The mission of the Heart to Heart Foundation is to support programs providing services to children needing homes, biological parents making crucial decisions for their children, and adoptive parents hoping to provide the families and homes that children long for. Donna Pope is the Director of Heart to Heart Adoptions based in Sandy, Utah. She…

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) is often overlooked, misdiagnosed, and understudied. Individuals with FASDs and their families also face persistent stigma, negative stereotypes, and harmful biases, due to public misunderstandings. Guida Brown talks about how we can assist women and families both during and post pregnancy. Guida is the Principal for Guided by Guida and…

Jane Musgrave grew up on the outskirts of Brisbane, Australia. She endured a troubled childhood that led her to seek an escape in alcohol. What began as a coping mechanism quickly grew into an all-consuming addiction, shaping decades of her life and leading to a series of difficult choices. She details those struggles and her…

As college students everywhere are returning to campus following winter break, some are struggling with substances. Those in recovery navigated the holidays soberly. And a few, like Tim Rabolt, are there to help anyone on a college campus who has substance use issues. Tim is the Program Manager for “Recovery at Marquette,” an urban university…

William Person is a former nine-year Team USA Bobsled athlete whose career left him battling the devastating effects of CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy). At his lowest point, he could barely get up off the floor, lost in confusion, depression, intense headaches, and a deteriorating brain. Hope came when he discovered Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, which restored…

John Plageman wondered how, as a newly recovering person, he would navigate social events he enjoyed. Concerts, ballgames, and just going out were cause for anxiety. He discovered, however, that at every event there were folks who, like himself, wanted to enjoy themselves without alcohol and other drugs. A while later, he helped establish a…

People don’t have substance use disorders in isolation. Their family, friends, and colleagues all experience, as Lisa Katona Smith, M.Ed., says, “feelings of anger, fear, and shame that fracture relationships with loved ones at a time when they are needed most.” Lisa is a certified Peer Recovery Specialist, family consultant, TEDx speaker, and author of…

When people find themselves without shelter, warmth, or food, having angels on the streets helps. Eva Welch is a Co-Founder and Director of Street Angels in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. Eva is a fierce advocate, action activator, and self-described fun instigator. She studied psychology and earned her BA from Ottawa University. Together with Shelly Sarasin, Eva…

After thirty years on television, Beth McDonough’s life unraveled in the harshest spotlight: two DUIs, a public firing, and national headlines. What the world saw was her mugshot. She talks about her fight to get sober, the years of shame and silence, and the strength it took to rebuild her life. Beth is an author…

There are some parenting challenges that don’t show up in the guidebooks we all consume when we have children. Chrisa Hickey ran into that head on when her son Timothy was diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of eleven. She talks about the challenges of raising children with special needs, finding a healthy rest-of-life balance,…