In this episode of Brokenish, we sit down for a raw and honest conversation about grief, anger, and the kind of forgiveness most people believe is impossible.

After losing her sister in a tragic accident, today’s guest carried years of hatred toward the man responsible. The pain was overwhelming. The anger was real. And for a long time, forgiveness felt completely out of reach.

At the same time, Roman shares his own story growing up in foster care, carrying deep resentment from abuse, and how holding onto that anger nearly destroyed his life.

This episode isn’t about pretending everything is okay. It’s about the truth most people avoid:

Forgiveness isn’t about them. It’s about setting yourself free.

Inside this conversation: • What grief and anger actually feel like after loss • The moment hate turns into something dangerous • Why forgiveness has nothing to do with the other person • The difference between forgiving and forgetting • How letting go can literally save your life

If you’ve ever struggled to forgive someone… or yourself… this episode is for you.

🎧 Subscribe for more real conversations about mental health, addiction, and recovery.

#forgiveness #grief #healing #mentalhealth #addictionrecovery #trauma #selfgrowth

In this episode of Inside Ava Health, our leadership team goes behind the scenes of our first month post-opening. We’re moving past the "polished" brand image to discuss the actual operational challenges of navigating state contracts, managing provider networks, and the mental shift required to move from being a therapist to being a strategic leader.

Whether you're a healthcare professional, a therapist by trade, or a startup founder, these are the lessons we’ve learned the hard way.

Key Moments in This Episode: 0:00 – The 30-Day Reality Check: CEO vs. COO Perspectives 03:45 – The "Patient One" vs. "Patient 1000" Debate 07:20 – The Friction of Accountability: Why Systems Break 12:15 – Thinking Like a Chess Player: Strategic Moves in Healthcare 15:50 – Navigating the Kinks: State Contracts & Provider Networks 22:30 – From Therapist to Leader: The Necessary Mindset Shift 25:10 – Final Reflections: Hope, Gratitude, and Year One Goals

About Ava Health: Ava Health is dedicated to dispelling myths in the wellness sector and building a more transparent, accountable healthcare system. We share our journey—the wins and the friction—to help other providers and patients navigate the complexities of modern care.

Join the Conversation: 👉 SUBSCRIBE to follow our journey as we scale and solve the "kinks" in the system. 💬 QUESTION: What was the biggest "friction point" you hit in the first month of your business or project? Let’s talk in the comments.

The rehab industry is worth billions… yet nearly 90% of people relapse. So the real question is:

Is treatment failing… or are we defining success completely wrong?

In this episode of Brokenish, we unpack the uncomfortable truth about addiction, recovery, and why the system might be measuring the wrong things entirely.

This isn’t a conversation about quick fixes or perfect sobriety. It’s about reality.

You’ll hear:

• Why relapse is NOT failure (and why treating it like one causes more harm)
• The biggest lie families are sold about “success rates” in treatment
• Why recovery is messy, nonlinear, and deeply personal
• The hidden damage caused by black-and-white thinking in mental health
• What real progress actually looks like beyond just “not using”
• Why most treatment programs focus on the wrong outcomes
• How honesty (not false hope) is the only ethical way to help people heal

We also dive into the deeper truth most people miss:

Addiction is often a symptom… not the root problem.

And if you don’t address what’s underneath, nothing changes long-term.

This episode is for:

• Anyone struggling with addiction or mental health
• Parents trying to help their child
• Professionals in the treatment space
• Anyone who’s ever felt like they “failed” recovery

Because maybe you didn’t fail.

Maybe the system failed you.

Nobody talks about who pays the price.

In this brutally honest episode of Broken-ish, we pull back the curtain on ambition, purpose, and the quiet casualties that come with building something that matters.

The world sees the momentum. The business growth. The mission. The impact.

But behind every dream is a harder truth:

The people who love you the most often carry the heaviest cost.

Late nights. Missed dinners. Phone calls from your kids saying they miss you. Partners holding down the fort while you're chasing something bigger.

And the question no one in entrepreneurship, leadership, or success culture wants to answer:

What if the impact you want to create in the world comes at the expense of the people closest to you?

In this episode we talk about:

• The real price of ambition • Why success can quietly destroy relationships • Betraying others vs betraying yourself • The internal conflict between family and purpose • How ego, drive, and selfishness shape leadership • The hidden sacrifices behind building something meaningful • What it actually feels like to chase a mission that could change lives

This is not a highlight reel.

This is the conversation behind the scenes of building something that matters.

If you've ever felt the tension between who you want to be for your family and what you feel called to build, this episode is for you.

Because sometimes the hardest truth in life is this:

You can be doing the right thing…

…and still wonder if you're paying the wrong price.

Subscribe to Broken-ish for real conversations about addiction, recovery, leadership, and the messy middle of becoming who you're meant to be.

New episodes weekly.

In this episode of Inside Ava Health, we pull back the curtain on the realities of community mental health. From fractured systems and stigma to funding challenges and the everyday work of rebuilding trust, this conversation explores what it actually takes to support people struggling with addiction, mental health, homelessness, and instability.

Our guest shares his journey from working as a community employment specialist helping individuals with mental health and addiction find work, to stepping into leadership during one of the most turbulent periods in the Western Slope behavioral health landscape. At a time when organizations were under intense public scrutiny and the system felt broken, he saw something different. Opportunity.

This conversation dives into:

• How stigma around addiction and mental health still shapes community attitudes • Why collaboration across organizations is essential for real recovery support • The hidden pressures behavioral health providers face every day • The critical role of case management and addressing social determinants of health • Why recovery often starts with housing, food, transportation, and stability before therapy ever begins • How hope continues to drive the people doing this work despite constant systemic challenges

We also explore the larger history of community mental health in the United States, why funding structures have created fractured systems, and what it will take for communities to build sustainable behavioral health infrastructure.

Most importantly, this episode highlights the people on the front lines who show up every day to serve others, even when the system makes the work incredibly difficult.

Because at the end of the day, recovery isn’t just about treatment. It’s about rebuilding community.

If you care about mental health, addiction recovery, homelessness, or the future of behavioral health in America, this is a conversation worth hearing.

Today's guest is Chace Wheaton with Health Solutions West

In this episode of Brokenish, we dive into one of the heaviest and most avoided subjects in life: grief.

After experiencing a recent loss, we sit down for an honest, raw conversation about death, fear, avoidance, and what it really means to move through pain instead of numbing it. From losing parents to putting down a beloved dog, from addiction recovery to the “absence of presence,” this conversation challenges the way we think about grief.

We explore:

• The truth about the 5 stages of grief and why they are not linear • Why grief and addiction follow a similar emotional path • The difference between “loss” and the absence of presence • Why men over 55 are at the highest risk for suicide • How identity, work, and purpose shape our experience of loss • Why avoiding pain only deepens it • What it means to leave nothing on the table before you die

This episode is not just about death. It is about meaning.

It is about the fear of losing your parents. It is about watching your father grieve. It is about losing a job, a relationship, or a version of yourself. It is about the stories we choose to tell after the loss.

If you have ever avoided a funeral… If you have ever numbed pain with substances… If you are afraid of losing someone you love… This conversation is for you.

Grief does not go away. But it can be integrated. And when it is, something powerful happens.

🎙️ Subscribe for more real conversations about addiction, recovery, purpose, and mental health. 📍 If you or someone you love is struggling, reach out. You are not alone.

#BrokenishPodcast #Grief #AddictionRecovery #MentalHealth #Loss #Healing #SubstanceAbuse #Trauma #RecoveryJourney #EndOfLife #MenAndMentalHealth

But how much do we actually understand about it?

In this episode of Inside Ava Health, we sit down with leaders working directly on the front lines in Grand Junction, Colorado to unpack what’s really happening behind the scenes. No politics. No headlines. Just real conversations.

Here’s what we explore:

• Why 75 to 90 percent of people living on the streets do not actually want to be there • The real barriers beyond “mental health and addiction” • Why “housing first” isn’t the full solution • What happens when hope gets crushed over and over • Why funding structures are creating unintended barriers • The loss of resource centers and what that means for communities • How innovative models like “Stand Down” changed lives • What communities must understand if we want real change

One powerful truth from this conversation:

“Hope hurts.”

When people try, and try, and try again only to hit closed doors, long waitlists, rising rents, and shifting funding priorities, eventually they stop believing anything will change.

And that’s when we lose them.

This episode is about restoring dignity, rebuilding trust, and rethinking how communities show up for the people who need us most.

If you care about homelessness, mental health, addiction, or the future of your community, this is a conversation you need to hear.

— Guests this episode include Chris Masters with Homeward Bound of Grand Valley and Philip Masters with United Way Mesa County.

Ava Health is a full continuum behavioral health and addiction treatment provider serving Colorado. If you or someone you love needs help, call us. Recovery is possible.

📞 Learn more: www.HelloAvaHealth.com 📍 Grand Junction, Colorado

Subscribe for more real conversations from the front lines of behavioral health and recovery.

This episode is about everything they hide.

In this raw, unfiltered conversation, Chris sits down with David Purinton, CFO, partner, and one of the most quietly resilient humans he knows, to talk about what success actually looks like when you zoom out.

Not the wins. The failures. The shame. The jobs you never put on your resume. The moments where you’re convinced you are the failure.

From working in plastic factories and picking up dog shit… To eviction notices, food banks, addiction, and starting over from nothing… To building companies, losing them, and learning how to survive the collapse.

This episode is for: • Anyone who’s been laid off and feels lost • Anyone stuck in a job that’s slowly crushing them • Anyone who thinks they’ve fallen too far to come back • Anyone quietly carrying shame they never talk about

We talk about: • Failing your way forward • The long-term damage of shame • Why failure feels personal even when it isn’t • Addiction, recovery, and rebuilding trust with yourself • Losing a company you poured your soul into • How hope actually comes back, slowly and imperfectly

No fake motivation. No hustle culture nonsense. No “10 steps to success.”

Just two humans telling the truth about what it really costs to keep going.

If you’re in a heavy season, this one’s for you.

👇 Drop a comment if this hit close to home 👍 Like if you believe failure isn’t the end 🔔 Subscribe for more Broken-ish conversations about real life, recovery, and becoming human again

In this episode of Inside Ava Health, we have an unfiltered conversation about how confusion, vague timelines, hidden rules, and “clinical complexity” are often built into the structure of treatment systems and how that chaos dysregulates families before care even begins.

We explore why transparency is not a marketing tactic, but a form of care.

This episode dives into:

• How families and clients are harmed by unclear expectations and moving goalposts
• Why “30 days” so often turns into 45 and what that says about integrity
• The difference between simplicity and oversimplification in treatment
• How fear and urgency get monetized in admissions and marketing
• What ethical profit margins actually look like in behavioral health
• Why clients and families must be treated as the experts on themselves
• How reinvesting into staff, culture, food, facilities, and people changes outcomes
• What behavioral health care should have been from the beginning

We also share the lived experience, burnout, mistakes, and hard-earned wisdom that brought us together to build Ava Health. Not to disrupt an industry for attention, but to create a model rooted in dignity, choice, transparency, and trust.

If you are a family member trying to help someone you love, a clinician who feels disillusioned by broken systems, or a professional who knows this field can do better, this conversation is for you.

This isn’t a pitch. It’s a philosophy of care.

Inside Ava Health is about telling the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable, and building something better because of it.

What if communication isn’t the problem… but expectations are?

We dig into why so many men struggle with communication, especially in relationships, and why “just talk more” completely misses the point. From avoiding emotional conversations, to assuming our partners don’t care, to believing we’re supposed to carry everything alone, this episode goes straight at the modern male identity crisis.

We talk about: • Why communication is really about what lands, not what you think you said • The hidden ways men unintentionally withhold, protect, or shut down • How childhood patterns shape how we show up as partners and fathers • Why many men don’t know what they need when they’re finally asked • The shift from “provider” to true partnership and why it’s so uncomfortable • What has to die in order for men to actually grow up

This is an honest, unfiltered conversation about masculinity, emotional responsibility, relationships, and what it actually means to be a man today.

If you’ve ever thought: “I don’t need that much communication.” “Why would anyone want to hear this?” “I don’t want to burden anyone.” or “I don’t even know what I need.”

This episode is for you.

🎙 Brokenish is where we sit in the uncomfortable middle of growth, healing, and becoming something better without pretending we have it all figured out.

In this episode of Broken-ish, we sit down with Angie, Executive Director of Peer 180, the largest recovery community organization on Colorado’s Western Slope, to talk about the long road from survival to service.

Angie’s story starts far from where she is today. At 19 years old, newly sober and running from guns, gangs, and chaos in Detroit, she believed staying clean was enough. What she learned instead was that recovery is about far more than abstinence. It’s about relationships, purpose, and belonging.

Through gang involvement, cross-country moves, near-misses, and relentless internal battles, Angie never picked up a drink or a drug. What carried her through was service. Showing up for others when her own life felt unsteady became the foundation of her recovery and eventually her life’s work.

In this conversation, we explore:

• Why sobriety alone isn’t always enough
• The power and limits of traditional 12-step recovery
• What “meeting people where they’re at” actually looks like in real life
• Peer-led recovery and why hierarchy can get in the way of healing
• How Peer 180 grew from a volunteer effort into a thriving community hub
• Why dignity, choice, and inclusion save lives
• And how connection, not correction, creates lasting change

This episode is honest, nuanced, and deeply human. It challenges rigid ideas about recovery while honoring what works. It’s about walking with people instead of telling them where they should be.

Whether you’re in recovery, love someone who is, or work in mental health or addiction treatment, this conversation will change the way you think about healing, community, and hope

Using Tupac’s The Rose That Grew from Concrete as a backdrop, we get into what happens when passion and purpose finally line up, and why most people don’t “find” their passion at all. They build it through service, skill, relationships, and repetition.

We talk about:

• Why living only in self-reflection can keep you stuck
• How helping one person can turn into helping thousands
• The role ambition plays without turning into ego
• Why relationships matter more than credentials or modalities
• What it really means to build trust, culture, and impact
• And how meaningful work often grows out of uncomfortable seasons

This is a raw conversation about leadership, growth, helping others, and building something that actually matters. In life, in business, and in recovery.

If you have ever felt stuck in the concrete If you are questioning your purpose If you want to help people but also want more for your life If you are building something and feeling the weight of it

This episode is for you.

We are not broken. We are broken-ish. And something real is growing.

In this end-of-year episode of Broken-ish, we sit down to reflect on everything 2025 brought, both personally and professionally.

We start light with a surprisingly passionate debate about The Nightmare Before Christmas, then move into deeper conversations about fantasy vs realism, creativity, and how those same themes show up in real life.

From there, we unpack what it actually looked like to build Ava Health from the ground up in one year. The wins, the chaos, the late nights, the lessons, and the moments where everything felt uncertain.

In this episode, we talk about: • Going from an idea to a fully functioning organization • Building culture, trust, and alignment without traditional recruiting • Leadership, identity, and learning to stay present • Fatherhood, relationships, sobriety, and personal growth • Letting go of routine and learning how to adapt in real time

This isn’t a highlight reel or a motivational speech. It’s an honest reflection on building while becoming, and what growth actually costs when you’re in it.

If you’re building something, navigating change, or trying to figure out your next chapter, this conversation will resonate.

Drop a comment and tell us if you’re more Tim Burton or Christopher Nolan. Like, subscribe, and share if this episode hit for you.

In this unforgettable episode of Broken-ish, we sit down with a man whose life reads like a movie script: from touring as a rapper inspired by 8 Mile, to jail, to rebuilding his life—and now leading frontline outreach for the unhoused.

This isn’t a “feel-good” story. It’s a real one.

You’ll hear what the music industry doesn’t prepare you for. What jail can take from you—and what it can give you. And why listening might be the most powerful tool we have to change lives.

Our guest shares how losing everything forced him to ask one honest question: “If there’s more to life than this… show me.” What happened next changed not only his life—but the lives of hundreds of others.

This episode will challenge how you think about:

• Homelessness
• Recovery
• Success
• And what it actually means to make a difference

If you’ve ever felt broken, stuck, or unsure if change is possible—this conversation is for you.

Most people look away from homelessness. This episode looks straight at it—with honesty, compassion, and lived experience.

You’ll walk away with:

• A deeper understanding
• A shifted perspective
• And a reminder that hope isn’t abstract—it’s built through people

Guest info: Philip Masters (Homeless Outreach Coordinator), United Way Mesa County

🎙 In this episode: • What really happens to boys who grow up without strong male role models • How distorted masculinity forms and destroys lives • The deep need for approval that can never be filled • Why gangs, addiction, and crime feel like masculinity to fatherless boys • Generational trauma and the men who choose to break the cycle • Redefining manhood with strength that looks nothing like what we were taught

This is not a pity party. This is a wake up call and a roadmap for men who want to do better, be better, and raise better.

If you grew up fatherless, If you are a father trying to get it right, Or if you are healing from what you never received, This episode will hit deep.

👉 Like, comment, and share your story below. Let’s open the conversation men have avoided for far too long.

Subscribe for more real, unfiltered conversations on growth, healing, and becoming the man you were meant to be.

But what if the most ethical thing we can say is: there is no single answer?

In this episode of Inside Ava Health, a panel of experienced therapeutic consultants challenges long-held assumptions about treatment, cost, outcomes, and control. From private-pay vs. community care to data transparency and long-term wellness, this conversation asks the harder questions the industry often avoids.

You’ll hear real insights on:

• Why expectations often become premeditated resentments
• How rigidity and “the way it’s always been done” are failing families
• The limits of outcome data and completion rates
• Why collaboration beats competition in behavioral health
• What true long-term care should actually optimize for

This episode is not about selling certainty — it’s about building sustainable, human-centered care in an uncertain system.

Meet Our Guests

Joanna Lilley, M.A., NCC (She/Hers), Lilley Consulting Website: www.lilleyconsulting.com Email: joanna@lilleyconsulting.com Phone: 970-218-9958

Shayna Abraham, M.A. (She/Her), Prepare To Bloom, LLC Website: PrepareToBloom.com Cell: 650-888-4575 Conference: 925-291-7007

John Conway, LCSW, CADC (He/Him/His), Conway Therapeutic Consulting Website: www.conwaytherapeuticconsulting.com Email: john@conwaytherapeuticconsulting.com Office: 847-242-1978 Cell: 815-814-1469

In this episode of Broken-ish, we strip away the Hallmark version of Thanksgiving and talk about the reality no one wants to post about: loneliness, addiction, incarceration, homelessness, and the quiet pain that spikes when the days get shorter and the world gets louder.

We share personal stories from foster care, jail cells, solitary confinement, and moments so small they almost get missed — moments that literally changed lives. This is a conversation about holding two truths at once: deep gratitude and deep suffering.

If you’ve ever felt alone during the holidays… this one’s for you.

But we also share the shift that changed everything: choosing curiosity, partnering with communities, and building real solutions from within a fractured system.

From Western Colorado to the birth of Ava Health, this is a story of purpose, alignment, and the sparks of hope that are already catching fire.

Welcome to Broken-ish. Where we hold heartbreak and hope at the same time—and still take a swing.

In this deeply honest and thought-provoking conversation, Ian shares how being fired from a for-profit program became the catalyst for transformation — leading him to embrace trauma-informed care, motivational interviewing, and a radical truth: the expert on the client is the client.

From challenging outdated addiction models to unpacking the thin line between support and enabling, Ian’s story is a powerful look at what happens when compassion meets accountability — and when professionals learn to truly listen.

If you’ve ever questioned the ethics of “the industry,” this episode will hit home.

What happened next would change everything.

From relapsing after his grandmother’s funeral to sleeping in fields and shelters, Chris’s story isn’t just about survival—it’s about rebirth. He went from hopelessness and addiction to leading one of Colorado’s most impactful nonprofits, helping others rise from the same darkness he once lived in.

This is the story of what happens when you refuse to quit, even when life gives you every reason to.

💭 Raw. Honest. Transformative. If you’ve ever felt like giving up, this episode will remind you exactly why you shouldn’t.

If you’ve ever felt broken, hopeless, or unseen — this episode will remind you that even the deepest wounds can lead to the greatest transformations.

🎧 Listen now to hear how one man’s story of survival became a movement of hope.