The Courage to Change: A Recovery Podcast

#14.5 & 15.5: It's another "After the Episode" combo! In this episode, the ladies discuss Bless It Bag (Bella Baskin's charitably-driven company), childhood attachment and the issues that come from the lack thereof, and Christiana interviews Ashley about her and Dac's discussions in Episode 15. Tune in for a good laugh and to learn something new! Our Sponsor:Lionrock Recovery (http://www.lionrockr...

#15: You are going to LOVE this very special episode! Ashley hosts her husband, Dac Blassingame, and they go in-depth about life and marriage in recovery and everything that comes along with it. Tune in to hear them speak about their lives from dating to marriage and kids, and their struggles and triumphs both in short-term and now their long-term sobriety. Our Sponsor:Lionrock Recovery (http://ww...

We are so pleased to introduce our very first bonus episode with an incredible guest! Harry Nelson is the founder of Nelson Hardiman, LLP, the largest healthcare and life sciences specialty law firm in Los Angeles. Harry is the author of The United States of Opioids: A Prescription for Liberating a Nation in Pain, published by Forbes in March 2019, which received critical praise for changing the c...

#12.5 & 13.5: Ashley and Christiana discuss topics from Episodes 12 (Chris Poulos) and 13 (Flor Edwards) while drawing on personal examples and a few laughs along the way! Our Sponsor:Lionrock Recovery (http://www.lionrockrecovery.com) Follow us here:Podcast Website: (http://www.lionrockrecovery.com/podcast)Facebook: (https://www.facebook.com/LionrockRecovery/)Twitter: (https://twitter.com/lionroc...

#13: Flor Edwards is an author and lives in Los Angeles, California. By age twelve, Flor had lived in 24 different locations across three continents. Always on the move to escape the Antichrist and in preparation for the Apocalypse in 1993, her nomadic childhood prompted her to pen her memoir Apocalypse Child: A Life in End Times. In her debut memoir, Flor movingly describes her early life growing...

#12: We are so excited to introduce Christopher Poulos as this week's incredible guest! Christopher is an attorney and the Executive Director of the Washington Statewide Reentry Council. Prior to his appointment, he served as Executive Director of Life of Purpose Treatment at the University of North Texas, where he was also an Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice. During law school, he served at...

ATE #'s 10.5 & 11.5: Welcome to another combo "After the Episode"! Ashley and Christiana discuss topics from Episodes 10 & 11 (Charise & Amy's stories), including EMDR, doing trauma work and they dive into what human trafficking actually looks like. After the Episodes come out every other Thursday! While we always recommend listening to our guest interviews, you do not need to listen to each inter...

#11: Amy is an alchemist working to transform her traumatic childhood experiences into a life of her own choosing. Two years ago, Amy changed her life when she reached out for help from an amazing psychotherapist. Through the healing process, Amy discovered a passion to provide a voice for the voiceless through documenting her journey on Instagram. Amy now uses art as a creative process for coping...

#10: Charise Thompson is a phenomenal human being. She is the survivor of multiple traumas including domestic abuse, a Hepatitis C diagnosis and the loss of multiple family members. Charise also tells the harrowing story of how she was abducted, brutally beaten, gang raped and left for dead on the side of the road. Charise is a Victim Advocate, Counselor, Ordained Minister, Writer, Poet and Suppor...

ATE #'s 8.5 & 9.5: Welcome to the first After the Episode combo! Ashley and Christiana discuss topics from both Episodes 8 & 9 including PTSD, the importance and helpfulness of therapy and family reactions (both past and present) surrounding addiction. Our Sponsor:Lionrock Recovery (http://www.lionrockrecovery.com) Follow us here:Podcast Website: (http://www.lionrockrecovery.com/podcast)Facebook:...

#8: SPECIAL EPISODE ALERT!! In this very special episode, Ashley sits down with Peter Loeb (her father and one of the co-founders of Lionrock Recovery), and together they hash out their story of living through and overcoming her addiction together. Peter shares intimate details of helping Ashley through her journey to recovery, and he also discusses the heartbreaking loss of his sister, Karen. Joi...

ATE #7.5: Ashley and Christiana bring their usual laughter and antics while they dive into summarizing Emily's story for listeners, along with a few highlighted topics including the combination of being in recovery from multiple things (eating disorder recovery, alcohol + drugs, etc.), the importance of staying sober between meetings and Ashley also shares a heartbreaking story about a friend who...

#7: Emily McAllister is a writer, photographer and content creator. A Boston native, she now calls Southern California home, and lives with her husband and 2 daughters. Emily writes about recovery, honest motherhood and anything to do with personal development. She specializes in lifestyle, family and childbirth photography, capturing raw, candid, 'in-between' moments. Emily has been sober since S...

ATE #6.5: Ashley and Christiana discuss topics from Dave P's interview in Episode 6, but with a special surprise....Leo Martinez (one of Lionrock's Clinical Supervisors and Licensed Clinical Social Workers) joins them in the podcast booth! Tune in as Leo brings his clinical knowledge regarding trauma bonding and offers some amazing insights from a Counselor's perspective! Our Sponsor:Lionrock Reco...

#6: Dave grew up in Anaheim, CA. His father left when he was 2, and they met again when he was 30. He was raised by his mother and stepfather who were “hippie bikers,” and his stepdad was often confused with ZZ Top. Dave has 24 years of sobriety after getting sober at the age of 22. HIs best friend committed suicide on the same day Dave found out he had also been sleeping with his wife. Through al...

ATE #4.5: Ashley and Christiana sit down again to dive deeper into topics from Brittney Carbone's interview in Episode 4. Join the discussion as they dig deeper about the link between overeating and alcoholism, hitting bottoms in recovery, doing "the work" and the statistics and biological reasons behind blackouts. Our Sponsor:Lionrock Recovery (http://www.lionrockrecovery.com)This episode is spon...

#4: Brittney Carbone is a Santa Monica based fitness professional who is passionate about helping others make healthy living a top priority in their lives. In this episode, Ashley talks to Brittney about the factors that led her to start binge drinking and eating, and how after years of struggling, she found and was able to maintain a 65-pound weight loss through making fitness and self-care a lif...

ATE #3.5: Ashley and Christiana sit down and discuss hot topics from Pat D'Enbeau's interview in Episode 3. Join the discussion as they dig deeper about the biases and judgments surrounding addiction, different perceptions about trauma and what it actually feels like to have a craving from the perspective of an alcoholic. Our Sponsor:Lionrock Recovery (http://www.lionrockrecovery.com)This episode...

#3: Pat D'Enbeau is a phenomenal human being, and the Orange County Program Manager for The Phoenix - a non-profit that advocates for a sober active community. She found recovery through treatment and inevitably through a 12-step model. Tune in to this episode to hear Pat share the story of how she found recovery after a long journey of self-discovery and a traumatic childhood event. Her humor and...

ATE #2.5: Welcome to the our second "After the Episode" follow up! In this episode, we dive into some deep-seated topics covered in Episode 2. Join Host Ashley and Producer Christiana again as they discuss Bahan's interview and talk about the thoughts and feelings behind being a domestic violence survivor, the dangers and pitfalls of gaslighting and how alcohol is societally accepted as a "norm."...

#2: Welcome to the Courage to Change – A Recovery Podcast! For our second episode, Ashley is going to be interviewing Bahan McDermott. Bahan is the Director of Admissions at Lionrock Recovery. She is originally from the East Coast, and now lives in Southern California with her fiance, stepsons, and golden retriever Ghillie. She is celebrating 6 years clean and sober TODAY...and what better way to...

ATE #1.5: Welcome to our very first “After the Episode” for The Courage to Change: A Recovery Podcast! We are blown away by the positive response we have received, and so glad that it has touched and encouraged many of you. We wanted to touch on a few key points we were reminded of in the messages we got from many of you. Hence, this brief “follow-up” episode! Please keep your feedback coming--we...

Welcome to the Courage to Change – A Recovery Podcast! For our inaugural episode, we have our host, Ashley Loeb-Blassingame, in the hotseat as our producer interviews her. We figured it would be fun for you to get to know her before we kick off all the amazing guests we have planned. Ashley got sober in January of 2006 and just celebrated 13 years of recovery. She graduated from UCLA in sobriety....