In this episode of Show Up and Stay, host DeAnn Knighton and co-host Craig Knighton speak with Tamar Blue, founder and CEO of MentalHappy, about how technology is reshaping access to mental-health and recovery-focused support groups.

Tamar shares her personal journey and the inspiration behind building a platform designed to connect individuals with the right group and facilitator—removing barriers of geography, stigma, and safety c...

Topics: 

• Impact of Gut Health on Addiction
• Balancing Body, Mind, and Heart
• Future Directions and Stop Circuit

In this week's episode, DeAnn and Craig record a follow-up to our last episode featuring Adam Sud and the power of nutrition as a tool for sustainable recovery. They discuss the impact of diet and exercise on recovery. Craig emphasizes the importance of a balanced caloric environment, encompassing the types of foo...

Adam Sud, a behavioral wellness and nutrition expert, joins DeAnn to discuss the impact of nutrition on addiction recovery. He shares his personal journey from severe health issues and addiction to recovery through a plant-based diet, reversing diabetes and losing 150 pounds in 10 months. Adam highlights the Infinite Study, the first controlled trial on nutrition's effect on addiction recovery, which showed significant improve...

Why do achievements often leave us feeling unsatisfied?
Why does FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) persist?
Why do people do things they know will harm them? 

DeAnn and Craig Knighton discuss the role of dopamine in substance use disorder, referencing "The Molecule of More" by Lieberman and Long and "Dopamine Nation" by Dr. Anna Lembke. Dopamine, a neurotransmitter linked to pleasure and reward, play...

DeAnn and Craig speak with Joe Caravella, author of "The Disease of Addiction - A Twenty-First Century Understanding and Beyond" and a fellow Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School alum. Joe steps us through the evolution of addiction treatment, emphasizing the neurobiological aspects and the role of resilience. Joe explains addiction as a brain disease and describes the severing of communication between the prefrontal corte...

In our follow-up to our "Noble Nematode" episode, we move into part 2 of our conversation on the origins of addiction. Craig brings in Daniel Kahneman's "Thinking Fast and Slow," which differentiates between the subconscious (System 1) and conscious (System 2) mind as a framework. Craig admits to his compulsive behavior around sweets, even when he tries to resist. They explore how trauma and emotional state...

Jason Schwartz, a social worker since 1994 and Director of Social Work and Spiritual Care at a Michigan healthcare system, discussed his career at Dawn Farm and highlighted the potential of AI in addiction treatment, noting its use in training and electronic medical records.  Jason shares a troubling case study from an article in Futurism, where an AI chatbot advised a person with methamphetamine addiction to use the drug to stay a...

DeAnn and Craig discuss the potential of AI in therapy, specifically in the context of motivational interviewing (MI). They recap their previous experiment with a chatbot helping a character with alcohol consumption issues. Craig suggests using AI to practice MI, which DeAnn agrees on, given her recent research. DeAnn explains MI's principles, including empathy, rolling with resistance, and addressing ambivalence. They test th...

Luke Wendlandt joins Craig and DeAnn to discuss Cadre, a mental health platform inspired by social media, aiming to support employees' mental well-being. He highlights that 83% of employees have experienced a depressive episode in the past year. Luke shares personal stories, including missing a job opportunity, which led to a transformative role at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. He emphasizes the importance of address...

DeAnn and Craig discuss Craig's recent exploration into "A Brief History of Intelligence" by Max Bennett, which explores the evolution of intelligence and AI. Craig highlights the connection between AI advancements and our understanding of biological intelligence, using the example of the nematode worm, which has 302 neurons and exhibits simple forms of intelligence and addiction. They explore how nematodes' beh...

DeAnn Knighton and Craig Knighton, co-hosts of the Recovery Discovery Podcast, discuss their personal and professional journeys and interest in the current innovations in addiction treatment. DeAnn shares her six-year sobriety journey and her career pivot toward clinical mental health counseling. Craig talks about transitioning from engineering to an internship at Hazelden Betty Ford, focusing on addiction research. They explore th...

This is our final installment (for now) in the Sober Positive Workplace Series. 

Ben Lloyd shared his journey from an only child with a fractured family life to becoming an actor. He described his early struggles with alcohol, which began in college and intensified in New York. Lloyd's turning point came in 1992 when he met his sponsor at a recovery meeting. His sobriety led to a resurgence in his career, including roles in Phi...

DeAnn and Craig (Sober Positive Workplace) discuss the intersection of substance use disorder and suicide prevention, highlighting the work of the Livin Foundation. PT, a media personality and founder, shares his personal loss to suicide and the foundation's mission to remember loved ones for how they lived. Kaitlin, a co-founder, emphasizes the importance of peer-to-peer support and the Livin Foundation's new program to ...

DeAnn interviews Kate Vitela, a board-certified nurse coach and addiction specialist, about her journey in sobriety and career. Kate, a registered nurse for over two decades, discusses her transition from various healthcare settings to behavioral health after getting sober in 2018. She shares her experiences with a state monitoring program for nurses with substance use issues and her eventual success in leadership roles. Kate empha...

DeAnn's conversation with Laura Nelson, founder of Front Office Rocks and Sober Life Rocks. Laura discusses her journey from starting her own business to advocating for sober professionals. She shares her personal struggle with alcohol, leading to her sobriety in early 2020, and the founding of Sober Life Rocks to support sober professionals at conferences. Laura emphasizes the need for inclusive event planning, highlighting i...

DeAnn is joined by co-founders of Sobrynth, Marin Nelson and Ingrid Lindberg, to address some big questions, including one big one:

How can technology be leveraged to scale human-centered solutions and care navigation for employees and their families seeking support for substance use disorder while still maintaining the importance of personal connection and empathy?

Marin Nelson 

Co-founder and CEO of Sobrynth. 1...

DeAnn Knighton and Heather Lowe discuss their experiences with sobriety and the benefits and potential challenges of navigating non-alcoholic social scenes. Heather shares her journey from a high-functioning drinker to a sober coach, emphasizing the importance of self-discovery and the role of non-alcoholic drinks in maintaining sobriety. They highlight the need for awareness and understanding of individual triggers and the benefit...

In this week's episode, DeAnn is joined by Marin Nelson, one of the original founding members of Soberforce and a current founding member of Sobrynth.   They discuss the role of anxiety and depression in addiction and highlight the importance of normalizing the conversation around sobriety in the workplace.  

Key Discussion Points:

* Marin Nelson shares her recovery journey and insights on workplace inclusivity for th...

Cheryl Brown Merriwether, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, CPRC, CRSS, CM

CoFounder, Vice President, Executive Director, International Center for Addiction & Recovery Education™(ICARE)

• Cheryl shares her personal story of growing up as an adult child of an alcoholic, facing challenges in her family of origin, and confronting her issues with codependency. 

Prevention 

• Behavioral health merging brings positive change while also creating a...