I release about 50 episodes of Hopestream every year, and every year there are a few conversations that just stick.  Months later I’ll find myself reflecting on how a specific story or perspective has the potential to change the way we think and act as parents of kids working toward recovery.  I think of these important moments as this year's “golden nuggets.” So at the end of every year, I share these nuggets in an episode packed with some of my favorite bits of wisdom, and we’ve got great...

Friend, we made it to the end of 2023. This is my final solo episode of the year and after much thought and debate, I decided to share a gift I'd like to give you, some words of hope and strength for wherever you are in The Journey. This short episode is one you can save and play when things get tough, and I encourage you to share it with someone you know who's also going through difficulties - not just parenting challenges. Looking forward to another year of connection, hope, and healing...

Parents trying to navigate treatment with their kids are already pushed to their mental and emotional limits. When you're in it, you're so overwhelmed that it's hard to think about something as frustrating and time-consuming as insurance. But my guest today reminds us the earlier you get started and the more thorough your documentation, the more likely you are to receive coverage for the resources and services your child needs. I contacted Mark DeBofsky before I even finished reading the...

On today's coaching episode, we welcome our first dad from our community for dads, The Woods. As a father, Brad has some great things going for him. He still has a meaningful connection of supportive parenting with his ex-wife, who first introduced him to the podcast, and he’s a member of The Woods, our community for dads, which means he’s not doing this alone. His 18-year-old son is in a good place as well, currently residing in a sober living community after attending wilderness therapy and...

So many kids who turn to substances are brilliant. Often that brilliance gets wielded in a variety of unhealthy ways and can wreck the power balance of an entire household. Perhaps you've felt telltale signs like being held hostage with gaslighting and emotional blackmail. Perhaps you woke up one day to realize you've been walking on eggshells, allowing your child to control the interactions in your own house for months. My guest today says that there are ways to right the ship, stop...

Long before Olivia became a single parent, she was forced to face her own trauma. The heartbreaking challenges she's faced since then have piled an incredible amount of stress onto an already complex life. The difficult journey for Olivia's son began with his father's brain injury and substance misuse, leading to a messy divorce that would have been difficult for any child. Working full-time as a single parent, Olivia has faced her son's depression, took the blame for the divorce, and dealt...

When Julie Merberg returned home from a work trip to find a scale and a pile of baggies on the table, she knew her son's involvement with substances was getting out of control. In the early days of the Hopestream Community, not many people showed up to the group calls I offered to members. Julie and I were the only people who showed up the day I met her, but connecting with her one-on-one in the depths of her crisis was an incredible blessing for me and the entire community. Foreshadowing...

The experience of coming out as an LGBTQ+ youth varies wildly across the country and world. In some families and communities, it’s celebrated. In others, condemned. But my guest on this episode of Hopestream says that we often forget about the “coming in” process needed for parents and families of those youth. Matt Seelos has worked in the mental health field for 20 years. He’s currently a primary therapist at Elevations Residential Treatment Center in Utah, where he administers an alphabet...

Navigating life with a young person who’s misusing substances and struggling with mental health can feel like a ride in a very stormy sea. Parents need to be well equipped for the journey but often aren’t sure what the mandatory, life-saving provisions are to bring along.  In this episode, Cathy Cioth, Hopestream Community co-founder, joins me to share our top six recommended provisions for parents. We identify the items we wish we’d had in our lifeboat when we started our expedition so you...

When Ann Batchelder discovered her daughter’s suicidal thoughts, bulimia and substance misuse, she desperately sought wisdom in the places many of us do: therapy, 12-step programs, and Buddhist teachings.  But the ancient Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone gave her the greatest solace and understanding of parenting a wayward child. As Ann “did the work” to preserve mindfulness and realism about what she could control, she also began writing about her family's experiences. Now, a decade...

The time period of recovery between a treatment program and responsible, independent living is an incredibly tricky one to navigate. My guest today says this is especially true in New York City, where marijuana smoke drifts down streets lined with thousands of alluring bars. After her son’s overdose death in 2014, Eve Goldberg founded BigVision, a recovery peer community in NYC that provides a social club of sober young people looking to separate themselves from temptations that permeate...

For parents who are on a roller coaster ride with their kids who misuse drugs and alcohol and struggle with mental health, recovery can sometimes feel like an elusive dream.  ⁠ So, after 187 episodes where I've talked with experts, people in recovery, parents, siblings, and my son who's in recovery, I wanted to distill down 10 of the top eye-opening recovery insights I've gathered on this journey. ⁠I also share related episodes for these so you can dive deeper into the ones that resonate...

Among the red rock cliffs of Sedona, a group of young adults sit together in the Arizona sun, meditating with their roshi - a master instructor in zen tradition. Many of the students have already been through wilderness therapy or other recovery programs. They reside at nearby Red Mountain Sedona, an independent living program where they’re learning how to integrate, alongside more traditional therapies, mindfulness practices to create a healthy, productive, and sustainable substance-free...

Recovery Golden Nuggets episode. I’m sharing a curated collection of some of my favorite interview clips with people in recovery to celebrate National Recovery Month.  All of these guests have been to the darkest places –  jail, suicide attempts, overdoses. And yet, all have completely changed their lives, with several now working to help others in the field of recovery. Their direct, personal experience with addiction gives them insight and perspective that can’t be found without it. The...

For years, listeners of Hopestream have heard stories about my own family’s experiences with substance misuse and recovery. Today, after 184 episodes, I’m thrilled to finally introduce you to my son, Enzo.  I’m inspired by how he’s built a meaningful life free of substance misuse and for the time and energy he now dedicates to helping kids struggling with their own path to recovery. This is a conversation between two people who did (mostly) everything wrong but now spend our lives trying to...

I’ve been reminded of something over the past few months: Stories of hope are all around us, even if we don’t hear them. Just last week, I got to speak to my coworker from a former life, Steve Andrews, whose son had a frightening brush with death during the throes of his substance abuse. Both Steve and his son are now living fulfilling lives, and Steve himself has become the caretaker of our men’s community, The Woods. Since then, I was also contacted by today’s guest, Matt Elliott, a client...

Today, I have the privilege of introducing the new host of The Woods, our community specifically for dads, stepdads, and male co-parents. After Steve Andrews and his wife got sober through Alcoholics Anonymous as a young couple, their sons never saw them drink or use substances. They warned their kids of the alcoholism and mental health issues on both sides of the family, but when one of them began misusing DXM, Kratom, alcohol, and marijuana in middle school, the couple found themselves in...

When you have a complex child, all your conversations and relationships might feel more strained. If you're like me, you sometimes find yourself at a complete loss for words and struggle with how to diffuse or launch your communication in a helpful and productive way. If this sounds like you, you're in luck as I'm sharing ten very simple and highly effective phrases you can use when you're stuck for words or your words aren't currently working. And to make it even easier, there's a PDF in...

Sometimes you can gain a different understanding of things by looking at them through a new lens. Today's bite-size episode does that for you as the parent of a young person who struggle with substances - in the form of a short story. You'll hear about a restaurant owner and her strange, secret menu. And for those who eat from it, it can provide benefits and gifts not available anywhere else. It's one you may want to single-task for to absorb the full meaning. Created with love and...

Every once in a while, I have the opportunity to speak with parents whose experiences are a perfect case study of why Hopestream Community exists. This episode with Eleanor and Dave is one of those conversations – especially for those of you with kids who are young adults living outside the home. Eleanor and Dave raised their two children in Silicon Valley, where they had a nice house, a beautiful community, and access to California's best schools. But as many parents recognize, economic...

In this coaching episode we reconnect with Stream member Alice who I spoke to 18 months ago, when her son was in the worst of his substance misuse. And what incredible growth and development her family has seen since then!   After wilderness and a therapeutic boarding school, Alice’s son is now an 18-year-old holding down a heavy load including work, volunteering and school in sober living. But the everyday things that Alice used to do for him at home – laundry, groceries, appointments,...

Today we tackle the difficult topic of shame and how it can affect our entire families.  As parents of kids who are misusing drugs or alcohol, it’s common to experience a profound sense of failure or guilt when their lives begin to spin out of control. And as today’s guest says, “How could you not?”  For many of us, it can seem like our kids are entirely different than the people we raised.  As a substance use disorder progresses, they may engage in ugly behaviors like lying, cheating, or...

When I heard today’s guest on another (seemingly unrelated) podcast, I immediately wanted to bring his wisdom and perspective to the listeners of Hopestream.  After years of stimulant and other substance abuse, Adam Sud tried to take his own life with an overdose - which thankfully failed. In the decade that followed that pivotal event, he became a behavioral wellness nutrition expert, international speaker, and the founder and CEO of a nonprofit that studies how nutrition impacts mental...

Shorty episode alert 💫⁠ ⁠ Today I'm taking a break from talking about addiction, substances, mental health, all.the.things. ⁠ ⁠ Instead, I'm sharing six decisions you get to make as a parent that can help better your life when you have a child struggling with substances or finding their way to recovery.⁠ ⁠ It's a quicky that will give you a few things to consider if you feel a bit untethered or like life is controlling you vs. the other way around.⁠ The podcast is now part of a nonprofit...

On several occasions, Hopestream has hosted conversations about the complex intersection of substance use and other issues like anxiety, trauma, and ADD.  But there’s one convergence we haven’t yet discussed: substance use, addiction, and autism.  After searching for a trustworthy specialist, we're finally covering this topic today with neuropsychologist Dr. Brandon Park, Founder and Executive Director of New Focus Academy. In this episode, Dr. Park explains why kids with autism can find...