"It's Okay to Not Be Okay." -Brooke Medina, Founder of AR Workshop OC

Content note: This episode discusses themes of substance abuse, grief, and loss. Resources available at SAMHSA.gov or by calling 1-800-662-4357 (free, confidential, 24/7). Crisis support: call or text 988. Brooke Medina grew up around craft. Her dad owned a craft and floral store. Her mom was an interior designer who helped people fall back in love with the things they already had. Creativity was everywhere, but for a long time, she wanted nothing to do with it. In this conversation, Brooke shares the story behind the story. The teenage years marked by instability, loss, and substance use. The overdose at 18, the drug class the morning after, and the pregnancy that arrived less than a year later that she calls the thing that saved her life. The grief she carried through early adulthood — a stepbrother, a grandfather, a best friend, a mother — and what it took to learn to carry it without being buried by it. She also talks about the pivot she did not plan: closing her brick-and-mortar AR Workshop after seven years and going mobile. Why she calls it the best decision she ever made. What it looks like to let go of something before you are ready and trust that the next thing is already forming. And she talks about building community as a practice, not a marketing strategy. The way hands-on creativity drops people's guards. The women's networking group she just started. The belief she has carried since long before it was a tagline: there is a seat for everyone. This one is honest, warm, and goes somewhere real. 🎙️ Meet Bridget | Season 6, Episode 157 Resources: SAMHSA.gov | 1-800-662-4357 | Crisis line: 988