Recoverycast: Mental Health & Addiction Recovery Stories

What happens when you're battling severe postpartum depression while your partner is secretly struggling with alcohol and pills? In this moving episode of Recovery Cast, hosts Brittany Baynard and Sam Roberts sit down with Jess Gustin, widely known on social media as "The Tired Mom." Jess opens up about the invisible challenges of loving someone through substance use and navigating...

Can vulnerable parenting heal a lifetime of hidden substance use? Jon Gustin shares his raw journey from teenage substance abuse to long-term sobriety. In this deeply moving episode of Recoverycast , hosts Brittany Baynard and Sam Roberts sit down with Jon Gustin, the creator behind The Tired Dad . Jon opens up about his early experimentation with prescription stimulants at age 13, experiencing se...

F Boy Island star Casey Johnson gets vulnerable about his hidden cycle of binge drinking, cocaine use, and his powerful journey to true sobriety. In this deeply moving episode of Recoverycast, reality TV star Casey Johnson opens up about the dark side of sudden fame, mental health challenges, and substance use. From his college baseball days to starring on multiple seasons of F Boy Island, Casey u...

Can running 12 hours on a treadmill mirror the trap of active substance dependency? Andrew Barr shares his powerful journey to long-term sobriety.  Find mental health and addiction treatment near you: https://recovery.com/ In this deeply inspiring episode of Recoverycast, Canadian stand-up comedian Andrew Barr returns to discuss his powerful recovery journey after navigating 12 years of alcohol de...

Can you survive severe binge drinking and trauma in college Greek life? Ripley Coope chose sobriety at 19 and is now a youth recovery advocate. In this deeply moving episode of Recoverycast, we sit down with public relations graduate and young adult recovery advocate Ripley Coope. Ripley shares her raw, inspiring journey navigating inherited mental illness, childhood eating restrictions, major dep...

What happens when you trade drug-induced psychosis for medical school and 100-mile ultra marathons? David Millar shares his raw journey. In this moving episode of Recoverycast, hosts Sam Roberts and Brittany Baynard sit down with future neurosurgeon, elite ultra runner, and recovery advocate David Millar to explore his transformation from severe substance use disorder to extreme high-performance l...

What happens when a popular foodie mom's secret struggle with prescription pills and alcohol catches up to her? In this episode of Recoverycast , we sit down with culinary creator Maggie Eats to explore her powerful addiction recovery journey. Maggie opens up about how balancing early motherhood and college led to abusing Adderall, navigating the chaotic world of doctor shopping, and eventual...

Justin Krompier was once a "shell of a human being," trapped in a cycle of heroin addiction and the long-term effects of childhood-prescribed stimulants. In this episode of Recoverycast, Justin joins hosts Brittani Baynard and Sam Roberts to share his profound transformation from a sedentary life of manipulation and isolation to becoming a celebrated photographer, filmmaker, and enduranc...

Lacey Spence survived a childhood of foster care, an illegal "girls' home" in Mexico, and a harrowing journey through the prison system to build a life defined by radical resilience. After being abandoned by her mother and losing both her mother and sister to suicide, Lacey’s path led from prescribed Percocet to a "rolling ball of disaster" involving heroin, meth, and high...

From rave influencer to sober advocate, Reno (@CherryEmojiGirl) gets radically honest about the "cringe" and beauty of recovery. Reno shares her intense journey through polysubstance addiction, including alcohol, cocaine, ketamine, and whippets, while navigating the highs of Southern California's rave scene. She opens up about the deep-seated trauma of being adopted out at birth aft...

Coming up on three years of sobriety, Riley Whelan returns to Recoverycast to share the profound shift from "not drinking" to achieving true emotional sobriety. After a public journey through addiction and a humbling relapse, Riley discusses the reality of rebuilding a life, the anxiety of the "three-year itch," and why she transitioned from a chaotic lifestyle to finding peace...

Singer-songwriter Samuel Harness , known for his breakout performance on Season 21 of The Voice , joins Recoverycast to share the raw reality of his journey through addiction recovery and childhood trauma . In this vulnerable episode, Samuel discusses the long-term impact of sexual assault, the complexities of being an adoptee, and the intense pressure of the music industry. From navigating anxiet...

From interviewing Coldplay while high to losing his best friend and co-host to a fatal relapse, David Manheim reveals the raw, unfiltered truth about heroin addiction and the grit required for long-term recovery. As the creator of the legendary Dopey podcast, David spent two decades navigating the "frantic energy" of a career at MTV and the legendary tables of Katz’s Deli while battling...

Can you still be funny—or even be yourself—without the substance? Gabe Pietrafesa, longtime guitarist for Young Culture and host of the Trapped on the Internet podcast, joins Recoverycast to share his vulnerable journey through the high-pressure world of the music industry and the internal battle for self-worth.. Gabe opens up about growing up as a "chameleon" and a people-pleaser, navig...

How do you keep going when the person you love most suddenly disappears? Lucas Curtin (known online as Fitzgerald Checksworth) opens up about the intersection of cyclical alcohol struggle, sudden grief, and the "snap" in the brain that changed everything. In this vulnerable episode, Lucas shares his journey from being the high school "class clown" to using alcohol to "shut...

From walking the halls of the White House to facing homelessness due to a severe OxyContin and heroin addiction, Ryan Hampton’s story is unforgettable. Ryan Hampton was a rising political organizer and White House staffer when a hiking injury introduced him to highly addictive prescription opioids like Dilaudid and OxyContin. What started as a doctor-prescribed treatment quickly spiraled into a de...

What do you do when the very thing you have feared since you were three years old actually happens—and you have to face it while five years sober? In this episode of RecoveryCast , Brittany Barnard talks with recovery advocate and media personality Patrick Custer about his intense journey through alcohol addiction and a life-altering medical crisis . Patrick opens up about a childhood shaped by hy...

Tiffany Jenkins, the New York Times bestselling author and voice behind "Juggling the Jenkins," joins Recoverycast to share her raw journey from facing 20 felony charges to 13 years of sobriety. Tiffany opens up about her childhood struggles with undiagnosed OCD and how a single sip of alcohol in high school led to a decade-long spiral into alcohol, weed, and eventually a devastating opi...

From Marvel’s Lady Sif to a hospital bed fighting for her life, actress Jaimie Alexander shares the raw truth about her battle with bourbon and burnout. Jaimie, the celebrated lead of Blindspot, opens up about the "lone wolf" mentality that nearly cost her everything. Despite a thriving career, she used alcohol to medicate social anxiety and the extreme physical toll of performing her ow...

"It was not about getting high, it was about not being sober." In this raw and deeply moving episode of Recoverycast, nationally touring comedian and recovery advocate Sam Miller joins Brittany Bernard to share his incredible journey from the streets of Olympia to the comedy stage. Sam opens up about the intersection of ADHD and addiction , the profound impact of childhood trauma , and t...

How does a celebrity chef dominate the culinary world while hiding a life-threatening cocaine and alcohol addiction? In this episode of Recoverycast, we are joined by Devan Rajkumar , popularly known as Chef Dev , who reveals the "unimaginable" double life he led for years. From national TV appearances and Times Square billboards to late-night after-parties and debilitating chest pains,...

Grace Adams seemed to have it all: a prestigious advertising job, a New York City apartment, and a background as a classical ballet dancer. But behind the "perfect" Type-A exterior, Grace was trapped in a cycle of secret binge drinking and 48-hour blackouts. In this vulnerable episode of Recoverycast, Grace opens up about the "emotional bottom" that brought her to her knees on...

Carl Radke from Bravo’s Summer House shares his raw journey through high-functioning cocaine and alcohol addiction. In this vulnerable episode, Carl opens up about growing up in Pittsburgh where alcohol was the family fabric and how his brother’s struggle with heroin addiction created a life of fear. He details the $2,000-a-weekend cocaine habit he hid behind his reality TV persona and the rock-bo...

Shannon Hughes and her daughter, Mistena Renteria-Elliott, share a raw and harrowing journey through the depths of methamphetamine addiction, domestic abuse, and the long road to generational healing. Shannon opens up about using substances to cope with severe anxiety while trapped in a manipulative and abusive relationship with a stepfather who controlled every aspect of their lives. Mistena refl...

Critical care nurse practitioner Brandi Mac shares the harrowing journey of her daughter’s IV Fentanyl addiction and the moment Brandi shaved her head to release years of trauma. In this vulnerable episode of Recoverycast, Brandi Mac discusses the reality of navigating nine treatment centers in four years and the "rehab industry" failures that left her family feeling hopeless. As a medic...