AR-The Other side of Addiction

07/28/2025

Ep #348 “Redefining Recovery with CaliSober: A Holistic Path to Healing”

This episode of AR-The Other Side of Addiction is Sponsored by Emergo Academy. emergoacademy.com…

In today’s episode, I sit down with an inspiring guest and the founder of CaliSober Recovery, a groundbreaking program that's reshaping the way we think about healing and recovery. Far from the traditional models, CaliSober embraces a holistic wellness approach rooted in spiritual growth, plant medicine, and personal sovereignty.

We dive deep into:

🌿 The philosophy behind CaliSober and how it's offering a new path for those in recovery, especially for people who don’t resonate with the one-size-fits-all models.

🧘‍♂️ The integration of cannabis and psychedelics like mushrooms in recovery — not as escapes, but as tools for healing, self-discovery, and trauma work.

🔥 The power of spiritual exploration, whether that means God, the universe, nature, or community.

💔 How unresolved trauma and emotional pain often sit at the root of substance abuse — and what it really means to heal from the inside out.

🤝 Why community, integrity, and self-honesty are the cornerstones of sustainable growth and change.

Whether you're in recovery, curious about plant-based healing, or simply seeking new tools for emotional and spiritual growth, this episode is for you.

📌 About CaliSober Recovery:

CaliSober is more than a recovery program — it’s a movement. At its heart is a belief that recovery is personal, and everyone deserves a space to explore healing in a way that honors their truth. There are no rigid rules, only a willingness to grow and a commitment to letting go of what no longer serves the soul.

Links & Resources: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1756544381760074

Learn more about CaliSober Recovery:

Connect with today’s guest:

Join the CaliSober community: www.calisoberrecovery.com

07/14/2025

ACTIVATE YOUR LIFE

This episode of AR-The Other Side of Addiction is Sponsored by Emergo Academy. emergoacademy.com…

LADIES, YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS ONE!

What does it really mean to activate your life? On this episode of The Other Side of Addiction, we’re joined by Shaun Johnson—a 41-year-old Arizona native, athlete, and soul-led wellness advocate—who helps others align with their highest truth through health, healing, and heart-led transformation.

Shaun’s journey is one of radical resilience and deep soul work. Having walked through the fires of domestic violence, childhood trauma, betrayal, and significant health struggles, she didn’t let the darkness define her. Instead, she alchemized her pain into purpose. Her life mantra, “the mess becomes the message,” is more than words—it’s the foundation of how she now lives, loves, and leads.

In this conversation, Shaun shares how self-love, sacred partnership, and holistic wellness became the cornerstones of her healing. We explore how transformation begins with the stories we tell ourselves—and how changing that inner dialogue can spark lasting change in the body, mind, and soul.

Her mission is to help others reclaim their vitality, rewrite their narratives, and rise into the life they were always meant to live.

If you’re ready to stop merely surviving and start fully living, this episode will speak directly to your soul.

BOOK RECOMMENDATION- Gift of Fear

07/07/2025

I Wouldn't Be The Woman I Am Today, If It Wasn't For My Creator

This episode of AR-The Other Side of Addiction is Sponsored by Emergo Academy. emergoacademy.com…

In today’s soul-stirring episode of The Other Side of Addiction, we welcome a remarkable woman whose story of grit, growth, and God is nothing short of inspiring. A single mom of five beautiful children, she shares how hitting rock bottom behind bars became the launching point for a brand new life—one rooted in purpose, self-love, and unwavering faith.

Addicted at 13 and caught in a cycle of toxic relationships, she thought she had no way out—until March 3rd, 2022. That day changed everything. Not only is it her sober date, it’s also the day she surrendered to something greater than herself.

With powerful vulnerability, she talks about:

Walking away from people-pleasing and stepping into personal power

How jail saved her life and her Creator saved her soul

Rebuilding broken family relationships

Learning to set boundaries and finding healthy love

Why hitting her knees was the turning point she needed

Her testimony is a reminder that we don’t rise alone—we rise with grace, faith, and the willingness to grow through what we go through.

🔥 Key Quote:
“I am me—but stronger, wiser, compassionate, forgiving, and always willing to grow. Without my Creator, I wouldn’t be here today.”

🙏 Takeaway Message:
No matter how far you’ve fallen, there’s a hand waiting to lift you up. Healing begins the moment you stop running and start trusting.

06/30/2025

This episode of AR-The Other Side of Addiction is Sponsored by Emergo Academy. emergoacademy.com

Ep #345 Open Discussion – Love, Loss & the Road to Recovery

In this deeply honest and emotionally raw episode, we open the floor to a conversation that hits close to home for many—the pain of losing someone we love to addiction. Together with my guest, we reflect on the emotional toll, the guilt that creeps in, and the lingering questions that haunt us:

Could I have done more?

Why couldn’t I save them?

Did they know how much I loved them?

Were my boundaries not enough—or too much?

These thoughts become a relentless loop of heartbreak and helplessness. We talk about the heavy reality that even when we show up with love and support, the choices others make still belong to them. And yet... it doesn’t make the pain any easier.

We also dive into a topic that often stirs debate within the recovery world: How someone gets clean.
There’s no one-size-fits-all path to healing. Whether it's through a 12-step program, faith, therapy, medication, fitness, or something entirely personal—we believe what matters most is that it works for them. Everyone’s recovery story is their own, and we honor that.

This episode is a reminder that:

Healing comes in many forms

Grief and guilt are part of the process

And love—real love—doesn’t always come with answers, but it stays with us long after someone is gone

💬 Whether you’ve lost someone, supported someone, or are on your own journey, this conversation is for you.

06/29/2025

06/23/2025

Ep #344 Addiction Hypnosis

Addiction Hypnosis – Breaking Free from the Story in Your Head

When we think of addiction, we often picture substances, behavior, and consequences. But what if addiction goes deeper than that—into the stories we tell ourselves, and the thoughts we repeat until they become beliefs?

In this episode of The Other Side of Addiction, we explored a powerful concept: Addiction Hypnosis. The idea that our mind—left unchecked—can run the same destructive program on repeat. That’s where the cycle begins:

Thoughts → Feelings → Actions → Results

It all starts with a single thought.
“I’m not good enough.”
“I’ll never change.”
“No one loves me.”

These thoughts aren’t just words—they create emotions. And those emotions drive our choices. Before long, we’re acting on a script we didn’t even choose. That’s what we mean by hypnosis. You’re not asleep, but you’re not fully awake either. You’re stuck in a trance of past pain, shame, and patterns.

But here’s the good news:
You can wake up.
You can interrupt the cycle.
You can rewrite the story.

And it starts with love—self-love. Not the kind that’s earned or proven, but the kind that’s chosen. Every healing journey begins the moment you stop fighting yourself and start accepting who you are, right now, mess and all.

This episode is for anyone who feels caught in the loop—whether it’s addiction, shame, or just the feeling of being stuck. You’re not broken. You’re not alone. And your story isn’t over.

If you're interested in working with Dori Olds she can reached at @801-674-7329

06/16/2025

EP #343 RESILIENCE, "FINDING LIGHT IN THE DARKEST MOMENTS

Whether you're missing a limb, battling an addiction, or carrying invisible scars, one thing is certain—it takes resilience to walk through the darkness in search of the light. In this episode, I sit down with a fellow amputee who, like me, knows what it means to face life-altering challenges head-on. But this conversation goes beyond physical loss—it's about the mindset it takes to keep going when everything inside you wants to quit. We all face storms. The real question is: How do you navigate your thoughts and emotions in those moments? How do you pivot in a direction that leads to healing instead of more pain? This is for anyone who's been knocked down and needed to get back up. It's a raw, real reminder that your setbacks don’t define you—your resilience does.

Jeff Soelburg is the Author of POINTED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. You can find his book on AMAZON

This episode is sponsored by EMERGO ACADEMY / Emergoacademy.com

06/09/2025

Ep #342 Community Engagement

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MATTERS.

Giving back isn’t just a step in recovery—it’s a step toward becoming who we’re meant to be. Whether you’re walking through recovery yourself or simply someone who cares, your time and presence can change lives.
🧠 It’s not about having the perfect words.
Sometimes it’s just showing up. Listening. Helping someone feel seen.
❤️ You don’t need to be in recovery to give your time.
You just need to care enough to connect.
Because service is powerful. It keeps us grounded, reminds us what really matters, and builds bridges where isolation used to live.
🛠️ And for those in recovery—giving back keeps the fire lit. It’s how we stay humble, stay grateful, and stay strong.
So volunteer. Mentor. Lend a hand. Be someone’s reminder that they matter.
Recovery isn’t just personal—it’s relational.
And the more we pour into each other, the more we all rise.
Let’s build a community where healing is contagious.
Where support is louder than shame.
Where change is possible—because we choose to be part of it.

Real Life Mentoring By Tiffany Naccarato
Here’s a few up and coming events
Back to school supplies collecting until July 30
The Power Within Workshop EFT Tapping June 24th 6-9 Valley Fair Mall
Fire & Flow July 11th 6:30-10:30 in Riverton
Register at www.thrivewithtiff.com

06/03/2025

06/02/2025

Ep #341 "Learned Behaviors" - You Have A Choice

My Amazing Friend Joe Valentine and I discuss Learned Behaviors. This is something we're both continuing to work on. So many of us are walking through life carrying the weight of things we didn’t ask for—trauma, broken relationships, addiction, shame, guilt. Somewhere along the line, we picked up behaviors and beliefs that were rooted in survival. They helped us get through the chaos, the pain, the heartbreak. But now they’re holding us back.

Here’s the truth:
Learned behavior is not your identity.
And more importantly—you have a choice.

You can choose—right now—to stop carrying the heavy rocks of your past. Those rocks might feel familiar. It might even feel like protection. But while you're gripping it with everything you've got, you’re missing the gold nuggets that are right in front of you—peace, purpose, freedom, growth.

Too often we spend years focused on the hurt, trying to figure out why it happened, who to blame, how to fix what’s already done. But freedom comes when we decide to let go. To stop dragging the story that no longer serves us. To rewrite it.

You’re not stuck.
You’re not broken.
You’re just used to surviving.
Now it’s time to start living.

Whether your behavior was learned from trauma, addiction, rejection, or a life that seemed to have it out for you—you have the power to unlearn, to heal, and to grow. Your past may explain you, but it doesn’t define you.

Choose something different today.
Choose to let go of the rock.
The gold is waiting.

05/26/2025

Ep #340 Optimal Efficiency

My two guests Kiralei and Joe discuss Optimal Efficiency. To me, “Optimal Efficiency” isn’t just about getting things done faster or checking off more boxes. It’s about doing the right things, in the right way, with the right energy and intention. It’s alignment—where your actions match your values, your time serves your purpose, and your energy flows toward what truly matters. When we operate at optimal efficiency, we’re not just productive—we’re intentional. We recognize that rest, reflection, boundaries, and even stillness are part of that efficiency. It’s not about hustle; it’s about honest alignment between your mindset, your mission, and your method. Saying no to what distracts, so you can say yes to what heals. Letting your lived experience shape your work, so it doesn’t feel like work.
Streamlining how you show up—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually—so your impact is maximized without burning yourself out. So my take on this? Optimal Efficiency is the sweet spot where clarity, purpose, and action meet. Not perfect. Not busy. Just aligned.
(NOTE) Joe is the founder of Tug 2 Recovery in Ogden Ut. You can learn more about Tug 2 Recovery here... www.tug2recovery.org

02/24/2025

Ep #228 "Outside Perspective" Boots on The Ground

"Outside Perspective: BOOTS ON THE GROUND," featured on AR-The Other Side of Addiction. Kari Shepherd, a dedicated harm reduction advocate and Peer Support Specialist. Kari's personal journey as a woman in recovery and overdose survivor profoundly influences her transformative work in the field. Over the past four years, she has tirelessly applied her authentic perspective and professional expertise to empower individuals navigating their own paths to wellness.
Kari's role as a harm reduction advocate and Peer Support Specialist is actively involved in supporting individuals dealing with substance use challenges. Harm reduction approaches focus on minimizing the negative consequences associated with drug use, emphasizing practical strategies and compassionate support.
Peer Support Specialists like Kari play a crucial role in this field by leveraging their lived experiences to connect with and guide others on their recovery journeys. Their firsthand understanding fosters trust and relatability, making them invaluable resources for those seeking change.
Kari provides valuable insights into the realities of harm reduction work and the importance of peer support in fostering recovery. Sharing such stories helps to humanize the challenges faced by individuals struggling with substance use and highlights the impactful work being done to support them.
IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING OR DONATING ITEMS TO AN AMAZING CAUSE, CLICK THIS LINK... https://soap2hopeut.com/
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