Deep Dive with Dr D
Discussions on life and living with Dr D. A man who has risen from the lowest depths of life to the amazing life he has now.
Deep Dive with Dr D
A Peer’s Rise: Recovery, Trust, and Building Yakima’s Hope Hub (w/guest Justin Peterson)
Some stories turn on a single dramatic moment. Ours turns on tacos, a phone call from law enforcement, and a walk to buy shoes that fit. From there, Justin’s path moves from a street nickname and 90-day ceilings to three years sober, a full keyring of trust, and a new role leading Peers Rising’s Yakima office. We talk about the early days when treatment almost didn’t stick, the two-week click that changed the slope of recovery, and the longest conversation he ever had with his son—the one that re-centered everything.
We pull back the curtain on how peer support works when it starts with hospitality, not hurdles. Walk in, grab coffee, use a computer, take a breath, leave if that’s all you’ve got today. No gatekeepers. No shame. That open-door stance turns suspicion into curiosity and makes space for real asks: a gas card to get to court, help with a resume, a treatment referral, or simply a place to unload the weight. We explore the role of behavioral health court and counseling in creating structure, and why tiny routines—meetings, walks, journaling, one line of reading—are enough to keep momentum when motivation is thin.
We also share a bigger vision for the future: treatment without arbitrary clocks and a full-time bridge program that pairs job skills with daily self-esteem work, so purpose becomes a practice rather than a promise. Along the way, you’ll hear gratitude for the people who made a difference—ex-spouses who reopened the door, officers who chose a call over cuffs, and peers who refused to give up. If you or someone you love feels stuck, this conversation is a hand on your shoulder saying: hang on; waking up means there’s still a chance. If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review to help more people find a way forward.
Welcome to the show. Thank you. Make yourself comfortable. See how we look. Oh yeah, there you are. Handsome as ever. Like it. Okay, so we uh we're live on Facebook there. And then we're live. Oh, this is perfect. On TikTok here, we've got a viewer there. We'll get the viewers there. Um, here we are. Here we are. Yeah. You ready? Let's do it. Okay, so um I'll do my quick intro. Uh, welcome everyone to uh deep dive with Dr. D, and you are the first episode in what will be season three. I started this in January, first part of the year, and I really don't have any specific system for when I start a new season because there's, you know, I just kind of did this, but I decided it's time to flip the page. So I'm episode one. Episode one, season three. Started off with a bang then. Yeah. So there we go. Okay, uh shameless plug from a book. Uh, do you have I given you a copy of this? I have not got a copy. You will leave with this today. All right. All right, so this will be Justin's copy. If you haven't gotten a copy yet, there is grit over shame. I call it the short story of the wild ride of my life. And uh it's an easy, quick read. And so that's yours. If I become famous, you can say hey, let's pull that there. Yeah, yeah. I like it. So uh there you go. Uh, and you can, of course, this podcast is available wherever you listen to podcasts, Apple or Spotify or any other streaming source. And I also post the video vlog. I don't know what they call video podcast, maybe video podcast, but this goes on YouTube. Let's go video. Yeah, so this will be on YouTube forever. All right. Yeah, did you shower today? I smelled for you. You look good. Thank you. Yeah, well, he said that at the beginning. Yeah, good. Okay, so let's get started. And um let's do uh let's do an intro of you. Tell the world. So I always like to say when I have a guest, you know, you and me know each other. You know, your friends and family who are watching this in Ellensburg and Kittitask County know you, but thinking that this is going out to the world, what do you want the people to know about you? Who are you? Well, my name is Justin Peterson.
SPEAKER_01:I am a father of two. I have a 16-year-old boy, Memphis, and a 13-year-old daughter, 13-year-old daughter, and they are the they are my heart. They are 100% my heart and the things why I do what I do today.
SPEAKER_00:Um that that gave me a quick memory. I want you to continue. Uh I remember when I first met you, you talked about that. That really wanting to bring that relationship back to yeah. So go ahead.
SPEAKER_01:Um, and uh born and raised here in right here in uh well born in Ellensburg, raised in Cleom, but basically Kentas County. Um uh started working with Piers Rising, formerly KCRCO about a year and a half ago, maybe a little bit more. Like a long time ago. I know I'm going on, it'll be two years in January, but uh you know, and I became a CPC, and now I'm managing the new Yakima office. Yeah, that's exciting. And I guess another important thing is is uh I'm a recovering addict. You know, I'm in recovery. So and you just went over three years.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I just had it.
SPEAKER_02:Wow.
SPEAKER_00:Yep. Had you I don't uh know if I've ever asked you what's the longest you've had in recovery prior to this three years? What was the longest? Um oh god without jail?
SPEAKER_01:Either or I think both are applicable, you know? It takes what it takes. Um you know, uh I would say the longest stent I've ever had was probably 90 days. Really? Wow, probably 90 days. So this is huge, like sitting here three years. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. That's cool. Something that I didn't think was ever reachable. Yeah, super cool. Uh your one child's name, Memphis. Memphis. Where where how did you guys come up with the name Memphis?
SPEAKER_01:So That's cool. When I was kind of a story, but I met somebody in treatment a long time ago. It was back in 2007, I think it was. And we became quite close. Okay. And he was from Memphis. Okay. And that's where I kind of got that name. We were kept in touch through us both getting out, and he actually got killed in a drive-by shooting when he went back to Memphis. So God.
SPEAKER_03:Okay.
SPEAKER_01:Kind of named him after him. Kinda, yeah, a little bit. We got pretty close when we were in treatment, and that's where I kind of came up with the name, and I was like, cool, you know, and it just sounds cool too. That's a great name. Yeah, super cool.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. I have a I I'm gonna call her a young lady, but she's not a young lady. She lives here in Ellensburg. I've known her forever. Her name's Nevada. Nevada. You know, so when you have unique names like that, it's always kind of I always call her Arizona or Texas. So let's let's uh so thank you for the intro. Uh and for everyone to know, I've known you for just uh probably three and a half years-ish.
SPEAKER_01:Three, yeah, yeah. I would say almost say maybe four, four, yeah, maybe four.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. I think we were. Where did we first meet? Where we first meet? Was it at Tacos? It was at Tacos. It was at Tacos. So I yeah, I remember this is this is like the KCRTO. I'm not sure if we had the building yet. You guys had the building. We did. You guys did have the building. Okay, yeah, we did. We would have, yeah. But it was brand new. Brand new. So when you and I first met through, um, do you mind if I say yeah, so I I still to this day have a strong working relationship with a lot of entities, one of them being local law enforcement. And I remember getting a call and saying, hey, we got this guy. And they thought, you know, would you be willing to sit down and talk with him? And we'll buy you lunch, and it'll be tacos. So they got me with the tacos and to meet a guy and say, hey, he, you know, they really believe that he wanted to just kind of turn things around, and I'm like, yeah, let's meet. So that's where we first met. Yep. And I remember first meeting you, and then it was a little bit, and you came to the KCRCO. Yes. Yeah. Came to the KCRCO.
SPEAKER_01:Um KCRCO actually, you have been such a huge impact in my recovery that you're the kind of the, you know, like the first person that kind of showed me hope a little bit. But um, you guys put me up in a motel. Yeah, that's right. You know, yes. Motel 6. Motel 6. Yeah. For like three weeks or something. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Yes.
SPEAKER_01:You know, and I would and then your, you know, your son also, big part, you know, offered, you know, you guys didn't even know me. And you're here's your son offering me a place to stay at his house.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I remember that.
SPEAKER_01:You know? Yeah. And that was, you know, you know, there's just no way it's somebody can thank somebody for that. Yeah. But you know, I just didn't have it in me yet. We all know we know it happened. So you know, but so it took a little bit. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Yeah. Because I remember you you came, were we having a meeting or something the day you came back to the KCRCO and you walked in? Did you and me, was it you and me that took a walk to Fred Meyer? Yeah. To get you some shoes. Yeah. Yeah. That's always been a thing for me. I go way back to when my sister bailed me out of jail in the mid-90s and she bought me a pair of shoes. And so I remember you came in and I looked at your feet. And that for me was just an opportunity. One to say, hey, let's go for a walk and let's get you some shoes. And that's where our relationship really it kind of started before because we met, but it was it was cemented there. Absolutely. Yeah. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. You not only did that, but you know, you hooked me up with John that was working with Tatina.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah, dude.
SPEAKER_01:That's right. We got you a job like that day. Yeah. Literally that it was on a Friday when you and that Monday I started at Titan. Yes. And then John. And that's where it came into play. Like, I remember I got off work on Monday, and you're like, Where are you at? And I was like, I was down here at the uh skate park laying down on the skate park because I was still I was homeless at the time. Oh wow. And you're like, have you eaten? I said, Well, John, you know, go John gave me something to eat, but you're like, I'm on my way, I'm gonna bring you some food. Yeah. And from there, you're like, you know, let's let's see if we can't get you into a motel place to stay. You know, we went down to motel or super eight. They don't allow locals to stay there. Yeah, that was yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. And we went to motel six, and then after that, it continued. And you were like, okay, so just go to go to go to work. I'll check in with you daily. As long as you're going to work, I'll keep you in the motel. That's the way it was played. Yeah. You know, yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Wow, that's uh such a great it fills my heart. Um, and I think it's the thing in recovery when we're able to give back in a way that just for me, like my sister, I always go back to my sister, but there were so many people who were willing to you know lend help in a way that is just like, hey, here's some help. And there was, I I hope I sent the message that like there's some boundaries with it, but do your thing, and and you know, we'll do what we can. So yeah, yeah, super cool. So let's let's do this. Let's go to a question. I think we could talk all day about just that journey, but I think these questions will help help us describe it in a different way. Anyway, okay, good to it. Yeah, so when you think back to the season, we kind of laugh, season, multiple seasons, right? Seasons of despair you came out of. Because you you also had a nickname. Yeah. It's gone now. Yeah, yeah, but you were known by Cheeser. Cheeser, by law enforcement, by everyone in in the community. That was that was your identity. Yeah, it really was. It's gone. It's gone. But and I didn't that was interesting. So when you're thinking about that time and space, spaces, what was the turning point that helped you believe hope was possible?
SPEAKER_01:That hope was possible. Yeah. You know, just coming from where I came from, where I was a person with, you know, destruction, selfishness, ungrateful, um, angry, you know, depressed. But it wasn't until honestly, it wasn't until I met you that somebody that doesn't even know me can show me love. You know, you weren't any part of my family, you weren't any part of my friends. Like you, as just a person in the community, came and was like, what can I do for you? And that was a big turning point for me. You know, and you know, like I said, we I didn't work out at first. I had another uh situation happen. And from that my other situation that happened with me, it pushed me forward to getting into treatment. And from in the treatment, I didn't think I was gonna make it into treatment. Like I think I was there almost I think I almost left like three days in. You know, I'd I didn't understand what they were trying to say, I didn't understand what they were trying to do, you know, that mentality of just like I don't know, like feeling lost because you know, I never worked, I've never done assignments, I've never, you know, was that your first treatment?
SPEAKER_00:No, that was you'd been to treatment before more. What was different about that time, you think?
SPEAKER_01:I you know, because when I went to treatment I guess I put myself in there. Okay. I did it I did it willingly myself this time. I didn't know if it was gonna stick, not at all. It wasn't until like two weeks in that it started clicking with me, and uh I can remember making you know, I call my kids, and I remember talking to my son for like I don't know, it was the longest conversation we've ever had. Wow. How old is he? He's 16 now, so he was probably he was 13 at the time, you know. And it was crazy because I even told my um the kids' mom, my ex-wife, Sam, I was like, that was like the longest conversation we've ever had.
SPEAKER_00:So that was a turning point.
SPEAKER_01:That was a huge turning point. And then just the guys inside the treatment center, you know, I've un I've told my truth in there, and I was accepted. You know, there's you know, uh it but going through and working on the things, you know, I you go into treatment like I know what I need to work on. Like that's just your that's what you that's what we you know, that's what you think you know. Oh, yeah. Yeah, but working on the things that they wanted me to work on and just implying myself and wanting it, and then getting those 30 days, you know, I left treatment crying. Like, I was just like, you know, I even had asked for extra days. My counselor got me, I think was two extra days, but that's all they could do because of insurance. Yeah. Um and it wasn't until, like I said, it wasn't after that when I got out, I had some things hanging over my head. I had like so I got into behavioral health court. And through behavioral health court, it really structured me. You know, it got me, you know, I was going to IOP, I was going to OP, um, you know, doing the court thing. And it really structured my life to where I was able to keep moving forward, you know, they got me into comprehensive, which is huge. You know, that's how I actually got uh um the paperwork for becoming a CPC into peer support, is from my counselor. She's like, Have you ever thought about this?
SPEAKER_00:And I was like, Yeah, no, no, like no, not my wheelhouse.
SPEAKER_01:No, not anything, you know, and it was on my it that's on my five-year plan. That was on my five-year plan after getting done with uh merit was becoming a CPC. And it wasn't a year later that it happened, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:You know, super cool. Um, so a couple things, just things I think of, and and I appreciate you you saying that I was integral in in your process, um, but I would almost argue there were others too, yeah. Brandy, brandy, brandy, but even for sure, before law enforcement, because we hear a lot about law enforcement, you know, they just want to put people in jail, but if it wasn't for them calling me, you and me might not have met. Absolutely, right? Absolutely so, and then just thinking about all the different tentacles, but um, yeah, so for sure. Um, really cool. So, yeah, you had some follow-up you wanted to say.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, um, you know, I would like to say a big shout out to my my kids' mom for allowing me back in their sp her space, yeah, allowing me into their home. Yeah, you know, there wasn't she did not have to do any of that. That's the woman I put through hell and she allows me to move forward, you know, with the process of being in recovery and being able to make that um make that relationship with my kids again, you know. You know, and I appreciate it more than you know, she probably even knows. So yeah.
SPEAKER_00:It's just you've talked about that, and I think that's huge. You um you live with your ex. Yeah, right? Under the same roof, yeah. And you guys co-parent your kids. Absolutely. How beautiful is that? It's amazing. I'm sure it's not perfect, right? No, I'm sure it's got some problems, but you guys do it. I was just me and Tyler just had a talk, and I, you know, I was saying to him that I've always admired him. And we both kind of have this, but I I watch him, you know, with his exes, he's got a couple, how he manages those relationships in a healthy way. And I say that same thing to you, and that's a powerful thing, and it really models to your kids some pretty powerful things, right? So good for you too. But for sure, I I appreciate that you give her that shout out. It makes me think of my Tyler's now mom who passed. Um, she she was one when I was, you know, in my crazy mid-90s, um who while for sure she had boundaries with me, she was also one of the people that never gave up on me. And I'm hearing you say that, you know, with your ex. Um, so really cool. Okay, so let's let's uh oh this'll be good. This is this is good. The next question is really good. You first walked through the doors of the nonprofit you now work for seeking support. Now you're running one of the offices and helping others. What does that full circle journey mean to you?
SPEAKER_01:I've been thinking about this one, and it's really there's really no words for it, you know. I work at the same place that helped me in my start, and now I get to be able to give back to the people or you know, we don't like to say people, but our peers. Yeah, and we like to, you know, and it's just the greatest feeling in the world. If when you watch the transformation, like you kind of got to see my transformation, there's no nothing in the world that can beat that feeling. You know, you're becoming part of their story, you're becoming their part of their um success. That conduit to you know, and the growth and watching people, and it's amazing, and you know, and you couldn't have left the KCRCO in better hands with Randy, honestly. Like she is an amazing boss, we have an amazing team, um but it just it's really everything, like you know, we're engaged in a lot of different things in the community. Um but the feeling I get just being able to be a part of it and bringing it down to Yakima, yeah, you know, we have it, you know, we have it up in Queen, we have it in Caitatas, and it's just an amazing feeling overall. Like there's really no words that can really describe it. It just gives me chills, like just being able to be a part of it and you know, watching it grow. And you know, it's it's amazing feeling. Yeah, there's really no, I don't know, there's really no I don't even know how to explain it. Yeah. Because, you know, I'm very passionate about it.
SPEAKER_00:So what and and yeah, this is that part where Brandy because you got hired after I had stepped away. Yes. And I remember when she said she was hiring you, I'm like, oh, oh yeah, this is gold. Um and and I watch from afar now, you know, and it's it's beautiful to see what's happening. You know, we we talked about Yakima early, early on, you know, as as something down the road, and and I remember when Brandy said, Yeah, the states asked us to, I'm like, oh yeah, it's beautiful. So when you when you see someone come in the doors, I'm sure this has happened in Ellensburg, maybe already in Yakima. What's your approach? When you see someone come in the doors for the first time, and it's you greeting them or interacting with them.
SPEAKER_01:Just start off with a simple hell yeah, how are you doing? You know? Um, and that's the thing about you know, coming in our doors, you don't have to talk to us, you don't have to say anything to us. Yeah, you know, you're more than welcome to go over there, get a cup of coffee, walk out. Yeah, you know, but by that, by them coming in and just seeing like, okay, like it's kind of different. But when they go get their food, they go get their snacks, they're out the door, but then when they come back in maybe two or three times later, you know, and it's still, hey, how are you?
SPEAKER_00:Aren't we when we're first when you first came in, we're kind of checking things out, aren't we? Absolutely. Do I gotta fill out a bunch of paperwork? Is there a catch? What's the catch?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, what do you guys want from me? Yeah, yeah. But no, and that's what I think is different from our our organization is we don't want nothing from you. We don't want anything. Like we want to only thing we want to know is how what service we can bring, how can we support or what resource we can where are you at today?
SPEAKER_00:So that's what you do. Yeah. And what do you see happen? With that approach. With that approach?
SPEAKER_01:They come in, they get a little lighter. They get a little lighter. You know, there's not that wall up when they f as when they first walk in. And you see the, you know, hey, can I use the computer? Absolutely, bud. Go ahead. Yeah, a little hesitant, like hey, can I use that? You know? Yeah. And you know, you just there for them. You know, that's what we're there for. Is for them. You know, it doesn't matter what's going on around us. It's like, how can we best support this person right now in their need? Yeah. And where do we go? Yeah. You know? Yeah. There's no and that's what I love about it. There's no, you know, make an appointment. There's it's you come off the street or wherever you're coming from, and you get what you need to make yourself better and be able to be supported.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. You know, that's awesome. Hey, do this and then we'll I'll take a little recording break to make sure we're capturing all this because this is really good stuff. Um, talk about Peers Rising for those who know nothing about Peers Rising.
SPEAKER_01:All right. So Peers Rising is we are resources and um resources, referrals. Um, we have multiple peer supports in the office. Um, but it's a place where you can come as you are, um, and we'll meet you where you want, where you're at. You know, we don't expect you to be at we don't expect you to be anywhere, but it's somewhere where you can come get those resources. If you need help with, you know, getting the court, if you need help getting the treatment, come in see us, get a gas card, you know. Sure. Um, if you're needing help with, you know, resumes building. You know, we also have lunch and learns, you know, where other network partners come in and they are able to, you know, teach not only us, but the community. You know, we have it open to all the community. So, you know, it's really just about peer support and supporting the you know, the person that's either struggling or the piece of person that's wanting to enhance the recovery. Yeah, yeah. You know, it's all about support. That's what it basically appears right. You know, you know, we don't I don't know. It's just amazing what we do there.
SPEAKER_00:You know, I don't know if there's I would say it's if and you tell me if I'm wrong, because and this isn't a hit on entities that have these things in place. I kind of understand it in some ways, but it's different than what we, as people who have been in active addiction or even in recovery, you walk in the front door, there's someone sitting there, and there's almost a gatekeeper. You gotta well fill out this or make an appointment or do that. You don't have that. None of that. It's an open floor. We have to find it, even the Yakama.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and you walk in and you got this great team when you first walk in, you know, and we're all very passionate about what we do there, you know. And I think that's where it comes in, like we have this team that is just ready to go.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. And it's not all, it's not, I'm hearing you say this too, it's not one size fits all. No. It's what do you need? Yeah. What can we do to support you? And it doesn't mean you're gonna hand them something, but you might know who could help them get the resources they need.
SPEAKER_01:There's somebody that comes in that's a better fit for Monica, or even just to talk to Megan or Brandy. You know, we have options, a lot of them. You know, and then we have new uh we have Tanisha now. We have Brent, who's a blessing. He's my work husband. 100%.
SPEAKER_00:Like when I heard he was hired for the Yakima office, I'm like, oh, that's that's beautiful.
SPEAKER_01:You know, he's amazing. He's got, you know, he's if we bounce off each other down there in Yakima, and it just makes our relationship grow. It makes us grow as you know, as peer supports. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:So yeah, that's good. All right, let's do another question. This is uh I think this is gonna be really helpful for people out there. I hope someone that's needing hope, I think they're gonna get this through this through you sharing your own walk as someone who's really navigated the the trudging, and now you're, if we say on the other side, you know, you're three plus years in recovery and you're managing the brand new Yakima office, which has taken off already. So that's really cool. I think this is gonna be really helpful. So this is perfect. What message would you share with someone listening right now who feels stuck, hopeless, or unsure if recovery can work for them?
SPEAKER_01:So I was looking at this question this morning. Actually, I was right before I got here. I just pulled over at uh up there at um at uh 7-Eleven and kind of was looking over and hang on, man. Like, just hang on. If you woke up today, you still have hope there. If you're just reach out, try to find somebody to talk to, like, you know, and if you're not a talkable person, maybe try a meeting. Maybe try a meeting, you know? And we will, and like we say in the meetings, we will love you until you love yourself. And that is like huge in this Ellen's work recovery community. Like just keep moving. Like there is light at that end of that tunnel. You know, I was one of those people that I never, you know, through all the shame and guilt that we put on each other put on ourselves when we're in addiction, I would have never thought where I would be today. Never. You know? There's not like you know and it could be whatever you're going through, you know, like you know, my mental health was at a super low point, you know. I went, you know, I tried, you know, I tried suicide. You know, I was overdosing. Well, like, you know, and all I can say is hope is there. Find it, grab it, and fucking hold on to it. Don't fucking let go. Like, there's people out here that will love you. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:What do you think were the key? I'm kind of a realist, you know. I like to in my life today, I have these structures that are really important to me. I think you would agree that we do these things on a daily basis. Thinking back to your early days that have gotten you to this three plus years and the roles you get to participate in, those real early days. What was really helpful for you when you you kind of saw there was a little glimmer of hope, but it wasn't real bright. What did you do structurally that really helped expand that?
SPEAKER_01:Um I would say it was first by going to meetings, honestly. You know, being a a part of something. You know, a lot of us aren't struggle with that, you know. And being able to walk, just walk like taking walks, working on myself like writing a journal. I used to journal a lot. I haven't done that in a long time. Sure. First to a minute. You know, but journaling, you know, putting my problems on paper and just starting a little goal list, and you know, whether it's just taking out the garbage every week or you know, waking up and reading a line out of your big book or reading a line out of a book anywhere. But just to, you know, keep your head forward, man. Like, I don't know, there's you know, early in it was I had I can say that I was blessed with being in behavioral health court, honestly. Like, you know, they that gave you some structure. Yeah. Find the, you know, it gave me the resources. And that's what you know, I can sit here all day. We've talked about this. Like, hey, if I can do it, you can do it. No. Yeah. No. Like, you don't know what the other person that's in addiction is going to.
SPEAKER_00:Talk about the resources. What were those resources that really helped you a lot? A lot that you had access to.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, geez. I would say the first one is going to merit. Okay. You know, counseling. Counseling and then getting to contact. Comprehensive counseling. Um also going through um uh into the KCRCO, peer support, you know, having a friend group, having uh um a release, you know what I mean? That's the biggest thing for me is having a release. Where can I unload my shit? Yeah, like because we all carry it. Where can I fucking unload this fucking thing that's on my back?
SPEAKER_00:Because it doesn't go away, no, right? It just starts to shift and evolve, but you gotta have a place to let that out.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, you know, and like I said, I was blessed, you know, with my ex-wife letting me move in to her house, and you know, a lot of people don't have that.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:So let's find a way to give that to them, you know? And that's where we come in, like when we come into Piers Rising. That's what we try to do is where how can we fucking find this resource? What can we do to make this person's recovery a little bit more successful? Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:So we've talked about it a few times. Something as simple as a roof over your head, even if temporary.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:A place to sleep. And that was my goal for you. I remember is like, God, if we can get this guy a bed and a shower, yeah, so that you can get to work. Because I remember John gave you that opportunity to work, and you're like, man, how was that? How did that feel to be able to at least know I've got a safe place to sleep? Absolutely amazing.
SPEAKER_01:You know, especially when you're you know living on the street and you know, that just that shower is huge for a person. Putting a pair of shoes on my feet that fit my feet. Yeah. Oh you know, you know, to change my clothes that can change a person's thoughts. Yeah, you know, and it's like, you know, and another thing is like, you know, you see people out there struggling, you know, and then you know, some people are like, oh that's not my problem. Well, what until it's your fucking dad? What if until it's your kids?
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:And then you're like all of a sudden you're it's your problem.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:So like take the time out of the day. If you see somebody on the sidewalk, see somebody walking, you see somebody struggling, take the time to fucking talk to them. Sorry, customs a little bit, but it's okay. All right. I'm a little passionate about it.
SPEAKER_00:Like I can, you know, like the same my I I yeah, I always, you know, my thing is we say them like they're some other species. It's us, it's our community, it's our people. Yep, it's it yeah, I get that same thing. I when I give trainings, I'm like, I show my before and after. I'm like, I'm them.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:When we're judging those people out there, that's me. That's you. Look at you now. Absolutely. Because you got access to resources and that little bit of hope, and just boom, it exploded. And we don't, and I think the the mission of the peers rising, and it was certainly mine. I know it's Brandy's, I know it's yours, you know. It's we've just got to provide that conduit because I don't know when it's gonna be your time. I I can't have this marker like, well, if you're not doing this, sorry. I mean, we gotta have boundaries, boundaries are important, healthy boundaries, but man, just providing a space and a conduit to allow someone to figure out their way. Yeah. You know, give them that chance. Yeah. Good. Okay. We've kind of talked about this a little bit. We're almost done. How you feeling? Has this been good? Good. Nice. Yeah. Everyone's always a little nervous, and then I show them the space, and we're just talking to each other, right? Screw the cameras and the microphone. All right. I'm not stroking out, though. That's good. That's good. What skills or strengths have you discovered in yourself through recovery that you never knew you had?
SPEAKER_01:I guess we'd start off with, you know, being a leader. Yeah. Being a leader. Yeah. Um, I never thought I would be in this position. You know. And it's, you know, Brandy said, like, I seen something. Yeah. And you know, so I gotta take what she said to me and work it into my recovery and realize now I gotta find now I gotta see that myself. You know, and then just uh I'm very focused, focused, determined. Um you know I'm a present father now. I you know, I get to see my kids every day. I get to tell them I love them every day. They're not wondering, you know, where dad is. You know. You know, it's pretty fucking huge when you can, you know. I don't know. I'm very I'm try I'm trustworthy. Yeah I'm trusting. I have a keyring that's freaking full of keys. Yeah, right. Yeah. Um and I think most like it's like I've I've said multiple times now I'm passionate about what I do.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:You know. Um I'm respected in the community. Yeah, I think you are. Um it's so cool.
SPEAKER_00:The transformation is crazy to me. So you're a leader, you you realize that wow, you know, I don't think that was in your wheelhouse three years ago. No. Now you're a leader, you've been tasked with by Brandy, who we've had a couple conversations, more than a couple, about, you know, yeah, she's go forth. Um, you're a father to your kids today. And that and again, I go way back. That's what I really keyed in on that you had a strong desire. Even though, you know, it was sullen, your look was different, your feel was different. I remember you saying, you know, in some way, shape, or form you miss your kids and and you want to be a better dad. And I want you to own, and I think you do, that here you are three plus years later, you are a dad, you are a father to your kids, and that's huge. You know, being a father and a grandfather, myself, and those important roles that we play, you have flipped that script, and that's powerful. And through that, right, when when through that, when okay, my my house is in order, right? And it's kind of been in tandem, you're also now leading others, mentoring others. Like, and the keys thing, this is a great thing. People in recovery will get this. You know, when when we first get, I didn't I had one key that my sister hesitantly gave me to her house and said, basically, don't steal my shit. Yeah, like okay, and yeah, now I think a campus, I've got keys to multiple buildings, and and some people are like, so what that's huge. That's trust. That's trust. Yeah, that's trust on a level that you didn't have before, and now you do, and you've earned that, you know, and that's that's a really, really cool thing. But I think that the most powerful for me is the father to hear you say that, and then of course, the the work, like is it work? I mean, maybe some days, but it's it's passion that you get to put into what you do on a daily basis. And I'm so happy. Like when I heard you were being hired, like, yeah, and you're leading the brand new Yakima office, which is taken off. That's like, I'm that's gold, that's beautiful. So I think some of the best leaders are those who never thought they would be a leader. Absolutely. And that's you, right? Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, so I never thought I'd be where I'm at today. Super cool. But it's God's plan. Yeah, I've got you gotta you gotta let them have it and just let them run with it. You can't control it.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, you know, fall in line. I always say if I would have if I would have gotten all that I deserved, right? But look at what I've been given. You know, a life worth living, a family, uh just all of those things, and I think you would uh agree with that.
SPEAKER_01:And so if I had to walk through what I walked through to get where I'm at today, so be it. Yeah. You know, I'm grateful and um grateful and blessed, and you know. It's just all the feelings that you can get. Yeah. You know, when you come out of it and get to the point.
SPEAKER_00:This is good. Okay, let's wrap this up. Whoa. What's a question? Yeah, this is I think we're right on time. I bet you we're at I'm gonna guess, I'm gonna guess when we're done, we're gonna be at 45 minutes. All right. Yeah. Oh, oh, yeah, pretty close. About 40 minutes. What's a question or questions you've always wanted to ask me?
SPEAKER_01:What's your next big goal? What's your next big thing you're working on?
SPEAKER_00:Huh? Well, so I just brought this up with my son again, just as kind of we were talking about career stuff. It is still in my brain to open a treatment center, but not like any treatment center we have. Um it would very much be modeled, um, kind of in similar ways how I modeled, which really wasn't my model, but I put it into place in our community, like the KCRCO, now Peers Rising, where it truly treats people as individuals. Um if it goes how I would like to see it go, there's not going to be a time frame on how long someone stays or doesn't stay. There's actually some, there's one in Southern California, a friend of mine locally, her husband had gone to where it's I think it's called Brian's house, I forget the name, if that's it or not, where you go and it's it's it's open-ended in that it's not 21 or 28 days. It's let's get you to a place where we can have some certainty or some confidence that you're gonna be good to go. So, like some people might stay 30 days, some people might stay six months, some so that's one idea. I also um I also love the thought of um a program I went to in early recovery. It was called the vote program. It was held at Pierce College in Tacoma. It was a seven-week program that was for people in early recovery. Most people would have just left inpatient treatment, and then you attend Monday through Friday, eight to five for seven weeks, and it was basically just like really lifting people up and giving them the tools they need to really solidify their new life and recovery job skills. It's much kind of like the Peers Rising, KCRCO, but a seven-week intensive program. That was your job. That was my job for seven weeks. You had one of two requirements to graduate. You see how I get excited talking about it. One of two requirements to graduate. And it was either a full-time job or you're in school or trade school, whatever kind of school, full-time. That was it. Wow. And I ended up when I was done, I had both. I was doing both. But the key thing for me that was powerful, I could find it on this bookshelf, but it was the self-esteem work. Every morning, that was the first thing we would start with. My very first affirmation somewhere in this room, and you know, learning to write positive self-affirmations, journaling about yourself in different ways, really flipping the script of my brain that was telling me I couldn't to I could. So there's kind of you know what floats around in my brain. I'm I'm doing work on campus in different ways that really helps fulfill my love to mentor that's kind of fulfilling that. But anyway, to answer your question, there it is. All right. Yeah. All right. Yeah. There we go. Anything else?
SPEAKER_01:Well, should we bring a little comedy in there? Yeah. Where do you get your forehead?
SPEAKER_00:That's a Douglas thing. That is Douglas and Tyler, who always likes to give me credit. He's ahead of me at 35. I'm 58. Yeah. In fact, if you watch Nate Jackson's Netflix comedy special, yeah, I'm in the credits at the end. Are you? He roasted my forecogn. It was beautiful. It was good. There we go. There it is. Thank you for being on the show. Absolutely. Thank you for having me. This has been great. I'd hug you. Well, we can hug. We can hug. Yeah, screw on. There we go. Bring it in. Screw the mic. There we go. Until next time, friends.