soberwivfr

In this episode, Wisconsin Voices for Recovery Director Cindy Burzinski talks with Tom Farley and Amanda Uphoff from Recovery.com. Recovery.com was created in 2017 to help people discover a path to recovery that’s right for them, starting with landing on websites they can trust. They aim to provide unbiased, educational, helpful information about treatment options for addiction and mental health t...

In this episode, Cindy Burzinski, Director of Wisconsin Voices for Recovery, speaks with Tarah Stangler, Director of Harm Reduction Services at OutReach LGBTQ+ Community Center in Madison, WI. Tarah describes the components, history, vision, and challenges of the OutReach program as well as their approach of liberatory and grassroots harm reduction work, especially within the context of queer and...

This episode takes a deep dive into the stigma people with, or in recovery from, substance use disorders encounter in the healthcare system. Our panel includes three people in recovery: Ryan Gorman, a counselor and client rights advocate at Community Medical Services; Luke Fuszard, a patient ambassador and a lecturer in the Department of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison; an...

In this episode, Wisconsin Voices for Recovery Director Cindy Burzinski hosts a second panel on harm reduction related to substance use. Members of the panel for part 2 include three representatives of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa: Philomena Kebec, Economic Development Coordinator; Lisa Whitebird, Harm Reduction Leadership and Administrative Coordinator; and Eli Corbine, Harm Reduc...

In this episode, Wisconsin Voices for Recovery Director Cindy Burzinski hosts a panel on harm reduction. Members of the panel for part 1 are Dr. Elizabeth Salibury-Afshar, a board-certified doctor in family medicine, addiction medicine, and preventive medicine/general public health; Ryan Gorman, a substance use disorder counselor for Community Medical Services (CMS), Amanda DeLeon, a community imp...

In this episode, Wisconsin Voices for Recovery Director Cindy Burzinski talks with Julie Smith, founder of Onyx, peer-supportive housing for people in early recovery in Western Wisconsin. The goals of Onyx are to provide safe, sober housing and connect people with resources in the community, including outpatient treatment, Alano clubs, food shelves, churches, therapy, and good medical care. Reside...

In this episode, Wisconsin Voices for Recovery Director Cindy Burzinski is joined by Brian Bainbridge, Chief Executive Officer of the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council (GLITC) and Jacob Riemer, Public Health Specialist; and Christina Denslinger, Program Director of the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Epidemiology Center (GLITEC). GLITC was formed over 60 years ago to create a collective voice for the 11 f...

Byron is Regional Partnerships Manager for the Phoenix. The Phoenix is a national non-profit that brings people in recovery from substance use disorder together through physical and social activities. He is also owner of the Rebound Recovery House, a ten-bed sober living home in Milwaukee. Prior to his work with the Phoenix, Byron worked in affordable housing for 8 years in Milwaukee. His duties i...

On this episode, Wisconsin Voices for Recovery director Cindy Burzinski talks with Heather Rose from Badger Recovery. Badger Recovery is a program for University of Wisconsin students in or considering recovery from substance use. Badger Recovery helps create a community where students can access resources and support through a variety of meetings, events, and services. Their mission is to provide...

In this podcast, we speak with Kathleen Maher, Outreach Specialist and Dr. David Leinweber, Assistant Professor, both from the PROTEA group, which focuses on working with clinical providers to better prepare them to treat patients with substance use disorders, whether through harm reduction strategies or to help people seeking recovery. The PROTEA group is part of the Department of Family Medicine...

Matthew Traver is the president of Never Give Up Inc. (NGULU, www.nguluinc.com), a non-profit organization based in Northeast Wisconsin. NGULU helps people in the community find resources not only for addiction but anything that hinders people from stepping into their power and becoming the best versions of themselves. Matt proudly says, “I now have over 5 years of absolute sobriety and spend my v...

Aaron Clayborn is the Outreach Specialist for the Engagement to Recovery program for Wisconsin Voices for Recovery. Aaron has been involved with the recovery community since 2005. He began his formal education by attending the Recovery Coach Academy presented by WIRCO and CCAR in February of 2018. Aaron is a Recovery Coach trainer and a state Certified Naloxone Trainer. He began his recovery missi...

Marisa Van Zile is a Peer Support Specialist and a Sokaogon Chippewa Tribal member. She is a qualified facilitator for (1) Mending Broken Hearts, programs that provide culturally based healing from grief, loss, and Intergenerational Trauma; (2) Linking Generations Strengthening Relationships, a program that promotes strong, healthy and positive relationships; and (3) Motherhood and Fatherhood Are...

Lashawnda Maulson is a member of the Lac Du Flambeau tribe and her spirit name is Skywoman. For the past 13 years Lashawnda’s passion has been been focused in the field of prevention. She has worked in tobacco prevention and the juvenile justice system. For the past few years Lashawnda has been more involved in working with suicide and substance use prevention in her community. Lashawnda founded S...

In this episode, Wisconsin Voices for Recovery Outreach Specialist Aaron Clayborn talks with Amanda Rodriguez about her experience with substance use disorders in her Latinx community. Amanda Rodriguez has dedicated herself to helping people with substance use disorders for over 12 years. She was instrumental in developing and managing Wisconsin’s first 24/7 OTP in West Allis. Amanda serves as Com...

On this episode of SOBER, Wisconsin Voices for Recovery Outreach Specialist Shelbey Hagen talks with Laura Fabick, Skye Boughman, and Mercedez Butts about the unique challenges and needs of women in recovery from substance use disorders. Laura Fabick, Program Manager, and Skye Boughman, Clinical Supervisor, work with ARC Community Services, a women-specific treatment agency based in Madison, WI. M...

On this episode of SOBER, Wisconsin Voices for Recovery Director Cindy Burzinski talks with team members from UW Health’s Hub and Spoke Program, which supports those diagnosed with an opioid use disorder. Guests include Kaitlyn Cole, the Hub and Spoke Program Manager; Megg Kohel, the Behavioral Health RN Care Coordinator; Joseph Galey, CCAR-trained Recovery Coach; Rebecca Foss, Peer Support Specia...

On this episode of SOBER, Wisconsin Voices for Recovery Outreach Specialist Aaron Clayborn talks with Tahira Malik about prescription opioid addiction, stigma, and disparities to recovery supportive services in the African American community. Tahira is the is the founder and Chief Operations Officer of Samad’s House located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Tahira has dedicated her life to helping people w...

On this episode of SOBER, Wisconsin Voices for Recovery Outreach Specialist Aaron Clayborn, talks with Tamika Glenn about the availability of drugs in African American communities, generational substance use and breaking the cycle, and the disproportionately low amount of recovery-focused facilities in the African American community. Tamika is the 53206 Drug Free Community Coordinator at Community...

On this episode of SOBER, Wisconsin Voices for Recovery Outreach Specialist Aaron Clayborn, talks with Startina “Star” White about using substances as a coping mechanism, the effects of stigma and the availability of illicit drugs in her community. Startina is the Program Manager at Wisconsin Community Services (WCS) and is responsible for supervising staff and the day-to-day operations of their c...

On this episode of SOBER, Wisconsin Voices for Recovery Outreach Specialist, Aaron Clayborn, talks with Desilynn Smith about mental health, addiction and a lack of culturally competent resources for the BIPOC community. Desilynn is the Clinical Director of Gateway to Change, the Co-executive Director for Uniting Garden Homes and a Supervisor with Mental Health of America Wisconsin.

The newest episode of the SOBER podcast features Shelby Kuhn, MSW, LCSW, SAC interviewed by Wisconsin Voices for Recovery Outreach Specialist, Aaron Clayborn. A proud UW Madison graduate, Shelby has a wide breadth of experience in the social work field, and discusses how she shifted her social work practice from working with children and families to working with folks struggling with substance use...

Megan Birginal, Jesse Luer, Karli Schmitz and Jeff Sickinger join us on the SOBER podcast to speak on the importance of Narcan and some potential responses if you encounter stigma doing similar work.

Traci Goll, Director of Horizon High School, joins us on the SOBER podcast to speak more about the inspiring work that HHS is doing in the Madison, WI community. Traci discusses what a typical week looks like at the high school, inspiring stories of student success and staff involvement, how the school supports student wellbeing at all levels, and her advice for young people in recovery.

Mike Sheridan joins us to share his recovery story and various roles he has held in the community. He gives suggestions and useful strategies for maintaining recovery and building relationships in the community.