Choose Your Struggle With Jay Shifman

I’m so honored to have Jay Shifman on The Be Ruthless Show today. Jay is a passionate soul making noise maker who is breaking stigmas by sharing his own story. Jay Shifman is an open book. A vulnerable storyteller and stigma-destroying speaker, podcaster, and event host, Jay’s story of struggle is familiar to the millions of people the world over who also struggle with issues of mental health, substance misuse, and addiction. The survivor of two suicide attempts and an overdose and now in long-term recovery, it is Jay’s mission to encourage difficult conversations and honest education concerning these and similar struggles. Jay founded his company, Choose Your Struggle, in 2015 with two distinct goals: ending stigma and promoting honest and fact-based education around the topics of Mental Health, Substance Misuse & Recovery, and Drug Use & Policy. Looking to make these conversations even more accessible, Jay launched the Choose Your Struggle podcast in early 2020.  In Spring, 2022, Choose Your Struggle dropped Made It, Season 1: Stay Savage, a serial-style podcast documentary on Sarah Laurel and the Philadelphia Harm Reduction organization Savage Sisters. A fervent believer in radical honesty and the simple fact that neither struggle nor recovery should be treated as a one-size fits all experience, Jay uses his voice, and his platforms to educate, entertain, and empower. Holding a BA in Psychology from Northern Kentucky University and with over a decade of lived and professional experience in the field, Jay has put in numerous hours of independent learning acquiring certifications in mental health, substance misuse and addiction, and drug policy. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife, Lauren, and their dog, Nell. For more information, visit: https://jay.campsite.bio/ or find him on your favorite social media platform.