Friend Request

Brad Petrinec was first on episode 039, in May of 2020. We discuss the impact COVID has had since then and the growth Brad has experienced since then, including getting married, starting a new job, and getting a new house. Brad also discusses his upcoming event, The 2024 Great American Beard & Mustache Championship. He also discusses what role sobreity plays for him, now that he is over 20 years s...

Jackson Henderson (Episode 108) is back! He discusses how he used Artificial Intelligence (AI) to discover a pulmonary embolism that nearly ended his life. Jackson also talks about AI and tech and how he's using it in his voiceover career. Justin and him go through his experience with opioids in the hospital and discuss addiciton, as well as the predispositions our parents failed to warn us about....

Kelley Doyle is a mother, wine connoisseur, and Troubled Teen Industry (TTI) survivor. She discusses growing up as the oldest child and how some of her innsecurities were shaped by her siblings. Kelley also talks about her parents' divorce and how her father's substance use and physical abuse set her up for acting out as she got older. Kelley then discusses getting into substances herself at a you...

Neal Simms is a plant worker, guitarist, musician, songwriter, and all around cool dude. He discusses being born to a couple that was trying to make their way in life, both in college as he was growing up. Neal also talks about moving around a lot as a kid and how the combination of that disruption and his own mental illness culminated in him being locked up as a preteen. He also discusses moving...

Eric Johnson is a pastor, author, father, husband, and trivia host. He discusses the good and bad of being an only child and growing up in northern Ohio. Eric also talks about the role church and religion played in his life as a child and how his involvement with Nintendo won him a youth group award. He also discusses his relationship with Young Life and how a former romantic interest told him he...

Jacob Roderick is a former marine, father of twins, and hopeful comedy writer. He discusses growing up with divorced parents and what it was like to have his father take off. Jacob also talks about his sibling order and how his relationships have grown or changed with his siblings as he's grown up. He then discusses his decision to join the Marines and how he fit in marriage and classes while enli...

Katie Mills is a swimmer, psychology enthusiast, and professional counselor. She discusses growing up in a small town in the upper peninsula of Michigan, including the large percentage of native people she had the prvilige of growing up with and learning from. Katie also discusses her early interest in psychology and how that took her through two master's degrees and landed her in her current role...

Evan O'Hara is a teacher, former marketing man, and future therapist. He discusses growing up the youngest of three to a polar opposite set of parents: a surgeon and an artist. Evan also discusses his love for anime and manga in school and how he had to tamper that in order to meet his defintion of cool. He also connects that defintion of cool with the path of inspiration he has followed his whole...

Rudy Kellersohn is a teacher, father, husband, and gratitude enthusiast. He discusses the immigrant history of hs grandfather, growing up with divorced parents, and how he related to each of his step parents. Rudy also talks about the role of identity in his childhood and how that was affected by masculinity norms and bullying, as well as self esteem issues. He also discusses the ole sports played...

Margaux Forster is a yoga teacher, mental health advocate, and future therapist. She discusses growing up as the child of an immigrant parent and the cultural differences that brought with it. Margaux also talks about struggling with control and perfectionism and how that manifested in her younger life. She then discusses struggling with an eating disorder and the genrational and cultural aspects...

Courtney Davis is a career counselor, graduate student, and future therapist. She discusses growing up in the suburbs of Chicago before moving to the Northeast. Courtney also discusses how she viewed her older sister and the effect that had on her mental health and eating habits. She then discusses having major back surgery as a teen and how that culminated in one of the worst freshman year experi...

Ryann Swann is a graduate student, future counselor, and former soccer star. She discusses growing up as a shy kid and how she took to playing in the woods when others were staying inside. Ryann also talks about playing soccer for her entire life until grad school and how she shows up very differently on a team than she does in a social group. She then talks about going away to college and how she...

Jacob Bellamy is a mental healthcare worker, professional cheesecake maker, and future therapist. He discusses growing up as the quiet kid and struggling to build a social circle. Jacob also talks about self-awareness and how he decided he had enough and sought out help. He the ndiscusses the ins and outs of how he ended up slinging cheesecakes on the side and why baking and cooking is a form of s...

Ashley Brummet is a future sex therapist and advocate for women's sexual health. She discusses growing up with a unique family dynamic, including meeting her half sister when she was seven years old. Ashley also talks about her relationship with her parents and how it's evolved since her father got sober. She then discusses going through her first marriage with an unexplained vulva pain and how ge...

Ananya Majumder is a former teacher and current counseling student. She discusses her life growing up in India, as well as a small stint in Hong Kong and Austrailia. Ananya also talks about how she got into and, more importantly, out of an emotionally abusive relationship and how she turned that into an opportunity for personal growth. She also talks about her passion for helping and how her exper...

Rebecca Rush is a writer, editor, and autism advocate. She discusses her diagnosis on the autism spectrum , as well as her relapse and what she learned from it. Rebecca also talks about the comfort of a familiar TV show and how she learned how to act as a woman from Sex and the City. She also talks about her new writing project, Sobriety on the Spectrum, and Rebecca and justin discuss the percieve...

Dr. Cody Senkyr is a chiropractor and  health enthusiast. He discusses growing up in a high achieving household and how his hobbies and extracurriculars kept him busy and involved. Cody also discusses how team sports were different for him because of the lack of individual recognition and accomplishment. Finally, he talks about his recent interest in weight gain and obesity and what he is doing to...

This final episode of the year features Justin Lamb going through the goals and resolutions he set last year, finding gratitude for those he accomplished and forgiveness for those he did not. What are you grateful for from this year? What are you looking forward to in the next?  Follow us on socials: @FriendRequestPod Email me your questions! JustinsFriendRequest@gmail.com

Emily Kaniarz Taylor is a returning guest from episode 052. Find out what she's been up to since we last recorded in the first season!  Follow us on socials! @FriendRequestPod Email me, for the love of God! JustinsFriendRequest@gmail.com

Philip Brandes is the founder of Bravus Brewing and a former computer programmer. He discusses how he got into the non-alcoholic beer space, as well as the how his brewing method is different than his competitors. Philip also discusses the logisitcs of the supply chain and why the NA beers had to stop calling themselves by their names, like dark instead of stout. He also talks about the latest bar...

Amy Liz Harrison is an author of two books, mother of eight children, and inspiration to sober folks everywhere. She discusses growing up in a highly religious household and how some of those rules and restrictions led to her undoing later in life. Amy also talks about the "mommy wine" culture and how easy it can be to fall into a bad habit. She then discusses getting sober after raising four kids...

Tawny Lara is a sober bisexual writer and author of the book Dry Humping: A Guide to Dating, Relating, and Hooking Up Without the Booze. She discusses growing up with separated parents and living back and forth between Texas and California. Tawny also talks about using drugs to self-medicate and the years she spent working in the toxicity of the restaurant industry. She then discusses how she took...

Sav Buist is a songwriter, singer, and musician, as well as a college student and bird enthusiast. She is one of the founding members of The Accidentals and is currently working on a solo album, amongst a million other things. Sav discusses growing up in a home where her parents fostered multiple children and the effect that had on her outlook and crativity. She also discusses how sacred songwriti...

Etienne Asher is the owner and founder of Lumanai, an herbal supplement kava beverage. He discusses his relationship with alcohol and how kava helped him to get sober. He also talks about the decision to rebrand his company a year after it launched, as well as his reasoning for rebranding himself. 'Ash' then discusses the way his drinks, and specifically traditional kava, helps people with their a...

This week, we're taking an unexpected break from interviews to discuss life. Not just life, your life. Who are you? What makes you who you are and how are you possibly using protective behaviors that are no longer neccesary. Let go of your umbrella and come listen to Justin talk about how he has changed and found the joy of not being who he used to be.  Send feedback, questions, and comments to Ju...