Out of the Blue - The Podcast: Finding the Way Forward

Give up medicine, stay a junkie. A freeing thought followed by the shock of conscience changed everything for Dr. Nicole Labor. Nicole takes us inside the real mechanics of addiction and recovery, from the double life of a high-achieving medical student using drugs to the slow, steady rebuild that turned a bottom into a calling.

Together we walk through the moments most people skip: how unprocessed trauma and genetic risk ...

Christopher "Life" Willars, author of "144: Prison, Pain, and the Pathway to Freedom", discusses how he rose from a 144-year prison sentence to becoming a national voice for redemption and justice system reform. His story reveals how systems harden people, how mentors and faith can redirect a life, and why real public safety starts with real rehabilitation.

Chris brings us inside the mechanics of surviv...

A song can change a life, and sometimes it waits decades to do it. Sal Baglio, the lead vocalist and guitarist behind Boston legends The Stompers, traces his creative path shaped by family, grief, grit, and a Hollywood surprise that rewired his future.

Sal opens up about the way songs “hover” before landing, why he never writes by formula, and how honoring the mystery keeps the music honest. He shows how instinct, not industry, has ...

A man sits on a curb after three nights in the woods, ready to surrender. Then a familiar face appears and everything changes. That’s the spark that propels Rusty Nosser, “The Walking Man,” from rock bottom to a life driven by purpose, faith, and relentless motion.

We talk through the moments that shaped him: the hunting accident at 23 that left him blind in one eye, the bleeding ulcer that nearly ended his life, and a years-long fa...

A teenager gets dragged off the couch to volunteer, and a lifelong purpose begins. That’s the heartbeat of our conversation with Tom Rossignoll, a home-care physical therapist assistant with over 30 years of experience and a city councilor who leads with empathy, candor, and common sense. 

We dive into the unexpected origins of service, starting with a young Special Olympics athlete whose love for basketball flipped Tom’s view of pe...

A single moment at fifteen – an apology followed by a tragic loss – sent JJ Winston on a course that would reshape her life. We sit down with the award-winning author, licensed social worker, attorney, and post-degree magistrate to trace how one grief-forged decision became a lifelong mission: defend the voiceless, dismantle stigma, and turn hard-earned insight into fiction that heals.

Across a candid, story-rich conversat...

Cenobio Rayos II, known in the music world as "The Hare Trigga," reveals his extraordinary journey of resilience that reads like a Hollywood screenplay. Cenobio's path took him through addiction, homelessness, and profound loss before a moment of terrifying clarity changed everything. Unable to stop using even with police lights shining directly on him, he realized he'd completely lost control. "I no longer...

What happens when life knocks you down — literally — and leaves you bleeding and immobile on your kitchen floor? For Betsy Hammer, it became a profound lesson in composure, resilience, and gratitude. Betsy's fall from a stepladder could have ended tragically. Yet instead of panic, she exhibited remarkable presence of mind — reaching for her phone through sheer determination, coordinating her rescue, and even ensuring her dog&a...

Joseph Bonanno was minutes away from death the morning of September 11, 2001. As a New York City firefighter and cookbook author, he had just wrapped up filming a segment for television at Ladder 3 in Manhattan when fate intervened—a car service arrived early to take him home. The firefighters he'd just been with immediately responded to the World Trade Center attacks. None survived.

That brush with mortality transfor...

What if the anxiety, irritability, or sleepless nights you're experiencing aren't just "normal stress," but signs of trauma you're carrying? In this profound conversation with trauma expert Dr. Marti Loring, we uncover how trauma shapes our lives in ways most people never recognize.

Dr. Loring, a pioneering voice in trauma research and author of "Emotional Abuse: The Trauma and Treatment,"...

What if the universe is trying to become aware of itself through your experiences? What if your most devastating loss could become the doorway to profound transformation?

Louis Dorian's story will stop you in your tracks. After his partner's accidental opioid overdose, Louis spiraled into grief and heavy drinking. But something unexpected emerged from this darkness – insights that would transform his understandin...

When Brian Rizzo denied entry to an unstable man at a Portland strip club where he worked as a bouncer, he couldn't have known those seconds would forever divide his life into before and after. Moments later, that same man returned with a pistol and shot Brian in the head at point-blank range.

What followed defies medical explanation. Given less than a 1% chance of survival, Brian not only lived but emerged from a 31-...

What happens when you've built your identity around external validation, only to discover it's all slipping through your fingers? Ellen O'Brien, a talented singer and Berklee College of Music graduate, joins us to share her remarkable journey from unconscious living to profound self-awareness.

Ellen introduces us to her transformative concept of the "internal bowl" – a metaphorical vessel within ea...

Have you ever wondered what happens when a successful artist faces their own mortality just as their career is taking off? In this deeply moving episode, acclaimed songwriter Will Stratton takes us through his unexpected journey with testicular cancer in his early twenties—a diagnosis that arrived precisely when professional opportunities were blossoming.

Will shares the crushing moment when he had to decline an invitation...

What happens when we refuse to be defined by limitations? Meghan Johnson's story captivates from the first moment she shares her infectious laugh and wise perspective on living with cerebral palsy. This isn't just another inspirational tale—it's a masterclass in finding authentic joy through life's unexpected challenges.

Growing up as an identical twin, Meghan was fortunate to have supportive teachers a...

One ordinary Thursday in 2019, while preparing to teach a class, Kevin Carey – coordinator of creative writing at Salem State University and author of seven acclaimed books – suddenly experienced distorted vision and temporary blindness in one eye. What followed was a harrowing medical journey that nearly ended in tragedy—twice. Despite recognizing the seriousness of his symptoms, Kevin was almost sent home from two different hospi...

What happens when a routine antibiotic prescription turns your life upside down? Taylor Downs never imagined that taking Flagyl (metronidazole) would lead to a harrowing journey of neurological symptoms that would persist for years. Her story is both a warning and a testament to human resilience.

After several rounds of antibiotics failed to clear an infection in 2022, Taylor was prescribed Flagyl. Within hours of her firs...

What does it take to transform from sleeping on park benches to helping others heal? In this deeply moving episode, Anthony Brown shares his remarkable odyssey from childhood trauma through addiction and homelessness to becoming a psychiatric nurse practitioner and author of "From Park Bench to Park Avenue."

Anthony's story begins with a devastating childhood marked by poverty and witnessing his mother'...

Susan Goldberg, our inspirational guest for this episode, was living an active and productive life as a professional musician in New York City when, in the middle of a typical busy day playing piano, out of the blue, she suddenly lost the use of her left hand. Join us as Susan, a permanent resident and fixture in the vibrant music, theatre and arts scene of Provincetown, Massachusetts, tells us how she found her way forward from su...