Dark and Enlightened

This was a deep conversation and I learned a lot about my friend, Carol Cruz. We talk about everything from body image to eating disorders to her 18 months at an orphanage as a child to selling drugs to an undercover cop to some very movie-like plot twists in her life. I am grateful for the opportunity to get to learn more about her and I hope you take the time to learn more about her too.

email: jaclyn@darkandenlightened....

Today, I talk with my friend, Chauncie Beaston, about anything and everything because that's what happens when you throw a couple of ADHD baddies together. Our topics range from how she decided to leave NA for harm reduction because of her son to how she started her nonprofit because she was having a manic bipolar episode to how she found out she had a brother on MySpace to details about her ketamine treatment to her obsession...

This was definitely one of my favorite interviews because I feel like Ryan Hampton is my twin, so I was just really talking to myself.  FOR REALSIES THOUGH, we had a great, deep conversation about everything: mental health, online hate, his writing process, The Sacklers reaction to Unsettled, conspiracies about his 10 year resume gap , our shared autoimmune disease, Quincy, and so so much more. I hope you enjoyed our conversation!<...

This wasn't what I had planned, but I am giving myself grace to not beat myself up for putting my mental health first. I word vomit a bunch of things and if I actually knew how to take someone's offer for help, this is what I would vent to them about. So, if you listen to this, you are inadvertently helping me in the way I am comfortable with accepting help. Just listening helps.

***
TikTok: @jaclynbrown

Today's episode includes topics I have never talked about before! I interview my friend, Michelle Kavouras, about her role as a peer doula. She primarily works with a population of pregnant people with substance use disorder and she talks about the issues these people face. Additionally, she tells a bit about her story and having to give up one of her children for adoption due to her SUD. I hope you can listen to this episode ...

I have a convo today with one of my favorite people in the world, Chekesha Lakenya Ellis. She is a fellow advocate and someone who is in recovery. Her story is incredibly unique with a lot of layers to it. Her addiction to prescription opioids actually resulted in her losing her hearing and she became deaf for years until she was able to get cochlear implants. She is an inspiration to me, her charisma is contagious, and I really ho...

I have a great convo with my friend, Alex, who is a plus size model and content creator. We talk about body image, quitting her corporate job for full time content creation, and she provides guidance if you are curious about taking on content creation. She is the reason I am finally embracing myself at my size, so having this time with her was special for me. I hope you enjoy our convo!

Follow me on TikTok to see more rand...

I sit down for a chat today with my friend and fellow advocate, Tom Cotter. We discuss his later in life diagnosis of ADHD (at the age of 60) and the unknowing impact that had on his alcohol consumption. We also talk more about how much untreated and unmonitored mental or behavioral health issues can impact someone despite abstaining from substances. We also discovered that we are apparently the same person. Haha. Hope you enjoy th...

The last time my husband and I recorded together was August 2022, right after we lost Gus. That was ROUGH. This time, we talk about what life has been like since then, mental health and body image issues, boundaries, and how our new pups, Pierre and Teddy, have changed us and how we've been approaching life.  Hope you enjoy this episode!

Links to all my things: https://linktr.ee/staygoldenjaclyn

***

...

I had such an amazing and insightful conversation with my friend, Sabre Sarnataro, about narcissistic personality disorder, the spectrum of narcissism, and growing up with a father with NPD. Then we jump into all sorts of other reflection and things we have learned through therapy and our own healing. It's a really great episode and I hope you enjoy this one!

***

Sabre is a digital marketer in the crazy age o...

I know this is my first 3 hour episode in a while (or maybe ever?), but I promise you that every minute is worth the listen. I interviewed my friend, Amanda, about her life and the multitude of traumas and life experiences she has had. We touch on probably the biggest variety of topics ever: military life, gangs, addiction, death, pregnancy, abuse (all forms of it), incarceration, reentry, etc etc etc. Big trigger warning for every...

I have one of my favorite regular guests back on the show: my sister, Alison Kane. We catch up on how her 2022 went and her recent diagnoses of depression, anxiety, and the one I would have NEVER expected: ADHD. Alison also lost her sweet cat, Marble, last year shortly after we lost Gus and we talk about what that was like and pet grief overall. Per the usual, we sound the same, so just remember that she has cats and  I have dogs. ...

On today's episode, I have a great conversation with my friend, Tom. We kinda go all over the place--everywhere from politics, substance use, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, WRAP, personal medicine, harm reduction, mental health issues--we do it all! I hope you enjoy our conversation and get something out of it.

***

Tom Jackson's "day job" is as a Registered Peer Specialist at Western State Hospital in ...

WE ARE BACK, BABY! Thank you for being patient with me while I took care of my life. I am super excited about this episode with my friend, Lela Graham. Please check out her bio below to learn a little more about her. She is an AMAZING woman who ran for office in the state of Montana and she was completely open about her recovery (a politician being open and honest? WEIRD, I KNOW). We talk about PTSD, bipolar disorder (BPD), substan...

Hi. I know it's been a while, but I was away for good reason.  My husband joins me for this one as we recount the last 7 months that I've been away from recording.  This episode truly revolves around our dogs, Gus and Tuco. We discuss pet grief and I give the case for why losing a dog (or pet) should carry the same weight as the loss of a person. We cry. We ramble. I didn't edit this episode to make it nice and neat ...

Today's episode is a little different in the order I talk about things, so lemme know what you think of the different format. I talk with my friend, Nikki Fordey, about her career in social work. We discuss her specific area of social work and talk about what exactly does social work encapsulate. We then pivot the discussion to growing up, being somewhat of a medical mystery, due to issues she was experiencing and her eventual...

Buckle up for a Bingo card full of trauma (LOLZ for my dark humor people).  I have a really great conversation with my friend, Clarissa O'Neill, about the various things that she has gone through in her life. Here is a big trigger warning: there is discussion of child abuse, self harm, suicide, sexual assault, rape, and substance use. Clarissa also talks about her time in the Army Reserve and how substance use impacted everyth...

It's an end of the year reflection episode with my baby sissy, Alison Kane! There's been a lot of dark topics lately, so wanted to lighten it up and have a chat with Alison about all sorts of stuff: how work impacts how we live our lives (and view our worth), our never-ending quest for perfection, how random shit in our childhood affects how we view things today, and more. No super heavy stuff today cause it's the st...