In this episode of the Ordinary Courage Podcast I am solo! 'My Beautiful Boy' is about my youngest son, his struggle with addiction and mental health over the past couple of years and it's about digging deeper as a mother, the courage to stay in the fight and to take each day as it comes. (I recorded this episode outside the studio so there are a couple glitches hehe & the sound quality is not our usual top notch, hopefully be back in the studio soon)I also threw in a plug for Terminator Foundation, the Not for Profit Organization that I founded 7 years ago. Terminator works with youth and young adults who are struggling with addiction and mental health issues. We use the sport of Triathlon to revolutionize their lives and support their journey to recover!The Truth is You Can Recover!https://terminatorfoundation.com/Follow Terminator:https://www.instagram.com/terminatorfoundation/?hl=en

In this episode of the Ordinary Courage Podcast I have the absolute honor of hearing Maddison's story, told through her Mama, Jennifer Ann Holleman. This is a story about loss, Human Trafficking and a mothers fight for justice, for inner healing and to tell the story of Maddison to anyone who will listen. This episode is brutally painful and hard to hear. But we need to hear these stories because this atrocity is far from over. In the words of Martin Luther King Jr, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter." I'm here to tell you- THIS. MATTERS. From Jennifer:In 2015, my world changed forever. Maddison was killed in a horrific car accident in Edmonton, Alberta. The man driving was intoxicated, the man driving was a “John”. Although Maddison was killed by a drunk driver, I see the ultimate cause of her death to be Human Trafficking. Since her death, there have been two year long investigations. No justice has ever been served for what happened to my daughter. I have taken it upon myself to become an advocate for Human Trafficking. In my Community, my Province, my Country. I have spoke at many conferences, to schools and at AGM’s for various organizations, as well as to the Standing Committee for Justice and Human Rights. I have just recently spoken to Paul Brandt and the Alberta Human Trafficking Task Force and am looking forward to working with them in the near future. In the Fall of 2020, I was nominated for the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights, initiated in South Korea. To even be considered for this award was incredibly humbling. Losing Maddison has been the most difficult time in my life. It was a big decision to make the choice to tell her story, as it keeps this loss so fresh.  I have always maintained that if sharing what happened to her, helps just one young women, then her death was not in vain. And I can say without a doubt, that so many more have been touched. I will continue on this journey as long as long as Human Trafficking is a crises in this Country and for as long as I am physically able.  Education and awareness are the key factors in keeping our youth safe. What happened to Maddison, should never happen to any young woman. Ever.Follow Jennifer:https://www.instagram.com/jennielou42/1-833-900-1010For immediate assistance, call the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-833-900-1010. You can reach the confidential Hotline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in more than 200 languages.https://www.canadiancentretoendhumantrafficking.ca/nationalhotline/

In this episode with guest, Associate Minister of Mental Health & Addiction Jason Luan we discuss some of the historic changes that the Government of Alberta has made to the addiction/mental health landscape in the past several months here in the Province of Alberta. Minister Luan also shares some of his personal journey coming to Canada, his early career in Social Work and the life choices that brought him to where he is today, which he calls "A window of opportunity"! Link to Learn more about Alberta's Government and the Transformational Changes being made in Alberta: https://www.alberta.ca/associate-minister-of-mental-health-and-addictions.aspx Bio:Minister Luan was elected as Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Calgary-Foothills on April 16, 2019. He previously served as an MLA for Calgary-Hawkwood (2012-2015).Married to his wife, Ms. Fengying Zhang for 34 years, Luan has two daughters. Graduating from the University of Calgary with a Masters of Social Work in 1990, he has dedicated his career to public service, promoting healthy families, strong communities and economic prosperity. He served in a variety of roles in provincial and municipal governments including as a child protection worker, a social planner, a manager and as a senior counsellor.Luan has also managed funding for nonprofit social service agencies for over 20 years. He co-chaired the Immigrant Sector Council of Calgary (2006-2012) and served on the Calgary Council on Mental Health and Addictions from 2017 to 2018. He is proud to have made a difference in many lives throughout his professional services and community volunteering, and received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 for community services.Jason Luan was appointed as the Associate Minister for Mental Health and Addictions on April 30, 2019. His extensive experience in working with those suffering from addiction makes him uniquely positioned to handle the key commitment to address the opioid epidemic in Alberta.

In this episode of Ordinary Courage I had the gift of getting to sit down with my friend David Lewry. I have been a guest on David's podcast twice now, so it was pretty neat to be on the other side of the microphone hearing David's story. David's story is tragic in so many ways, sexually abused as a little boy, the shame, secrecy and confusion that came from that and then later in life battling depression coupled with addiction. Finally discovering his path to freedom. Today, David lives a life of service. He is probably one of the most kind, compassionate and giving humans I know. I am so grateful to know him and grateful to have him on the OC podcast sharing his extraordinary story of courage. Find David Here:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidlewry/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/david.lewry.33 and https://www.facebook.com/FreedomsPathRecoverySocietyLinkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-lewry-539b9532  Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidLewry?s=09A Little About David:David has been a social worker since 1999. He began his career managing a homeless shelter for families, “Inn From the Cold” in Calgary. His career took a different path once he realized change was needed, both internally and externally in his life. He began working more and more with individuals and families, who were struggling with addiction and mental illness. By December of 2011, he completed the curriculum for his new programs. He began offering a Pathway to Freedom groups and one on one counselling in Calgary for anyone who needed help. The group workshop outlines different strategies for understanding and recovering from chemical and non-chemical dependency. The one on one counselling centers around each individual’s identified needs and uses tools and ideas which remain fluid and interchangeable. He created the programs to be free for everyone and it remains free today. Over the course of several years, with the much-needed help of stakeholders, the charity he now manages, Freedom’s Path Recovery Society was created from within the principles of the treatment programs. As well as managing the charity, David is a volunteer chaplain with the Calgary Police Service. He spends as much time as he can working with members, both sworn and civilian. David believes in education and is honored when he is asked to speak at schools, seminars, groups, workshops, and wherever else he may be invited.

In this episode of the OC Podcast Dr. Rob Tanguay (just Rob;) ) and I sit down and dig into the great divide between harm reduction and abstinence based recovery and building bridges, reaching the lost and my absolute personal favorite message-having HOPE.  We talk about truly optimizing recovery, all forms of recovery. We discuss the prejudice, shame and stigma associated with addiction and mental health- it's jam packed this episode! Rob's Bio:Dr. Tanguay is a Psychiatrist who completed two fellowships, one in Addiction Medicine and one in Pain Medicine. He is a clinical assistant professor with the departments of Psychiatry and Surgery at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary.   He is the Medical Lead for Alberta Opioid Dependency training program and Alberta Addiction Education Sessions for Alberta Health Services. Dr. Tanguay is the Regional Director for Alberta and North West Territories for the Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine (CSAM) and the President of the Pain Society of Alberta.  He is the founder of the Opioid Deprescribing Program with Alberta Health Services and the Transitional Outpatient Pain Program for Spine (TOPPS) clinic working with spinal surgeons to optimize spinal surgery outcomes. Dr. Tanguay is the incoming co-chair of the AHS Alberta Pain Strategy.   Dr. Tanguay is also the lead lecturer for Addiction for the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. Academically, he is involved in research in addiction, chronic pain, opioids, and cannabis and is a member of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute and the Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research & Education at the University of Calgary.Links to Connect with Rob: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tanguay-253169140/?originalSubdomain=cahttps://www.albertahealthservices.ca/findhealth/service.aspx?id=1060378https://twitter.com/drrobbietee?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

In this episode of the OC Podcast I sit down with Staff Sgt. Dominic Mayhew and we discuss Internet Child Exploitation. This conversation is not an easy one, it's not easy or comfortable to hear and to know but it's vitally important that we do- and quite honestly "vitally" does not even come close to describing or depicting how absolutely widespread, atrocious and inhuman this issue is. Every single parent should know this information and be mindful of this issue- "I had no idea" and "I never thought this could happen to us" is what every parent believed when they found out it happened to them. We must know better so we can do better and that's for all of us. If there was ever a battle to fight, this is it. Links for parents and youth:https://needhelpnow.ca/app/en/https://www.cybertip.ca/app/en/https://www.protectchildren.ca/en/https://calgarycrimestoppers.org/#:~:text=The%20Crime%20Stoppers%20tip%20line,law%20enforcement%20agency%20to%20investigate.Staff Sergeant Dominic Mayhew is a 22 year member of the Calgary Police Service (CPS) currently seconded to the provincial government, ALERT team, heading the Southern Alberta Internet Child Exploitation team (ICE). Formerly a Detective in several areas of CPS, SSGT Mayhew has nearly a decade of experience of child related offences including work at the Child Advocacy Center – Child Abuse as well as the SSGT in CPS Community & Youth Section. ALERT was established and is funded by the Alberta Government and is a compilation of the province’s most sophisticated law enforcement resources committed to tackling serious and organized crime. https://alert-ab.ca/

In this episode of the Ordinary Courage Podcast I have the absolute honor to have my dear friend Stacey Petersen on the show!There is so much goodness in this episode and I'm positive there is something for everyone- whether you struggle with addiction or not, just learning to show up fully and be all that we were meant to be, my friend Stacey takes us through his own journey...and what a ride that's been!Stacey has received national recognition for his leadership in the addiction and the homeless sector as the Executive Director of Fresh Start Recovery Centre here in Calgary Alberta! Under Stacey's leadership, Fresh Start Recovery Center has received numerous awards across Canada and is a Nationally recognized leader as one of the best treatment centers Canadian wide! On a personal note, Stacey is in long term recovery and most recently celebrated 33 years. He has been going the distance when it comes to advocating for change to the addiction and mental health arena for decades and is no stranger to rolling up his sleeves and getting the job done! Stacey has presented on the TED X stage for Alta Link a couple of times, has served on multiple boards for addiction/mental health and most recently was appointed to the Alberta Mental Health and Addiction Advisory Council. He is a friend, father, husband, brother,  he is truly a most wonderful human being. Stacey resides in Carstairs Alberta with his wife, Melissa and their beautiful blended family of 7 kids! Ways to Give & Learn more about Fresh Start and their Programs- Looking for Support, Click on their Website https://www.freshstartrecovery.ca/https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/your-gift-delivers-gratefulrecovery-to-18-men/Social Platforms  https://www.facebook.com/FreshStartRecoveryhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/fresh-start-recovery-centre/https://twitter.com/freshstartrchttps://www.instagram.com/freshstartrecoverycentre/

In this episode of the OC Podcast I speak with my "sister" Cst. Stacey McKinnon of the Calgary Police Service. I first met Cst. McKinnon back in 2015, I clearly did not refer to her as my sister at that time- Stacey had been one of several members of the CPS to respond to a call I had put in to attempt once again to get my beautiful girl Eddy off the streets of Calgary. This is where and how I met Stacey. Little did Stacey and I know that both of our lives would be forever changed through Eden's addiction and "this" chance encounter would become the Silver Lining for all of us. A Little Info about Cst. McKinnon:Cst. Mckinnon has been with the CPS for ten years, she has received numerous awards and noteworthies for her service.  Cst. McKinnon has received 15 formal positive noteworthies from Deputy Chiefs, Staff Sergeants, Sergeants, Detectives, Crown Prosecutors and Community Partners with recognition in her investigative efforts, leadership, teamwork, dedication, communication, diversity, inclusion and respect.  In her first year of Service she was voted by her peers in Class 197 at their graduation to receive the Rob Vanderweil Memorial Award for ‘Class Choice - Recruit’, she received a ‘Chief’s Award - Life Saving’ in April 2013, a ‘Chief’s Award – Team Citation’ in April 2016, then was nominated by her peers and recognized by her superiors in December 2015 with the John Petropoulos Memorial Award for Leadership in District 6.Formerly working on the front-line as a patrol officer for seven years in Districts 6 and 7 where she was the Second in Command as an Acting Sergeant on her team, she transitioned to working in HR Services in 2018 as a File Manager and Recruiting Officer in the CPS Recruiting Unit before taking on a long-term Acting Sergeant position within the Unit in 2019. Prior to joining the Calgary Police Service, Cst. McKinnon worked for Calgary 911 as an Emergency Communications Officer for the Calgary Police Service.

In this episode of the OC Podcast, Jordan Witzel, Global News' weather guy is in the house! Jordan helps us kick off another episode and leads the way for Season 2 as he shares very openly and candidly about his brother in law, Ryan's addiction and the surprising legacy Ryan left after his passing. This is another packed episode of courage you won't want to miss! This Episode of the Ordinary Courage Podcast is Sponsored by EHN Canada! EHN Canada is an Evidence Based National Addiction and Mental Health Treatment Organization with Clinics and Treatment Centers across Canada. They now have a NEW YOUTH PROGRAM- New Start Youth IOP!There are tens of thousands of youth waiting for mental health and addiction treatment today in Canada. During a pandemic, we need effective online treatment tailored to young people now more than ever. The New Start Digital Youth Intensive Outpatient Treatment program is here to help.This evidence-based online mental health treatment program is designed specifically for youth ages 14-18 and includes both individual and group sessions along with parent/caregiver support. The program is currently accepting applications for fully subsidized treatment. Our goal is to treat over 500 youth in 2021 and your support will help us get there. To give or learn more visit: www.newstartfoundation.ca

Carissa Peterson, wife, mother, sister, daughter (my daughter) friend, entrepreneur & business owner. I could go on and on about my girl as I'm sure most parents could about their kids. In this episode of Ordinary Courage, I have Carissa back with me and we dive deeper into her story, all the messiness. We talk about the aftereffects of trauma and abuse and learning to live through it all, putting in the hard work and the beautiful part of it when we can go from blaming our abuser and traumatic experiences, to taking full responsibility for our lives and turning our trauma into a victorious life worth living, giving and sharing. We discuss addiction and recovery and how that looks different for everybody- Carissa describes her recovery journey as the "poo poo platter" coined from Brene Brown's blog. We get down to some real nitty gritty in this episode and I've never been more proud of my girl for fully showing up in her arena. This is what bravery looks like fully undressed. You can follow Carissa on IG @carissapeterson PS. Carissa will also be launching her own podcast soon so stay tuned!

In this episode of Ordinary Courage I talk about rigorous honesty, the power of being rigorously honest in our lives and our stories and the gift and ability to have new beginnings. I recorded this episode at 11:00pm on Tuesday night, so it's raw...there is no intro or outro music:) I'm just not that technically advanced on my own yet (I'll maybe get Sylvester to fix it up for me afterwards) It's just showing up, raw, as is. I hope you enjoy it and I hope you find at least one nugget to pull out for yourself.Take care you guys:) Love,V~

On today's episode, Agnes and I discuss her personal story of growing up in a home with addiction and trauma, the impact that this left on her and her journey of healing, hope and helping others find their way through similar stories. Agnes Chen is a Registered Nurse at the Calgary not- for-profit Calgary Urban project society (Cups),who has 15 years of professional experience in the public service sector working to enhance the well-being and resilience of her clients and community, many of who struggle with mental illness, addictions, and poverty. As an active member of the Trauma Informed Care Collective, she is also passionate about promoting empathy and co-creating resilient and trauma-informed communities.  Her personal experience of growing up in a home where the chaos of mental illness and alcohol addiction existed, allowed her to not only personally experience the all encompassing negative effects addictions can have on a family unit over multiple generations, but also the need for more empathy and understanding towards those struggling with its effects. After struggling personally with depression, she started a grassroots initiative called Starling Community where she is passionate about growing our city with an empathetic understanding of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the need for a community that believes in and supports the POTENTIAL in every single child (child-in-them) putting the cycle of RESILIENCE, instead of trauma, on repeat. Because supported kids become resilient communities who are ABLE to support kids! —————Brain Story: https://www.albertafamilywellness.org/trainingBecoming Trauma Awarehttps://calgarycac.ca/education/being-trauma-aware/ACEs study: https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/acestudy/index.htmlTrauma Informed Care Collective Website:https://ticcollective.ca️Instagram: starling_communityTwitter: @starlingsmetoweWebsite: www.starlings.ca

In this episode of Ordinary Courage Dr. Monty Ghosh discusses the crisis of addiction and  COVID-19 and the impact that these two have had on each other and our community. There are tips for how to cope with pre-existing addiction/substance use disorders and how to manage through the COVID crisis. Links & Information from the Episode. Relapse rates for opioids is 90%.Relapse rate after opioid detoxification ranges from 72 to 88% after 12–36 months, despite multidisciplinary endeavors, though a six-month controlled study has shown lower relapse rate (32–70%) [1, 2].  Link:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5046044/ Rapid Access Addiction Medicine  (RAAM) & Adult Addiction Services Calgary https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/findhealth/Service.aspx?id=1080798&serviceAtFacilityID=1126612

In August of 2019 Shawna brought home a little bundle of joy, a baby girl named Arielle. The only thing was, this sweet baby girl was her granddaughter. Shawna's own daughter, Kenedee had been fighting a battle with Fentanyl since she was 17 years old, which after years of struggling, bouts of sobriety followed by relapse after relapse Kenedee found herself pregnant and in active addiction.This warrior mother and now grandmother shares her story of courage, hope, love and selflessness. Listen in as we take you through the trenches of addiction in the family and the many ways we recover while we hold out hope for our loved ones still struggling, to join us. Shawna lives in Airdrie, Alberta and facilitates HERE TOGETHER,  a Support Group for parents and families struggling to cope and/or looking for support in dealing with a loved ones addiction/substance use disorder. For more Information Please Contact Shawna Directly: Heretogether.caShawna@heretogether.ca

This episode of Ordinary Courage is for the purpose of AWARENESS  of this urgent and prevalent issue. We need to do more and we need to do better. Please help us get the word out by sharing this episode with everyone you know. #ihaveaname is not about the most up to date statistics it's about people, this hits closer to home than we think. In this episode we have Executive Director, Theresa Jenkins of Reset Society of Calgary, a local agency here in Calgary Alberta that work with survivors of Sexual Exploitation and Human Trafficking. Reset is the only comprehensive system of services in Alberta designed specifically for women who are survivors of sexual exploitation. It is also the only agency that will support women with their children.  Also joining us is Detective Paul Rubner. In his over 28 year career with the Calgary Police, Det. Rubner has spent over 11 of those years working in the Human Trafficking Counter Exploitation Unit. Det. Rubner has been directly involved in the apprehension of over 220 sexually exploited youth and is a provincially recognized expert in the area of youth sexual exploitation. WARNING EXPLICIT CONTENT!To DONATE or get more info, click their website link!https://resetcalgary.ca/Please Join Reset and Follow Them on Social Media!https://twitter.com/RESETCalgaryhttps://www.instagram.com/resetcalgary/https://ca.linkedin.com/company/resetcalgaryCalgary Police Non Emergency 403-266-1234Counter Exploitation Unit (not answered but messages returned) 403-428-8585Email-  vice@calgarypolice.ca

In this episode, Earl and I discuss how he went from immense trauma, homelessness and addiction to becoming the Executive Director of Oxford House Foundation of Canada, an addiction housing center in Calgary, Alberta. WARNING EXPLICIT CONTENTWant more Information on Oxford House or to follow Earl, click the links below: https://oxfordhouse.ca/https://twitter.com/EarlThiessenFollow Vanisha on Instagram or visit her website:https://www.instagram.com/vanishabreault/https://vanishabreault.com/Subscribe to the Ordinary Courage Podcast!https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ordinary-courage-with-vanisha-breault/id1524865137

I don't know what it is about recovery that can connect two total strangers instantaneously after discovering you are both trudging that happy road of destiny. But that is exactly what happened when I met Tony McGrath several months back at a Conference we were both speaking at. It's that instant connection and relate-ability. It's an unexpressed understanding without even knowing the story...but you know the story. I'm thrilled and honored to have Tony as a guest on this podcast/episode, so get comfortable and listen in as Tony for the FIRST TIME outside of the 12 step rooms opens up about his story- his engagement to alcohol (as he puts it) the relationship he had with alcohol that spanned a few decades and his eventual breakup and new found freedom in recovery. His journey is hilarious, witty, provoking, messy and beautiful all rolled into one great episode! Follow Tony on Instagram @tonymcgrathyyc  to stay up to date with life in the fast lane:) Stay connected with Vanisha on Instagram @vanishabreault Website: www.vanishabreault.com Podcasts found on: Apple & Spotify Podcasts

Lindsey Witzel, remembering Ryan, a brother, a son, a friend. Lindsey shares her memories as a child with her older brother, the bond that only they shared, the protection, love and admiration she felt for her only sibling. Family, friends and Hockey were Ryan's first loves with dreams of being drafted into the NHL, Ryan devoted his time to the sport he believed would be his life and his future. Lindsey shares how the loss of this dream would mark the beginning for Ryan, taking him on a 17 year battle with addiction that would in the end cost him his life and the powerful messages of love & hope that Ryan's struggles gave to the family that love him the most.  To connect with Lindsey follow her on Instagram @lindsey_dawns Lindsey is also the Co-owner of Versa Movement Collective Physiotherapy - IG account Versa MC To connect with Vanisha follow her on Instagram  @vanishabreault Terminator Foundation @terminatorfoundation

In today's solo episode, seeing as it's only our second time together I thought I would begin our "Evergreen" episodes. I actually learned about Evergreen Content while recording this episode as I was anxiously thinking I needed to cram my life story into a one-hour podcast. HAHA :)In this episode I share my personal journey beginning with some of my first childhood memories and experiences. I talk about my very first memories as a child of domestic violence and then later on the sexual abuse trauma- it's a bit heavy, messy and literally right in the middle of it I had an urge to edit out a good chunk of it; but after taking a deep breath I pressed on. The theme I hope you take away is that there is hope. We can make it through the mess. I like this "Evergreen" theme as it also signifies life and no matter what season we're in the Evergreen is always green. *WARNING Sensitive Content. To follow Vanisha connect with her on Instagram @vanishabreault

The inaugural podcast will feature Vanisha’s daughters, Carissa and Eden. At a young age, Carissa was sexually abused by her stepfather. Eden was raped and sexually exploited while homeless and addicted on the streets of Calgary. “The conversation was not easy, but necessary”, says Breault. “I’m proud of my daughters for the strong women they’ve become, and for their courage to show vulnerability in the face of so much pain. This will be the start of many inspiring conversations that we hope will bring a compassionate view to the struggles many of us face.”To follow Carissa connect with her on Instagram @carissapeterson To follow Eden connect with her on Instagram @edenjoylalTo connect with Vanisha IG @vanishabreault Terminator Foundation @terminatorfoundation