Stairway to Redemption

In this episode of Stairway to Redemption, I welcome another friend from my outpatient program.  Jeff's story is unfortunately too common for those who are familiar with the American judicial system. Accused of a crime he didn't commit in his college years, Jeff spent 8 months in Rikers Island. When he got finally released, the damage was already done. He was no longer the same... Suppor...

Welcome to another great episode of Stairway to Redemption, a podcast about addiction and recovery. This week my guest is John "JW" Wiseman, CEO of Curious Elixirs non-alcoholic cocktails. JW shares with us the story behind Curious Elixirs and how it was born out of necessity. Among the topics brought up in this episode: the role of big alcohol in the sober-curious trend, the reluctance...

This week guest on Stairway to Redemption is the incredible Lorelei, CEO of Listen Bar and organizer of the Good AF Awards. You might have heard me mention the Good AF Awards in previous episodes. Well, I got the chance to interview the one behind them. Learn what lead Lorelei to create an alcohol-free bar and her stance in the growing sober-curious movement. Enjoy! Listen Bar AF Menu https://www....

Hi guys, this week I'm sharing an episode from a podcast I was a guest on. Afros & Audio is a community of independent podcasters dedicated to curating accessible/inclusive events and spaces for and by Black Podcast Creatives & Audio Professionals.  Its founder Talib Jasir had the great initiative to feature a content creator each day of the month of February for BHM. I was one of the...

As promised this week is solo episode number 3. Also in this episode my origin story told on my dear friend Raphael Harry podcast White Label American. See link below White Label American (https://www.whitelabelamerican.com/) The Sober Sallies (https://open.spotify.com/show/79Wnlhm7naTJq1BVfKAPop) Support the show Follow Us on Social Media: Linktree (https://linktr.ee/stairwaytoredemption) Support...

Welcome to Episode 17 of Stairway to Redemption. My guest this week is Meena. Meena is a wedding videographer with her own production company who travels the country and the world capturing memorable moments. She also happens to be in recovery! In our discussion she shares not only her tips for traveling sober but her journey in recovery as well.  Meena's IG: @traveling.sober Support the show...

This week's guest is a very dear friend of mine: Nataly. Nataly and I met in the house music scene in NYC back in 2015. We were both deep in our drug and alcohol use back then. Unlike me, she had the presence of mind of getting out of that vicious circle before it became destructive. Nataly is not in recovery but she cultivates a greater sense of purpose. She now leads a wellness spiritual mo...

This week Stairway to Redemption is going abroad (via Zoom haha) to Germany, in Leipzig specifically. My guest, Revan and I met at ESCYPAA (Empire State Convention of Young People in Alcoholic Anonymous) back in October 2022. I was impressed by her dedication to her recovery. I mean who would fly across the Atlantic to attend a AA convention? That's commitment right there! Since Revan and I s...

In this week episode of Stairway to Redemption, I welcome the sage Rudy Rios. Rudy is quite the figure of recovery in the Long Island AA community with over 30 years of sobriety. Not to mention, he also has a speaking commitment at the in-patient facility I went to back in the summer of 2022. With such a long sobriety, I figured Rudy must do something right and ought to share his wisdom with us he...

Episode 13 releasing on Friday the 13th! It's a sign guys! JK. This week on Stairway to Redemption, my guest is Drew. Although Drew has been sober for over 4 years, he bartends in one of the busiest bar of Philadelphia, not to mention he also hangs out around pool holes in his own time. It's fair to say that Drew is constantly surrounded by alcohol. Nevertheless his sobriety is unwaverin...

Happy New Year! How fitting to open 2023 with a solo episode. This week I'm going over my State of the Mind Address. I attended Reprieve's NYE party. For those who don't know Reprieve is a collective of like-minded people who organize sober events (see link below). I also logged in my journal my inventory for 2022. This exercise helps me recalibrating myself in order to achieve goal...

We're back baby! After a week hiatus, Stairway to Redemption is back this week with Katie as our guest. Katie and I met at our outpatient program - see a pattern here? She was instrumental in the production of an earlier episode "Doing the SMART way". Katie introduced me to Michael Hooper, Outreach Director at SMART Recovery, guest of the episode mentioned earlier. This time it&apos...

This week on Stairway to Redemption I welcome Nicole Laurent,  a licensed mental health counselor who specializes in the benefits of a ketogenic diet on the mind. Throughout this episode we are focusing on its ability to treat alcoholism. As always subscribe and follow us on social media. Also there will not be an episode next week. I will see you in two weeks. Enjoy the holidays! Nicole's We...

This week on Stairway to Redemption, I'm welcoming Joe and Rich, two friends I met in in-patient back in August. We happened to go to the same outpatient program after completion. In this episode we discussed the different tools of recovery we have learned so far and debated on their effectiveness and limitations. Basically we talked about what is currently working for us after being sober fo...

This week's guest is Emily. Emily and I met at the outpatient program I currently attend. When she heard that I had a podcast she asked me if she could be a guest. Given she's young mother who is trying to do the best for her son, I deemed necessary that her voice be heard. I hope that her journey and the challenges she faces will resonate with other mothers who are seeking sobriety for...

This week on Stairway to Redemption, my guest is veteran, survivor and author of Stuck Between Pleasure and Pleasing God - hence the title -  Kimberly Clark. She graced us with her story. What was it like to be victim of Military Sexual Trauma (MST), falling into addiction and rising from it as a peer advocate. Click on the link below if you would like to follow Kim and/or buy her book. https://li...

Ladies and gentlemen,  The episode this week in Stairway to Redemption is going to be a solo one. I deemed that after publishing five episodes this was a right time to do a self check-in.  I plan on doing a solo episode every so often, ideally every five episodes. As promised find below links to other sobriety podcasts I think we can all benefit from.  Don't forget to follow us on social medi...

My guest in this week episode of Stairway to Redemption is Michael Hooper, Outreach Director at SMART Recovery. SMART stands for Self-Management And Recovery Training. SMART helps those suffering from addiction to gain tools and techniques to conquer intrusive thoughts and behavior and lead more mindful sober life. SMART Website https://www.smartrecovery.org/ SMART Meetings https://meetings.smartr...

Mikey is a friend of mine from rehab. After completing his stay at the in-patient facility, he opted for living in a sober house. In this episode appropriately titled Sober House Living, Mikey shares his experience in this new chapter of his recovery.  Coming up YPAA events: November 25, 2022 - November 27, 2022 in  CSCYPAA (Connecticut State Convention of Young People in AA) https://cscypaa.org/...

This episode guest, Julie, member of Al-Anon. Why invite somebody who is not in recovery you might ask. Well during one’s active addiction phase, the people we hurt around us also experience some type of trauma that is easily overlooked and not treated because they are not the “sick ones”. Some of them had to deal with trauma so severe that they fell into addiction themselves, hence this episode t...

The struggle of being a black man who fell into addiction. Listen to my two guests, Daniel and Kurt, express their concern and the challenges that they are facing in their young recovery. The similarities and differences between a 20 year-old man first attempt at sobriety (Daniel) and a more "seasoned addict" who had encounters with the judicial system (Kurt). Support the show Follow Us...

In the first episode of this new adventure I'm interviewing Kevin, my AA (Alcoholic Anonymous) sponsor. On today's topic: The State of the Mind Address (a play on words with The State of the Union Address). We discuss the mental state that some of us found themselves in just after getting out of in-patient treatment. Also on the menu, the importance of AA's mantras and steps ("...