SMART Recovery® Podcast

Great question! In a nutshell, Volunteer Support Coordinators (VSCs) are experienced SMART Recovery volunteers dedicated to mentoring and supporting meeting facilitators. VSCs foster a welcoming and accessible environment for local volunteers to build connections and thrive.  On this podcast we are joined by three VSCs, each representing a different state: Kenzie Smith (North Carolina), Tammy Gina...

Wheeler  is a nonprofit agency that provides comprehensive human services across the state of Connecticut. Their vision is, "All people will have the opportunity to grow, change, and live healthier, productive lives." In this podcast we have a conversation with two representatives of Wheeler initiatives: Heather Clinger, a Program Manager at the Connecticut Center for Prevention, Wellness, and Rec...

When college student April Lombard first considered checking out a SMART Recovery meeting on her LSU campus, she worried that it would be both cringey and lame. Turns out it was neither. In fact, based on the value April found in the science-based approach, she decided to take the facilitator training and get even more involved. In this podcast April shares some of her personal recovery journey, h...

Sarah Laurel is the Founder and Executive Director of Savage Sisters Recovery , a nonprofit outreach and education organization focused on reducing the harm created by addictive behaviors. Sarah uses her lived experience to advance the organization's commitment to providing trauma-informed resources in a judgement-free way.  In this podcast Sarah shares her personal recovery journey and the "happy...

There is a well documented connection between problematic substance use and mental health conditions. Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, we asked SMART facilitator Kelly Scullin to join us in a conversation about mental health and recovery. She is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach and has deep experience in the human resources field. Kelly brings a unique perspective to her work ba...

College age youth often experiment with new behaviors when they perceive they have less formal restrictions, and Millie Goins knows all about it. She is a prevention advocate and certified wellness coach that leads student programs at the University of Central Arkansas. In her role she seeks to educate youth about the multiple dimensions of wellness and how substance misuse can negatively affect t...

Naltrexone has been used to treat alcohol use disorder for 30 years, ever since researcher Dr. Joseph Volpicelli identified its effectiveness. In this podcast we are joined by both Dr. Volpicelli and Jonathan Hunt-Glassman, the founder of  Oar Health, an organization that supports the combination of medication and psychosocial supports to assist people seeking to change their relationship to alcoh...

Carrie Wilkens is the Co-founder and Partner of the Center for Motivation and Change , a group practice of dedicated clinicians and researchers who rely on science and kindness to help people change. She is the co-author of the award-winning book and companion workbook Beyond Addiction: How science and kindness help people change  that is based in part on CRAFT, the evidence-based treatment approa...

Rebekah Robertson is a SMART facilitator in Columbia Missouri who found the program after a family member entered treatment for an addictive behavior. At first she thought she was different and people wouldn't understand all the circumstances that surrounded her. Then Rebekah experienced "that knowing smile" of others who had gone through similar situations and were able to navigate them in a posi...

  Nichole "Nikki" Lowder is a Program Manager at the South Carolina Department of Corrections. She brings both her lived experience and professional training to her work with incarcerated individuals who are trying to make important changes in their lives.  Prior to her own recovery journey, Nikki worked in the finance world but realized that she could no longer live the kind of life that was fill...

For more than 30 years Dr. Joseph Gerstein has been collecting stories from SMART participants about powerful emotional experiences related to their recovery journey. He has now written a captivating essay about the nature of these occurances that includes examples and analysis of what he calls "secular conversion experiences." His insight into the value of these experiences and the common element...

Dr. Michael DeMarco is a licensed mental health and family therapist and has pursued additional training in the use of psychedelic medicines for those struggling with substance use disorders. He emphasizes that there has been a significant amount of research about the use of Ketamine and other medications over the course of decades, and it's important to know how to put such research in an appropr...

Dr. Samantha Harte was managing a busy life in recovery when tragedy struck close to home, causing her to question her whole approach to living. She decided to expand her world view and dedicate herself to creating a recovery pathway that is uniquely her own and draws upon multiple approaches to living a big and beautiful life. Recently Samantha wrote a memoir called Breaking the Circuit that tell...

SMART believes there are multiple pathways to recovery...but does that go as far as including the use of intelligent retrieval technology, aka artificial intelligence? According to Zachary Gidwitz, CEO and Cofounder of the company Open Recovery , the answer is a resounding yes.  In this podcast, Zachary shares his personal recovery journey and how he ended up as part of a team that birthed Kai, th...

Nick Padlo only went to the college recruiting event for the promise of free food at his favorite restaurant. It turned out that no food was served, but a 3 minute video that was shown ended up changing the course of his life. It was a US Army recruitment video and Nick went on to attend West Point, serve in combat overseas, and launch a business career from there. A good measure of success took p...

Angelo Lagares is the Founder and Director of Latino Recovery Advocates (LARA) , a nonprofit organization that works to make policy changes that will increase culturally appropriate recovery services. LARA's vision is of a world where no one suffers from language disparities when it comes to getting help.   Angelo's story includes lived experience and many attempts to change his addictive behavior...

Yamila Rollan Escalona is the founder of the nonprofit Yaya Por Vida, an organization that helps those struggling with substance use in southeast Florida. Yamila was motivated to start this effort after losing her sister Yaritza (Yaya) to addiction. Yaya was a very talented artist throughout her life and her love of the arts provided a natural path for Yamila to follow. Yaya Por Vida offers both h...

Keegan Wicks brings both lived experience and professional expertise to his role as National Advocacy and Outreach Manager for Faces & Voices of Recovery (FAVOR) In his annual September visit to the podcast, Keegan talks about what is happening on a federal level in the area of recovery, opportunities to get invoved in the upcoming International Recovery Day , and why highlighting successful long-...

Alex De Marco is no stranger to financial distress. Childhood experiences and ill-advised business ventures convinced him that financial education, as boring as that might sound, was a key component for a healthy relationship with money. Eventually he combined his computer software skills with a desire to help those who had run into difficulties with debt--including those caused by compulsive gamb...

Maureen Greeley's journey to the head of the nationally recognized Evergreen Council on Problem Gambling (ECPG) included stops at the San Diego Zoo, a sanctuary for wolves, and communications work for the Washington State Lottery. This broad range of experience has informed her approach and deepened her ability to relate to a variety of individuals and communities.   In 2018, Greeley received the...

Christopher Toomey is a SMART Facilitator in Gulfport Mississippi. After years spent in active addiction, he realized he needed to make changes. As a Navy Veteran, he decided to go to inpatient treatment at the VA, which is where he learned about some SMART tools. In this podcast Christopher talks about his journey to becoming a trained facilitator, the support he received from other participants,...

Jody Bechtold is the CEO of The Better Institute and an  Internationally Certified Gambling Counselor.   She is co-author of the Gambling Disorder Treatment Handbook: A Guide for Mental Health Professionals, and she presents both nationally and internationally about education and treatment for problem gambling. In this podcast Jody points out that suicide and problem gambling are strongly linked,...

David Nooks is a Peer Recovery Support Specialist at the Foundation for Recovery in Las Vegas. He is also a musician who believes in the healing power of rock & roll. After many years spent misusing substances and seeking escape David decided to embrace recovery. In this podcast David talks about his journey to recovery and how he became interested in helping others find their own pathway to a dif...

The term "wellness" is thrown around in the context of many different things, including in the world of recovey from substance and behavioral disorders.  It's meaning can be fuzzy and border on cliche. But when Randy Williams uses the word wellness he keeps it real.  Williams is Founder of Willmore Wellness , and his lived experience with addiction and belief in the interconnectedness between body...

DeeAnna Nichols is a Certified Peer Support Specialist at ChangePoint Behavioral Health in Lewiston Idaho. Her recovery journey changed significantly when she discovered SMART in 2015. After trying to attend a SMART meeting and finding no one there that day, DeeAnna decided to take the training to become a facilitator. In effect, she took charge of her own recovery by taking action and hasn't look...