Thriving with Addiction with Dr. Jonathan Avery

Jeremy Lipkowitz is a former Buddhist monk, meditation teacher, and ICF-certified executive coach who helps high-achieving men break free from compulsive behaviors—especially porn addiction—and build lives of integrity, discipline, and deep fulfillment. With over 13 years of meditation experience and hundreds of days spent in silent retreat, Jeremy blends ancient wisdom with cutting-edge science t...

Pam Jenkins is Chief Executive Officer of Shatterproof and an ex officio member of the Shatterproof Board of Directors, which she joined in 2021.  Prior to joining Shatterproof, Pam was Chief Public Health Officer and Chief Public Affairs Officer for a leading global communications agency where, for the past two decades, she counseled and partnered with a range of public and private sector clients...

Hilary Phelps is a recovery advocate, speaker, coach, and founder of The Right Room, a community dedicated to helping women navigate recovery, personal growth, and life's biggest transitions. A former competitive swimmer and the sister of Olympic legend Michael Phelps, Hilary has become a powerful voice on addiction, mental health, self-compassion, and resilience. Through her speaking, coachi...

Eric Garland, PhD, LCSW, is an Endowed Professor in Health Sciences at the Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California San Diego, where he directs UCSD ONEMIND. A leading figure in mindfulness science and addiction treatment, he developed Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE), an innovative intervention grounded in cognitive,...

Stephanie Hazard is a highly sought-after recovery coach and companion. In recovery for 26 years, her experiential knowledge, expertise, and professional training, empower her ability to help others achieve and sustain recovery and wellness. She is a certified peer recovery specialist (CPRS) as well as a certified Carolyn Costin Institute eating disorder recovery coach (CCIEDC). She has been a Key...

Ben Mushlin is the founder of Searchlight Therapy, a practice dedicated to providing individualized care for adolescents, young adults, and families navigating substance use and mental health challenges. A psychotherapist whose work is informed by his own lived experience with substance use and trauma, he began his career in New York City’s recovery community in sober living residences before movi...

Dr. Beth McGinty is the Livingston Farrand Professor and Chief of the Division of Health Policy and Economics at Weill Cornell Medical College. She is also the Co-Founding Director of the Cornell Health Policy Center, a cross-campus center serving as the locus of health policy research, training, and impact at Cornell. Dr. McGinty conducts research focused on how health policies impact populations...

Gary Hartman is a periodontist with over 18 years of experience in implant and periodontal surgery, specializing in complex surgical cases, full-arch restorations, and regenerative procedures. Behind that professional success, Gary experienced chronic stress, burnout, and ultimately addiction. Following a shoulder injury, he developed a dependence on opioids that led to significant personal and pr...

Dr. Carl Hart is the Chair of the Department of Psychology at Columbia University and the Mamie Phipps Clark Professor of Psychology (in Psychiatry). An internationally recognized neuroscientist and psychologist, Dr. Hart’s research focuses on the complex interactions between psychoactive drugs, human behavior, neurobiology, and environmental factors. Using an interdisciplinary approach that combi...

Rivkah Reyes is a performer and creator whose career spans film, music, comedy, and writing. After rising to prominence in School of Rock , they went on to perform with The Second City and appear in projects like Easy, while developing a distinctive voice through storytelling and stand-up. In this episode, we talk about identity, creativity, recovery, and the long arc of building a meaningful life...

In this episode of Thriving with Addiction, Dr. Carrie Wilkens—psychologist, co-founder of the Center for Motivation and Change, and co-author of Beyond Addiction—discusses why compassion and evidence-based strategies are more effective than tough love, and how families can support meaningful change while strengthening their relationships. Carrie Wilkens, PhD, is a psychologist with over 25 years...

Chris Herren is a former NBA player, author, and nationally recognized recovery advocate who has become one of the leading voices on addiction, mental wellness, and prevention. Sober since 2008, Herren has shared his story with more than two million students, athletes, and community members through Herren Talks , encouraging honest conversations about substance use, self-esteem, and emotional heal...

Albert Garcia-Romeu, Ph. D. is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. His research examines the effects of psychedelics in humans, with a focus on psilocybin as an aid in the treatment of addiction. He earned his doctorate in psychology in 2012 from Sofia University in Palo Alto, CA where he studied self-transcendence, spiritual experi...

Doug Bopst is an award-winning personal trainer, author, and host of the Adversity Advantage Podcast . A former felon who struggled with substances, he was incarcerated for possession with intent to sell.  Doug used his time in jail to rebuild his life through faith, family, and fitness. He is the author of From Felony to Fitness to Free , Faith Family Fitness , and The Heart of Recovery , and has...

Maxine Linehan is an internationally acclaimed Irish singer, writer, and theatrical performer whose deeply personal work reimagines beloved songbooks to explore identity, healing, and emotional truth. Her recordings have earned praise from The New York Times , Billboard , and USA Today , and she has performed sold-out shows around the world.  Now, Maxine is the co-host of the new podcast Happy AF:...

Mashal Khan, M.D. is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine and Associate Program Director for the Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship. As the psychiatrist on the Liver Transplant Team, he evaluates organ recipients and donors and provides them with transitionary care. He utilizes his expertise and understanding of addictions to improve outcomes for individuals with Al...

Jonathan Hunt-Glassman is the co-founder and CEO of Oar Health. Oar Health is a telehealth platform that helps people get started with medication to drink less or quit and provides ongoing support as they work toward their goals. Jonathan started the business after benefitting himself from treatment with medication for alcohol use disorder. Before founding Oar, Jonathan worked in healthcare as a p...

Tom Farley grew up in Madison, WI, and graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in Marketing. He began his career in banking and finance before running The Chris Farley Foundation (1999–2012), a nationally recognized nonprofit focused on substance abuse prevention. Through humor-based programs, he helped young people build communication skills and create supportive environments. In 2008,...

Katharine Phillips, MD, is internationally known for her expertise in body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and related disorders, such as olfactory reference disorder (ORD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). For more than 30 years, Dr. Phillips has conducted ground-breaking scientific research on BDD and has provided expert evaluation and treatment with medication and therapy for people with these...

Meredith Berkman is a co-founder of Parents Against Vaping (PAVe), an advocacy and education nonprofit created in 2018 by three moms as a grassroots response to the youth vaping epidemic. Run and powered by volunteers around the country, PAVe is the first national parent voice in the fight against the tobacco industry’s predatory behavior. Working at the local, state, and federal levels, PAVe supp...

Dr Kaitlyn Regehr is an Associate Professor of Digital Humanities at University College London, whose research is focused on digital and AI literacy. She has informed legislation on online safety, most recently feeding into the Online Safety Act and she has provided consultation in the House of Lords, and to Members of Parliament, the Metropolitan Police, The Children’s Commissioner, The Scottish...

Scott Strode is the founder of The Phoenix, a national sober active community that helps people recover from addiction through fitness, connection, and purpose. After struggling with alcohol and cocaine use in early adulthood, Scott got sober in 1997 and discovered that physical challenge and community were essential to his recovery. In 2006, he founded The Phoenix in Boulder, Colorado, creating a...

Dhruv Khullar, M.D., M.P.P., is a physician and associate professor of health policy and economics at Weill Cornell Medical College and a staff writer at The New Yorker, where he covers medicine, health care, and politics. He serves as Director of the Physicians Foundation Center for the Study of Physician Practice and Leadership and Associate Director of the Cornell Health Policy Center. His rese...

Laura Cathcart Robbins is the best-selling author of the Atria/Simon & Schuster memoir Stash, My Life In Hiding, and host of the popular podcast Only One In The Room. Laura has been featured on MSNBC, The Tameron Hall Show, C-SPAN, and Dr. Phil, and her work has appeared in The New York Times, Oprah Daily, Good Housekeeping, Today.com, Huffpo, and more. In 2024, Laura’s New York Times Modern L...

Dr. Timothy Fong is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. Dr. Fong completed his undergraduate and medical school at Northwestern University in Chicago. He then came to UCLA and finished his residency in adult general psychiatry in 2002 and was the first accredited addiction psychiatry fellow at the UCLA Neuropsychiatr...