The Courage to Change: A Recovery Podcast

Tait Fletcher is an actor, stuntman and former MMA Fighter, known for his roles in Breaking Bad, Westworld, John Wick, and The Mandalorian. Tait grew up in Michigan where he dealt with childhood trauma by engaging in whatever thrill seeking activity he could get his hands on. Early on he found drinking and fighting as a means to meet his brain’s desire for chaos.  As he got older he continued to f...

In this episode of our Recovery Ready Workplace Series we spoke with HR Director Erica Williams who brings her 20+ years of experience on how to create a supportive environment for employees struggling with substance use. She also acknowledges that many employees might feel worried about the implications of getting help and lays out the groundwork for getting help in a manner that remains private....

Dr. Kate Balestrieri, Psy. D., CSAT-S, is a Licensed Psychologist, Certified Sex Therapist, Certified Sex Addiction Therapist, and PACT III trained couples’ therapist. Dr. Balestrieri earned her Doctorate of Clinical Psychology from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology, Chicago, and completed her Post-Doctoral Fellowship through the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, wi...

Vanessa Hurr considered herself a high functioning sad person after the death of her brother to an overdose in April 2020. The grief and sense of loss surrounding his death was compounded with extreme isolation due to Covid.  Vanessa was previously on the Courage to Change in episode 117 and at the time her grief took the form of achievement. She poured herself into projects and the non-profit she...

In this Q and A episode Ashley talks about how to identify your triggers. This is critical step in understanding your vulnerabilities and the situations you might need to avoid. Ashley shares stories from her own recovery journey and provides strategies on how to prepare for the people, places and things that might set you on the path to relapse.  Ashley Loeb Blassingame has been clean and sober f...

Annie began to see the cracks in her family at 7 years old. She and her 4 siblings lived a happy life in a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, but she could feel something happening. It wouldn’t be fully understood until years later when her mother revealed she was pregnant with the child of an influential man in town who was not her father.  Everyone turned on her mother and she was forced to leave t...

Kylene Terhune believed she had a wonderful marriage. She’d spent 8 years with a man she loved and trusted. They had their moments but for the most part, things were great. Then one day a single discovery turned into a string of discoveries that eventually unveiled a 10-year cybersex addiction that was costing $50,000 a year. She felt like she no longer knew the man she’d married. The loss of trus...

Are you constantly seeking out new relationships or always thinking about your next partner? Do you find yourself losing sleep over the state of your romantic affairs? Do you find your value is often dependent on your current partner's view of you? You may be a love addict. In this episode, we'll explore four signs that suggest you might have an unhealthy attachment to love and relationships. We'l...

Kim Muench is a Jai, Institute for Parenting Certified Conscious Parenting Coach who specializes in working with mothers of adolescents.  Kim’s expertise is grounded in her own life experience of raising a son who struggled with substance abuse issues. To make matters more difficult, she was also trying to navigate the difficult world of co-parenting with her ex-husband, a man who struggled with h...

On October 25, 2011, while on a routine field mission in Somalia, working as the Education Advisor for her non-governmental organization, Jessica was abducted at gunpoint and held for ransom by a group of Somali pirates for 93 days.  Forced to live outdoors in deplorable conditions, starved, and terrorized by more than two dozen gangsters, Jessica’s health steadily deteriorated until, by order of...

In this Q and A episode Ashley talks about how to explain your sobriety to your kids. Young children in particular might have a difficult time understanding a complex topic like sobriety, but Ashley is able to break it down into manageable pieces that don't require sharing every gory detail. Ashley Loeb Blassingame has been clean and sober for 17 years, she's a drug and alcohol counselor, interven...

Adam Banks grew up in Northern Wisconsin, a place where he felt he needed to hide his sexuality. At 15 he started drinking in bars where the only requirement was a promise that your parent was in the bar with you. As he got older he felt a strong need to leave the oppressive environment of his hometown, so he looked to the closest example of someone getting out, his neighbor who was a pilot. He be...

Iman Gatti was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. Iman’s parents moved to Canada from Tunisia, North Africa, and she is extremely proud of her Arab heritage and the opportunity her parents gave her by emigrating to Canada to raise their Family. Just two months before her seventh birthday, she witnessed her father brutally murder her mother. From that moment, Iman effectively became an orphan as...

In this Q and A episode Ashley talks about 4 important things that every family should know about addiction. Learn about the 4 C's of addiction, how they might change shape based on the personality of your loved one and next steps when you think there might be a problem. Ashley Loeb Blassingame has been clean and sober for 17 years, she's a drug and alcohol counselor, interventionist, and the co-f...

Dr. Alison Tarlow is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in Florida, New Jersey, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. She is also a Certified Addictions Professional, Internationally Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor, Qualified Clinical Supervisor, and Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Mediator.  Dr. Tarlow’s clinical work has focused on the treatment of substance use and co-occurring mental health dis...

Judy Wilson was born in West Virginia but moved to San Francisco in the height of the Haight Ashbury, Flower Power, Free Love era. Her world opened up to things she’d never seen before. Everyone was doing drugs and having sex and she jumped into that life with both feet. Her parents saw what was happening and moved the family back to West Virginia, but it couldn’t reverse her trajectory. In the fi...

In this Q and A episode Ashley talks about the 5 keys she's used to remain sober for 17 years. For someone who found it a challenge to string 2 days together, 17 years seemed impossible. Learn what Ashley had to learn the hard way and what will be most critical piece in remaining sober for the next 17 years. Ashley Loeb Blassingame has been clean and sober for 16 years, she's a drug and alcohol co...

Sonya Johnson’s parents divorced at 8. Sonya wanted a relationship with a father figure and ended up with someone she thought she could count on. The man her mother was dating was warm and he listened to her. He introduced her to things that she wasn’t allowed to do. Cigarettes, then weed, then ecstasy. And when he’d earned her trust, the sexual assault began.  Sonya left her home to get away from...

We're back with Season 5! We cover Ashley's anniversary, what's new in Season 5 and what's new in rawdogging life. It's been two long months but it will be worth the wait, we swear. Episode Resources Connect with Ashley Loeb Blassingame TikTok | @ashleyloebblassingame Instagram | @ashleyloebblassingame Connect with The Courage to Change Podcast Website | lionrock.life/couragetochangepodcast Podcas...

We made it to the end of Season 4! Thanks for all who listened. In this episode Ashley and Scott host The Courage to Change New Year's Extravaganza. We've got highlights from Season 4. We've got games. We've got music. Put on your finest attire and stop by our place to ring in the new year. Episode Resources Connect with Ashley Loeb Blassingame TikTok | @ashleyloebblassingame Instagram | @ashleylo...

Desiree Moore grew up with addicted parents. She wanted desperately to live a different life and when she met someone at 18 who seemed like he came from a white-picket-fence family she couldn’t believe her luck.  The two got married and began having kids right away. Her husband moved from job to job, trying to advance his career but eventually ran out of luck and was forced to return from the firs...

Lacie Hamilton grew up in an abusive home with a mother who was addicted to alcohol and pills. At age 5 was the first time she was slapped and very quickly internalized the message that it didn’t matter what she wanted or needed.  As the abuse continued, Lacie developed her own addiction as a coping mechanism. It was her means to dissociate. It controlled her completely, but she viewed it as a mor...

In this Q and A episode Ashley answers the listener question "How Can I Help My Daughter Survive Her First Sober Christmas?". The holidays can be a triggering time for everyone, but especially for people in early recovery. Ashley talks about her experience coming back home and what strategies will help the listener's daughter feel supported during the holidays. Ashley Loeb Blassingame has been cle...

Nicole and Joseph Ascanio are the siblings of Anthony Ascanio, who died of an overdose in August of 2021. Anthony ordered what he thought was Percocet on the dark web, but in reality the pills were Fentanyl. He is one of the 70,000 Americans who died from Fentanyl in 2021. After Anthony’s death Nicole and Joseph were forced to wade through the complicated grief that comes with overdose. The mix of...

Chris Tompkins knew he was gay at age 6, but things weren’t talked about openly in his home so he internalized the idea that it should remain a secret and he grew up ashamed, and hypervigilant.  At 24, he came out and jumped into an LGBTQ community that used drugs and alcohol to deal with the internalized shame they’d felt in their own childhoods. Chris eventually moved to LA and he spent the next...