The Courage to Change: A Recovery Podcast copertina

The Courage to Change: A Recovery Podcast

The Courage to Change: A Recovery Podcast

Di: Ashley Loeb Blassingame
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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!The Courage to Change: A Recovery Podcast Copyright 2021 Igiene e vita sana Psicologia Psicologia e salute mentale Successo personale Sviluppo personale
Episodi
  • 249. Five More Minutes: Kaela Demerjian on Why Recovery Sometimes Means Just Staying

    249. Five More Minutes: Kaela Demerjian on Why Recovery Sometimes Means Just Staying
    Mar 9 2026
    Summary: Kaela Demerjian’s story begins with chaos. Growing up in Orange County, she never felt like she belonged anywhere. By middle school she was struggling with self harm, depression, and drugs, eventually landing in psych wards and even being tased by police during a suicide crisis. She got sober young, but sobriety alone didn’t fix the pain. For years she searched for belonging everywhere: punk houses in Oakland, activism, yoga, marriage, and even a new life in France. But the emptiness followed her until she finally discovered the one thing she had been missing all along. In this conversation, Kaela shares how real recovery began when she stopped trying to do it alone and found community in AA and Al-Anon. Through guidance, spirituality, and the support of people who understood her struggle, she slowly learned that recovery isn’t about fixing everything overnight. Sometimes it’s about staying when you want to run. Sometimes it’s about surviving the next five minutes. Today, 14 years sober, Kaela reflects on the long road from self destruction to self acceptance and the power of community, humility, and faith in building a life she never thought was possible. What listeners will learn: Why sobriety alone doesn’t always solve the deeper pain behind addiction The difference between abstinence and real recovery How community and guidance can change the trajectory of recovery Why many people feel lost even after they stop drinking or using How codependency and the need to belong can shape addiction and relationships The role AA and Al-Anon can play in building healthy support systems How to survive overwhelming emotional pain one small step at a time Why recovery sometimes means simply staying for the next five minutes How spiritual growth and humility can become powerful tools for healing What it looks like to build a meaningful life after years of chaos Kaela's Instagram: @KaelaDemerjian Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaelasaez/
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    1 ora e 25 min
  • 248. Postpartum OCD and Growing Up With Alcohol Use Disorder: Intrusive Thoughts, Anxiety, and Recovery

    248. Postpartum OCD and Growing Up With Alcohol Use Disorder: Intrusive Thoughts, Anxiety, and Recovery
    Dec 19 2025
    In this episode of The Courage to Change, Ashley Loeb Blassingame speaks with author and illustrator Amanda Davis about two deeply connected experiences: growing up in a home impacted by alcohol use disorder and later navigating postpartum OCD as a new mother. Amanda shares what it was like to lose her father to alcohol-related illness at a young age and how growing up in an unpredictable, high-stress environment shaped her nervous system, anxiety, and sense of responsibility. She explains how those early experiences laid the groundwork for postpartum OCD years later, when multiple major life changes collided at once. The conversation takes an honest, clear-eyed look at postpartum OCD, including intrusive thoughts, “sticky” thinking, reassurance-seeking cycles, and the fear many mothers feel about admitting what’s happening in their minds. Amanda walks through how her symptoms showed up, why they were so frightening, and how an intensive outpatient program specifically for postpartum OCD helped her recover. Together, Ashley and Amanda also discuss how we talk to children about hard things, including addiction, loss, anxiety, and recovery, and why silence often does more harm than age-appropriate honesty. Amanda shares how these experiences led her to write Sometimes Stormy, a children’s book that gives families language for talking about emotional storms without shame. This episode is for mothers, clinicians, educators, and caregivers who want to better understand postpartum OCD, intrusive thoughts, and how recovery can look when the struggle is internal, invisible, and deeply misunderstood. www.AmandaDavisArt.com "Sometimes Stormy: A Story About Finding Calm and Staying Safe When Someone You Love Drinks Too Much" by Amanda Davis #LocalBookStore #AmandaDavisArt #PostPartumOCD #ParentalLoss
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    53 min
  • 246. Surviving Strokes, Suicide Loss, and Finding Purpose: A Mental Health Conversation with Cory Suggs

    246. Surviving Strokes, Suicide Loss, and Finding Purpose: A Mental Health Conversation with Cory Suggs
    Oct 30 2025
    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 a single blink, he saw two versions of his future—one dark and empty, one bright and full of life—and chose to live. That moment sparked a lifelong practice of gratitude that became his anchor for healing. In this powerful conversation, Cory shares: The hidden cost of seeking approval through recklessness and addiction What it’s like to lose your body, your identity, and your will to live—and rebuild from zero The vision that stopped his suicide attempt and started his recovery How daily gratitude, faith, and movement transformed his mind and body Losing his mother to suicide and finding peace through forgiveness and purpose The role of personal development, proximity, and mentors like Tony Robbins in reshaping his life What true masculinity and emotional strength look like for men today Cory’s story is raw, redemptive, and deeply human—a reminder that life doesn’t happen to us, it happens for us. If you or someone you love is struggling, this episode is a lifeline of hope and practical wisdom. Connect with Cory: CorySuggs.com Follow Ashley: @ashleyloebblassingame www.couragetochangepodcast.com www.ashleyloebblassingame.com Trigger warning: This episode discusses suicide and depression. If you’re in crisis, call or text 988 in the U.S. for support.
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    1 ora e 6 min
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