William Person is a former nine-year Team USA Bobsled athlete whose career left him battling the devastating effects of CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy). At his lowest point, he could barely get up off the floor, lost in confusion, depression, intense headaches, and a deteriorating brain. Hope came when he discovered Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, which restored clarity in his thinking, color to his vision, and purpose to his life. William shares his story to raise awareness of brain damage in sports, the military, and other lifetime collisions and share the importance of protecting and healing the brain. His mission is to open a nonprofit CTE Recovery Center to help athletes, veterans, and civilians heal from brain injuries -- at no cost to them. To realize this mission, he's launched a GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/93ff9c6e, which will help him raise funds to purchase a medical grade hyperbaric oxygen chamber to open a CTE Recovery Center where anyone battling CTE and brain injury symptoms can get free treatment. William's YouTube channel is at https://www.youtube.com/@BrainInjurySurvival.

The State of Wisconsin's Dose of Reality campaign is at Dose of Reality: Opioids in Wisconsin.

More information about the federal response to the ongoing opiate crisis can be found at One Pill Can Kill.


The views and opinions of the guests on this podcast are theirs and theirs alone and do not necessarily represent those of the host or Westwords Consulting.


We're always interested in hearing from individuals or organizations who are working in substance use disorder treatment or prevention, mental health care and other spaces that lift up communities. This includes people living those experiences. If you or someone you know has a story to share or an interesting approach to care, contact us today!

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John Plageman wondered how, as a newly recovering person, he would navigate social events he enjoyed. Concerts, ballgames, and just going out were cause for anxiety. He discovered, however, that at every event there were folks who, like himself, wanted to enjoy themselves without alcohol and other drugs. A while later, he helped establish a welcoming non-using presence at Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers, by creating a non-drinking initiative called Section Yellow. By day, John is a social worker with the Brown County, Wisconsin, Aging and Disability Resource Center. Find out more about Section Yellow and visit their Facebook page.

The State of Wisconsin's Dose of Reality campaign is at Dose of Reality: Opioids in Wisconsin.

More information about the federal response to the ongoing opiate crisis can be found at One Pill Can Kill.


The views and opinions of the guests on this podcast are theirs and theirs alone and do not necessarily represent those of the host or Westwords Consulting.


We're always interested in hearing from individuals or organizations who are working in substance use disorder treatment or prevention, mental health care and other spaces that lift up communities. This includes people living those experiences. If you or someone you know has a story to share or an interesting approach to care, contact us today!

Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Subscribe to Our Email List to get new episodes in your inbox every week!

People don't have substance use disorders in isolation. Their family, friends, and colleagues all experience, as Lisa Katona Smith, M.Ed., says, "feelings of anger, fear, and shame that fracture relationships with loved ones at a time when they are needed most." Lisa is a certified Peer Recovery Specialist, family consultant, TEDx speaker, and author of the book, "Parallel Recovery: A Guide for Those Who Love Someone Struggling with Substance Use Disorder." Inspired by her personal experience navigating a family member's addiction and motivated by the limitations of traditional support models, she created Parallel Recovery® — a structured, compassionate framework that gives a voice to the untold side of recovery and redefines how families support loved ones through substance use disorder. Lisa and Parallel Recovery can be reached at https://lisakatonasmith.com/.

The State of Wisconsin's Dose of Reality campaign is at Dose of Reality: Opioids in Wisconsin.

More information about the federal response to the ongoing opiate crisis can be found at One Pill Can Kill.


The views and opinions of the guests on this podcast are theirs and theirs alone and do not necessarily represent those of the host or Westwords Consulting.


We're always interested in hearing from individuals or organizations who are working in substance use disorder treatment or prevention, mental health care and other spaces that lift up communities. This includes people living those experiences. If you or someone you know has a story to share or an interesting approach to care, contact us today!

Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Subscribe to Our Email List to get new episodes in your inbox every week!