Journey Through Life Podcast

Welcome to or welcome back to the Journey Through Life Podcast. I am Justin Barton and this is my show. Some of you may or may not have already listened to this podcast before, but it’s all about ordinary people with extraordinary stories and allowing a space where people can reflect on our own lives and look inward to learn wisdom from the life lessons and experiences of the guests of this show. I also invite my awesome guests to share some of the things that are most important to them so that future generations can receive words of wisdom directly from those who lived their lives and experienced the world today. Today we will be journeying with Jonathan and Christina Hales, a very cool couple with quite the story. I was introduced to this amazing couple through a mutual friend, and I am sure glad that she recommended that I talk to Jon and Christina. In this conversation we talk about an idyllic life and early marriage and family life that took a sudden and drastic turn. They share where they get their hope and strength for the present and the future. There is a recurring theme throughout this conversation and it is that of positivity, in spite of trials. I have named this episode of the podcast, Hales Happiness – Despite What is Going On – A Journey Through Life with Jonathon and Christina Hales. I can promise you an hour of emotions and insights like you may not have experienced in quite awhile. Please go check out our sponsors, www.alifeuntold.com and use promo code JUSTIN at checkout to save 10% on a personalized and hard-bound book of your personal history to be left as a legacy for those who come after you. Also, check out www.sheppardbrackets.com for awesome brackets to create your own open shelving concept in your kitchen, bathroom, or anywhere else you would like some stylish and high-quality floating shelves in your home. Use promo code JTLPOD5 to save 5% on all orders there. And then, check out www.radfordpineshomedecor.com for the high-quality, high-end solid wood floating shelves that come fully prepared for and with a Sheppard Bracket. Use JTLPOD5 there for 5% off your purchase.

Welcome to or welcome back to the Journey Through Life Podcast. I am Justin Barton and this is my show. Some of you may or may not have already listened to this podcast before, but it’s all about ordinary people with extraordinary stories and allowing a space where people can reflect on our own lives and look inward to learn wisdom from the life lessons and experiences of the guests of this show. I also invite my awesome guests to share some of the things that are most important to them so that future generations can receive words of wisdom directly from those who lived their lives and experienced the world today. Today we will be journeying with Matthew Dicks, a story-teller, an elementary school teacher, an author of several novels and a recent, non-fiction book called Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling. He is also a podcast host and along with his wife, Elysha, they publish one episode of their podcast, Speak Up! Each week (it is one of the several podcasts that I make sure I catch each week), they also produce several Speak Up! Story-telling live events and workshops per year in their community. To learn more about him, the podcast, his books and other events that he holds, please go visit him at www.matthewdicks.com. He is a busy guy, and the title of this episode is Every Minute is Important: A Journey Through Life with Matthew Dicks. And with that title, I am even more grateful that Matt agreed to take a little over an hour of important minutes to share some really helpful and meaningful things with me and with you, the listening audience. I think you will find this hour or so of minutes important to you too, as you listen and strive to apply something from this conversation into your own life. There you have it. Every Minute Is Important with Matthew Dicks. Thank you, again, Matt. It truly was a pleasure to get to know you a little better and learn from your experiences and insights and talents. If you, like I, were inspired to do something new or different from this conversation, I plead with you to act on it… now… Don’t say, “I will get to it tomorrow” because you and I both know that we won’t. Do something about it, or it will be lost forever. Thanks again for listening in. Rate and review us and come ready next week to learn and apply something else from another very meaningful conversation with ordinary people with extraordinary stories. Now, Go to. Make every minute important. Items of Import: www.alifeuntold.com - Code JUSTIN to save 10% www.sheppardbrackets.com - Code JTLPOD5 to save 5% www.radfordpineshomedecor.com - Code JTLPOD5 to save 5% www.matthewdicks.com www.speakupstorytelling.com Book discussed by Matt: - Storyworthy (link to purchase on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2VklkEr) Podcast: Speak Up! (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speak-up-storytelling/id1386552794?mt=2)

"When things go wrong - there is always a right". Hear these words of wisdom and of hope from a very well-spoken and hopeful woman, Lindsey Marlin. In this conversation we learn of tragic and great experiences that have guided this ordinary woman with an extraordinary life and story. Today we will be journeying with Lindsey Marlin, a woman that I had spoken to once, for maybe 20 minutes before we had this call. And from that discussion, I felt the draw to ask her if she would be a guest on my podcast. And, as you will hear, I don’t think I was led astray in that thought. Her story is deep and meaningful and heart-breaking and hopeful. From the content of this conversation, I have chosen to name it “Acceptance – Know Your Worth – A Journey Through Life with Lindsey Marlin”. Links to sponsors and to things discussed in the podcast. A Life Untold: www.alifeuntold.com Promo code JUSTIN to save 10% Sheppard Brackets: www.sheppardbrackets.com Promo code JTLPOD5 to save 5%. Radford Pines: www.radfordpineshomedecor.com Promo code JTLPOD5 to save 5%.

This is the wrap-up episode of the Journey In Recovery series. In this, I share some of my biggest take-aways from this experience. There are others that will likely come to my mind after recording this, but, that is where I am now. If, after listening, you had other insights, I would love to hear about them. You can email me at thejtlpodcast@gmail.com. If you also would like to share your own experience, strength, and hope in a slightly different format than this one where we discussed primarily a specific step of recovery, I am happy to do that in a future episode of this podcast. Now, here are some places and references that were mentioned in some of the episodes. This is not exhaustive, but includes many of them that I think will be helpful to many of you. You can do a web search on any or all of these and get great information on these services and products to help you in your own Journey. • Al-Anon • Alcoholics Anonymous • Sexaholics Anonymous • S-Anon • Sex Addicts Anonymous • Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous • Cocaine Anonymous • Bigbooksponsorship.org • ARPSupport.org • Marijuana Anonymous • Narcotics Anonymous • Twowayprayer.org • Father Bill W Podcast • SAL12step.org • Workaholics Anonymous • All Addicts Anonymous • Some books o Step Into Action o How To Listen To God o 12 and 12 o Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous o White Book of Sexaholics Anonymous • I am sure there are many others that I missed. If you heard something referenced in any of the episodes that invited you to learn more, act on that prompting and look it up and get it and apply it. I think that my next project, after a few more traditional episodes of the Journey Through Life Podcast that I have already recorded will be a deeper dive into The Oxford Group and the 4 Absolutes and the 5 C’s and Quiet Time and 2 Way Prayer. Sure, there will be more slants of recovery in these, but I think we will be talking more history and application of these principles for anyone and everyone; addict or loved one of an addict or not. If you have extensive experience with any of these or relating principles, please contact me and we will start working on this project next. Once again… If you have felt something in this or any of the episodes of the Journey Through Life podcast that is calling to you and beckoning you to improve on any aspect of your life…. ACT ON IT TODAY. It can and will make all the difference in your life, and possibly in your family tree for generations to come. May the God of your understanding bless you and keep you and yours. May we press forward with steadfastness in our determination to do a little better and be a little better ourselves. Then, as we do that, we can expand to doing and being little better as a family, as a community, as a nation and as a world. It all starts right here, in the heart of the individual. Have a good week, and be well, my friends.

In this close-out episode, we speak with Bert B, an alcoholic and drug addict with more than 48 years sobriety about Step 12. Bert has ties to some of the founders and original members of Alcoholics Anonymous and has some great stories about recovery, healing, and his experiences from his life have made him into quite the thinker. There are many places in this episode where he shares something that just blows my mind and goes beyond my current wisdom and comprehension. This wisdom is something that is driving me to learn more and more about life, about myself, and about the world and what is real. If this is your first episode of this series (or of this podcast as a whole), I highly recommend that you go back and listen to all of the previous episodes of this Journey In Recovery series at some point. There are 12 Steps and they are in a prescribed order for a reason. So, whether you do that now, or after you listen to this episode, I heartily invite you to listen to the others and then continuing with the last few episodes over the next two weeks. Step 12 reads, “Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.” In this and other conversations, you may be introduced to concepts that you have never before considered, or may even seem contradictory to what you have considered truth for perhaps your whole life, but these concepts are shared as honestly and openly as possible, using real experiences that cannot be denied as being true to these people sharing them. While you listen, take mental or physical notes of ideas of self-improvement that pop into your head. Then, at the end of this podcast, review those notes and make a plan about how you can implement them. Now, kick back, or hit the road, work out, do house or yard work, or whatever you do while listening to podcasts and be ready to learn and feel and gain insights like you may have never considered before. Here we go with Bert B. So there you have it. Step 12. “Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.” Look at Bert’s life and the amazing things he has done since getting sober. Imagine your life 1 year, 5 years, 10 years, 25 years from now. If you are then sober from whatever weakness or addiction that holds you down now, I can promise you will be a happier and more connected person. That you will have a light in your eyes that others will notice and you will be able to lift and serve others who walk this same path we do. Please visit our sponsors who I purposely did not put at the beginning of this episode or any other for this 12 week series. But they are helping this podcast continue forward. They are alifeuntold.com, www.sheppardbrackets.com, and www.radfordpineshomedecor.com . Use promo code JUSTIN with A Life Untold to save 10% on your order, and JTLPOD5 at Sheppard Brackets and Radford Pines to save 5% on your orders there. Have a good week, and press forward, one day at a time. Resources: Alcoholics Anonymous: aa.org Narcotics Anonymous: na.org Sexaholics Anonymous: sa.org Sitting in a Rowboat Throwing Marbles at a Battleship: http://rowboatandmarbles.org/wordpress/

Just a quick heads up. This, is one of the most powerful conversations I have had thus far. I feel that this is a vital episode to share with young men and young women as parents feel it an appropriate age to do so. But this story starts at the age of 12 and is really relatable to many issues of today. This week we will be talking with Phil about Step 12. Phil’s story starts at 12 years old with exposure to internet pornography and quickly spins out of control to suicidal thoughts and plans. We follow his journey and desperate search for healing and a return to the feelings he had before he was exposed to pornography. In this conversation, he refers to a structured program that helped him finally find the way to the solution. He doesn’t name the program, but afterwards, he let me know that I could let all know what that program is. It is ARPsupport.org. It is a 12-Step sponsorship program, targeted primarily to men and women who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who are also sex addicts. Anyone is welcome to participate, but some of the documentation draws from scripture and leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. Step 12 reads, “Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.” In this and other conversations, you may be introduced to concepts that you have never before considered, or may even seem contradictory to what you have considered truth for perhaps your whole life, but these concepts are shared as honestly and openly as possible, using real experiences that cannot be denied as being true to these people sharing them. While you listen, take mental or physical notes of ideas of self-improvement that pop into your head. Then, at the end of this podcast, review those notes and make a plan about how you can implement them. Now, kick back, or hit the road, work out, do house or yard work, or whatever you do while listening to podcasts and be ready to learn and feel and gain insights like you may have never considered before. Here we go with Phil. So there you have it. Step 12. “Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.” If you felt or were motivated to take some steps in your own life to make some changes, I invite you, no I plead with you, as Phil did, to Enter a room, get a sponsor, and start on the path. In this time of pandemic and social distancing, getting to a physical meeting likely won’t happen, but there are countless call-in meetings, web-cam meetings, etc. Go to these. I will put many of them in the show notes for your reference. Just get out and take that next step, NOW. Now for the housekeeping part of the program. Please go and check us out on Facebook and Instagram at @JTL Podcast, like and follow us. Check out our website, https://www.jtlpod.com. You can also drop us a note about your own experiences, strength, and hope at thejtlpodcast@gmail.com. Please visit our sponsors who I purposely did not put at the beginning of this episode or any other for this 12 week series. But they are helping this podcast continue forward. They are alifeuntold.com, www.sheppardbrackets.com, and www.radfordpineshomedecor.com . Use promo code JUSTIN with A Life Untold to save 10% on your order, and JTLPOD5 at Sheppard Brackets and Radford Pines to save 5% on your orders there. Have a good week, and press forward, one day at a time. Resources: ARPSupport: https://www.arpsupport.org/ Sexaholics Anonymous: https://www.sa.org/ S-Anon (for the loved ones of sex addicts): https://www.sanon.org/ Sexaholics Anonymous Lifeline: https://sal12step.org/ Sitting in a Rowboat Throwing Marbles at a Battleship: http://rowboatandmarbles.org/wordpress/

This week we will be talking with Yitzy about Step 11. Yitzy, while having a shorter sobriety date than most of those I have spoken with, has some good insights into prayer and meditation and Step 11. I am grateful to him for taking the time out to record this episode in this series. If this is your first episode of this series (or of this podcast as a whole), I highly recommend that you go back and listen to all of the previous episodes of this Journey In Recovery series at some point. There are 12 Steps and they are in a prescribed order for a reason. So, whether you do that now, or after you listen to this episode, I heartily invite you to listen to the others and then continuing with the last few episodes over the next two weeks. Step 11 reads, “Sought trough prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.” In this and other conversations, you may be introduced to concepts that you have never before considered, or may even seem contradictory to what you have considered truth for perhaps your whole life, but these concepts are shared as honestly and openly as possible, using real experiences that cannot be denied as being true to these people sharing them. While you listen, take mental or physical notes of ideas of self-improvement that pop into your head. Then, at the end of this podcast, review those notes and make a plan about how you can implement them. Now, kick back, or hit the road, work out, do house or yard work, or whatever you do while listening to podcasts and be ready to learn and feel and gain insights like you may have never considered before. In this episode, there were, once again, some audio difficulties, but the message is strong and well worth the audio glitches here and there. Now for the housekeeping part of the program. Please go and check us out on Facebook and Instagram at @JTL Podcast, like and follow us. I have recently started reposting old and original episodes of the Know and Do Podcast on Facebook and in our blog at www.jtlpod.com. To learn of the origins of this project and podcast, I would be honored if you went and checked those out too. You can also drop us a note about your own experiences, strength, and hope at thejtlpodcast@gmail.com. Please visit our sponsors who I purposely did not put at the beginning of this episode or any other for this 12 week series. But they are helping this podcast continue forward. They are alifeuntold.com, www.sheppardbrackets.com, and www.radfordpineshomedecor.com . Use promo code JUSTIN with A Life Untold to save 10% on your order, and JTLPOD5 at Sheppard Brackets and Radford Pines to save 5% on your orders there. These conversations that I have recorded in this Journey In Recovery series have been life changing for me as I have been applying many new concepts into my own daily life from the lessons I am learning. And I am definitely becoming a different and better person for it. Have a good week, and press forward, one day at a time. Resources: Sexaholics Anonymous: https://www.sa.org/ S-Anon (for the loved ones of sex addicts): https://www.sanon.org/ Sexaholics Anonymous Lifeline: https://sal12step.org/ Sex Addicts Anonymous: https://saa-recovery.org/ Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous: https://slaafws.org/ Resources for many different fellowships: http://www.reneweveryday.com/resources/the-lists/ http://www.reneweveryday.com/resources/family-and-friends/

This week we will be talking with Matt D about Step 11. It is pretty interesting to me that many of the new ideas and practices that I have learned about and that I am putting into place in my own life have to do primarily with Step 11. This is another powerful conversation with some really good insights into Conscious Contact with God. If this is your first episode of this series (or of this podcast as a whole), I highly recommend that you go back and listen to all of the previous episodes of this Journey In Recovery series at some point. There are 12 Steps and they are in a prescribed order for a reason. So, whether you do that now, or after you listen to this episode, I heartily invite you to listen to the others and then continuing with the last few episodes over the next two weeks. Step 11 reads, “Sought trough prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.” In this and other conversations, you may be introduced to concepts that you have never before considered, or may even seem contradictory to what you have considered truth for perhaps your whole life, but these concepts are shared as honestly and openly as possible, using real experiences that cannot be denied as being true to these people sharing them. While you listen, take mental or physical notes of ideas of self-improvement that pop into your head. Then, at the end of this podcast, review those notes and make a plan about how you can implement them. So there you have it. Step 11. “Sought trough prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.” If you felt or were motivated to take some steps in your own life to make some changes, I invite you, as Matt did, to Enter a room, and start on the path. Life is so much better in recovery and with more conscious contact with God. Now for the housekeeping part of the program. Please go and check us out on Facebook and Instagram at @JTL Podcast, like and follow us. I have recently started reposting old and original episodes of the Know and Do Podcast on Facebook and in our blog at www.jtlpod.com. To learn of the origins of this project and podcast, I would be honored if you went and checked those out too. You can also drop us a note about your own experiences, strength, and hope at thejtlpodcast@gmail.com. Please visit our sponsors who I purposely did not put at the beginning of this episode or any other for this 12 week series. But they are helping this podcast continue forward. They are alifeuntold.com, www.sheppardbrackets.com, and www.radfordpineshomedecor.com . Use promo code JUSTIN with A Life Untold to save 10% on your order, and JTLPOD5 at Sheppard Brackets and Radford Pines to save 5% on your orders there. These conversations that I have recorded in this Journey In Recovery series have been life changing for me as I have been applying many new concepts into my own daily life from the lessons I am learning. And I am definitely becoming a different and better person for it. Have a good week, and press forward, one day at a time. Resources: https://alladdictsanonymous.org/ https://aa.org/ https://www.sa.org/ Resources for many different fellowships: http://www.reneweveryday.com/resources/the-lists/ http://www.reneweveryday.com/resources/family-and-friends/

This week we will be talking with Nick, an alcoholic and addict with over 3 years sobriety, about his experience, strength and hope with Step 10. In this conversation we really focus on the importance of being constantly aware and taking minute-by-minute inventory of self and being accountable to self and others in recovery. He shares his “God shot” as he calls it, where God came into his heart and made him a changed man. This conversation is a very meaningful one and definitely heart-felt. If this is your first episode of this series (or of this podcast as a whole), I highly recommend that you go back and listen to all of the previous episodes of this Journey In Recovery series at some point. There are 12 Steps and they are in a prescribed order for a reason. So, whether you do that now, or after you listen to this episode, I heartily invite you to listen to the others and then continuing with steps 8 through 12 over the next several weeks. Step 10 reads, “Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it” In this and other conversations, you may be introduced to concepts that you have never before considered, or may even seem contradictory to what you have considered truth for perhaps your whole life, but these concepts are shared as honestly and openly as possible, using real experiences that cannot be denied as being true to these people sharing them. While you listen, take mental or physical notes of ideas of self-improvement that pop into your head. Then, at the end of this podcast, review those notes and make a plan about how you can implement them. Now, kick back, or hit the road, work out, do house or yard work, or whatever you do while listening to podcasts and be ready to learn and feel and gain insights like you may have never considered before. Here we go with Nick If you felt or were motivated to take some steps in your own life to make some changes, I invite you, just as Nick did, to take those steps. Enter a room, give it a chance, find a sponsor, and start on the path. Life is so much better in recovery. Now for the housekeeping part of the program. Please go and check us out on Facebook and Instagram at @JTL Podcast, like and follow us. I have recently started reposting old and original episodes of the Know and Do Podcast on Facebook and in our blog at www.jtlpod.com. To learn of the origins of this project and podcast, I would be honored if you went and checked those out too. You can also drop us a note about your own experiences, strength, and hope at thejtlpodcast@gmail.com. Please visit our sponsors who I purposely did not put at the beginning of this episode or any other for this 12 week series. But they are helping this podcast continue forward. They are alifeuntold.com, www.sheppardbrackets.com, and www.radfordpineshomedecor.com . Use promo code JUSTIN with A Life Untold to save 10% on your order, and JTLPOD5 at Sheppard Brackets and Radford Pines to save 5% on your orders there. These conversations that I have recorded in this Journey In Recovery series have been life changing for me as I have been applying many new concepts into my own daily life from the lessons I am learning. And I am definitely becoming a different and better person for it. Have a good week, and press forward, one day at a time. Resources: https://aa.org/ https://al-anon.org/ Resources for many different fellowships: http://www.reneweveryday.com/resources/the-lists/ http://www.reneweveryday.com/resources/family-and-friends/

This week we will be talking with Wendi F, another lustaholic/sexaholic. In this conversation we explore her life experience that led her to an eventual awakening. We discuss what it means to find the core of an addiction and how it differs from many of the ancillary or appendages to an addiction. We discuss a new life with a Higher Power and the absolute power of having a sponsor to help you walk through the steps of recovery. This is another powerful conversation that will help break the stigma of addiction if you allow it to. If this is your first episode of this series (or of this podcast as a whole), I highly recommend that you go back and listen to all of the previous episodes of this Journey In Recovery series at some point. There are 12 Steps and they are in a prescribed order for a reason. So, whether you do that now, or after you listen to this episode, I heartily invite you to listen to the others and then continuing with steps 8 through 12 over the next several weeks. Step 9 reads, “Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.” In this and other conversations, you may be introduced to concepts that you have never before considered, or may even seem contradictory to what you have considered truth for perhaps your whole life, but these concepts are shared as honestly and openly as possible, using real experiences that cannot be denied as being true to these people sharing them. While you listen, take mental or physical notes of ideas of self-improvement that pop into your head. Then, at the end of this podcast, review those notes and make a plan about how you can implement them. So there you have it. Step 9 . “Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.” At the end of this conversation, Wendi F discussed the 20 questions to consider asking ourselves. There are also questions that you can find and ask yourself about virtually any addiction out there. In fact, just substituting your own suspected issue with the words sex or lust comes up here will give you a good idea. I will link to several questions to ask oneself if one is an addict or not below. Once again, go and check us out on Facebook and Instagram at @JTL Podcast. Check us out online at https://www.jtlpod.com. Drop us a note at thejtlpodcast@gmail.com. Visit our sponsors. They are www.alifeuntold.com, www.sheppardbrackets.com, and www.radfordpineshomedecor.com . Use promo code JUSTIN with A Life Untold and JTLPOD5 at Sheppard Brackets and Radford Pines to save some money on your orders. Resources: 20 questions from SA (Sexaholics Anonymous): https://www.sa.org/test/ 12 questions from AA (Alcoholics Anonymous): https://www.aa.org/pages/en_US/is-aa-for-you-twelve-questions-only-you-can-answer Questions for NA (Narcotics Anonymous): https://www.na.org/admin/include/spaw2/uploads/pdf/litfiles/us_english/IP/EN3107.pdf Sexaholics Anonymous: https://www.sa.org/ S-Anon (for the loved ones of sex addicts): https://www.sanon.org/ Sexaholics Anonymous Lifeline: https://sal12step.org/ Sex Addicts Anonymous: https://saa-recovery.org/ Resources for many different fellowships: http://www.reneweveryday.com/resources/the-lists/ http://www.reneweveryday.com/resources/family-and-friends/

This week we once again have 2 episodes covering the same step. This second episode will include Angie, a lustaholic, sharing her experience, strength, and hope in her path of addiction and recovery. In this conversation, Angie talks tactfully but completely honestly about the path of destruction that she had unknowingly left in her wake after some traumatic experiences in her childhood. She shares of her awakening to her own situation and he journey to make things right with herself, with God, and with her fellow humans, not the least of which, her family. This is a powerful conversation that may open the eyes of some of our listeners. Lust, sex, and other related addictions are not a men-only issue. And I am grateful that this stigma is being broken down, as it is a positive thing for all people to start to remove the stigma of all addictions, including sexual addiction. If this is your first episode of this series (or of this podcast as a whole), I highly recommend that you go back and listen to all 9 of the previous episodes of this Journey In Recovery series at some point. There are 12 Steps and they are in a prescribed order for a reason. So, whether you do that now, or after you listen to this episode, I heartily invite you to listen to the others and then continuing with steps 8 through 12 over the next several weeks. Step 8 reads, “Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all” In this and other conversations, you may be introduced to concepts that you have never before considered, or may even seem contradictory to what you have considered truth for perhaps your whole life, but these concepts are shared as honestly and openly as possible, using real experiences that cannot be denied as being true to these people sharing them. While you listen, take mental or physical notes of ideas of self-improvement that pop into your head. Then, at the end of this podcast, review those notes and make a plan about how you can implement them. If you may be in a similar place as Angie and her family was before this, no matter what the cause of that place is, and If you have felt something in your heart or mind that is motivating you to start taking some steps yourself to get a personal shortfall strengthened, please, I ask you, act on it! It can and will make all the difference in your life. If Angie’s witness isn’t enough to motivate and provide hope to the seemingly hopeless, I hate to think what will be enough. Once again, go and check us out on Facebook and Instagram at @JTL Podcast. Check us out online at https://www.jtlpod.com. Drop us a note at thejtlpodcast@gmail.com. Visit our sponsors. They are www.alifeuntold.com, www.sheppardbrackets.com, and www.radfordpineshomedecor.com . Use promo code JUSTIN with A Life Untold and JTLPOD5 at Sheppard Brackets and Radford Pines to save some money on your orders. Resources: Sexaholics Anonymous: https://www.sa.org/ S-Anon (for the loved ones of sex addicts): https://www.sanon.org/ Sexaholics Anonymous Lifeline: https://sal12step.org/ Sex Addicts Anonymous: https://saa-recovery.org/ Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous: https://slaafws.org/ Resources for many different fellowships: http://www.reneweveryday.com/resources/the-lists/ http://www.reneweveryday.com/resources/family-and-friends/

This week we will be hearing the experience, strength, and hope of a couple of people in 2 different episodes in their experience in Step 8. We start with John, a recovering alcoholic and drug addict. And you can just hear the value he puts on being honest with himself and others in this conversation. Honesty with self and others is really one of the cores of real recovery from anything, including addiction. If this is your first episode of this series (or of this podcast as a whole), I highly recommend that you go back and listen to all 9 of the previous episodes of this Journey In Recovery series at some point. There are 12 Steps and they are in a prescribed order for a reason. So, whether you do that now, or after you listen to this episode, I heartily invite you to listen to the others and then continuing with steps 8 through 12 over the next several weeks. Step 8 reads, “Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all” In this conversation, John talks about his walk through decades of addiction and choices that brought him to the place of becoming willing to make amends and then making amends. You can just hear the efforts at being completely honest with himself and others and his desire to help all and share the message of recovery with everyone. This is an honest and open conversation with a man who has seen the light and strives to walk in it. In this and other conversations, you may be introduced to concepts that you have never before considered, or may even seem contradictory to what you have considered truth for perhaps your whole life, but these concepts are shared as honestly and openly as possible, using real experiences that cannot be denied as being true to these people sharing them. While you listen, take mental or physical notes of ideas of self-improvement that pop into your head. Then, at the end of this podcast, review those notes and make a plan about how you can implement them. If you have felt something in your heart or mind that is motivating you to act on it – whether that be to share this episode with a loved one, or to start taking some steps yourself to get a personal shortfall strengthened, please, I ask you, act on it. It can and will make all the difference in your life. Once again, go and check us out on Facebook and Instagram at @JTL Podcast. Check us out online at https://www.jtlpod.com. Drop us a note at thejtlpodcast@gmail.com. Visit our sponsors. They are www.alifeuntold.com, www.sheppardbrackets.com, and www.radfordpineshomedecor.com . Use promo code JUSTIN with A Life Untold and JTLPOD5 at Sheppard Brackets and Radford Pines to save some money on your orders. Resources: Alcoholics Anonymous: https://aa.org/ Narcotics Anonymous: https://na.org/ Resources for many different fellowships: http://www.reneweveryday.com/resources/the-lists/ http://www.reneweveryday.com/resources/family-and-friends/

Today we will be hearing the experience, strength, and hope of Joe C in his living in Step 7 in his life. Now, a heads up on this one. The sound quality is a little rough in spots on this episode. The online recording did not come through great. BUT, the content is amazing. So, please listen past the flaws in the sound and to the beauty of what is being said. If this is your first episode of this series (or of this podcast as a whole), I highly recommend that you go back and listen to all 8 of the previous episodes of this Journey In Recovery series at some point. There are 12 Steps and they are in a prescribed order for a reason. So, whether you do that now, or after you listen to this episode, I heartily invite you to listen to the others and then continuing with steps 8 through 12 over the next several weeks. Step 7 reads, “Humbly ask Him to remove your shortcomings.” Talking about God, or our Higher Power. In this conversation, Joe C talks about a beautiful, long relationship with his wife and his awakening, late in life to his own issues. Her support and help, her death, and how the Steps of Recovery and the program have and do help him to see that “it keeps getting better”. He also talks about one of my new favorite 4 letter words, “Stay”. You will gain a ton from this episode as you Listen and learn and then apply what you learn. In this and other conversations, you may be introduced to concepts that you have never before considered, or may even seem contradictory to what you have considered truth for perhaps your whole life, but these concepts are shared as honestly and openly as possible, using real experiences that cannot be denied as being true to these people sharing them. While you listen, take mental or physical notes of ideas of self-improvement that pop into your head. Then, at the end of this podcast, review those notes and make a plan about how you can implement them. If you have felt something in your heart or mind that is motivating you to act on it – whether that be to share this episode with a loved one, or to start taking some steps yourself to get a personal shortfall strengthened, please, I ask you, act on it. It can and will make all the difference in your life. Once again, go and check us out on Facebook and Instagram at @JTL Podcast. Check us out online at https://www.jtlpod.com. Drop us a note at thejtlpodcast@gmail.com. Visit our sponsors. They are www.alifeuntold.com, www.sheppardbrackets.com, and www.radfordpineshomedecor.com . Use promo code JUSTIN with A Life Untold and JTLPOD5 at Sheppard Brackets and Radford Pines to save some money on your orders. Resources: Alcoholics Anonymous: https://aa.org/ Sexaholics Anonymous: https://sa.org/ Sitting In A Rowboat Throwing Marbles At A Battleship: http://rowboatandmarbles.org/wordpress/ Resources for many different fellowships: http://www.reneweveryday.com/resources/the-lists/ http://www.reneweveryday.com/resources/family-and-friends/

Today we will be hearing the experience, strength, and hope of Father Bill W, who was celebrating his 47th anniversary of sobriety being a guest on this show. He shares his own experience, faith and hope and focusing mostly on Step 6. If this is your first episode of this series (or of this podcast as a whole), I highly recommend that you go back and listen to all 7 of the previous episodes of this Journey In Recovery series at some point. There are 12 Steps and they are in a prescribed order for a reason. So, whether you do that now, or after you listen to this episode, you need to listen to the others and then continuing with steps 6 through 12 over the next several weeks. Step 6 reads, “Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character”. In this conversation, Father Bill W introduces me to a few new concepts and ideas that have made a massive impression on me in my own daily living. The biggest thing is the concept of 2 way prayer. Man! What a potential game changer. Listen and learn. In this and other conversations, you may be introduced to concepts that you have never before considered, or may even seem contradictory to what you have considered truth for perhaps your whole life, but these concepts are shared as honestly and openly as possible, using real experiences that cannot be denied as being true to these people sharing them. While you listen, take mental or physical notes of ideas of self-improvement that pop into your head. Then, at the end of this podcast, review those notes and make a plan about how you can implement them. If you have felt something in your heart or mind that is motivating you to act on it – whether that be to share this episode with a loved one, or to start taking some steps yourself to get a personal shortfall strengthened, please, I ask you, act on it. It can and will make all the difference in your life. Once again, go and check us out on Facebook and Instagram at @JTL Podcast. Check us out online at https://www.jtlpod.com. Drop us a note at thejtlpodcast@gmail.com. Visit our sponsors. They are www.alifeuntold.com, www.sheppardbrackets.com, and www.radfordpineshomedecor.com . Use promo code JUSTIN with A Life Untold and JTLPOD5 at Sheppard Brackets and Radford Pines to save some money on your orders. Resources: Alcoholics Anonymous: https://aa.org/ Overeaters Anonymous: https://oa.org/ Two Way Prayer: https://www.twowayprayer.org/ Father Bill W Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/father-bill-w/id1446284219 Resources for many different fellowships: http://www.reneweveryday.com/resources/the-lists/ http://www.reneweveryday.com/resources/family-and-friends/

Today, we will walk with Jennifer as she shares her experience in addiction starting at about age 14 with alcohol and then moving into marijuana and other drugs and psychedelics in her search for God in her life and also in her quest to numb things from her childhood. She will share about her experience with Step 5 in this episode. Step 5 reads, “Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. So many people get hung up here also, as we really don’t want to admit even to ourselves some of the things we have done wrong, let alone another human being. But it is vital and when our secrets are brought into words, they lose nearly all power over us. In this and other conversations, you may be introduced to concepts that you have never before considered, or may even seem contradictory to what you have considered truth for perhaps your whole life, but these concepts are shared as honestly and openly as possible, using real experiences that cannot be denied as being true to these people sharing them. While you listen, take mental or physical notes of ideas of self-improvement that pop into your head. Then, at the end of this podcast, review those notes and make a plan about how you can implement them. Now, kick back, or hit the road, work out, do house or yard work, or whatever you do while listening to podcasts and be ready to learn and feel and gain insights like you may have never considered before. Here we go with Jennifer. If you have felt something in your heart or mind that is motivating you to act on it – whether that be to share this episode with a loved one, or to start taking some steps yourself to get a personal shortfall strengthened, please, I ask you, act on it. It can and will make all the difference in your life. Once again, go and check us out on Facebook and Instagram at @JTL Podcast. Check us out online at https://www.jtlpod.com. Drop us a note at thejtlpodcast@gmail.com. Visit our sponsors. They are www.alifeuntold.com, www.sheppardbrackets.com, and www.radfordpineshomedecor.com . Use promo code JUSTIN with A Life Untold and JTLPOD5 at Sheppard Brackets and Radford Pines to save some money on your orders. Resources: Alcoholics Anonymous: https://aa.org/ Marijuana Anonymous: https://marijuana-anonymous.org/ Resources for many different fellowships: http://www.reneweveryday.com/resources/the-lists/ http://www.reneweveryday.com/resources/family-and-friends/

Today we will be hearing the experience, strength, and hope of Cameron in relation to the 4th Step of Recovery. Now, Cameron and I were connected through the person that was our Step 2 guest, Harvey. If you haven’t listened to those episodes, I highly recommend it… Actually, I highly recommend that you listen to all 5 of the previous episodes of this Journey In Recovery. There are 12 Steps and they are in a prescribed order for a reason. So, whether you do that now, or after you listen to this episode, I would highly recommend checking out the others and then continuing with steps 5 through 12 over the next several weeks. Step 4 reads, “Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves”. This is the Step that so many people get hung up on and lose steam. But in this conversation, we learn that this does not need to be the case. In this and other conversations, you may be introduced to concepts that you have never before considered, or may even seem contradictory to what you have considered truth for perhaps your whole life, but these concepts are shared as honestly and openly as possible, using real experiences that cannot be denied as being true to these people sharing them. While you listen, take mental or physical notes of ideas of self-improvement that pop into your head. Then, at the end of this podcast, review those notes and make a plan about how you can implement them. If you have felt something in your heart or mind that is motivating you to act on it – whether that be to share this episode with a loved one, or to start taking some steps yourself to get a personal shortfall strengthened, please, I ask you, act on it. It can and will make all the difference in your life. Once again, go and check us out on Facebook and Instagram at @JTL Podcast. Check us out online at https://www.jtlpod.com. Drop us a note at thejtlpodcast@gmail.com. Visit our sponsors. They are www.alifeuntold.com, www.sheppardbrackets.com, and www.radfordpineshomedecor.com . Use promo code JUSTIN with A Life Untold and JTLPOD5 at Sheppard Brackets and Radford Pines to save some money on your orders. Resources: Big Book Sponsorship: https://bigbooksponsorship.org/ Alcoholics Anonymous: https://aa.org/ Cocaine Anonymous: https://www.ca.org/ Resources for many different fellowships: http://www.reneweveryday.com/resources/the-lists/ http://www.reneweveryday.com/resources/family-and-friends/

Today we will be hearing the experience, strength, and hope of Kastle. I really love the vulnerability that Kastle shares in his story and his experience with trusting in God through the 3rd step of recovery. Step 3 is the step that every single person I have interviewed so far has come back to as a hinge pin in their recovery, so Kastle is my second conversation about Step 3. Now, as a reminder, Step 3 reads, “Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we...

Today we will be hearing the experience, strength, and hope of a alcoholic who is 32 years sober, Bill M. You will quickly come to love his hard Boston accent and the honest manner in which he shares his story. Step 3 is the step that every single person I have interviewed so far has come back to as a hinge pin in their recovery, and as such, I have decided to interview 2 people about Step 3 so, there will be 2 episodes again this week. The next one, with Kastle, will be released on Thursday, January 23rd. Step 3 reads, “Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him”. Step 3 truly is THE decision step. Step 3 Prayer: God, I offer myself to Thee- To build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of life. May I do Thy will always! If you have felt something in your heart or mind that is motivating you to act – whether that be to share this episode with a loved one, or to start taking some steps yourself to get a personal shortfall strengthened - please, I ask you, act on it! It can and will make all the difference in your life. Once again, go and check us out on Facebook and Instagram at @JTL Podcast. Check us out online at https://www.jtlpod.com. Drop us a note at thejtlpodcast@gmail.com. Visit our sponsors. They are: www.alifeuntold.com Use promo code JUSTIN to save 10% www.sheppardbrackets.com Use promo code JTLPOD5 to save 5% www.radfordpineshomedecor.com Use promo code JTLPOD5 to save 5%. Resources: Alcoholics Anonymous: https://aa.org/ All Addicts Anonymous: https://alladdictsanonymous.org/ Resources for many different fellowships: http://www.reneweveryday.com/resources/the-lists/ http://www.reneweveryday.com/resources/family-and-friends/

Step 2 moves to the next … well… step of recovery. It reads, “Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity”. Today we will hear the second part of a long and very meaningful conversation I had with Harvey E in Toronto about Step 2. Harvey and I became fast friends in this conversation as I had only had 1 previous 1 or 2 minute conversation with him. I loved the manner in which he discussed Step 2. I love the way that his sponsor walked him through Step 2. And I love Harvey. And I think you may also grow to love him and his experiences, strength and hope as he walks through the depths of hopelessness and powerlessness towards a dim light that was shown to him about 6 years ago. And now, that light is bright and full of warmth. If you have felt something in your heart or mind that is motivating you to act on it – whether that be to share this episode with a loved one, or to start taking some steps yourself to get a personal shortfall strengthened, please, I ask you, act on it. It can and will make all the difference in your life. Once again, go and check us out on Facebook and Instagram at @JTL Podcast. Check us out online at https://www.jtlpod.com. Drop us a note at thejtlpodcast@gmail.com. Visit our sponsors. They are www.alifeuntold.com, www.sheppardbrackets.com, and www.radfordpineshomedecor.com . Use promo code JUSTIN with A Life Untold and JTLPOD5 at Sheppard Brackets and Radford Pines to save some money on your orders. Resources: Sitting in a Rowboat Throwing Marbles at a Battleship: http://rowboatandmarbles.org/wordpress/ Sexaholics Anonymous: https://www.sa.org/ S-Anon (for the loved ones of sex addicts): https://www.sanon.org/ Sexaholics Anonymous Lifeline: https://sal12step.org/ Sex Addicts Anonymous: https://saa-recovery.org/ Resources for many different fellowships: http://www.reneweveryday.com/resources/the-lists/ http://www.reneweveryday.com/resources/family-and-friends/

Step 2 moves to the next … well… step of recovery. It reads, “Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity”. Today we will hear the first part of a long and very meaningful conversation I had with Harvey E in Toronto about Step 2. Harvey and I became fast friends in this conversation as I had only had 1 previous 1 or 2 minute conversation with him. I loved the manner in which he discussed Step 2. I love the way that his sponsor walked him through Step 2. And I love Harvey. And I think you may also grow to love him and his experiences, strength and hope as he walks through the depths of hopelessness and powerlessness towards a dim light that was shown to him about 6 years ago. And now, that light is bright and full of warmth. If you have felt something in your heart or mind that is motivating you to act on it – whether that be to share this episode with a loved one, or to start taking some steps yourself to get a personal shortfall strengthened, please, I ask you, act on it. It can and will make all the difference in your life. Once again, go and check us out on Facebook and Instagram at @JTL Podcast. Check us out online at https://www.jtlpod.com. Drop us a note at thejtlpodcast@gmail.com. Visit our sponsors. They are www.alifeuntold.com, www.sheppardbrackets.com, and www.radfordpineshomedecor.com . Use promo code JUSTIN with A Life Untold and JTLPOD5 at Sheppard Brackets and Radford Pines to save some money on your orders. Resources: Sexaholics Anonymous: https://www.sa.org/ S-Anon (for the loved ones of sex addicts): https://www.sanon.org/ Sexaholics Anonymous Lifeline: https://sal12step.org/ Sex Addicts Anonymous: https://saa-recovery.org/ Resources for many different fellowships: http://www.reneweveryday.com/resources/the-lists/ http://www.reneweveryday.com/resources/family-and-friends/