How Peer Support Is Filling Gaps When Traditional Mental Health Care Fails with Mike Meaney

This episode is an interview with Mike Meaney, CEO and founder of One Small Step that provides peer support to people with mental health and addiction crises. He discusses his own personal recovery journey that inspired him to become a certified peer.Most of us underestimate how critical peer support can be in mental health and addiction recovery- until we hear stories like Mike’s, who turned his personal struggles into a groundbreaking platform that saves lives during nights and weekends when traditional help is scarce.In this powerful episode, Mike Meaney shares his deeply personal journey from blackout drinking at 16 to building a platform for certified peer support that’s transforming mental health care. Dr. Kibby and Mike discuss how lived experience combined with innovative technology is closing gaps in access, especially when emergency services aren’t the right answer. Failing to recognize the power of peer support leaves millions vulnerable in their darkest hours, missing out on an accessible, stigma-reducing lifeline. For anyone battling addiction, mental health challenges, or supporting someone who is, this episode reveals a hopeful path forward, grounded in authenticity and innovation.If you’re tired of the same old approaches and want to see how empathy combined with tech can revolutionize mental health care, this conversation is essential listening. Mike Meaney is CEO of One Small Step, a platform dedicated to on-demand peer support supported by clinical supervision, revolutionizing how people access help in their most vulnerable moments.Resources:One Small Step website