana the idea of positive/negative responses in accordance with life events and explains why reacting rather than responding to a situation may not render the best results. Additionally, he explains how his research in decision making can also be applied to addiction treatment. He asserts that addicts are good people by nature in that they have identified a problem within themselves or something they are suffering from, but their decision making has simply resulted in them choosing a negative coping mechanism to deal with the root complication. Finally, Dr. Barnard talks about how overcomplicating addiction treatment by adding more and more steps in some instances can ultimately increase failure rates and produce negative results.
You can find Dr. Barnard and his work at the following:
dralanbarnard.com
goldrattresearchlabs.com
YouTube: DrAlanBarnard
Harmony Decision Maker App:
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For more information on the Red Songbird Foundation, please visit:
redsongbird.org
If you are interested in donating to the Red Songbird Foundation, please visit:
redsongbird.org/donate
Follow us on Instagram at: @redsongbirdfoundation
New episode every Thursday!
Check us out on YouTube every Friday! Let The Journey Begin Podcast
Please subscribe, rate, and review!
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. -
#112 - The Gift and The Secret with Veronica Valli
This week, Veronica Valli: author, recovery coach, and host of the Soberful Podcast, celebrating her 22nd year of sobriety, joins Alex Meschi and Jaana Woodbury. Veronica was introduced to alcohol and drugs at an early age. She discovered substances seemingly went hand in hand with a few other things she adored: partying, dancing, and going to nightclubs. Things began taking a dark turn, however, when she found herself hospitalized after a bad hallucinogenic experience and compromising her integrity and dignity while under the influence. All the while, Veronica was completely bought into the idea that she could not enjoy herself without alcohol. Life continued to evolve into a constant state of fear; fear she was not good enough, fear she was not lovable, fear of what people thought of her, and she was desperate to put an end to these feelings. Finally, after visiting with nearly every specialist under the sun, she pinpointed that alcohol was the root of all her problems, and she hasn’t looked back since. Veronica talks about how, in her first year without alcohol, she built a habit of sobriety that would stick with her the rest of her life. She also talks about how, for her, sobriety has not been difficult, being an alcoholic was. She goes on to explain how there are four specific things people with an alcohol problem do: they drink, they think about drinking, they think about not drinking, and they recover. All these things take up bandwidth in one’s mind and an individual can spend their whole life fixated on this one problem, missing all the important moments that come along the way. She also discusses how the life experiences she thought were being enhanced by substances have become even more meaningful in a clear state of mind. After 22 years of sobriety, Veronica says that life does not get any better than what is right now for her, and she credits the early habits she adopted to get her where she is today.
You can find Veronica and all her work at the following:
veronicavalli.com
soberful.com
Instagram: @veronicajvalli
Her book: Soberful: Uncover a Sustainable, Fulfilling Life Free of Alcohol
Her Podcast: Soberful
For more information on the Red Songbird Foundation, please visit:
redsongbird.org
If you are interested in donating to the Red Songbird Foundation, please visit:
redsongbird.org/donate
Follow us on Instagram at: @redsongbirdfoundation
New episode every Thursday!
Check us out on YouTube every Friday! Let The Journey Begin Podcast
Please subscribe, rate, and review!
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. -
#111 - Fork In The Road with Cade Saurage (Part 2)
This week, Hilary and Jaana conclude their conversation with Ocean Recovery CEO, Cade Saurage. The previous week we left off with Cade describing the moment he finally surrendered, and we pick back up this week as he describes how things went from there. Both Cade and his then-wife were battling addiction, going through treatment at the same time, and raising kids amid their struggles. With over 15 years of sobriety under his belt now, he discusses the differences between short-term and long-term sobriety and how much his routine has changed over the years. For Cade, having a relationship with God and mentoring others who are in the same position he once was in are the key components to maintaining his recovery today. He also talks about how important self-care and particularly therapy have been in continuing his path of sobriety. Finally, honesty has been a huge piece in transforming himself, so Cade suggests to anybody keeping something inside to reach out to that particular someone and get whatever it is off their chest.
oceanrecovery.com
For more information on the Red Songbird Foundation, please visit:
redsongbird.org
If you are interested in donating to the Red Songbird Foundation, please visit:
redsongbird.org/donate
Follow us on Instagram at: @redsongbirdfoundation
New episode every Thursday!
Check us out on YouTube every Friday! Let The Journey Begin Podcast
Please subscribe, rate, and review!
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Customer Reviews
Moving & Inspirational
Thank you for doing what you do & for the wide range of guests you bring on, & encourage to open up, getting raw, emotional, and genuine. A valid reminder that everyone should seek the help they need & there is no shame in that.
Great stuff! Raw and real!
Not only is this helpful for those addicted or in recovery but those who have loved ones in their life who have struggled or are currently struggling. We need to get to this raw level of open conversation and I applaud you both for having the courage to do so. I have not battled addiction but the love of my life has and this opens my mind to see just how hard this disease can be and also how there is so much hope. Thank you for providing this platform for me and others. This is great work and you should both be proud!!
Great Podcast
Very informative!!