The Courage to Change: A Recovery Podcast
Welcome to The Courage to Change: A Recovery Podcast. We are a community of recovering people who have overcome the odds and made monumental life changes. We don't shy away from the nitty gritty - we like to laugh give inspiration and remind you there is hope. Come join us no matter where you are on your recovery journey. Together, we have the courage to change! Subscribe and join our podcast community to hear amazing stories of courage and transformation!
Episodes
October 29, 2025 • 66 mins
Cory Suggs grew up in a tiny Oklahoma town where life looked perfect—until it wasn’t. After his parents’ divorce at sixteen, he spiraled into a decade of reckless living, validation-seeking, and self-destruction. At twenty-five, multiple unexplained strokes left him unable to walk, battling depression, and convinced his life was over.
A year later, Cory went into the woods to end his life. What happened next changed everything.
In...
Mark as Played
Therapist Neha Kumar opens up about infertility, IVF, endometriosis, and postpartum depression. We talk about cultural expectations in South Asian families, the reality of new motherhood, what “natural” doesn’t mean, and practical ways to support women through fertility treatment and postpartum mental health. It is honest, grounded, and full of hard-won perspective.
This episode is sponsored by Reconstruction Unlimited, a recove...
Mark as Played
October 3, 2025 • 49 mins
Welcome to the first episode of Season 7!
This episode of The Courage to Change: A Recovery Podcast is brought to you by our sponsor Reconstruction Unlimited. As our sponsor, Reconstruction brings their mission to life by supporting individuals through personalized coaching, case management, and aftercare programs that foster meaningful transformation and sustained well-being. Learn more at www.reconstructionunlimited.com.
Ti...
Mark as Played
August 18, 2025 • 2 mins
I dropped the ball in Season 6. My guests were great but my cadence was not. Season 7 is coming back stronger than ever — Scott is back, we’ve got a sponsor, and I can’t wait to share what’s next.
Mark as Played
April 23, 2025 • 60 mins
Sarah Campos was born in Arizona and raised in Southern California. She graduated from ASU with a BS in Business. A hairdresser by trade, she now runs a full time e-commerce business online that supports clean living and wellness. She is the mother to Jaxon, Alesa and Ford.
When tragedy struck her family in the form of the death of her 8 year old son, it sent her drinking into a destructive spiral. Numbing the pain of the loss she ...
Mark as Played
TV host and author Marci Hopkins joins Ashley to share her deeply personal journey from childhood trauma and decades of functional drinking to hitting rock bottom—and rising again. In this raw and eye-opening conversation, Marci reveals how perimenopause played a critical but overlooked role in her escalating alcohol use, the hidden struggles behind her success in television, and how she finally found peace through sobriety, healin...
Mark as Played
February 26, 2025 • 46 mins
In this powerful episode, Alreen Haeggquist shares her journey of resilience, from surviving childhood abuse in a deeply patriarchal household to becoming a fierce advocate for justice. After decades of silence, Alreen made the brave decision in 2023 to publicly speak out about her experiences—challenging cultural stigmas, confronting family denial, and ultimately transforming her pain into purpose. Now a successful attorney, she d...
Mark as Played
In this inspiring episode of The Courage to Change: A Recovery Podcast, host Ashley Loeb Blassingame sits down with Randy Hall, a recovery advocate and facilitator based in Birmingham, Alabama. Randy shares his powerful journey from addiction to recovery, exploring how he found healing through multiple recovery programs, including Recovery Dharma, SMART Recovery, and the 12 Steps.
Randy opens up about his struggles with addiction, ...
Mark as Played
In this episode, Ashley Loeb Blassingame welcomes Arlina Allen, author and longtime recovery advocate, to discuss her latest book, The 12-Step Guide for Skeptics. Arlina shares her deeply personal journey from skepticism to embracing the transformative power of the 12-step process. Together, they explore common misconceptions about 12-step programs, the challenges of facing childhood trauma, and the nuances of navigating recovery a...
Mark as Played
October 23, 2024 • 71 mins
In this conversation, Ashley Loeb Blassingame and Sarah Allen Benton delve into the complexities of high functioning alcoholism, recovery, and the challenges of parenting while sober. They explore the nuances of addiction, the struggles of self-correction, and the importance of creating a sustainable recovery lifestyle. Through personal anecdotes and insights from interviews with other parents in recovery, they highlight the unique...
Mark as Played
October 18, 2024 • 3 mins
Hi everyone, thank you for your patience. I wasn’t able to release an episode the past two weeks, but I’m excited about the upcoming episodes! Tune in to my update on the new bi-weekly release schedule, and I’m looking forward to continuing this journey with you.
Mark as Played
September 26, 2024 • 61 mins
Mark as Played
Brendan was on the verge of becoming a hopeless, inveterate heroin addict when he, for the sake of his young daughter, decided to turn his life around. He enlisted in the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a crew of elite hotshot firefighters based in Prescott, Arizona. Their superintendent, Eric Marsh, was in a desperate crunch after four hotshots left the crew, and seeing a glimmer of promise in the skinny would-be recruit, he took a cha...
Mark as Played
September 4, 2024 • 26 mins
In this special Q&A episode, we dive deep into the science behind **compulsive behaviors** and explore what’s really happening in the brain of someone with a compulsive disorder. Whether it’s compulsive gambling, overeating, or obsessive cleaning, you’ll learn how the brain’s reward system, emotional regulation, and impulse control are impacted. We break down the key differences between physical dependence and addiction, and explai...
Mark as Played
August 28, 2024 • 60 mins
In this episode of The Courage to Change: A Recovery Podcast, Ashley sits down with Sarah Moore, wife of previous guest Preston Moore, to explore her unique life journey. Born in Florida but raised in the UK, Sarah shares her experience of moving back to the United States with dual citizenship and building a life of resilience, creativity, and recovery.
Sarah dives into her early life in England, the complexities of growing up in a...
Mark as Played
August 22, 2024 • 67 mins
In this poignant episode, I sat down with Brenda Daly, a licensed clinician with nearly 40 years of experience, who opened up about her deeply personal journey of loss, resilience, and love. Brenda shared the harrowing story of her son Kevin’s traumatic brain injury (TBI) and the 11 years of challenges that followed, culminating in his tragic death due to an accidental drug interaction involving fentanyl. We delved into the complex...
Mark as Played
August 14, 2024 • 5 mins
The Courageous Book Club is a space where we’re going to explore some of the most important books related to mental health, trauma, recovery, and personal growth. Whether you’re a seasoned reader or someone who prefers to listen in and learn from discussions, this series is for you.
Here’s how it’s going to work: I’ll be reading a book—annotating it, pulling out the key insights, and presenting them to you in a series of episodes. ...
Mark as Played
Lauren Eager shares her story of growing up with a sociopath father and a mother who committed murder. She discusses the impact of her childhood on her adult life and the importance of being kind to children. Lauren's experiences shaped her into an independent and resilient individual, but also left her with anger and sleep issues. She emphasizes the significance of having a pet and the desire to live life to the fullest. Relations...
Mark as Played
Greg Shindler shares his experience of growing up in an alcoholic household and the impact it had on him. He discusses the importance of vulnerability and the power of being raw and unfiltered. Greg reflects on his journey of healing and forgiveness, as well as the coping mechanisms he developed, such as drinking and drug use. He highlights the need for self-compassion and setting boundaries as part of the healing process. The conv...
Mark as Played
In this episode, award-winning podcast host Ashley Loeb Blassingame interviews Kaitlin Henry, who has been sober for five years. Kaitlin shares her journey from growing up in an environment where alcohol was normalized to becoming a mother and struggling with the pressures of parenthood and societal expectations. She discusses her experience with the sober curious movement, realizing that despite not having outward consequences, sh...
Mark as Played
Popular Podcasts
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com