Outside Issues

Patrick Newman and Audrey Comber

A Seattle-based social worker and an LA-based creative navigate their personal recoveries from drugs and alcohol, domestic violence and mental disorders amidst encroaching political turmoil and social decay. Hosts Audrey Comber and Patrick Newman attempt to bridge the divide between recovery and world events, recognizing that we live in a society and these dynamics feed each other. Guests from the world of politics and organizing, psychology and 12-step recovery, disability activism and more will supplement an ongoing conversation between two friends seeking to heal the world as they heal themselves. In a time when the environment, democracy and vulnerable populations are under siege, Outside Issues offers education and solidarity across class and identity lines, advocating for the dignity and value of every person. Main show theme is “Strangers” by Midnight Prisms Music and lyrics by Alicia Beck Music and production by Max Foreman Mastering by Little Castle Sound Please follow and listen to Midnight Prisms on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/artist/3o5jiLSZMoSXNWL98UBxYI?si=sK-K7IoUSp-QfFKgUwVY7A Logo art by Graffiti F***s (@graffitifucks on Instagram)

  1. Highest & Best Good

    30 MAR

    Highest & Best Good

    Audrey welcomes another wounded healer to Outside Issues: spiritual advisor Matthew Blankinship, who helps professionals and peers get stronger in their 11th Step. To become an expert in any field, Matthew believes ten years and ten thousand hours are required, to graduate from “digging the ditches to building the high rise.” After a traumatic brain injury, paralyzed muscles and Vegas nerve severance (among other injuries), Matthew dedicated his life to healing at age 33, beginning his life anew. Divine wisdom - which aided Matthew in his own recovery as it helps Audrey recover from trauma and grief - is something with only light in it. It works for everyone. Our highest and best goods project outward to people and the planet. Politics at their best, can be an extension of this. Mental health care and a spiritual practice give us the tools to keep ourselves in check so we can then help others. Follow Matthew on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mattblankinship Opening clip by Brad Dourif and David Milch Main show theme is “Strangers” by Midnight Prisms Music and lyrics by Alicia Beck Music and production by Max Foreman Mastering by Little Castle Sound Please follow and listen to Midnight Prisms on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/artist/3o5jiLSZMoSXNWL98UBxYI?si=sK-K7IoUSp-QfFKgUwVY7A Main logo art by Patrick Mitchell and Angelina Harvey (@graffitifucks on Instagram) Chapters (00:00:01) - Outside Issues: The Future of Protest(00:00:56) - The No Kings Protest(00:03:30) - What Happened to My Brain at 33(00:10:18) - "You Just Look Good!"(00:10:43) - In the Heart of a Healer(00:12:10) - Audrey on Her Highest and Best Good(00:16:11) - I gave up hope for my life(00:23:28) - In the Elevator With Divine Wisdom(00:28:08) - Matthew on Working With Audrey's Recovery

    33 min
  2. A New Romanticism

    25 FEB

    A New Romanticism

    Filmmaker and humanist Anna K. Scanlon joins the pod to talk about her recovery from hopelessness, which has led to a great period of creative synthesis culminating in “Toss Up,” her recently-completed film inspired by a career working on political campaigns. Anna's recovery came from a lot of places, notably a nudist resort in Mexico where she found herself after Bernie’s 2020 campaign hit the rocks. With her inspiration she pairs a capacity for forming strategies and executing plans. Moreover, her recovery’s focus on “romanticism rather than reason”, on love instead of anger, has given her a new lease on life.  Anna’s Substack: https://substack.com/@rockfoils “25 Propositions about the New Romanticism” by Ted Gioia: https://substack.com/home/post/p-184683172 Opening clip by Wagner Moura via ACLU “You read something which you thought only happened to you, and you discover that it happened 100 years ago to Dostoyevsky. This is a very great liberation for the suffering, struggling person, who always thinks that he is alone. This is why art is important.” ― James Baldwin, Conversations with James Baldwin Main show theme is “Strangers” by Midnight Prisms Music and lyrics by Alicia Beck Music and production by Max Foreman Mastering by Little Castle Sound Please follow and listen to Midnight Prisms on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/artist/3o5jiLSZMoSXNWL98UBxYI?si=sK-K7IoUSp-QfFKgUwVY7A Main logo art by Patrick Mitchell and Angelina Harvey (@graffitifucks on Instagram) Chapters (00:00:00) - Outside Issues: The Politics of Art(00:01:24) - Anna on Political Obsession and Mental Health(00:09:55) - Your Thoughts on Love and Reason(00:15:28) - Vaping Is Causing Cardiac Problems(00:16:35) - How to Get Back From Suicidal Ideation(00:20:39) - How Did Your Political Fever Affect Your Recovery?(00:28:04) - "Bipolar 2 Is Real"(00:29:06) - Audrey on Death and Aging(00:33:32) - You're In The Film 'Toss Up'(00:36:55) - In the Elevator With Patrick Flanery(00:41:07) - On 2020 and the Future

    43 min
  3. Hold the Land, Protect the Village

    11 FEB

    Hold the Land, Protect the Village

    Audrey and Patrick welcome Minneapolis native and clinician Brian Dyke to talk about community responses to state violence. The joy in working with recovering people in these tough times can be found through helping them discover their inherent sense of individuality. Looking towards the future and continued ICE occupation in Minneapolis and other American cities, we must remember: these things will only continue to happen as long as they’re allowed to happen. Opening clip and quote by Ilhan Omar, U.S. Representative for Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District U.S. Citizens Testify About DHS/ICE’s Use of Violent Force: https://www.youtube.com/live/UagENT1CAP0?si=D2_DhzlAA7Mgvn5Y The Paramilitary ICE and CBP Units at the Center of Minnesota's Killings: https://www.wired.com/story/ice-cbp-srt-bortac-units-immigration-operations/?utm_brand=wired&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=aud-dev&fbclid=IwY2xjawP048NleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeR8OQvx5qLqSWcxMLq9EARy9T9RjzUAlf3hE3z65GFLQVJuMvmX6ySK-Nrn8_aem_jFvtTipjPFexdNQl4BdOJA The Execution of Alex Pretti Broke Me: https://youtu.be/nDEAWxG7Bq8?si=uKTHrze3yEn-vRMP Main show theme is “Strangers” by Midnight Prisms Music and lyrics by Alicia Beck Music and production by Max Foreman Mastering by Little Castle Sound Please follow and listen to Midnight Prisms on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/artist/3o5jiLSZMoSXNWL98UBxYI?si=sK-K7IoUSp-QfFKgUwVY7A Main logo art by Patrick Mitchell and Angelina Harvey (@graffitifucks on Instagram) Chapters (00:00:00) - ICE's violent occupation of American cities(00:00:44) - Protesters Throw Dildos at Law Enforcement(00:06:00) - Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges on ICE infiltration(00:09:03) - Social Workers on the City's Emotional Weight(00:13:03) - Minnesota doctor on the treatment business(00:14:58) - Medicaid cuts in Washington state(00:19:24) - Tom Brokaw on 12 Step Practice(00:23:09) - Clinical psychologists talk about the politics of their patients(00:31:23) - Minnesota resident on ICE's response to North Minneapolis shooting(00:34:42) - The Need for Self-Care

    36 min
  4. Unmitigated Caucacity

    20 ENE

    Unmitigated Caucacity

    Every member of the Trump administration is an abuser. Audrey and Patrick discuss Trump’s execution of Stephen Miller’s vision in American cities but most recently in Minneapolis with the murder of Renee Good. Today we mull our new reality of a President not just waging war abroad but on his domestic population, with misogyny and white supremacy at the tip of the spear. Opening clip and quote by Chase Iron Eyes of Ogala Sioux https://www.fox9.com/news/oglala-sioux-leaders-seek-missing-members-detained-ice-minneapolis?utm_source=chatgpt.com This Isn’t 2020: https://www.ettingermentum.news/p/this-isnt-2020 The Anti-'Abolish ICE' Crowd is Living in the Past: https://open.substack.com/pub/discourseblog/p/the-anti-abolish-ice-crowd-is-living?r=ffyqp&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Main show theme is “Strangers” by Midnight Prisms Music and lyrics by Alicia Beck Music and production by Max Foreman Mastering by Little Castle Sound Please follow and listen to Midnight Prisms on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/artist/3o5jiLSZMoSXNWL98UBxYI?si=sK-K7IoUSp-QfFKgUwVY7A Main logo art by Patrick Mitchell and Angelina Harvey (@graffitifucks on Instagram) Closing quote by Hasan Piker Chapters (00:00:00) - American Indian members held by ICE in Minnesota(00:00:45) - The Renee Goode Shooting(00:07:40) - Anticipating a Civil War with ICE in the Cities(00:17:35) - "What Am I Going to Do To Protect My Family?"(00:19:59) - Escalation and Deescalation in Healthcare(00:21:25) - What a Deescalation Would Look Like for ICE?(00:26:22) - Don't Let ICE Agents Go to Your Neighborhood

    31 min
  5. New Year's Eve

    31/12/2025

    New Year's Eve

    We share our gratitudes and resentments for the 2025 that was, preparing for the devastation of HR-1/Trump’s F*****y F**k F**k (see episode 2) that is sure to come. Audrey and Patrick welcome social worker Seth Boun to talk about some of his political advocacy, shedding light on the space where social justice and clinical work meet. In the fight for progress, in the fight for each other’s lives, sometimes we lose. Hope is a verb, as is recovery. Opening quote by Rob Reiner. Main show theme is “Strangers” by Midnight Prisms Opening quote by Greta Thunberg Music and lyrics by Alicia Beck Music and production by Max Foreman Mastering by Little Castle Sound Please follow and listen to Midnight Prisms on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/artist/3o5jiLSZMoSXNWL98UBxYI?si=sK-K7IoUSp-QfFKgUwVY7A Main logo art by Patrick Mitchell and Angelina Harvey (@graffitifucks on Instagram) Chapters (00:00:00) - Why People Do Things They Shouldn't(00:00:53) - Seth Boone on Outside Issues(00:02:03) - Social justice in mental health care(00:07:30) - I'm Not Political but Mental Health Care Is Political(00:15:22) - Talking With My Therapist About Mental Health(00:16:01) - Beyond the Need for Housing: Social Issues(00:19:03) - 2017: Trump's Homeless Executive Order(00:26:09) - Losing a Friend To Addiction(00:29:07) - On Gratitude for the Year(00:32:54) - Thanksgiving Letter: A Year in Recovery(00:36:17) - What Pissed You Off This Year?(00:39:35) - Thanksgiving 2018: What I'm Grateful For(00:45:44) - Seth on His Recovery

    48 min
  6. God, Give Them What They Need

    17/12/2025

    God, Give Them What They Need

    Dr. Jamie Marich - clinical trauma specialist, LGBTQIA+ advocate and author of Trauma and the 12 Steps - joins us as we return again to the intersection between recovery and social justice. Audrey and Jamie talk about spirituality, trauma, and the Steps. Is there such a thing as unconditional love? Is there any daylight between helplessness and powerlessness? We submit that there may be spiritual value in praying for those we resent, even Donald Trump. More about Jamie Marich: https://jamiemarich.com/meet-jamie/ Jamie’s recent Substack: “A Good Clinician is a Good Clinician: A Response to the Department of Education: https://open.substack.com/pub/jamiemarich/p/a-good-clinician-is-a-good-clinician?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer Main show theme is “Strangers” by Midnight Prisms Opening quote by Greta Thunberg Music and lyrics by Alicia Beck Music and production by Max Foreman Mastering by Little Castle Sound Please follow and listen to Midnight Prisms on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/artist/3o5jiLSZMoSXNWL98UBxYI?si=sK-K7IoUSp-QfFKgUwVY7A Main logo art by Patrick Mitchell and Angelina Harvey (@graffitifucks on Instagram) Chapters (00:00:00) - Jamie Merrick on Trauma in the 12 Steps(00:09:47) - How to Heal an Addict: Healing the Brain(00:13:35) - The 12 Steps: Healing From Religious Trauma(00:20:50) - Patrick, What's Your Take On Unconditional Love(00:23:33) - Forgive and Regret: The Resentment Prayer(00:32:33) - Has anything changed about your personal recovery practice or your work?(00:36:58) - Have You Redone the 12 Steps?

    43 min

Acerca de

A Seattle-based social worker and an LA-based creative navigate their personal recoveries from drugs and alcohol, domestic violence and mental disorders amidst encroaching political turmoil and social decay. Hosts Audrey Comber and Patrick Newman attempt to bridge the divide between recovery and world events, recognizing that we live in a society and these dynamics feed each other. Guests from the world of politics and organizing, psychology and 12-step recovery, disability activism and more will supplement an ongoing conversation between two friends seeking to heal the world as they heal themselves. In a time when the environment, democracy and vulnerable populations are under siege, Outside Issues offers education and solidarity across class and identity lines, advocating for the dignity and value of every person. Main show theme is “Strangers” by Midnight Prisms Music and lyrics by Alicia Beck Music and production by Max Foreman Mastering by Little Castle Sound Please follow and listen to Midnight Prisms on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/artist/3o5jiLSZMoSXNWL98UBxYI?si=sK-K7IoUSp-QfFKgUwVY7A Logo art by Graffiti F***s (@graffitifucks on Instagram)