The Recovery Toolkit Podcast

In today's episode Richie talks to Chris who has been in recovery since 2012. He is still an active member of Gambler's Anonymous and still does service to help and support others. Here, Chris talks about his journey in recovery and how Karate allowed him to find a purpose and build a new bond with his daughter. Chris is always looking for the next challenge in his life so he can keep moving forwa...

On this week's podcast Richie is joined by Ross who talks about how he was obsessed with football from a young age. Ross had an incredible football career, captaining his country for the under 20 squad, but explains how that obsession moved from football to gambling.   For Ross, this led to multiple suicide attempts until he found support from Sporting Chance Clinic. His addiction then manifested...

This week our host is Stacey Goodwin who flips the roles to have Richie Paxton in the hot seat. Richie talks about his journey and how he now gets to redefine what success looks like for him. Richie discusses the never ending journey of self awareness and self improvement that is a pillar of his recovery. Living a life that aligns with his values is of utmost importance to Richie although he of co...

Today Richie talks to Jo Mustafa. Jo has had an incredible journey through recovery and is now a Recovery Coach at Recover Together. Jo is a wonderful example of what is possible if you ask for help, do the work, and focus on yourself. Here, the discussion covers how Jo built her confidence, showed courage, and overcame her challenges.  Jo has been involved in national campaigns on stigma, has spo...

Richie is joined by Iceguy’s founder Chris Nicholas. Chris talks about the struggles he had in his 20’s due to acne that affected his confidence and self-esteem. Those struggles lead to a keen interest in men's mental health. Chris has had a few sliding doors moments in his life that has led him to where he is today. He talks about how buying a road bike was a big catalyst to unlocking a new passi...

In this episode Mark talks about the challenges he faced when he started to take responsibility for his actions. He also talks about how his life changed for the better when he engaged with and took responsibility for his own recovery. Mark's recovery journey has been far from straightforward but in this episode you will hear how he has faced adversity and still been able to use his experiences to...

Dot Smith is the CEO of Recovery Connections, a lived experience organisation based in the North East of England. This organisation - and Dot herself - has had a massive impact on the North East recovery scene and has helped thousands of people across the region. Here, Dot explains that she has been able to create a culture of recovery that is threaded through the whole organisation; one which giv...

Dan found recovery through an organisation called Recovery Connections. This lead him to 12 step recovery, where he was able to be surrounded by others on a similar journey. Running and exercise became a big part of Dans recovery and to celebrate 5 years sobriety this year he is completing 5 big challenges. Please have a listen to find out what they are. Dan set up a football team for those in rec...

This week we welcome Aaron Parker to the podcast. Aaron talks about habits, self awareness, meditation and of course we have a conversation about his journey to get to where he is now. Aaron now runs an organisation called The Conscious Self, who run nature retreats to help people connect to their inner self while immersed in nature. It has been far from plain sailing for Aaron but he is extremely...

In this episode Richie is Joined by Paul Mort an accomplished life coach who has twice won UK master coach of the year. Paul has a no nonsense approach to coaching and is an inspiring figure for many men and women. Throughout this conversation we learn about Paul’s beliefs regarding building a new life that excites you and adds value to the world. Paul gave up drinking a while ago and is sure that...

In this episode Richie talks to Ria, who is 4 years in recovery from alcoholism. In recovery, Ria moved from a victim mentality and self pity to take responsibility for herself and to get back to the things in life that she enjoys. Physical activity is a big part of her recovery and she has completed several marathons. She has also got a stable job and is present in her daughter's life. Ria talks...

In episode six, Richie has a honest and open conversation with Neil Wilson. Neil talks about his relationship with football and how it helped him escape his childhood trauma. When he left the professional game he turned to drink and drugs as a way to cope. Addiction took Neil to some dark places, including prison. When released, Neil was able to channel his drive for success into sales and become...

Richie is joined in this episode by Craig and Trevor. In this episode, the guys cover what brought them into recovery and what recovery means to them. These two met each other in Gamblers Anonymous and then became really close at an EPIC Restart Foundation event. They are now very much part of each others' support networks. Craig talks about how changing the language he uses has helped him have a...

In Episode 4, Richie is joined by Josh Connolly who talks about his 12 years in recovery. Josh is a speaker, coach, and Author. In this episode, he speaks about some of his beliefs, and how in his early recovery he needed to be around others on similar journey. Josh reminds us that recovery is very scary in the early years but it does get better; you can laugh, and you can find love. The feelings...

Dionne is in recovery from drugs and alcohol, and is an empowerment coach and hypnotherapist. She is currently a year into her recovery and is on a journey of self-discovery after living in chaos for 12 years. Dionne has had struggles with shame but found connection in twelve step recovery meetings which helped her create structure around the basics like sleep, stress, and TV consumption. Dionne s...

Steve joins Richie to share the experience which finally got him to say he had a problem with gambling, resulting in going through the criminal justice system after having committed fraud. Steve explains how he was abstinent for a while before he actually started to look at himself and his behaviours. A big part of Steve’s recovery was down to Gamblers Anonymous. Steve made it a personal mission t...

Stacey (AKA the girl gambler ) shares her story of recovery and how she went from a life of gambling to a life of not gambling, and learning how to live again. She talks about how writing her book and setting up her TikTok were ways to deal with lockdown and early recovery. After being abstinent for a few years, she then started to rediscover herself and followed her passion to creating Woman. Emp...