We close season 3 with a powerful story of healing from Addiction/Substance Use Disorder . Kristen Johnson had a charmed life and childhood with a stable and loving family. Youthful tendencies and curiosities tempted her to experiment with drugs and alcohol that led her down a road of self-destruction. She spent 5 years in prison from DUI and gun related charges where she eventually cleaned up, healed and now works as Prison Reentry Coordinator in Graham County Arizona. Her story of addiction, recovery, and now thriving and helping others . Her newsletter The Light is now reaching and helping prisoners around the county. Let's end the year with hope, goals, and some inspiration. There's nothing like lived experience to help others. Thank you for sharing your time with us.

Dr. Sherman Gillums is a self-described Marine Mustang , father , and public policy expert. He shares his Marine journey, becoming paralyzed after a roll-over accident, becoming a father of 6 , and working several high level policy jobs in the Federal Government. He's served as Past President of The Paralyzed Veterans of America, FEMA to improve disaster preparedness for people with disabilities, National Alliance On Mental Illness (NAMI) to advance the 988 suicide hotline number and restructure response to emergencies such as COVID 19, VA Advisory Committees. He's currently serving as the Senior Director of Public Policy & Advocacy for The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation to advocate and provide support to anybody who is paralyzed from accidents, disease, strokes. He's also an Adjunct Professor at The University of Maryland while raising his youngest son, and enjoying life as a grandfather. Thank you for stoping by to listen and we hope you leave uplifted and inspired.

Beth Foraker joins us to discuss the groundbreaking UC Davis SEED Scholars Program for students with intellectual disabilities. This program is the first four year live on college experience in California for this demographic and flips the employment statistic for this group upside down. Less than 20% of this demographic ever live independently or gain paid employment, but after this program 80% of the students have paid employment and live independently. The goal is to improve life outcomes via the college immersion experience that includes core/foundational classes and elective classes. Students will choose and get to experience paid and unpaid internships in their areas of interest that often lead to paid employment . Did you know that Federal Law sill allows people with intellectual disabilities to be paid less than minimum wage ? It's outrageous. Thank you for stopping by to learn about this life-changing program.

Please join us for a very moving discussion with Dr. Rob discussing all things sex addiction , recovery and healing. Dr. Rob Weiss shares 30 years of experience helping those around the globe struggling with trauma induced sexual , behavioral issues. Learn about "Process" addictions, the need to "disappear" and escape, how trauma from being used by a parent leads to sexual problems. He explains how betrayal trauma affects women much differently than most men, the role of testosterone /hormonal influences on behavior, why the goal is "healthy" sex rather than differences in sexual preferences, how addicts "blame" others, triggers, trust and so much more. Come listen to this very judgment free discussion and learn about Dr. Robs many approaches, programs and resources to start your healing journey.

Hawaii based, Harvard trained Nutritionist Dr. Terry Shintani is here today to educate us about how a plant based diet can reverse Type 2 Diabetes naturally. You don't have to live on insulin and take shots forever. After just a few weeks/months on a plant based diet, many have been able to ditch most of the prescription drugs they were slaves to with all their side effects. Dr. Shintani has been helping patients get healthy for over 50 years by teaching them about the different types of carbohydrates and how they affect blood sugar. He discusses: Type 1 vs. Type 2 Diabetes , Insulin resistance and how insulin is causing your body to make fat, weight loss drugs, turning disease around with a high carbohydrate diet similar to Japan and the Mediterranean populations, strengthening your bodies natural immune system, the importance of Vitamin D and much more. Thank you for joining us.

Detective Eric Threlkeld joins us to discuss all things related to Domestic Violence. Detective Threlkeld brings up many important topics: Early education to recognize the signs of Coercive Control, Patterns in long term abuse,risks of lethality, "Red Flags", Murders that are actually staged suicides, developing a community based response and multidisciplinary approach to Domestic Violence, The Power and Control Wheel, Office of Violence Against Women, how Restraining Orders are a very important legal tool, layered safety planning, types of Domestic Violence, and how firearms changes your risks- Thank you for joining us for this very important discussion. If you learned something or found this of value, please subscribe to our channel on Youtube and here for more great content.

Janice Morrow

Dr. Reza Ghomi of Frontier Psychiatry is here to help us understand this very scary disease called Alzheimers. We discuss different kinds of dementia, the goal of early diagnosis, prevention, treatment, the stress of caregiving, resources, different cultural approaches to caregiving , and more. Dr. Ghomi has over 25 years of research and treating those with memory loss so he comes with a vast amount of knowledge. He emphasizes how early diagnoses and readiness to use resources such as the Alzheimer's Association , Medicare , and other social supports can radically improve your loved ones quality of life.

Thank you for stopping by to listen to this discussion and we hope you subscribe and come back for more.

Janice and Rick

We are thrilled to have Ghana trained medical Dr. Gideon Owusu here to discuss maternal mental health , some of the reasons the US has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, solutions, and more. He brings another world perspective and discusses some of the supportive strategies communities take to help new mothers in Ghana. We discuss the importance of pre-natal assessments, supporting women AFTER birth, how to develop better listening skills to consider the importance of recognizing cultural difference to enhance doctor-patient interactions. Hope you enjoy and subscribe to American Mood Swings Podcast. Thank you from Rick and Janice for sharing your time with us.