Dr. Cali Estes is a high-performance coach, addiction recovery expert, entrepreneur, and founder of Sober On Demand and The Addictions Academy. With more than 25 years of experience, she has built a career helping people address addiction, mental health, burnout, and the behaviors and patterns that keep them stuck.

But Cali's perspective isn't shaped by professional experience alone. Her own journey includes periods of substance use and a lifestyle that eventually put her health at serious risk. At just 23 years old, she found herself in the emergency room where a doctor showed her the damage being done to her heart and warned her that if she continued on the same path, she might have only months to live.

That experience became part of a much larger personal transformation and ultimately helped shape the direct, unconventional approach she brings to her work today.

Cali has become an outspoken voice about the addiction and mental health treatment industry, challenging providers to examine their own outcomes rather than placing all responsibility for unsuccessful treatment on the client. She believes effective recovery should give people practical tools they can use in the real world—and that success ultimately means helping clients reach a point where they no longer need you.

She is also an Executive Producer of The Black Book, an upcoming documentary and companion book examining alleged unethical, exploitative, and potentially illegal practices within the addiction and mental health treatment industry, including body brokering, kickbacks, and questionable financial incentives.

Today, Cali works with individuals ranging from those navigating addiction and recovery to high-performing professionals experiencing stress and burnout. Her approach draws from psychology, neuroscience, coaching, and wellness practices while remaining grounded in a straightforward philosophy: identify what's actually keeping someone stuck, give them tools that create meaningful change, and help them build a life they don't need to escape from.

On the e-motion wellness® Podcast, Cali brings that same candor to conversations about her own journey, the realities of addiction treatment, personal transformation, and why sometimes real change requires being willing to challenge the way things have always been done.

David Ludlow is the Executive Director of Promises Brazos Valley, a recovery advocate, and a leader in behavioral health whose work is deeply connected to his own experience with addiction and recovery.

David entered treatment on April 26, 2017, after years of substance use had taken an enormous toll on his health, relationships, career, and future. He arrived skeptical and initially unsure that recovery was something he truly wanted. But hearing the experiences of other people who had rebuilt their lives began to change his perspective. What started as simply showing up eventually became a commitment to doing the work and discovering what his own life could become.

As David rebuilt his life, he knew he wanted to remain connected to the treatment community and help other people find the same hope he had found. That path eventually led him into behavioral healthcare leadership and his current role as Executive Director of Promises Brazos Valley.

Today, David approaches leadership through many of the same principles that shaped his recovery: honesty, integrity, accountability, consistency, and showing up for others. He is passionate about creating treatment environments where people feel safe, cared for, and supported by teams that genuinely believe in the possibility of change.

His story is also one of continued growth. David speaks openly about rebuilding relationships, taking personal responsibility, allowing recovery to evolve, and learning that asking for help is an act of courage rather than weakness.

For David, recovery isn't simply about leaving addiction behind. It's about continuing to show up, doing the work, and creating a life that once seemed impossible.

Frank Parisi is a best-selling author, entrepreneur, recovery advocate, social media personality, and heart transplant survivor whose experiences have profoundly shaped the way he approaches life, recovery, gratitude, and connection.

Through his writing, business ventures, advocacy, and social media presence, Frank uses his platform to share his story openly and connect with others navigating their own challenges. His perspective has been shaped not only by recovery, but by facing the possibility of losing his life and ultimately receiving a heart transplant.

Those experiences gave Frank a different appreciation for the things that can easily be taken for granted—the people you love, another day with your family, and simply having the opportunity to be here.

Today, Frank shares the lessons he's learned through recovery, entrepreneurship, and surviving a life-threatening health journey. His story is ultimately one of perspective, resilience, gratitude, and making something meaningful out of the life you've been given.