Slay Today! Podcast

In Part 2 of my interview with Khadi Olagoke, the woman behind Sober Black Girls Club  we talk about race...a lot.  We talk about how race has affected both her and my ability to get quality support. How it complicates engaging with support groups like A.A. and makes it more difficult to find a relatable therapist. We also discuss our impressions of the current developments in Black Lives Matter. Finally, we close out with a discussion of one of her favorite motivational song and advice for people who may be struggling alone with their addiction. Episode Outline Preview and Recap of Part I of the Interview 01:30 Introducing the challenges people of color face in accessing therapy and mental help. 03:35 Khadi's misdiagnosis and mistrust of doctors 05:00 The Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis as historical perspective and current issues in the Black experience with healthcare. 08:17 How Khadi restored her own faith in doctor's and therapists. 12:51 Gay black males and interracial dating and therapy. 15:40 Khadi's advice to white therapists for being better service providers to people of color. 17:45 Perspectives on the recent developments in the Black Lives Matter movement. 22:10 Khadi's other motivational song, "Savage Remix", Megan Thee Stallion 27:09 Khadi's advice for those struggling alone with their addiction. Information Referenced on Challenges Faced By Black Community and Healthcare "Doctors and Racial Bias: Still a Long Way to Go" (New York Times) "Racial bias in pain assessment and treatment recommendations, and false beliefs about biological differences between blacks and whites" (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) "A Naturalistic Study of Racial Disparities in Diagnoses at an Outpatient Behavioral Health Clinic" (American Psychiatric Association) "Tuskegee Experiment: The Infamous Syphilis Study" (History.com) "Tuskegee and the Health of Black Men" (National Bureau of Economic Research) "How we fail black patients in pain" (Association of American Medical Colleges Editorial) "AAMC Press Conference: Racism and Health: How and Where to Make Changes" Disclaimer: This podcast is not affiliated with any other recovery program. Opinions expressed are the opinions of the speaker and do not represent any org. If you are struggling with addiction or other behavioral or mental health issues, please consult a medical professional. Small segments of certain copyrighted content are made use of as “Fair Use” §107 of the Copyright Act. © Lexploration LLC All rights reserved.

I felt a little burn-out from the first burst of episodes and had to figure out how to do this sustainably. But now happy to be back. This episode discusses two motivational songs and I highlight a great exercise I learned about via Simon Sinek's appearance on NPR's "How I Built This" for identifying your core values in the world - a key tool to help identify your motivation in recovery. Also discuss the recent online Startup Weekend event I got to emcee and how the tools we used at that event could be used for building dynamic online recovery communities. REQUEST: Please take a moment to complete this survey on the #1 Challenge you face (https://forms.gle/YDPWK45FW61HfDqR6). It will help me create content and tools to help you the most.  Episode Outline Previously On: A clip from the interview w/ Dr. Horvath author of "Sex, Drugs, Gambling, & Chocolate" 00:46: Introduction 02:56: Discussing "Brave" by Sara Bareilles (I totally butcher her name, my apologies for the brain fart) 04:47: Discussing Simon Sinek's exercise for discovering the value you bring to the world - "Finding Your Why" from NPR's "How I Built This" Podcast 12:42: My experience as an emcee for Startup Weekend's COVID-19 event and what I learned about cool tools for building online community. 21:52: Discussing "Love Myself" by Hailee Steinfeld. What kind of self-love are we talking about? 24:33: Closing and request for to hear your challenges via this form (https://forms.gle/YDPWK45FW61HfDqR6) Disclaimer: This podcast is not affiliated with any other recovery program. Opinions expressed are the opinions of the speaker and do not represent any org. If you are struggling with addiction or other behavioral or mental health issues, please consult a medical professional. Small segments of certain copyrighted content are made use of as “Fair Use” §107 of the Copyright Act. © Lexploration LLC All rights reserved.

This week had a great interview with Dr. A. Tom Horvath, author of "Sex, Drugs, Gambling, and Chocolate." We talked about the nature of addiction, his practice, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and his favorite motivational music. Outline of Episode (Minutes:Seconds) Introduction and Dr. Horvath's Favorite Tunes 4:54: Dr. Horvath's Background & Reason for Focusing on Addiction Treatment 7:50 How do you develop skills in treading addiction 9:30: What is addiction? 11:30: If I feel I have a problem, what's should I do? 14:00: The purpose of the "Sex, Drugs, Gambling, & Chocolate" book. 15:20: What your first therapy session may look like. 16:35: Are 12-Step programs the only option? SMART as self-empowering approach 19:47: What's SMART Recovery? 21:46: Powerlessness Approach vs. Self-Empowering Approach to recovery. 22:40: Nuts & Bolts of SMART Recovery 26:52: What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT?) 28:50: Does CBT "Cure" Someone of Addiction? What happens to cravings? 33:18: What to do if you are the friend or family member of someone who may have a problem. 36:09: Effects of COVID-19 on the recovery community and Dr. Horvath personally. 40:16: Final Thoughts. Where to find resources. Resources:  SMART Recovery National Website: https://www.smartrecovery.org SMART Recovery San Diego: https://www.smartrecoverysd.org Practical Recovery (Dr. Horvath's Private Practice): https://www.practicalrecovery.com Online Summary of "Sex, Drugs, Gambling, & Chocolate" Slay Today! Website: http://www.slay-today.org @slaytodaypod (Instagram, Twitter)

Building and Maintaining Motivation is Point 1 according to SMART Recovery. But how do you do that? On those days that you just feel completely demotivated how can you change that? In this episode I have a great interview with Antonio "Tony" Parrales, a wonderful motivational speaker who has traveled throughout the country teaching audiences the tools for finding happiness and purpose at every stage of life. Tony opens up about some of his own struggles, goals, and how he uses the power of gratitude to get his mind right. Feedback If this episode spoke to you or if you you would like to share your own story or any other feedback, please send an email to yourvoice (at mark) slay-today.com Episode Outline 0:45 Discussing Hand In My Picket, Alanis Morissette 1:32 Introducing Tony 2:24 Talking about urges toward sex and equating sex to self-worth. 6:16: Talk about Shame vs Guilt and the power of Forgiveness. 13:06: Setting Professional vs Personal Goals 14:44: How Manages Personal Thoughts and Goals Without Using Substances Friends (as a crutch), Exercise, Learning to Sit in Solace 17:15: Nuts and Bolts of Managing Feelings: Exercises You Can Do 18:10: Body Image in the Gay Community 19:01: Managing your Sadness Through Self-Discovery and Writing (and Forgiveness) Music From This Episode Slay Today Playlist on Spotify “Hand In My Picket”, Alanis Morissette “September”, cover by Kirk Franklin Other Links LessonsFromTony on Instagram LessonsFromTony.com More info about SMART Recovery, a non-12 Step program that helped for me. Disclaimer: This website and related podcast is not affiliated with, sponsored, or endorsed by SMART Recovery (TM) or any other recovery program. Opinions expressed on the website or podcast are the opinions of the speaker and do not represent any other organization. If you are struggling with addiction or other behavioral or mental health issues, please consult a medical professional.