Join us for an engrossing conversation with Payton Smith, an inspiring figure from the Valiant Living community, as he bravely reveals his journey through addiction and into recovery. Our chat explores the initial signs that pointed Payton towards his own addiction, the fear of contemplating a life post-recovery, and his determination to make a fulfilling life for himself after addiction - an existence filled with joy, adventure, and a sense of achievement.
As we delve deeper into the realities of maintaining sobriety, particularly in social environments where alcohol is a constant, Payton offers invaluable insights on forging connections with like-minded individuals and harnessing the transformative power of radical honesty. We discuss how to find balance, joy, and adventure in sobriety, and how mindfulness practices can enhance our ability to live in the moment, thus enabling us to appreciate the smaller joys in life. Payton also speaks about how his role at Valiant Living has positively influenced his recovery journey.
We wrap up our enlightening conversation by reflecting on the significance of community events, such as the rally for recovery in Colorado. We delve into how such gatherings play a pivotal role in eradicating the stigma surrounding addiction and recovery. These events provide a safe space to celebrate recovery milestones and inspire those still battling addiction. So, brace yourselves for a heartfelt exchange about the trials, triumphs, and the undeniable joy of living a life in recovery.
Join us for an engrossing conversation with Payton Smith, an inspiring figure from the Valiant Living community, as he bravely reveals his journey through addiction and into recovery. Our chat explores the initial signs that pointed Payton towards his own addiction, the fear of contemplating a life post-recovery, and his determination to make a fulfilling life for himself after addiction - an existence filled with joy, adventure, and a sense of achievement.
As we delve deeper into the realities of maintaining sobriety, particularly in social environments where alcohol is a constant, Payton offers invaluable insights on forging connections with like-minded individuals and harnessing the transformative power of radical honesty. We discuss how to find balance, joy, and adventure in sobriety, and how mindfulness practices can enhance our ability to live in the moment, thus enabling us to appreciate the smaller joys in life. Payton also speaks about how his role at Valiant Living has positively influenced his recovery journey.
We wrap up our enlightening conversation by reflecting on the significance of community events, such as the rally for recovery in Colorado. We delve into how such gatherings play a pivotal role in eradicating the stigma surrounding addiction and recovery. These events provide a safe space to celebrate recovery milestones and inspire those still battling addiction. So, brace yourselves for a heartfelt exchange about the trials, triumphs, and the undeniable joy of living a life in recovery.
Well, hey, everyone. Welcome to the Valiant Living podcast, where we educate, encourage and empower you towards a life of peace and freedom. I'm your host, Drew Powell, and I'm a grateful alumni of the Valiant Living program. Valiant Living offers hope and transformational change to men and their families struggling with addiction and mental health challenges. So on this podcast you'll hear from the Valiant team, as well as stories of alumni who are living in recovery. If you or someone you love is struggling to overcome addiction or trauma, please call us at 720-756-7941 or you can email admissions at valiantlivingcom. We'd love to have a conversation with you, but for now, let's dive into today's episode. Peyton Smith, the legend.
Speaker 2:What's going on, brother?
Speaker 1:Dude, thank you for doing this. I appreciate it. You were the first person I ever met at Valiant. You were my first impression. You probably don't remember, but the airport, do you?
Speaker 2:I got to come pick you up and they said, hey, we got this guy coming in, who's a? He's a pastor and we're going to go pick him up and just make him feel welcome. I believe we've already done JRs and JR was like you know, dude, just make sure he gets to go to the store if he wants to, and you know, let him get what he needs and just remind him that it isn't jail, yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, and you were such a great first impression for me, I was scared to death. I had no idea what I was coming into. And you show up at the airport and here's this guy walking up cool guy, flat, flat, bill hat. I'm like okay, so this is interesting. He seems like a cool guy, good hang. And then you were so warm, so kind and I think I probably asked you a million questions in the van ride from the airport you know to wherever we're going, and cause I had no idea.
Speaker 1:And it was the first I was told this before. It was the first moment where I had a little glimmer of I think I might be okay, and you facilitated that moment for me of like, hey, I think this is a place that's relational, it's a place that cares about me, it's a place that you know to help me get what I need, cause I, like you said, I needed to go to Target and pick up some stuff and you were like we're shopping in there together, this dude I just never met. You're like make sure you get the right mouthwash and all this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:But so, dude, thank you man, thank you for being that guy for me and for so many other people here at Valiant.
Speaker 2:And it really comes from some personal experience of when I was in treatment. You know, what does that welcome feel like?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:How are? How are people showing up for you, and that's the thing that we get to do for each other. Yeah.
Speaker 1:You've been down that road before, you know what it feels like. Well, that's what I want to talk about today. And of course, you're on the team here at Valiant and serve a really important role. We'll get into some of that, but, but more than anything, I'd love to hear just your, your recovery story.
Speaker 1:And a big part of why I wanted to have you on is because this is my opinion. But I see the way you live and you live a life that is to me attractive. When it comes to post addiction in recovery Cause, a huge myth around recovery is my life is over, I'm not going to have any more fun. I can only have fun when I'm using, and then I watch the way you live your life with adventure and excitement and so much fun. I want to talk about that because I think that's a huge, a huge myth in addiction recovery. But let's start with you first, just your story. Tell me a little bit about your personal journey and how you kind of came into this life of recovery.
Speaker 2:Cool. Well, if you don't know me, my name is Peyton. I'm a person in active and sustained longterm recovery. So for me that means I haven't used any mind altering substances since May 2nd of 2020, but my recovery journey started before that and I had a return to use because I was the life of the party in my addiction. I like to be the center of attention and with that, that evolved into a big fear of how am I going to have fun in recovery? What does that look like?
Speaker 2:Because when your whole existence revolved around something that made you feel comfortable and you step into this new world and this new life of everything's different, they say don't change everything, but change everything. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what that life was going to look like. So I sat down with a lady who helped guide me in my recovery, and she sat me down and said close your eyes. Now I want you to imagine what your life is going to look like in five years. How are you going to get there? Who's going to be around you? What does it look like? And it was that moment where I told myself I'm going to have fun in this, my life is going to be worth it. I didn't get into recovery just to stop using. I got into recovery to live a life, a full life, and for me that means having fun.
Speaker 1:Walk us back through those first moments. When did you first have a memory of like man? I might be an addict. I might have some issues here where my life has become unmanageable. Can you remember back to when you had some revelation around that?
Speaker 2:It's so funny because my first drink was, I think I was 14 and it was over at a friend's house and we pulled out a bottle and drank. Through those years it was very frequent that that was where the obsession kicks in of. Well, I can't wait for this weekend, I can't wait for the drink or some marijuana. And as I got into high school it really ramped up. It took me six years to graduate high school. I'm thankful I got to graduate, but through that I met a group of kids and that was the whole motive, or the MO for the weekend is Thirsty, Thursday till Sunday, and that was the main focus of my life. I met my daughter's mother in high school. That's really where I started to believe. I mean, I was 21, and three months after turning 21, I already had my first DOI. With that we became pregnant and even during the birth of my daughter, as she's giving birth, I'm hopping in and out. I'm going to take out to the car in the parking lot to smoke, to drink, and after that you know.
Speaker 1:Even while she was in the hospital.
Speaker 2:Even while they're in the hospital. I mean, as my daughter was born, my first thought was all right, I'll be right back, I'm going to go back to the house and grab some shooters and some marijuana. And you get to miss those little things of when they hook her up to the incubator and make sure that she's okay. Like I missed all of that. My addiction came before everything in my life. It came before friendships, it came before rent, it came before myself. So through that I got to see that it was my master, as the big book talks about. It controlled my life in every aspect. And I had a friend who had passed away when we were younger due to his addiction. But his mom was in recovery and by 22, I was homeless, jobless, family-less. I had nothing to my name. And she asked me one day, while I was pretty hungover and she goes do you wanna go to treatment? I know somewhere where you can go. And I think it was God giving me a swift kick in the butt because it just kind of felt like a surge.
Speaker 2:And I said yes, oh, what did I just agree to?
Speaker 1:So it almost like came over you before you even knew what you were saying.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I was like you know, and things with addicts or alcoholics or anybody in it who has addiction. I have this ego problem.
Speaker 1:And I'm chuckling because, oh yeah, a huge me too on that, so that's not laughing at you.
Speaker 2:But if I no, no, definitely. And if I say I'm gonna do something, I'm gonna prove you right, I'm gonna do it. So I stuck to my word. She said do you wanna go to treatment? And I did, and I ended up in downtown Denver 2018, you know, before that it was February of that year to where I'd become homeless, I'd become jobless, and it was eight months of brutal couch surfing trying to. I was through three different recovery houses. I was on my mom's couch, I was on my aunt's couch and I just couldn't.
Speaker 1:Would that be like your? Would you call that your rock bottom moment season? Was that kind of that was a catalyst of like man, life is not going well, it really was.
Speaker 2:And as I became homeless, I was determined to find recovery. I had this, I think, gift of desperation moment to where I'm in my car, I'm crying, and I call her, this lady, her name is Robin, and I call Robin and say I need help, what can you do for me? And so she had given me the number to that first recovery house and through there I couldn't stay sober, I kept using. So through that, you know, through those eight months, I found that no matter what I did, no matter what I tried, this thing had a hold of my life. And it was finally when I said yes, I was curious, I guess you could say, of what this life is gonna look like, because she had something that I wanted and she had peace, she had serenity, she had friends, she had family and she was really the only person that I got to see that lived a full life and didn't have to use or drink over it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're like, I want that. I want that Sometimes that's what it takes as someone that shows up in our life, to be like man. This is there is a way, there is hope. There's for you. What's a moment? Can you recall a moment, your recovery journey? And maybe this was it where you're like.
Speaker 1:It's kind of the gateway to more joy, more adventure, more whatever Like was there a moment where you realized, hey, there's a life waiting for me out there that I have not yet to realize. Was it that moment with her, do you think? Or was there another moment you can remember?
Speaker 2:There's another moment. So I show up to Salvation Army Harbor Light in November of that year and there's clinical classes and groups throughout the week. But there was an organization who came in through the week to break up the monotony of the clinical work and the gentleman's name was James Gannon and he was part of what we call Advocates for Recovery Colorado and as he came in he would talk to us in the sense of this is your recovery. You get to define what it looks like. What works for somebody might not work for somebody else, but this is what works for me.
Speaker 2:And he would talk about how he goes to concerts, how he went to the mountains and he would rock climb and he was surrounded by people who might not be in recovery, but he got to live a full life because he defined what his recovery looked like for him. So that moment I said there's a way to have fun in this and I'm gonna find it, whatever it looks like for me. So in my treatment center there was a blackout period, so for 30 days you couldn't leave at all. So I'm sitting there waiting, almost white knuckling.
Speaker 2:I'm like I can't wait to get out there and they had what they call recovery community events and it was a barbecue. I showed up and actually that's where I got to meet the lady who sat me down and said I want you to close your eyes and think of what your life is gonna look like.
Speaker 1:That was kind of your catalyst. It really was, and I wanna get more into some of this stuff because you are part of putting on events and different things, like you're involved with a lot of things for people in recovery who can be a part of that.
Speaker 1:I got to experience a lot of that while I was here and we went to a CU game. We did a lot of fun stuff when I was here too, just to kind of show like, hey, you can get out on the weekends and really enjoy life, which was really huge for me, cause that was a big part of what I was processing. But talk to us a little bit about how your perception around fun evolves. That you embarked on this recovery journey right, so, like before, your perception of fun was using living for the weekend. How has that evolved just in your journey?
Speaker 2:So I would say, you know, like when you're first getting into recovery, some of those earlier moments is when you pack up in a car, there's four of you, you're sober, you don't know what's going on in life and you're going to your meetings together and there's just that joy in that community with like-minded people, and it's all new, it's all brand new of. Well, we don't know what we're doing, we're kind of nervous, but we're going to go to this meeting together and show up, and that evolved into you know what. We want to go somewhere. We want to go bowling. There's bars at pulling alleys. For me, that was that moment where I don't have. I try to dissociate the drinking from the fun, Even though there's going to be drinks everywhere where I go in life. How do I dissociate that from each other?
Speaker 1:Or even how do you just exist in society with that going on? Yeah, so give us some tools and like how do you learn to do that? Have you learned to be? You know, of course, what I'm not hearing you say is putting yourself in these environments, but sometimes, if you want to go bowling or do different things like that, you find yourself in these environments where alcohol exists. You know, what advice would you give for people who are like how do I navigate?
Speaker 2:that. The sentence that comes to my mind with that is connection is the opposite of addiction. And who am I connected with? Who am I putting in my life? I'm gonna be who I have around me. So if I'm stuck with other like-minded people or putting myself in that situation, if the friends that I go with to these places want to have fun and not use, that's gonna be our mission. We're gonna show up, we're gonna have fun and it's open communication with each other. You know, if four of us go to the bowling alley early on and say, yo, I'm feeling kind of weird, can we leave, we as a group stuck together and said, yeah, we're gonna leave because you're feeling uncomfortable, but it was going to these places with other people who wanted to have fun. That gave us that chance to show each other and show myself you can have fun, you can go anywhere. Today, I can go anywhere and not be worried. I mean-.
Speaker 1:I'm sure there's a season for a lot of people where that you need to really stay away from environments that are gonna be super triggering.
Speaker 2:Definitely I don't recommend it early on.
Speaker 1:Sure, and I love what you're saying, though, like staying connected in that radical honesty of like, hey, I'm struggling right now, I need to tell somebody to stay connected, and then having that support team around you where they're like, hey, okay, let's go, let's not stay in a place, we're willing to sacrifice what we might want to be able to support you in your recovery and your sobriety, which is huge, definitely and I mean and it's not for everybody.
Speaker 2:You know I have friends who a meeting every day is their fun. For me, sometimes bowling is my best meeting throughout the week.
Speaker 1:Yeah, just go and let loose a little bit. And yeah, and I felt that summit in recovery as well, where it's like, man, there's we were going to so many meetings, do some of the things that sometimes there was time where we just need to breathe and be outside. For me, nature is a big pathway where you just go outside and experience. You know my creator, my higher power, I mean that's a huge gift for me. Share some experiences, like even maybe some unexpected joy and adventure in your sober life.
Speaker 2:You know with me. I think when you came through I was the activities coordinator.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 2:So a big passion of mine was how do we create that balance, how do we create that fun? And I had to learn that when I was in treatment of all right, I've done classes all week, I've done my meetings all week. What do I need to do for me? And sometimes it was just those little things. You know, I'm walking down the street, I'm walking down the sidewalk, I want an ice cream cone and I get to have an ice cream cone. Or hitting the arcade. You know, I use things that some people might look at like with a scoff what are you doing? And that's how I found joy in my recovery, of those little things that bring you joy. It could be the arcade, it could be bowling, it could be just sitting and shooting the crap with somebody.
Speaker 1:Well, and, like you said earlier, just staying connected I mean, for me mindfulness was a huge part of it.
Speaker 1:Like you mentioned, ice cream cone some might listen to that but what's the big the thing is, it's being mindful of those little moments, the little joys in everyday life that, especially for me, in addiction, I would just numb out to. And now it's like man sitting with a friend for a few moments and being connected, you know, enjoying something, even like you know, as a recording, it's a beautiful day here in Denver. It's like man just having a few moments, even just to stop between the office and the car to just take in and be like, wow, feel the breeze on your skin. I mean, it's like, I know it sounds so simple, but those are the things where you're connected back to yourself and to your surroundings. You're like, oh, there's beauty in the earth and I'm not just rushing through life, you know, onto the next thing, which, for me, that was my anxiety always rushing on the next thing, just slowing down and enjoying, you know, the company of a friend or whatever it might be.
Speaker 2:I loved how you touch on mindfulness.
Speaker 1:Yeah, talk a little bit about that.
Speaker 2:Something for me that I was told to do is, anytime I picked up my phone in early recovery, before I unlock it, check in with myself. Ask yourself how are you feeling? Why are you feeling that way? What do I need? And you're never too busy. I mean, you know, in recovery or in everyday life for anybody, we get so busy that we sometimes overlook chances to find those little moments of peace or serenity. And you're never too busy to take 60 seconds for yourself to enjoy the moment that you have right there in front of you and that could be just sitting in the car enjoying the warmth of the sun on your skin, stopping over and pulling over real quick and grabbing an ice cream cone or a big golper whatever brings you a little bit of joy throughout the day.
Speaker 1:I love that let's switch gears and talk a little bit about just your role here at Valiant. I want to talk a little bit about your, why you know you have your recovery journey and living, and how long have you been sober now?
Speaker 2:So it's about three years and four months. I would say it's incredible man, congratulations, that's awesome.
Speaker 1:Talk a little bit about what you do here at Valiant, and maybe even a layer deeper than that. Your why behind what you do here.
Speaker 2:I appreciate that. So in Harbor Light a couple other employees here at Valiant actually were bringing me my meetings Travis Simmons and JR Gallegos. They're running any meetings for us throughout the week. And when I left Harbor Lights I was in sober living for about a year and Travis had reached out and said hey, do you want to come work for Valiant Living? We need a house manager. I was like sure, why not? And it's that piece of communal living. Like I said, connection is the opposite of addiction and I love communal living. It's a frat house without the keg, it's the best way to put it. You know, you get a whole bunch of guys who are rowdy and rambunctious, but we're doing the same thing together.
Speaker 2:So I started off as a house manager and that was our whole experience in itself. And then a few months down the road, you know, I had a job. A job I was working with Go Karts over at K1. But JR had asked okay, well, we need an overnight tech. Do you wanna come work some overnights for us? And I was like sure, why not? So I was able to find community in that, because I would show up early to work and they're like dude, what are you doing. You can't clock and I'm like I'm not clocking and I'm here to hang out.
Speaker 1:I love that.
Speaker 1:And so for people listening and understanding overnight tech and the first kind of phase of our program is what we call PHP stands for partial hospitalization, but it's actually it's a. We don't have a campus setting, but it's a house that we have here in the Denver area and when you're in that first 30 to 45 days there's 24 hour tech, there's 24 hour care and accountability there. And you were, that's what you were doing when you say overnight tech, there's someone that stays there in the house just make sure everything's going well. There's someone there to talk to and kind of regulate what's going on and some accountability.
Speaker 1:And for me, I really I grew close to the housing techs cause a lot of times some things would be stirred up during the day, during therapy, and we're coming home back to the house and you guys were the ones getting our, you know, leftover whatever. It could be excitement, but it also could be frustration or tension or whatever, and but you you seem to really thrive in that environment. You never got too ruffled, you never let it get to you too much. You know you just were. You're a safe space for the guys and the program to come and you know, and to just have a friend to connect with.
Speaker 2:And it's because we are one and the same. And that's one thing that I love about our housing team here at Valiant Living is we are all in recovery, at least on the housing side. And it was my first or second night. Work is working as an overnight tech and there's a gentleman and he's just sitting there at the at the coffee table Everybody else has gone to bed and he looks frazzled and I'm like you all right, and he goes. I have no idea what I'm doing here. So I got to talk with him and that was that moment of where I was reminded of why I stepped into this lifestyle, why I stepped into this job because we get to help each other.
Speaker 1:Yeah it's so powerful, it's such an important role. I mean, I very specifically remember hanging up one evening from talking to my kids and it was so difficult and missing them so much, knowing that that was just weird. And hanging up because you were sitting there, because I'd take the call in the room where you were there and you just being with me. In that moment it wasn't even like let me give you this advice, Let me tell you whatever it's like, you just go. Hey, I understand we're going through them with you in this and just letting us sit there and just kind of feel that emotion in a safe place. And those are the moments for me, like when people ask about that yes, the therapy and all the stuff, but those are the moments where we're relearning, retraining our brains around connection.
Speaker 2:And you get to use what you've learned in the clinical setting in your everyday life. At that moment, something you said there is just being with you. We're human beings, we're not human doings, and just that. Sometimes that is. All you need is just to have somebody be there with you as you're going through.
Speaker 1:So good, let's talk a little bit about what you're doing now. So you started housing.
Speaker 2:As I went through overnight tech, I was able to move into night shifts, day shifts and then eventually into the weekend shift, which partly of that was the activities coordinator, and that's really where I got to find my passion of or or Show. What I was passionate about was we're in this together. How are we finding that balance in our lives and how are we having fun doing it? Because I know there is there's treatment burnout. By the end of the week it's Friday. You've been hit with clinical stuff all week long. How do you let loose a little bit in a safe and positive way?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I was able to put together, you know, with the help of some others, Weekend activities, and that could be going to the botanical garden, that could be go karting, that could be whatever it looks like, and I, I tried to do different things. Like you said, one of the newer ones that we had tried was going to that see you boulder game. Yeah, and that was awesome, it was super fun. Yeah, and I had a blast. I, I intentionally did this. I don't tell you guys when I do this.
Speaker 2:But I intentionally try to bring us around places that could potentially be triggering to some people. Yeah, because then we're together as a group. We're doing this in a safe and fun way. Yeah, but if somebody feels uncomfortable, we are still able to come back home after the activity and Rely on each other and say, yo, that I was struggling with this. Yeah, how do I get through this? Yeah, and you have these people around you who are help, can help keep you safe.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, well, and I heard our CEO and founder, michael Denene, saying this just this week about you know there's programs that exist where you kind of go out in the middle of nowhere and you're just, you're away from society, and when those exist for a reason, those are great.
Speaker 1:You know ours is a little different to your point, like we're in the city here and you know there's. Of course, our detox is out of little ways, but you know you, girl, you are gonna be around. You know everyday life's stuff but, like you just said, the beauty of it is we're learning how to cope in healthy ways, have healthy copes, how healthy tools to help us down and navigate real life, as opposed to let's go and, just like you know, escape for however long and then all we have to reintegrate. You know Valiant does a great job of helping us, helping us reintegrate back into everyday life, in in staying connected and accountable. Be a little process. We did a lot of process groups like tell me what came up for you when you're at the game the other day or you know whatever it might be.
Speaker 2:I feel like I'd be doing you a disservice or whoever is in the program of disservice if we kept you in the safe bubble the whole time. Yeah, and then all of a sudden, you get to leave valiant and then you're back in everyday life, right, and you didn't learn how to deal with any of these everyday life situations.
Speaker 1:That's right, that's right, that's a big part of it. So now you're leading the team, leading the housing team, which is super exciting, it's amazing. Yeah, you get to kind of like lead the group of guys that are the techs, and I was what's that? What's that like for you? Step in this role, kind of a newer role for you, right?
Speaker 2:Yes. So this transition has left me curious because, for myself, I've always doubted of what I'm capable of. And that's the cool thing about recovery and the friends that you bring around you Because they're gonna push you, yeah, especially, you know, I, I, if you're complacent, I get a little worried, because complacency is is good for a little bit. Yeah, what are you doing after that? And I have the friends around me who are also my co-workers. That's a patent. It's time for you to step up. So I was given this opportunity to be the director of recovery housing and at the same time All this is happening I'm also organized organizing Colorado's recovery, colorado's largest recovery event, and becoming the director of housing at the same time. So I was a little frazzled, to be honest with you, but it showed me that I am capable of so so much more.
Speaker 2:Yeah and when I have the right people around me, who are supporting me and lifting me up, that I can what I like to call verbal Lommets. If I need to spew all my feelings on you, they remind me that I'm okay. Yeah, I'm not in this alone and I get to do these things I. I don't know if anybody's caught on, but I'm very.
Speaker 2:Grateful and I, instead of ever saying the words, if, if you ever use the words. I have to Change that mindset. I get to do these things, and that has put me in a position to push myself more because, instead of saying I have to go to work today, I get to go to work, I get to go to work, I get to organize this event, I get to do all these other things, and that pushes me to keep doing more.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, since you brought it up, talk a little bit about this event. We got to be part of it last year. I got to be part of it last year, which is it's so fun. It's part of this this rally is, and here I'll give you my perspective of what it is and then you can correct it course. Correct. To me it was a beautiful. It's like this parade we did through the city and and then we ended up at this park and the parks with these booths and you had a band there and it was just like a festival environment. But to me it was Removing or attempting to remove the stigma around addiction in recovery. And I'll be honest with you, when I first started in that, that parade, I was a little bit like. Of course, I'm in a city where I Don't know anybody here, right?
Speaker 1:So it's like whatever. But it was I. It was like pinging my ego a little bit like, okay, I'm gonna march through the streets and we're gonna chant things about being in recovery, but by the end I was. It was a celebration, yes, you know, and it was like even in my own transformation. When we started I was kind of like, well, I'm gonna hide, I'm a big dude, so it's hard to hide out but and I was so proud of you because you're out there with the, the megaphone and you're leading the parade and you're just in your element and you're chanting and you're rallying, it's just, oh man. I was just like, more than anything, as your buddy, I was so proud. I was like I know that guy I'm proud of, you're just like you, crushed in that environment and I'll brag on you because you won't. You won the volunteer of the year award this year, which is just a testament of your Just your leadership, your humility, your heart, all that kind of stuff. But talk about this, this rally in this event that you helped put on.
Speaker 2:I appreciate that man. So this rally that's put on by advocates for recovery Colorado and I think this year was the 22nd annual and, yes, it does start with the walk for recovery and we start, we start off at Union Station and this year I think we had about 500 people. It was one of the biggest marches I've seen and really what it is is to To celebrate your journey and and be proud of being in recovery. The light, the way I like to put it is I recover out loud so others do not have to suffer in silence.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 2:If I'm outspoken about it, that gives other people the opportunity to know that we are out here, we're I say it on the march. We're your friends, we're your family, we're your neighbors, we're your employees or your employers. We are everywhere. And if you're struggling, there's a different way of life. Yeah, so that march is very powerful. I mean, you're walking down 16th street mall and there's somebody who might be struggling and say, hey, what is this? And you get to tell them hey, we're going into the park for recovery. If you wanna check out more of this, come walk with me. And then, all of a sudden, you have this new random person who is chanting on with you.
Speaker 1:So cool.
Speaker 2:I don't care if you have 30 seconds of recovery or 30 years. We are in this together and it's a very powerful movement. And then, you know, you come into the park. I think this year we had 60 vendors, which another reason for this rally is to show that there are so many different pathways to recover. It doesn't have to just be anonymous groups, it doesn't just have to be treatment, it doesn't have to be just sober living. There are all these different organizations to where, I was told, you get to define what your recovery looks like for you. What does that look like? And then here are these different pathways to where you can define that for yourself. It's truly a powerful movement.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's so cool.
Speaker 2:And actually, you know, when you were in the car coming to Denver, I was so excited to tell you about this organization called Free. Free Spiritual Community. Because, I'm like all right, I know a pastor who's been in recovery for nine years. I'm gonna hook you up with him and that's the whole community as the opposite, because here are two people who one are in recovery and two who are pastors. You know, that's what I love to do is being that resource for people is the connector.
Speaker 1:Yeah yeah, you're good at that. Well, final question for you and thank you so much for spending time with us today and telling us your story and I just I love the way you live and I love say that line again. I recover out loud How'd?
Speaker 2:it go. I recover out loud so people, so others don't have to suffer in silence.
Speaker 1:Oh, it's so good. This is why we do what we do. It's why we do this podcast and tell these stories is realize, hey, you're not alone in it. But give just some parting words to those that are out there that are either living in their active addiction or they've got family, friends, whatever that they know that are struggling. What word of hope and encouragement will you give, specifically around the idea of an abundant life that's waiting for them?
Speaker 2:Well, how would you?
Speaker 1:encourage them today.
Speaker 2:I actually wrote that one down, did you?
Speaker 1:Let's get it, let's get it right so it is right here.
Speaker 2:So recovery, a new life and more is possible. Be willing to try something different To get a different outcome. Be courageous to walk through the fear of the unknown. Have faith and trust that it will work Again. It's in here. I recover out loud so others don't have to suffer in silence. Be proud of your recovery. If you need help, I'm here. The community is here. That new life is waiting for you. Just ask for it and it will be freely given to you. And don't be afraid to be a little weird in your recovery.
Speaker 1:Give us the Peyton call before.
Speaker 2:Oh, you called me on it. So, for those of you who don't know, I would do this all the time and I eventually got Drew to do it with me and I have video of him, so if you need, I can send it to you, but it goes yeah what?
Speaker 1:It's just the weirdest little. But sometimes you just gotta let out the little noise and it's just. It makes me so happy.
Speaker 2:I mean, I don't know if it's a mild form of a tick, but yeah, we don't know what it is. We don't know what it is.
Speaker 1:It's kind of goat-like, but not I don't know. Yeah, it's just kind of like a friendship call when you hear it across the room.
Speaker 2:It really is. And if you lose your recovery buddy out in public, you do that call and you can find him.
Speaker 1:Oh man, I love you. I'm grateful for you.
Speaker 2:Thanks for sharing your story today. Thank you for giving me this opportunity. Yeah, man.
Speaker 1:Well, we appreciate you listening to this episode of the Valiant Living podcast and our hope is that it helped you feel educated, encouraged and even empowered on your journey towards peace and freedom. If we can serve you or your loved one in any way, we'd love to have a conversation with you. You can call 720-756-7941 or email admissions at ValiantLivingcom. At Valiant Living, we treat the whole person so you not only survive, but you thrive in the life you deserve. And finally, if this episode has been helpful to you, it would mean a lot to us if you'd subscribe and even share it with your friends and family. You can also follow along with us on Instagram and Facebook by simply searching Valiant Living. Thanks again for listening and supporting the Valiant Living podcast. We'll see you next week.