Recovery Talks: The Podcast

 What happens when nobody wants you around. When you’re ‘unemployable’. When you’ve burned every bridge.  At an early age, Clyde Hensley already knew that with the obstacle of a speech-impediment, a beer or two could temporarily help him to overcome it, to feel ‘cool’.  But by 2009, through multiple job losses and numerous stints in bands, nobody wanted him around.  What happens when you realize that you’ve hit rock bottom? When you’re ‘unemployable’? When you’ve burned every bridge?

 In this episode, Clyde confesses to Marc a life pock-marked by repeat-offenses, blown opportunities, and, in his words, ‘a special kind of drunk who can even be kicked out of Haven!’ But it wasn’t until he was rescued, literally, from certain death, courtesy of both a passing train and a passing stranger, that Clyde turned a corner with the help of the Salvation Army to regain control of both his musical career and his life.

 

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‘Grief’ is transformational on a variety of levels.  Helping others through their time of grief within the scope of an occupation compared to experiencing grief, personally, can be two completely different scenarios. But can one lean on the other? In this final installment of this 4-part series, Marc introduces us to bereavement coordinator Jodee Coulter.  Discover how ‘change’ forms the embryo of grief and why, according to Jodee, grief can sometimes resemble a plate of spaghetti. Marc and Jodee also talk at length about the art of ‘asking for help’, and why something seemingly as simple as a song-lyric can be a catalyst for finding the next chapter in the transformation.

 

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It’s a dichotomy and an irony: When Zach Friedhoff’s mother passed away, that event provoked a kind of a mental pirouette, one that, in his words, ‘caused a spinning that he hoped would stop’. And yet, as he and Marc discover in this third installment of a four-part series on ‘grief’, the world continues to spin.  And life continues to move on.

 

In this journey, Zach discusses the importance of how nature and the outdoors allowed him to begin to make progress.  And, more deeply, he shares with Marc how the concept of gratitude enabled him to begin a recovery-process that set him on the path of healing. It’s a powerful episode that helps teach us all about how the ‘grief-spinning’ propels us into that space between being broken and experiencing gratefulness.

 

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In this second installment of a 4-part series on 'grief,' host Marc Lee Shannon introduces us to his close friend, Terry Weaver. Terry recounts her 'magical' relationship with her husband, Jeff, and how a sudden lung cancer diagnosis sent shockwaves through her world and culminated in his death, after a short hospice stay. 

A shock to the system. Energy sapped. The loss of a spouse demands a different road to recovery.

Marc and Terry discuss the propensity for 'America not allowing us to talk about grief.' Terry also looks back on 'opening the window' to allow the grief process to occur. It was a conscious decision for her to look up into the light and move forward and utilize the help available, to start a new volume that would propel her towards a deeper understanding of the recovery journey in the aftermath of loss. 

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As a photographer, telling the story of a cancer patient’s journey would be difficult enough. But what if the patient was also your wife?

 

In the initial offering of this season’s 4-part recovery series on ‘grief,’ Marc goes in-depth with his friend, Angelo Merendino, as they explore the grieving process involving the 10th anniversary of the death of his wife, Jen. The photographer explores the reasoning behind his breathtaking photo documentary, “The Battle We Didn’t Choose.” They also discuss how others urged him to chronicle Jen’s breast cancer story. And, finally, how preparing a TED talk enabled him to confront, head-on, a recovery journey like no other.

 

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Seasoned touring music-technician Abbey Wright is an anomaly: she has a keen sense of gratitude for COVID-19 and what it brought to her life. Marc explores Abbey’s recovery journey, in this poignant episode, and the addictions that nearly shut her body down. During a sudden glimpse of surrender, Abbey shares that sacred moment when a simple text message sent to her mother allowed her to admit that she was powerless and finally needed help.

 

“You either break down or you break through.” Abbey discusses the importance of keeping her dream intact, her need to change the mantra inside of herself, and how the isolation of a pandemic moved her towards the gift of a sober lifestyle.

 

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Emily Beers didn’t get in to this because she is a recovering addict, and she didn’t learn about it out of a book.  As the Program Administrator for Oriana House, it was a hole in her that made her yearn to help.  In this episode, Marc and Emily give a gripping, intensely insightful journey into the day-to-day existence of those in recovery who arrive at Oriana House, why they need to be there, and what it is that Emily and her staff provide for them. Listen why ‘catch-and-release’ doesn’t work, why Emily feels that everyone is a ‘snowflake’, and why those in recovery are ultimately in the driver’s seat.

 

“I accepted the fact that I was going to die before I was 40.”

 

Tower of Power founder and saxophonist Emilio Castillo was diving down into a deep hole. But it wasn’t until he walked into a 12-step meeting that he finally decided to turn the ship around and head into a new direction.

 

In this episode, Marc talks extensively with Emilio about his ‘drive to live’. As you’ll discover, not everyone in the recovery-journey feels suicidal or is knee-deep in self-loathing.  Some, like Emilio, know what they want. They simply don’t know how to get there. And the cry of help can also be a cry for guidance.

 

“Go with the winners. Follow the example of those who are making it and do what they do”. Both Marc and Emilio share their experiences with this critical mantra, a mission-statement for lantern-holders who are finding success. It’s vital, actionable info that everyone in recovery can benefit from, courtesy of this genuine and down-to-earth episode.

Coins in our pockets. What if the years of our life were a representation of those jangles and jingles in our pouches, and each day symbolized the spending of those coins. How many do we have? Is our change purse full?  

 

In Episode 1 of this new season, Marc kicks things off 'solo' with his reflections and a microphone, doing a deep-dive in that space between past and future. How are we spending that finite amount of coins here in the present? Is anyone or anything in your life stealing those coins from you? And if you’re down to the last few, what changes are you making to ensure that you’re getting the most out of this remaining time? 

 

For what if today was your expiration date? What one thing would you have wished for in your life?

Aside from ‘how does it sound’ and ‘did we have cool guests’ and should we change the theme music’ and all of the questions that we ask ourselves, the primary question is: did we help anyone?  As Season Two of ‘Recovery Talks: The Podcast’ comes to a close, Marc gathers the other primary ‘movers and shakers’ who operate behind the scenes of this production as 'guests' for this season finale. He solicits input from the folks who help put it all together, to get their views on the season’s highlights, where improvements can be made, what might be in store for Season Three, and, most importantly, to help him answer the essential question about the mission of this podcast: did we manage to help anyone?