The old saying is, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Melvin Adams shares his recipe for lemonade. Melvin grew up in poverty, with an abusive father in Houston, Texas. He was challenged early on with extremely negative circumstances. Even though Melvin was only 5’8”, he became a two-time NCAA All-American basketball player and the…

Every family that experiences addiction and mental illness searches endlessly for answers to their pain and hopes to stumble upon a survival guide. Lisa Gennosa discusses her journey as she tried to cope with her son Tyler’s illness. Lisa is the author of Incurable Hope: A Memoir and Survival Guide for Coping with a Loved…

K.J. Aiello describes herself as a mentally ill writer. It is, she says, who she is. After being misdiagnosed in college, K.J. spent a decade and a half wondering who she was and where she fit in. She discusses that journey, her acceptance of her mental illness, and how her life has improved because she…

When a loved one dies from alcohol or other drug use, everyone is devastated, but everyone copes differently. Melissa Largey talks about her brother Chris’s death from opiates, how she coped with his passing, and how that tragedy has affected her life and relationships moving forward. Professionally, Melissa is a Human Services Case Manager. She…

When students are asked what issues they face, mental health problems and drug usage often top the list of concerns. In Door County, Wisconsin, four county high schools formed a coalition called Project 180 to allow students to make a positive difference on these issues in their schools and across their communities. Jody Nelson and…

Many people follow very traditional routes towards recovery of substance use disorders; others, not so much. Patrick Ridge talks about his unique road to recovery and the way he uses his social media visibility to help others. Pat is a member of the Hip Hop group Hyper Crush, Owner of Graceland Ranch Sober Living, Co-Founder…

According to the Department of Justice, every 68 seconds an American is sexually assaulted. Kylene Spanbauer, Miss Wisconsin 2022, provides education and empowerment through her social impact initiative, No Means No: Sexual Assault Education. Kylene is a Certified Inclusion Ambassador and has received training for ACES, CPIS Crisis Intervention and De-escalation strategies, WCASA Sexual Assault…

Strong feelings don’t just check themselves at the workplace door. Lynn McLaughlin and Karen Iverson Riggers talk about how to address strong feelings that occur in the workplace and how to construct safe boundaries. According to numerous studies, including one from the Harvard Business Review, expressions of anger have risen dramatically across the culture. If you…

At a time when it seems as though every drug bought illegally is laced with something toxic, it would seem users would be cautious. But drug fatalities are up in 2023, yet again, after record numbers in 2022, and new adulterants are appearing on the scene all the time. Sara Schreiber talks about those souls…

Many people believe that pregnant people who use any amount of a criminalized drug will inevitably harm or even kill their fetuses. But media hype is not the same as science, and popular news reports have misrepresented the facts about prenatal exposure to drugs. Dana Sussman discusses the role of Pregnancy Justice’s work to educate…