Join Caroline Beidler, MSW as she talks with the founder of In the Meantime, a recovery residence for women in South Carolina, Tiffany Knight.

Tiffany shares that:

"At In the Meantime, we’ll provide a safe, substance-free recovery residence to bridge the gap, while increasing the likelihood of success on their long-term recovery journey.

I have had an intimate experience with addiction and recovery. As a child of a (now deceased) recovering addict and recovering myself, I will be the first to tell you the journey to recovery is not easy. In 2002, I found myself homeless and all out of options. I had burned every bridge I crossed. 

A piece of my story: I was dropped off at a detox center in 2002. After 7 days of detox I was discharged with the clothes on my back, a bus pass, and one phone call. My phone call was to a Goodwill shelter who had one mat on the floor. I begged them to hold that mat on the floor for me, and I would be there as soon as possible. I started this journey with a mat on the floor and a little bit of hope. Where I have been and where I am now is what motivates my continued sobriety today and provides me the passion and willpower to assist other women in need. 

In 2002 “In the Meantime” was just a dream. Today it is a reality."

Join Caroline as she talks with Tiffany about why recovery housing or access to recovery residences for women is so important for the recovery journey.

You'll also learn some helpful tips for starting a recovery home, like the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR) resources, along with how to build trauma-informed and resilience-centered practice into recovery residence programming.

Tiffany will share about her amazing model for women's recovery housing!

“The gift for me is the empowerment of women recovering together.”

To learn more about how you can support In the Meantime, visit the website at:

https://itmrecoveryresidence.org/

September is National Recovery Month, a time when recovery advocates and allies celebrate the reality that recovery is possible.

How do stories impact us?

How can we find meaning in a shared recovery story?

What impact can recovery stories have on our journey and how we show up for others?

Join Caroline Beidler, MSW as she shares about her first experience of being connected to a recovery story through her friend and mentor, Florence (Flo) Hilliard.  Caroline also connects with women advocates across the U.S. including Lucy Battles, Tara Moreno, and Diane Scott. These incredible women share about the power of the recovery story in their own life and in their work in the recovery field.

If you connect with power of story or would like to, visit www.brightstoryshine.com and check out the latest blog posts.

You can also submit your #brightstory of recovery here.

Why is it important to think bigger, think globally, when we consider Recovery Month?

Why should we learn more about intersecting issues like gender-based violence, trauma, and human trafficking and how do we help other women regain their voice?

Join Caroline Beidler, MSW as she talks with Sophie Otiende, a woman whose work impacts women across the globe.

Sophie Otiende is a global women's rights leader and survivor advocate for survivors of human trafficking from Nairobi, Kenya. Her work focuses on developing systems and processes for grassroots organizations. The past eight years she has focused on creating ethical standards for protection of survivors of trafficking, developing systems for organizations, training, and development of curriculum on both protection and awareness of human trafficking.

Her advocacy on standards of care and survivor engagement has made her an international speaker. She is also passionate about ethical engagement of survivors of trafficking in the sector and ethical storytelling. Sophie firmly believes in a future where empathy, harmony and trust can be articulated in processes and systems in institutions seamlessly. She is a 2015 Vital Voices Fellow and the recipient of the US Trafficking in Persons Report Hero 2020. She previously worked as the Regional Operations Manager – Africa for Liberty Shared and later as the Director of Consulting for Survivor Alliance. She has also served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery (GFEMS). She is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery and the founder of a survivor led initiative in Kenya called Azadi that focuses on supporting survivors of trafficking with long term care and leadership skills to engage more in the human rights space. For more information check: www.sophieotiende.com 

What does healthy grieving look like?

How do we embrace all of the emotions surrounding profound loss?

What is disenfranchised grief - or grief that is wrapped into the stigmatization of addiction loss?

Join Caroline Beidler, MSW as she talks with Kate J. Meyer, MDiv, LPC, who is an ordained minister and licensed professional counselor.

Kate has worked in both private practice and hospice care.  She is passionate about

bringing grief into the light so that all grievers know how to move forward in a healthy,

life-giving manner. Kate is also the author of The Red Couch, a novel about past

mistakes and a challenge to overcome them. She is a dog mom living with her husband in

Western Michigan. 

The grieving process is part of being human, but far too often,

 grievers are pushed out of grief and rushed into rejoicing

that their loved one is in heaven. 

Licensed professional counselor and ordained minister Kate Meyer is

an experienced, warm, practical guide to walk you through the

grieving process. In Faith Doesn’t Erase Grief, she encourages

grievers and shows them how to find hope.

Grief is a difficult but natural part of life. For grievers, professional

helpers, and those wanting to better understand loss, let Faith

Doesn’t Erase Grief help you embrace the fullness of grief and

discover the first steps toward hope.

Get your copy today at your favorite bookstore!

Connect with Kate at https://www.instagram.com/kate.j.meyer.author/ and https://www.katejmeyer.com/

To learn more about International Overdose Awareness, check out https://www.overdoseday.com/

In honor of International Overdose Awareness Day, Caroline Beidler, MSW connects with a mom who has been personally touched by overdose loss. 

Pattie Vargas lost her son, Joel, in November 2017, to overdose. After this tragic experience, Pattie went from managing a thriving consultancy firm into learning more about the disease of addiction. 

Pattie found new purpose in advocating for meaningful change in the way we address Substance Use Disorder and the accompanying stigma and trauma. She now focuses her speaking engagements, writing and podcast appearances on helping others navigate the frightening journey through addiction, finding hope for recovery, and comforting those who have lost loved ones to this disease.

Pattie is grateful to serve in many capacities within the Recovery Community including: 

·       Peer Parent Coach with The Partnership to End Addiction 

·       California State Organizing Team for The Recovery Advocacy Project 

·       Advisory Committee for the Addiction Recovery Communities of California 

·       National Ambassador with Shatterproof 

Her book is out for pre-order now:  Secrets, Scars and Heart Shaped Jars . She talks candidly about her own experience of overdose loss, how to remain resilient in the face of life's most challenging circumstances and how parents and other family members can find help. 

 Check out Caroline's latest blog article on addiction loss: Coping with Addiction Loss: Grief in the Recovery Family.

Radical honesty is something that challenges our lives and the way we live day-to-day. In mental health and addiction recovery, radical honesty does lead to radical healing.

Manda Carpenter knows this firsthand, surviving trauma as a child and then moving into adulthood with related trauma symptoms and other challenges. Now, she works as a foster parent to support other children who go through similar experiences.

"I believe that God uses the catastrophes of our life to be the catalysts of our calling." - Manda Carpenter

In her new book, Soul Care to Save Your Life: How Radical Honesty Leads to Real Healing, Manda shares her own personal journey and drops some gritty and real examples of how being ruthlessly honest can lead to living a more authentic life.

Manda Carpenter is a writer, speaker, and advocate committed to helping people grow in their relationship with God, self, and others. She is a neighbor, question-asker, and cheerleader of the underdog. Manda and her husband, Eric, are foster parents and hosts of A Longer Table Podcast. They live with their son, Shia, in Los Angeles, California. Her first book, Space, is a 30-day devotional for women, and her new book, Soul Care to Save Your Life releases on August 9, 2022. For more, check out @mandacarpenter on Instagram and visit www.mandacarpenter.com.

Want to share Your Bright Recovery story? Check out the submission guidelines on Bright Story Shine.

Can God move in unexpected ways?

Can everyone have a purpose?

How can we all support women, specifically women of color, on their faith and recovery journey?

Join host Caroline Beidler, MSW as she talks with Faith Eury Cho about the way that God moved in her life and how she is helping to equip and support others on a faith journey.

"Impact is determined by the power of God." – Faith Eury Cho

Faith is from Korea and has been a gospel preacher since she was 19-years-old. Currently, she is a pastor, a pastor’s wife, writer, and an itinerant speaker. 

Faith is the CEO and founder of  The Honor Summit, a nonprofit organization that centers Asian American women in the mission of God. One of the goals of The Honor Summit is to encourage every church to be fully equipped to be able to disciple a diversity of women.

Alongside her husband, Pastor David Cho, she is also the co-founder and co-pastor of  Mosaic Covenant Church in NJ. 

Her most precious role, however, is being a mom to her 4 children— Moriah, Elias, River and Adalynn.

You can connect with Faith Eury Cho here:
https://www.instagram.com/faitheurycho/

Follow news from The Honor Summit:
https://www.instagram.com/thehonorsummit/

Join host Caroline Beidler, MSW as she explores the concept of radical vulnerability and how this is played out in the recovery community.

What happens in the Downstairs Church?

Find out why Caroline wrote her new book Downstairs Church: Finding Hope in the Grit of Addiction and Trauma Recovery and what happens in the radically vulnerable spaces of the addiction and mental health recovery community.

How can we bring the lessons learned from the recovery community into the light? What can we all learn about life change and transformation?

In the last year alone, there has been a record of overdose fatalities and a rise in substance use, especially for women. Tragically, many are living in the darkness of shame often created by the consequences of addiction like sexual violence and even death. 

In DOWNSTAIRS CHURCH: FINDING HOPE IN THE GRIT OF ADDICTION AND TRAUMA RECOVERY, I explore the problem of addiction and trauma for women today and then highlight the freedom—and hope—that can be found in the recovery community. 

I also share with the radical vulnerability required of addiction and mental health recovery, something that everyone can benefit from. 

When we share our stories of struggle in real ways, authentic transformation can happen.

DOWNSTAIRS CHURCH:

🌟 Encourages readers through personal testimony that they are not alone in their experience

🌟 Teaches from a first-hand account about the realities of addiction and how trauma can impact a female family or church member

🌟 Accesses current trends and statistics woven in with story-telling to learn more and combat the stigma of addiction and trauma for their loved ones

🌟 Addresses the stigma of addiction and trauma, promoting more love and tolerance by affected family and faith communities.

🌟 Provides a call to action to get involved in addiction recovery efforts or access recovery support services. 

 Sign-up for an early pre-order special at https://www.carolinebeidler.com/downstairschurch