SMART Recovery® Podcast

As theory and practice evolve in both the addiction recovery and mental health fields there is a growing recognition of the intersection between treatment in both areas. One organization that has recognized this for quite some time is A Positive Alternative in Seattle. They are all about empowerment and choice for their clients and definitely subscribe to the view that recovery is not one size fits all.

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 Ginader (Florida), and Chris Gatew...

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 Recovery and ...

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, her perspective as a young person in...

Sarah Laurel is the Founder and Executive Director of ...

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 based on her personal journey with s...

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 their ability to stay healthy and su...

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 alcohol. &...

Carrie Wilkens is the Co-founder and Partner of the Ce...

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...

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 long...

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 t...

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 appropriate context.

In this podcast, Mich...

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.

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, the AI-powered recovery assistant...

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 place but other aspects of his life ...

Angelo Lagares is the Founder and Director of Latino R...