70. Creating A War Chest Of Coping Mechanisms with Jeff Johnston

Countless studies have shown that some of the top traumatic events that could happen in someone's life include the loss of a child, divorce, and the loss of a spouse. Any one of these events would challenge even the "strongest" men…but imagine if all three of these tragic events happened within a few years and to make matters worse, what if all of these events happened due to avoidable substance abuse. For most of us, this type of pain and loss would be unfathomable, but today's guest knows first-hand how this situation feels.  Welcome back to another episode of Warriors Unmasked! Today we sit down with Father, Author, Founder of his own nonprofit Choices Network Limited, Podcast hosts of Living Undeterred, and Mental Health Advocate, Mr. Jeff Johnson! Jeff will take a deep dive into his journey and the fateful day in October of 2006 that changed his life forever. In the face of great loss, Jeff soon realized that he had two options. He could go down a road of anger and despair and become bitter, or he could use his situation as motivation to become better. He chose the latter.  His story will teach you that pain is unavoidable in this life but suffering is a choice. Hit play to hear how his journey with grief has helped him create a war chest of coping mechanisms and how he is improving his mental health day by day. You'll also hear how he took a step back in his career as a financial advisor and turned his attention toward making a difference and is now using his story to serve and impact others who may be facing their own battles.  In this conversation, you'll learn more about Jeff's non-profit, and how he is dedicated to educating kids, parents, teachers & coaches on the importance of making positive choices, get a look into how first book "This One's For You: An Inspirational Journey Through Addiction, Death and Meaning", resources to help develop alternative solutions to the mental health and addiction crises, and so much more!  We hope you enjoy this content as much as we did. As always, if you ever need someone to talk to or if you are struggling with negative/suicidal thoughts, we are here for you! Scroll down to see the links below and connect with us or Jeff today.  More Of What's Inside: The pain of losing a son When addiction consumes you When alcohol feels like the only option There is no time frame for grieving How to be proactive about your mental health What it takes to grow in self-awareness A look into Jeff's national speaking tour The #1 book everyone should read Allowing yourself to be a work in progress And much more! GUEST LINKS: http://www.LivingUndeterred.com https://www.livingundetoured.com  http://www.TheChoicesNetwork.org LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-a-johnston Facebook: Living Undeterred: https://www.facebook.com/LivingUndeterred Twitter: undeterreddad: https://twitter.com/undeterreddad Youtube: Living Undeterred: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmGZTTnszWNlkG0sIGcp-YQ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/livingundeterred LINKS: malarchuk.com/book  malarchuk.com  www.thecompassionateconnection.com www.warriorsunmasked.com  Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook Subscribe To Our YouTube My Community Contact Episode Minute By Minute: 0:02 Get to know Mr. Jeff Johnson 1:33 Thank you to today's sponsors 4:22 the phone call that changed Jeff's family forever 9:45 The two ways alcoholism can end 13:24 The best question you could ask yourself  17:17 The danger of taking shortcuts with grieving 24:20 Creating a war chest of copping mechanisms 29:17 How Jeff honors his loved ones with tattoos 35:00 You can't bankrupt passion 38:01 How to connect with Jeff 41:41 The importance of avoiding toxic relationship 50:12 Just be better than you were yesterday