Joseph W. Naus was born in 1971 in Southern California’s Inland Empire. He both graduated from Pepperdine Law and passed the Bar Exam in 1997. Joseph survived a hardscrabble, impoverished childhood, raised by his young mom, a heroin addict turned shut-in depressive, to become a respected lawyer. However, at age 32, his American Dream became a nightmare when his own sex and alcohol addictions collided and exploded. Joseph’s harrowing yet hope-filled memoir, Straight Pepper Diet, begins on the last day of his former life.
“On Tuesday, I was a respected civil trial lawyer making six-figures. On Wednesday, I woke up handcuffed to a hospital bed … and then it got worse.”
Joseph has spent the last twelve years learning humility the hard way: making a living doing everything from picking up the trash on film sets to selling outdoor kitchens at home shows for a former client, all while cleaning up the wreckage of his past and building a new life. Joseph lives in Echo Park in Los Angeles with his girlfriend, Theresa and cat, Bogey. He spends much of his time writing, helping addicts recover, and perfecting his swing on Los Angeles’ public golf courses. His next book, Golf is Magic (Not Exactly a Book about Golf) is scheduled for release by Killer McMillan Publishing in 2016.
Natalie Calkins Rountree joins us on The SHAIR Podcast today. After 15 years of drinking, Natalie exhausted herself and dropped to the ground. She had been charged with 2 felonies, 3 Dui's, Child Endangerment and endured a devastating custody battle. After hitting rock bottom she reached a turning point. She had what many of us call a spiritual awakening and completely tuned her life around. She soon got her daughter back and now after 8 years of sobriety lives a life beyond her wildest dreams.
Natalie Calkins Rountree is an advocate for bringing awareness to the pain and struggles of women, mothers and others facing addiction to alcohol or in recovery. She is the founder of Soberlivingsoulfulliving.com which focuses on inspiring and encouraging those in recovery from alcoholism. Her mission is to reach as many people as she can in hopes of inspiring others to not just recover but to help them love themselves and life again.
“Once you take enough time to forgive yourself, love yourself, believe in yourself and look deep inside, you too can find YOUR "self". “ - Natalie Calkins Rountree
Beau Mann CEO the founder of Sober Grid and Chris Pesce COO join us on The SHAIR Podcast today.
Sober Grid is a free iOS/Android app that connects you with other sober people. You are instantly connected to a global sober community in your neighborhood and around the globe. You can build strong sober support networks and inspire others. Geosocial Networking
Sober Grid users can find other sober people nearby on The Grid— a GPS locator user interface that displays user profiles and distances from them. Users can also choose to remain anonymous. Sober Grid users can find sober friends while traveling, in an airport, or in a new city. Users can also enter the name of another user and locate them by geographic location to help find sober friends in other cities.
Users can log in to find sober people wherever they are. Sober Grid chat and messaging functions can be used by selecting individual profiles on The Grid. Sober Grid even has a feature that allows users to send their location to another user if they would like to meet up. Sober Grid’s geosocial networking features help users find and connect with sober people locally and anywhere in the world.
To learn more click here and got to www.sobergridapp.com
Katrina King joins us on The SHAIR Podcast today. Katrina contributed to an interview for the FBI's documentary on opiate abuse, "Chasing the Dragon" and has been interviewed for several other podcasts and articles on addiction awareness and recovery. She is currently working hard at completing her first book, a memoir on her family's tragic experiences with drug abuse, and is attempting to return to school to become a certified addictions counselor.
The obstacles are many, yet she remains determined and undeterred to personally reach out and make a difference in the lives of youth in emotional pain and despair due to depression, abuse, and drug addiction. She continues to battle her own demons while adjusting to life as a mother who's lost a child and as a felon. However, giving up is not an option. Katrina has an adult son who is currently attending college to be a robotics engineer.
What is your normal daily routine including this movement that you've started Kirstyn's Story?
Katrina: Okay. Well, I'm in a relationship now, have been for a couple years. I actually do quite a bit of work with his marketing for his business and handling the calls/inbound calls regarding the maintenance of ongoing administrative related task on that end. Then I would say the majority of my time is spent basically networking not just with Kirstyn's Story, but also working on a memoir...
I've been working on for some time and also networking with other addiction-focused and recovery-focused groups, mothers who've lost children, that sort of thing. It's a passion of mine. I pretty much from the moment I wake up till I go to sleep - it would be all hours of the night actually - I'm looking for ways to have some sort of effect, whether if it's on a one-on-one basis or with a way that I could figure out on how to change laws and things like that.
Omar: Absolutely. Now on a day-to-day basis, there's a few things at least for me and for other people that need a routine to maintain our sobriety.
What is your regular routine to maintain your sobriety?
Katrina: What I do is I focus on other people. I chose to do this stuff not to become a hero. I'm not in promoting this awareness and promoting just Kirstyn's Story or my story or whatever for that purpose. I do it to give back because if I'm focusing on other people, I'm not focusing on myself. If I'm not focusing on myself, I don't feel the pain. If I don't feel the pain, then I don't feel the need, so if that makes any sense.