The Hanley Effect Podcast - Addiction and Mental Health

In this episode of The Hanley Effect, hosts Dr. John Dyben and Dr. Rachel Docekal welcome recovery advocate, certified coach, certified recovery specialist, and podcast host Elizabeth Chance for a candid conversation about addiction, recovery, personal growth, and finding joy in everyday life. Elizabeth shares her journey from a decades-long struggle with alcoholism that began at age 13 to nearly...

What does it look like to build a full, adventurous life in recovery? In this inspiring episode of The Hanley Effect , Dr. John Dyben and Dr. Rachel Docekal welcome Teresa Bergen , sober travel writer and author of Sober Travel Handbook , for a conversation about what it means to travel alcohol-free with confidence, purpose, and joy. Teresa shares her personal recovery story, how getting sober at...

In this episode of The Hanley Effect, hosts Dr. John Dyben and Dr. Rachel Docekal sit down with acclaimed broadcast journalist, speaker, and recovery advocate Laurie Dhue for an honest conversation about addiction, recovery, stigma, and hope. Known for her years as an anchor on CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC, Laurie shares the deeply personal story behind her recovery journey, from childhood trauma and...

What if the way we talk about addiction recovery is actually pushing people away from getting help? In this episode of The Hanley Effect , Dr. John Dyben sits down with Amber Hollingsworth, LPC, MAC, LPS, founder of Hope for Families Recovery Consultants, and creator of the popular YouTube channel Put the Shovel Down . With more than two decades of experience working with individuals and families...

In this episode of The Hanley Effect, hosts Dr. John Dyben and Dr. Rachel Docekal welcome Dr. Michael F. Barnes, Ph. D., LAC, LPC, a nationally recognized expert in addiction, trauma, and family systems. Dr. Barnes is a nationally recognized speaker, author, and consultant, and the founder of the Michael Barnes Family Institute. With more than 40 years of experience in addiction treatment and fami...

What if one of the most powerful tools for healing, emotional regulation, and recovery was something you already do every moment of your life? In this episode of The Hanley Effect, we sit down with breathwork expert Jon Paul Crimi, who shares how intentional breathing can transform mental health, release stored trauma, and reconnect us to ourselves. With over 26 years in recovery, Jon Paul’s journ...

In this powerful and eye-opening episode of The Hanley Effect, hosts Dr. John Dyben and Dr. Rachel Docekal sit down with Brian Martin, founder and CEO of the Childhood Domestic Violence Association, to explore a deeply overlooked form of trauma: childhood domestic violence. Brian shares his personal story of growing up in a home impacted by domestic violence and how, for years, he didn’t even have...

In this episode of The Hanley Effect , Dr. John Dyben and Dr. Rachel Docekal sit down with strategist, speaker, and digital minimalist Kelsey L. Green to explore the growing impact of technology on our mental health, relationships, and sense of self. Kelsey shares her personal journey from burnout and constant connectivity to intentionally redefining her relationship with technology. Through the l...

In this episode of The Hanley Effect , Dr. John Dyben and Dr. Rachel Docekal sit down with psychologist, educator, and author Dr. Annie Brook, Ph. D, LPC, MSME (ISMETA), to explore a groundbreaking perspective on trauma, addiction, and mental health. What if the patterns you struggle with today, anxiety, reactivity, disconnection, or even addiction, didn’t start in childhood as you remember it, bu...

In this episode of The Hanley Effect, Dr. John Dyben and Dr. Rachel Docekal welcome Jennifer Goggin, LPC, LMHC, SEP, for a powerful conversation about trauma, healing, nervous system regulation, and the role the body plays in recovery. Jennifer shares her personal story of adoption, early separation, and how her own healing journey shaped the work she does today. She explains how somatic therapy h...

In this episode of The Hanley Effect, hosts Dr. John Dyben and Dr. Rachel Docekal sit down with Dr. Christal Badour, PhD, clinical psychologist, academic researcher at the University of Kentucky, and founder of Science for Survivors. Dr. Badour has spent her career studying how people recover from trauma and how science can make that recovery more compassionate and effective. Her research focuses...

In this episode of The Hanley Effect, hosts Dr. John Dyben and Dr. Rachel Docekal sit down with Angela Kennecke, award-winning investigative journalist, founder of Emily’s Hope, and host of the Grieving Out Loud podcast. Angela shares the heartbreaking story of losing her 21-year-old daughter, Emily, to accidental fentanyl poisoning. What began as Angela’s reporting on the overdose crisis became d...

What happens when the identity that once defined your life disappears? In this powerful episode of The Hanley Effect, hosts Dr. John Dyben and Dr. Rachel Docekal sit down with speaker, author, and founder of the Choose Yourself Movement, Hakeem Bourne Mcfarlane, to explore how personal loss, trauma, and identity struggles can lead to addiction, and how radical accountability can lead to transforma...

In this uplifting and heartfelt episode of The Hanley Effect, Dr. John Dyben and Dr. Rachel Docekal welcome Bruce W. Brackett, author, artist, motivational speaker, life coach, and advocate for recovery, positivity, and mental health. Bruce shares his powerful story of moving from early trauma, addiction, and self-sabotage toward sobriety, healing, and purpose. With honesty, humor, and compassion,...

What happens when the justice system treats addiction and mental health as public safety priorities without losing sight of compassion? In this episode of The Hanley Effect, hosts Dr. John Dyben and Dr. Rachel Docekal sit down in person with Alexcia Cox, State Attorney for Palm Beach County (and longtime prosecutor and community leader), for a grounded conversation about what it looks like to bala...

What does it look like when a high-performing organization treats mental health as health —not a side conversation? In this episode of The Hanley Effect, Dr. John Dyben and Dr. Rachel Docekal sit down with Megha Parekh, Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of the Jacksonville Jaguars , for a powerful conversation about crisis readiness, trauma recovery, and leading with empathy in high...

In this solo-hosted episode of The Hanley Effect, Dr. John Dyben sits down with trauma therapist and researcher Dr. Trisha Wolfe, Ph. D., LPCC, SEP, NARM for a clear, science-grounded conversation about complex trauma, developmental trauma, and why so many people feel stuck even after years of insight-based therapy. Dr. Wolfe specializes in working with high-achieving perfectionists, people please...

In this episode of The Hanley Effect, Dr. John Dyben and Dr. Rachel Docekal sit down with renowned family psychologist Dr. Michelle Sherman, a clinical psychologist with more than 30 years of experience supporting families navigating addiction, mental illness, trauma, and PTSD. Named the American Psychological Association’s Family Psychologist of the Year (2022), Dr. Sherman shares both her profes...

In this episode of The Hanley Effect, Dr. John Dyben and Dr. Rachel Docekal explore the question: What is sex addiction, and how is it connected to substance use and shame? Joined by Kim Litton, LCSW, CAP, CSAT (Certified Sex Addiction Therapist) and author of I Do It for Her: A Memoir of Recovery and Redemption from Sex, Love, and Substances, they break down how compulsive sexual behavior can bec...

In this trauma-informed episode of The Hanley Effect, Dr. John Dyben and Dr. Rachel Docekal welcome Vidya Nair, MSW, LCSW, and returning guest Lyanne Azqueta, LMHC, NCC, MAC, to explore a perspective that can change everything: addiction as an adaptation, not a moral failure. Together, they unpack how early experiences shape the nervous system, how “survival mode” becomes a lifelong blueprint, and...

In this deeply moving and inspiring episode of The Hanley Effect, Dr. John Dyben and Dr. Rachel Docekal welcome Florida State Senator Darryl Rouson, a Hanley Center alumnus, longtime recovery advocate, and dedicated public servant, whose journey powerfully illustrates that recovery is not only possible but life-changing. Senator Rouson shares his remarkable path from addiction and repeated treatme...

Content note: This episode includes discussion of suicide and suicidal ideation. Listener discretion advised. If you’re struggling, call or text 988 (U.S.). Comedy and mental health collide in this powerful, heartfelt episode of The Hanley Effect with Frank King, The Mental Health Comedian. Frank shares how a lifelong career in stand-up and joke-writing, including 20 years writing for Jay Leno and...

In this episode of The Hanley Effect, neurologist Dr. Carolyn Larkin Taylor shares how three decades in practice shaped her view of addiction as a brain disease, not a moral failing. She traces her path from early training in Philadelphia to many years of practice in Washington State, explains why the developing brain is especially vulnerable (“wet cement”), and offers concrete examples of how add...

In this episode of The Hanley Effect, pioneering activist, speaker, and author Dr. Jean Kilbourne joins hosts Dr. John Dyben and Dr. Rachel Docekal to unpack how advertising and media shape our beliefs, behaviors, and public health, especially around addiction, gender, and youth. Jean Kilbourne, Ed. D. is a National Women’s Hall of Fame inductee and one of the world’s most influential voices on ad...

In this powerful episode of The Hanley Effect, Dr. Rachel Docekal and Dr. John Dyben are joined by Turner Benoit, Chief Philanthropy Officer at Hanley Foundation, and Niki T, a former Hanley Center patient whose journey through recovery has transformed her life, and the lives of others. Niki shares her deeply personal story of addiction, recovery, and rebuilding. Today, she is not only a devoted m...