Episode 1- Intro and Welcome
Do What You Can Live With: Navigating Through Addiction and Recovery
Release Date: 03/14/2023
Alcohol Is a Drug: How Big Alcohol Shaped Addiction Language, Policy, and Shame-Bonus Episode
Do What You Can Live With: Navigating Through Addiction and Recovery
Alcohol is the most normalized drug in America and one of the deadliest. In this episode of the Do What You Can Live With Podcast, critical care nurse practitioner and author Brandi Mac exposes how the trillion-dollar alcohol industry shaped the language we use around addiction, influenced federal policy, and helped keep alcohol socially acceptable while millions of families quietly suffer. Alcohol kills an average of 178,000 Americans every year, more than all drug overdoses combined. Yet it remains legal, advertised, and culturally protected. That did not happen by accident. In this episode,...
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Mom Loses Daughter to Cocaine Overdose, Not Fentanyl | Melissa Ledesma
Do What You Can Live With: Navigating Through Addiction and Recovery
What does “rock bottom” really mean when you love a child in active addiction? In this episode of the Do What You Can Live With podcast, I sit down with Melissa Ledesma, a mother who lost her daughter, Angel, to a cocaine overdose in 2023. Not fentanyl. Not opioids. Cocaine. Melissa shares the truth about grief that lingers years later, the shock of reading an autopsy report that did not match public assumptions, and what it actually looks like to love a child through addiction without abandoning them to shame or isolation. We talk about stimulant overdoses, harm reduction, sibling...
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Loving Through Addiction Without Losing Yourself | Steffy Bailey on Truth, Boundaries, and Breaking Generational Cycles
Do What You Can Live With: Navigating Through Addiction and Recovery
Brandi Mac sits down with fellow mom and truth-teller Steffy Bailey to talk about what it really means to love an adult child through addiction without abandoning yourself in the process. Steffy shares her decade-long journey of finding her voice, taking responsibility for her emotional and mental health, and learning how to tell the truth even when it costs comfort. Her son, is approaching six months in recovery, and this episode goes far beyond surface-level hope. Together, Brandi and Steffy unpack the realities families face when addiction enters the home: fractured marriages, strained...
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Radical Acceptance and My Daughter's Addiction
Do What You Can Live With: Navigating Through Addiction and Recovery
In this episode, I talk about the moment I finally let go of trying to control my daughter’s addiction and what radical acceptance looked like in real life. I share how fear was running my parenting, how close I came to losing myself completely, and how surrendering shifted our entire relationship. I also share a story from yesterday that still feels unreal: taking my daughter — almost two years in recovery — and her children to the Magic Kingdom. Watching her run around with her son, sober and present, reminded me why letting go mattered more than forcing my plans onto her. If you are...
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Empowering Change Through Advocacy
Do What You Can Live With: Navigating Through Addiction and Recovery
Keywords recovery, addiction, advocacy, community, personal growth, storytelling, resilience, Kensington, self-care, support Summary In this episode, Brandi Mac shares personal updates about her family, including her daughter's recovery journey and her own struggles with work-life balance. She discusses her advocacy efforts, including a recent event called Rise for Recovery, where she engaged with other advocates and learned about impactful stories of resilience. Brandi reflects on her experiences in Kensington, a community facing significant challenges due to addiction, and emphasizes the...
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Rebuilding Lives: The Journey of Recovery
Do What You Can Live With: Navigating Through Addiction and Recovery
In this episode, Brandi Mac discusses the complexities of addiction and recovery, emphasizing the broken treatment system, the importance of sober homes, and the need for medicated assisted treatment. She shares personal experiences related to her daughter's recovery from addiction and highlights the significance of hope, compassion, and community support in the recovery process. Brandi advocates for better treatment options and the necessity of addressing housing and employment challenges faced by those in recovery. Takeaways The treatment system for addiction is fundamentally flawed. Sober...
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When Boundaries Feel Impossible: What Families Deserve to Hear
Do What You Can Live With: Navigating Through Addiction and Recovery
Summary In this episode, Brandi Mac discusses the complexities of loving someone struggling with addiction, focusing on the importance of setting and adjusting boundaries. She shares personal experiences and insights on how to navigate toxic relationships, the evolution of boundaries over time, and the significance of self-reflection and communication. Brandi emphasizes that while tough love is often advocated, it is not the only approach to support a loved one in recovery. The conversation highlights the need for protective boundaries, the role of love in setting limits, and practical ways to...
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When I Let Go of "Tough Love"...I Found Peace
Do What You Can Live With: Navigating Through Addiction and Recovery
In this raw and personal episode, Brandi Mac shares what happened when she stopped following the “tough love” narrative and started doing what she could actually live with. From the heartbreak of watching her daughter struggle with addiction to the moment she shaved her head as an act of surrender, Brandi reflects on how peace came not from control, but from radical acceptance. This episode is for every parent, partner, or family member who’s ever been told to let go with love... and then been left drowning in grief and guilt. She also introduces her new book, Doing What You Can Live...
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15 Months Sober: A Raw Mother-Daughter Conversation About Recovery
Do What You Can Live With: Navigating Through Addiction and Recovery
Summary: In this episode, Brandi Mac discusses her daughter Brooke's journey to sobriety, reflecting on the challenges of addiction, the impact on family relationships, and the importance of appropriate treatment. They explore the nuances of drug use, the effectiveness of medicated assisted treatment, and the experiences within treatment facilities. The conversation emphasizes personal growth, healing, and the complexities of recovery. Takeaways Brooke is now 15 months sober, showcasing significant growth since her last podcast appearance. The pain of addiction affects both the individual...
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Breaking Stigma: The Importance of Harm Reduction with Taylor Nichols, MD
Do What You Can Live With: Navigating Through Addiction and Recovery
Summary: In this conversation, Dr. Taylor Nichols discusses his journey from emergency medicine to addiction medicine, emphasizing the importance of harm reduction and addressing stigma in healthcare. He shares insights on pain management, medication-assisted treatment options like Sublocade and Brixadi, and the significance of patient autonomy. The discussion also touches on the challenges families face when dealing with substance use disorder and the need for supportive resources. Takeaways Dr. Nichols transitioned from ER to addiction medicine to address systemic issues in healthcare....
info_outlineHave you ever loved someone with substance use disorder and felt alone? Are you currently using or in recovery and feel like your family lacks understanding? Yea well welcome to my f$cking life! I’m Brandi Mac and my daughter battles addiction and her family? Well we are collateral damage and frankly it sucks. This podcast will cover all aspects of addiction with interviews of those in recovery, active use and family members. We will explore the good and bad of the treatment industry, harm reduction, medicated assisted treatment (MAT) and boundaries.
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