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Jessica Graham: Recovery From Self Abandoning and Learning Sober Sex, Love and Life!

The Fear Addict Podcast

Release Date: 04/07/2023

Betty: A Candid, Insightful Journey of One Woman's Path to Self Acceptance, Love and Hope show art Betty: A Candid, Insightful Journey of One Woman's Path to Self Acceptance, Love and Hope

The Fear Addict Podcast

In this episode, Betty, who grew up in a household affected by generations of alcohol, substance abuse, gang activity and general dysfunction, coped with it by becoming a "scholastic perfectionist." To survive as a child and young adult in this emotionally chaotic household, she learned to have "zero needs." Betty talks bravely and candidly with Josh and Mark about how that belief system morphed into her making relationships, especially romantic ones her "drug of choice." Those relationship choices however were rooted in the distorted perception that love also had to be abusive to somehow be...

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Bryson: Being Addicted to Anxiety and How to Overcome it With a Personal Process of Recovery show art Bryson: Being Addicted to Anxiety and How to Overcome it With a Personal Process of Recovery

The Fear Addict Podcast

When a super-genius from the recovery world stops by Josh's place for a genius session behind the pink microphone, some amazing things happen -- Bryson shares his unique perspective as a Son of the South who grew up in the family disease and developed some hyper-controlling behaviors and an addiction to anxiety to deal with the overwhelming feelings of unloveability. He shares his journey with the guys from being a grown-ass man suffering from abject daily fear, to discovering and practicing his version of long-standing hope and faith. Bryson takes us on a deep exploration into his wild, funny...

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Eddie: Re-directing Fear into Faith and Deepening  Relationship with a Higher Power to Overcome Family Patterns of Dysfunction show art Eddie: Re-directing Fear into Faith and Deepening Relationship with a Higher Power to Overcome Family Patterns of Dysfunction

The Fear Addict Podcast

Eddie comes to the table to talk about his experience growing up with what he believed was an "idyllic" childhood in his Italian/Irish family. What came to the fore in the conversation with Josh and Mark is his realization that while his father did the best he could with what he had, there was a generational response to alcoholism in his past, that created a legacy of unconscious co-dependency. While his middle-class family presented well to the outside world, there was unexpressed fear in the household of "losing it all" financially, which Eddie internalized and created coping skills around,...

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Fielding Edlow: Finding Authentic Self by Shedding the Bullshit and Grief of Fielding Edlow: Finding Authentic Self by Shedding the Bullshit and Grief of "Self"

The Fear Addict Podcast

Super special guest, Fielding Edlow, a smart, hilarious writer, actor, comedian and mom, takes us on a journey from her East Coast origins, coming of age in NYC, while dealing with body image, sugar-addiction and relationship obsession. When she discovered she had a problem with drinking, it was later revealed to her in Alanon that she suffered from that old familiar fear of being unloved and abandoned, but also having a deep-seated fear of actually being seen (we know, it's frikkin' complicated being us). Josh and Mark get down to their own problems with "self" and distorted perceptions, but...

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Steve Serpas: Discovering the Journey, Heartbreak and Gift of Bipolar Disorder and Emotional Sobriety show art Steve Serpas: Discovering the Journey, Heartbreak and Gift of Bipolar Disorder and Emotional Sobriety

The Fear Addict Podcast

May is Mental Health Awareness month and the Fear Addict has got you covered. In this deep dive of an episode, Josh and Mark talk to Steve Serpas, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 18. Steve shares his earliest memories of growing up in Louisiana with the illness, including weight gain and full-blown mania as well as growing up around alcoholsim and untreated alanon behavior. He found safety and self-expression in his early creative work and writing, ultimately finding 12 step rooms at age 27, which saved his life. From there, his path to healing involved a multi-city journey that...

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Johnny Webster: Achieving True Authenticity and Hope From the Wreckage of Fear-Based Thinking and Behavior show art Johnny Webster: Achieving True Authenticity and Hope From the Wreckage of Fear-Based Thinking and Behavior

The Fear Addict Podcast

Johnny Webster talks with Mark and Josh about his journey with emotional sobriety and the 12 steps, starting with growing up in Memphis as a young Black, gay man in a family affected by trauma and how he tried to cope with it after moving to Los Angeles... Unfortunately for us, that part of the podcast wasn't recorded due to a technical error! So, in an effort to not succumb to "perfectionism," we invited Johnny back to listen to the part of the episode that wasn't affected, and then looking back on what he heard some months later, catching us up on his life today. Johnny talks about how...

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Jessica Graham: Recovery From Self Abandoning and Learning Sober Sex, Love and Life! show art Jessica Graham: Recovery From Self Abandoning and Learning Sober Sex, Love and Life!

The Fear Addict Podcast

Jessica Graham is a trauma resolution guide, specializing in complex-developmental trauma and post-traumatic growth. Jessica is also a meditation teacher, sex, relationship and guide for couples and individuals, international speaker.  In this episode, Mark and Josh talk with Jess about her journey through growing up in a tough environment with a father who had addiction issues and a mother who was emotionally complicated. To survive the outer chaos in her life and the inner chaos of her body, she began smoking at 12 and escalated from there until finding Alanon and then A.A. During this...

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Keith: Finding Your Way Into Physical and Emotional Sobriety is Messy and Beautiful show art Keith: Finding Your Way Into Physical and Emotional Sobriety is Messy and Beautiful

The Fear Addict Podcast

Josh and Mark go in-depth with Keith, a great friend of Josh's, who found recovery when his relationship with his boyfriend ended during the pandemic. His attachment to his partner and desire to control uncontrollable outcomes broke him and pushed him to surrender. Keith shares openly about his past patterns of seeking self-worth externally and what is is like to begin to develop an inwardly derived self-esteem for the first time in his life.  Mentioned:  Alanon A.A. Cancer  Relationships Break-ups Higher Power Recovery Fear Anxiety Cross-addicted  

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Anise Goff: Growing From Tragedy by Learning to Love Yourself and Asking For Help show art Anise Goff: Growing From Tragedy by Learning to Love Yourself and Asking For Help

The Fear Addict Podcast

Anise Goff (Mark's wife) talks with he and Josh (Mark was super anxious having her on, p.s) about being a Black woman growing up with a mother who had serious mental health challenges and how that impacted her family while she and her sister were taken care of by a "village of women" who came to their aid. Anise shares how she dealt with feeling overwhelmed and guilty about not "being enough," and how a history of tragedy in her parent's background shaped her emotional learning curve. The episode goes deep into her spiritual practice, therapy, overcoming low self-worth and thriving in NYC by...

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Ryan O Roy: Faith Over Fear and Finding a Safe Space To Be Messy show art Ryan O Roy: Faith Over Fear and Finding a Safe Space To Be Messy

The Fear Addict Podcast

Mark and Josh welcome Ryan O Roy, an accomplished screenwriter and president of a behavioral health consultancy. Ryan talks candidly about the trauma that resulted from growing up in a home full of addiction and abuse and losing his brother to drugs. He shares how therapy and recovery changed his life, transforming his loneliness to feelings of freedom, and discovering true community, deep surrender, and a safe space to be messy.

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More Episodes

Jessica Graham is a trauma resolution guide, specializing in complex-developmental trauma and post-traumatic growth. Jessica is also a meditation teacher, sex, relationship and guide for couples and individuals, international speaker.  In this episode, Mark and Josh talk with Jess about her journey through growing up in a tough environment with a father who had addiction issues and a mother who was emotionally complicated. To survive the outer chaos in her life and the inner chaos of her body, she began smoking at 12 and escalated from there until finding Alanon and then A.A. During this time she explored the source of her trauma response, chronic pain, relationship and sexual dynamics that utilized to survive and how she worked through that to lead a thriving life while being of service to others. Josh and Mark go into their journey through relationship issues, self-soothing behaviors, co-dependent relationship awareness and reflect back to each other, with Jess, how we are all recovering from being in fear and anxiety before and during the recovery process. Jessica is also the highly regarded author of Good Sex: Getting Off Without Checking Out