Lived Experience to Leadership in Recovery | Glynis Franz

In this episode we are joined by Glynis Franz. Glynis has been in recovery since September 20, 2019. After multiple attempts at sobriety, she finally found what worked- and committed her life, personally and professionally, to helping others find their way out as well.

She is the co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Peak Path Health, a luxury inpatient detox and residential treatment program in the Hollywood Hills, where she helps shape a healing-centered, whole-person approach to substance use and mental health care.

Glynis is also the founder and host of Peak of Possibility Podcast, a platform dedicated to honest conversations about recovery, resilience, and what’s possible after addiction. In addition, she works closely with Blume Behavioral Health, supporting adolescents ages 12–17 who are navigating mental health challenges and co-occurring disorders.

An avid marathon runner, Glynis uses her athletic pursuits as a form of service, raising funds for Beit T’Shuvah through Strides in Recovery. She also serves on the advisory board of Miriam’s House, a nonprofit providing recovery support for women and mothers with children.

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:14

Hello, everyone! Welcome, welcome, welcome to this week's edition of Never Alone Live. We are so excited to be here. Uh, as usual, we have Krista, the sober Barbie. Uh, I'm Johnny, and today we are very fortunate to have uh a new friend with us, Glennis Franz, that I pronounced correctly. Thank you very much. And uh Glennis owns Peak Path Health. That's difficult to say real fast. Peak Path Health.

SPEAKER_01 0:45

PPH, the peak. We call it PPH for short.

SPEAKER_04 0:48

We're I'm hang on, let me write that down. I'm definitely gonna call it PPH from now on. And you're also the a podcaster, and your podcast is called the Peak of Possibility.

SPEAKER_00 1:01

Yeah, look at that.

SPEAKER_04 1:03

Look at I took all these notes. You better watch out when I start.

SPEAKER_00 1:06

Well, we now have now we have words for the P Day when we do our ABC ABC's recovery. So yes, there you go.

SPEAKER_04 1:14

Uh we do we do so. Our big thing is we do the TikTok stuff, right? And every morning we go on and we've been playing the recovery alphabet, and we bring up the letter, and everybody has to pick a word and then describe what it means to their recovery. Today we're on the letter N. And I'm telling you, I I like I couldn't even think of any like N words. What is everybody gonna say, Brand? We were on there for two hours, and it was so awesome. And people brought up, I mean, nurture, nurture. How do you you know how does that feel in your recovery? It's so awesome, and it's like we it's with two hours, and it's like 30 different people with 30 different words, it's like 30 meetings at once. It's awesome, it's awesome. But I digress. Um, Glennis has six and a half years of sobriety and a recovery, um, and uh so proud of you in that. So let's jump into it. Um, let's uh tell us tell us about Glennis.

SPEAKER_02 2:09

Tell us about Glennis. Um well, I am six and a half six and a half years sober. I will be seven if I make it on September 20th. Um I come from a lot of I don't know, uh dysfunctional family. Um a lot of alcoholism and addiction in my family. Um, I spent a lot of years in and out of like jails and institutions and detoxes and treatment facilities, and it just was in and out and in and out and in and out for a long time, like 43 of them. I went to 43 detoxes.

SPEAKER_04 2:52

And hang on, that 43 different detoxes, or did you go to the same one over and over?

SPEAKER_02 2:59

Uh, some of them were the same ones. Um, it wasn't one one detox. There was there's a couple, but yeah, there was a couple that I went to four or five, six times. Yeah, I was I was just I was really in and out, but I I never was really committed. I uh I think what I thought was if I just checked myself in for like five, six, seven days and was like finally physically separated from the substances I was using, then then I would be okay. Um, but everywhere I went, I brought myself and I would uh end up in the same cycle. And and I wasn't really willing to change, at least for me, it was like everything. You know, I had to change truly everything, how I saw the world, my perspective, the people in my life. And and eventually I ended up um incarcerated um for the last time. And I got out and still didn't have intentions of staying sober. Um, but I guess the universe had other plans for me. And uh, I got really active in a recovery community and and I changed everything in my life people, places, things, ideas, perspective, got in touch with, you know, God and spirituality and my life changed as a result. And and then it just like really picked up, you know, like things. I went from like being a federal felon, you know what I mean? Um, that went by my street name Boston, which is pretty ironic because I'm not not even from Boston. That's how delusional I was. I'm actually from I'm like, I'm from Worcester. I'm from Worcester, Massachusetts, which is like a lot less uh like cool. Um I didn't choose the street name Worcester for a reason. Uh but but uh yeah, I I ended up um just having a whole new experience and like getting this opportunity to help so many people and like finding this passion and like altruism and service to others, and and um and in and yeah, that's Glennis in a nutshell, I guess.

SPEAKER_04 4:58

Dang, I hate when I'm on mute. I say the best things when I'm on mute. Uh dude, that's uh that's so so that we talk about this a lot. We've had a lot of different people on here with a lot of different stories, and uh livers, lawyers, and lovers. A lot of those are the three L's that bring a lot of people to recovery. And all three of us, Krista woke up in uh in a jail cell. You woke up in a jail cell. I woke up in a jail cell, thank goodness for those jail cells, because they eventually led us to that gift of desperation, which led us to where we are today.

SPEAKER_02 5:30

Yeah, no, totally agree. I also, I mean, to be honest, I had been in and out of uh trouble for years. So I do want to say, like, yes, for sure, being in prison for like a decent period of time helped me get sober, but I don't think that that's the reason that I'm sober because if that was the reason I would have gotten sober the other 10 times I was in jail.

SPEAKER_03 5:53

Right.

SPEAKER_02 5:54

Um, you know, I I had been I was locked up as a kid for like two years, like as a juvie. And that was my first time getting sober. So um, yes, incarceration helped me get separated long enough where I had a little bit of clarity to like maybe see how my life looked and not be happy with it, but uh it required, you know, a lot of work after that. It was it was so much more than that.

SPEAKER_04 6:17

It's amazing. So I'm gonna jump over to the comments for a second because a couple of our friends that you're friends with are here. Um, that were people that were at Freedom Fest. So Glennis was at Freedom Fest, she spoke at Freedom Fest, she was uh on one of our panels, and our friend Lauren is here right now, and Katie, who was here, who you met both of them, and then uh Katie, who works with Never Alone Recovery, she just said hello. I thought you know, they all knew you were coming today, so they're all chiming in. So this is awesome. You know, we're we're bringing the family back together, getting the band back together again.

SPEAKER_02 6:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 6:51

Getting the band back together. So let's let's talk more about the the the gift of desperation, and because you were in lots of different detoxes, you were in lots of different uh you know cells. Uh what was that last one? What was the difference between that last one and all the others?

SPEAKER_02 7:16

You know, I think the difference between the last time was if I'm being honest, um, I was not sober my first year in prison. Uh it wasn't until the last few months that I sobered up. Um last like, you know, five, six months. And when I got out, I just remember everything was just so overwhelming. Like, you know, like I needed a job, I needed money, I had no, I didn't have a phone, I didn't have a train. It was just like things were piling up, and I was so stressed out and anxious and overwhelmed. I think maybe two or three days after I got out um this last time is really when like my like bottom really hit. Because I think the bottom is like an internal thing, it's not external. Like again, like you can get sober and hit your bottom in you know, a beach in Malibu, you know, or you can get sober and hit a bottom in a jail cell. Um, and the feelings are exactly the same, just like the outside circumstances might be different, but the feelings are the same. And like for me, it was like, okay, I got out, I was three days out, and like the realization came that I had a couple months sober, I was on federal parole, I had to drug test very regularly. If I mess this up even one time, I'm going to go back to jail a hundred percent. Um, and and and finished, finished my 36 month sentence. And um, and I like really wanted to have a drink. Yeah, like three days out of federal prison. And I was like, I need a drink. You know what I mean? And um, for me, it always starts with a drink, but it doesn't typically end with a drink. That's just my story. Like my delusion is always like I can drink normally, but like I need to stay away from the hard stuff, but that just never works for me. Like, once I drink, I end up, you know, doing all the other things. Um, and so I had this realization after being out for a few days when like the dust had settled and like the like the excitement had like really hit me that like I was no longer in jail. And um, and I just wanted to have a drink so bad. And and I just had a moment of clarity where it was like, oh, if I drink, I'm gonna get loaded. And if I get loaded, I'm gonna die. Like and this had probably been true for a very long time. And I'd maybe had other moments of realization similar to this, but the difference between this moment was that I like knew in the depths of my soul that it wasn't a matter of if I was gonna get loaded, it was a matter of when. And I was so clear that there was no chance that I was gonna be able to manage and control it. Um, and I just didn't want to die and and I didn't want to go back to prison. And so um, instead of getting loaded, like I had the hundreds of other times I had had similar thoughts, um, I asked like the only sober person that was like in that environment I was in for help. And um, and that guy introduced me to a woman, and that woman I had no idea, I hadn't I didn't know anything about her. It was like the middle of COVID. It was like the height of quarantine. And uh and uh I talked to her and I was just willing to believe that she had felt the same way I'd felt, even though our stories were really different, and that um I could hear in her voice that she like had found like genuine happiness and peace. I didn't think it was possible to be sober and happy at the same time. And so uh I started to do what she told me to do, and just because I had tried everything else. I tried being on the clinic, I had tried being on, you know, Savoxen, I had tried going to the psychiatrist to get like medication for my anxiety and depression, I had gone to detoxes, I had gone to, you know, I had done all the things. I tried green smoothies, I had moved from state to state, I had tried sober boyfriends that were good, good, uh, you know, good guys. I mean, none of it had worked. You know, I'm like, well, I've tried everything else. I might as well just take some direction from somebody who who is living like a sober life.

SPEAKER_04 11:28

So that's amazing. Okay, I want to go, I want to go back for a second. Now, normally when we're talking, you know, I'm I'm a big fan of timelines, right? You know, here's where we were, here's what happened, and now we're moving on here. But I uh I was never in prison, right? Um, I know a lot of people that were. And you said your first year in prison that you stayed, you know, high. What how how did you go about now? This isn't the Ian Bick show, so we're not gonna focus on prison, but um, but Ian Bick, if you're listening, uh Glenn should be on your show. Um, if uh if how do you get high in prison? You know, I it just and I know I I mean if uh I can go watch a movie right now, but I mean I got you talking, so I might as well ask the real questions.

SPEAKER_02 12:14

Yeah, um well when I first came in, I still had some stuff on me where the sun, you know, I hit it where the sun doesn't shine.

SPEAKER_03 12:22

Very convenient, very convenient, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:25

The old prison pocket.

SPEAKER_00 12:26

And um I've never heard that term.

SPEAKER_02 12:35

And then uh that was there was it was not very much, and so um uh uh depending on where I was, there was uh so I was I was in federal prison and I was right in San Diego, and because we were close to the border, um there was a lot of girls coming in that were like body carriers, body carriers meaning they were walking across the border with you know shit in them. And um there was a couple times that uh they would get caught and they would, you know, get all the the stuff from them, but they would like miss one. A woman's body is a wild thing, you know what I mean? And they would like miss like an ounce, like an ounce of, you know, like well, they were not bringing it in grams, they were bringing in like you know, 10, 11, 12 ounces in their body. So that happened a few times. And then once you actually get to like like the place that you end up staying, like I would there's a camp. And so at the camp, um, there were like workers and people would throw things over the over the uh um fence and like the workers would pick it up. Um, but also we would make pruno. Um, and so I was a kitchen worker, and when you work in the kitchen, you can get like fruit and yeast and like different things to make uh pruno, which is like prison wine, it's terrible. And so, you know, it wasn't like a daily thing, um, but like when it was available, you know, we would do it.

SPEAKER_04 14:13

Yeah, very interesting. I'm telling you, I uh it's so funny. So Katie, who's on here right now, uh is is an office over from me. And uh after you said prison pockets, I you I could hear her laughing in the other room. So this uh this is tremendous so far. I think we might if we record this and put this out on a podcast level on YouTube or something, I think we should title it prison pockets and just keep it.

SPEAKER_00 14:42

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_04 14:43

I'm telling you, you can't.

SPEAKER_00 14:44

You know, I I've heard a lot of people's addictions start in prison, you know, like it's it's easy to get what you need over there, you know?

SPEAKER_02 14:54

And it depends on where you are too. And then a lot of people will go in. I mean, I know people will go in and and certain states and certain prisons, they'll like allow like Suboxin, for example. And they'll people that'll go in there and they just don't want to accept their circumstances and be present, and so they won't even necessarily be an opiate addict, but they'll say they're an opiate addict so they can have suboxin, and then they'll be getting high off the suboxin. Then by the time they get out, they have an opiate habit. You know what I mean? Yeah, it's it's pretty crazy. The last few months, the only reason that I dried up is because COVID happened and we were like on 24-7 lockdown. So it wasn't really by choice for me, it was like circumstances that like it was like there was no, there was no leaving the cell, there was no working, there was no nobody was coming in or going out, there was no movement. Um, so really just like circumstances for a few months kind of got me to a place where I ended up drying out.

SPEAKER_04 15:48

Well, we're glad you did. And uh, I'm gonna jump over to the comments for a second because Danielle McCollum. Danielle McCollum checking in from Naples, Florida, she says, just coming off a relapse. I have nine days today after four years clean. Well, first off, Danielle, congratulations on your nine days.

SPEAKER_03 16:06

Nine days is huge.

SPEAKER_04 16:08

Nine days, congratulations. We're so we're so glad you're here to hear Glennis's story. You know, we share stories of uh experience, strength, and hope. And the hope is the key. The hope is the key. Glennis has six and a half years of sobriety, and it's uh and where she's telling her story right now about you know all the things that happened, and you know, we all reach our bottoms at different stages, and whatever happened after four years clean that made you go back out, you know, your story is still your story, and it's uh gonna help people eventually. Because if you can be an example of getting sober, you can be an example of starting over. So, congratulations on starting over again. We're proud of you.

SPEAKER_02 16:54

Yeah, that's amazing. Coming back after a relapse, especially after like a period of sobriety, is like much harder than I would have imagined because I got sober for the first time when I was super young, uh, for like two and a half years when I was like 16 years old. Um and it took me years to come back. Years because there was a lot of shame um and embarrassment and like self-hatred, which was all just like stuff I had put on myself. And then I remember when I finally did come back and started to really do the work, I was willing to do all the things that I hadn't been willing to do previously. And so I think the experience of having relapsed and just do, you know, I was cherry picking some of the stuff, like I'll do this, I'll go to some, you know, recovery meetings, but I'm not gonna do that. Like, I'm not gonna make the coffee.

SPEAKER_01 17:48

Oh, I'll do this, but like, mm-hmm pray. I don't I don't know about that, you know, meditation, eh? No, it's it's okay.

SPEAKER_02 17:55

I believe in it, but you know, I it and and I had all these things um that I was like cherry picking. And when I came back and finally got involved in in recovery again and and really actually did it rather than just like solicit, this is just my experience. I um I stayed sober. Craziest thing. I have been sober since. Like everything.

SPEAKER_04 18:21

It's amazing what happens when we actually take the suggestions and don't pick and choose our recovery. You know, it is amazing. Uh so Daniel in the comments says, I have my own definite uh story of rock bottom. 12924. Congratulations, Daniel. Uh, still going, can't stop, won't stop. Keep going, brother. I love that. I love that, love that, love that. Um, but our friend Danielle in here who's talking about uh her relapse. Now, you uh it took you a few times, right, Glennis? It took you a few times.

SPEAKER_02 18:56

You it took me a lot of times, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 18:59

Uh she said uh a big comment, emotional relapse, because the drinking and the drugs are but a symptom, right? It's uh it's it's it's this up here that goes crazy that that uh tells me that drinking and drugs are the solution. And so that emotional relapse. Let's talk about this for a second. We're gonna talk about we're gonna look at it. I'm telling you, you never know what's gonna happen. I'm never alone lied. Look at that. I got a little animated there. Um, but let's talk about emotional relapse because I've been sober 22 years, I've never picked up since my since my first meeting. Um, but I have emotionally relapsed a dozen times, and but I've never picked up, and because of that, I've been able to get past things. But let's talk about emotional relapse for a second. Uh Glennis, what's what's your take on this? And putting these these two words together, I'm telling you, it just blew up in my head.

SPEAKER_02 19:59

Yeah, um, I mean, it reminds me of the opposite, which is emotional sobriety, right? And and um it's kind of what I was talking to when I when I was when that first time getting sober, I was physically separated, but I was like pretty anxious, miserable, unhappy, um didn't have like the sense of community I needed. And so what I thought was that being sober meant that you were miserable. And it turns out that is an option too. Like you can be sober and miserable, but who wants to say sober if they're irritable and discontent? Like it's it's not a sustainable solution, right? Like the time is gonna come where eventually, um, at least for me, I'm either gonna off myself or I'm gonna get loaded, or maybe the two combined into one, you know, off myself by getting loaded. Um, and so I really uh had to look at like what my life could look like sober and how I could live a life where I'm not like holding on by a thread, you know what I mean? Like white knuckling it. Like it turns out that like if I really apply some of these like spiritual principles to my life, that I could have like both a life that is like happy, joyous, free, and also sober, which doesn't mean that bad stuff doesn't happen.

SPEAKER_04 21:22

Say it again louder for the people in the back.

SPEAKER_02 21:25

It doesn't mean that bad stuff won't happen, doesn't mean that I won't have adversity or get fired from jobs or have breakups or um losses or you know, fill in the blank. I mean, I even know people in sobriety who have been incarcerated, right? Bad stuff can happen, right? Um, I think the difference is is I got to a place where I had so much faith and I was so connected to my community and showing up for other people, and just like so much space, faith in like a power greater than myself that regardless of my own. Outside circumstances, they no longer had to dictate my actions, right? Like because I had lived my life for such a long time with the belief that like my outside circumstances needed to change in order for me to feel okay. And it turns out, like honestly, the most profound experiences I've had with spirituality and peace has been when I was in pain, because I've chosen to like really lean deeper into that faith. But if we don't get the opportunity to lean deeper in that faith and go deeper into service to others and get even more connected, double up when things are hard, right? Then uh I find myself trying to manage it on my own. And the problem is, is like as an addict and an alcoholic, me managing my life is the main problem. And um, and it usually ends with me managing it by managing the symptoms of all this discomfort with getting loaded.

SPEAKER_04 22:51

Man, Glenn. So uh uh we have Megan. Megan is our producer, and uh she's in the background right now, and she's just commented drop a heart if you can relate to this. I want to see all these hearts, I want to see everybody that can relate to emotional relapse. If it's if this is hitting home for you, I want to know about we want to know about it. So drop those little hearts in there because uh Jojo's already on there. Look at Jojo's already on there, and Casey's already on there, Lee Ellen, Danielle. We all this is emotional relapse. You know, we don't talk, you know, the the when it comes to recovery, we talk about the addiction, we talk about the drugs, we talk about the alcohol, but we need to talk about these mental health problems, we need to talk about the anxiety, depression, PTSD. We need to normalize this, right? Um, so by just I'm telling you, Danielle, thank you for putting those two words in the comment because you've got me going crazy now. Emotional relapse. Krista, what do you think about? Look at Krista's on mute. She says great things when she's on mute.

SPEAKER_00 23:51

Sorry, my kids are about to make me have an emotional relapse on this one hour. Um, but I can relate a lot to that. I I've just celebrated 10 years sober, and I think around the eight-year mark, I it was like six to eight. I was white-knuckling it because I mean I got sober with that big blue book and the 12 steps, and I I live those steps every day. It's a lifestyle, but there was somewhere where I got like I got stuck. I don't know. I just I felt like I was hitting the ceiling and I just there was like no more to look forward to. I was like hit the the limit. And then my all of a sudden I was introduced to a different recovery path, and it was faith-centered, and it kind of opened my spiritualness or spirituality a lot more, and I was able to dig deeper and heal a lot more, and I've gotten to a lot of the the real root of what led me to my drinking, and um yeah, I can really relate to that.

SPEAKER_02 25:01

I also think too, like part of being like not just sober, but in recovery is to not look at and you know, some of us have some outside stuff, many of us depression, anxiety, PTSD, you know, medication needs, you know, all this stuff. And being just physically sober is not being in a state of recovery. If it was that simple, we wouldn't all be working programs, we would just like stop getting loaded and like life would be good, and all of a sudden we'd be able to be good parents and spouses and good employees and all this stuff. But that's just not true for me because when I stop drinking and using my life gets worse, definitely not better because I cannot manage. And so to not treat all these other things and seek support for other areas is to not be in recovery, right? Um, and it looks different for everyone, like uh to not take care of our bodies is like that's not a very recovered lifestyle, right? To not like love ourselves and treat treat our body as a temple. Um, so I think it's really just like not like a one size fits all. And I also think that like the longer you're sober, the more that you have to reach to like kind of connect with this power and expand and be open-minded and willing to try new things. There's so many different paths to like spiritual connection, community, and fellowship. Um, 12 steps are being an option, celebrate recovery, you know, more faith-based programs. They have refuge recovery here in Los Angeles, which is like um uh around Buddha Buddhist practices and and and and and it's just not like a one size fits all. And sometimes something that works for a while needs to be expanded upon the longer we're sober.

SPEAKER_04 26:40

It's uh it's so so uh I have horrible eyes, right? And uh I'm trying to read comments uh and and talk about it. And Danielle, Danielle's become my favorite person today, Danielle with her nine days sober, and I'm so proud of her. I struggle with the spiritual aspect of it all. I believe in a higher power, but I fail to feel the connection. And so I'm sitting back because I I have to come all the way up here. So if I see if you see my ugly face, that's that's why I'm trying to read your comments. But if I'm way back here, so I read I'm between higher powers right now. Yeah, you know what? I've I'm telling you, I've been there, I've been between, you know, it's like they I come into the program and I work 12 steps, and you know, they told me I had to have a higher power, and I didn't like anything about the higher power that I was raised with, you know, being raised like I didn't like that one. And they told me I could have I could make up my own, and the groups became my higher power for a long time, and then it evolved into the kind of a spirit of the universe, and then it evolved again to uh to but it's it's funny how God shows himself at just the right time when God doesn't you know drop us down or doesn't pick us up just to let us fall again, right? And and God reveals himself when we're at our lowest because that's when we need him the most, and and it's a when we seek, when we seek him, right?

SPEAKER_02 28:03

We have to seek it out.

SPEAKER_04 28:05

Seek it. God couldn't would if he were sought. But I'm telling I so I'm sitting back here read trying to trying to read, and I said, Between I'm between higher powers right now. I think that should be a meme. That should definitely be a meme. I'm between higher powers right now.

SPEAKER_02 28:20

I'm just dating, you know, sussing it out, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 28:25

It does, it evolves so much as fast as addiction and what's out there is evolving, recovery, and how you are reaching your recovery evolves. Like I don't mind like my spiritual spirituality, like evolved so much.

SPEAKER_02 28:43

Yeah, for me, um the whole spiritual higher power thing was not why I got into this process, it was definitely not what I was looking for at all. But I had tried everything else, and the thing that brought me to a place of being willing to even consider this idea and start to take actions to try and connect to this power was the wholehearted belief that I was, can I swear? No, oh yeah, okay, okay, that I was wholeheartedly fucked and I was gonna get high. Like I was so clear in the depths of my soul that I was gonna get high and that there was nothing I could do to stop it, that it wasn't um out of altruism or like like uh virtue that I decided to give this higher power thing a try. It was out of pure desperation and I didn't even think it was gonna work. And like it was just the willingness because I was so clear that if I didn't, I was not gonna be able to stay sober. And I had all of this evidence of other people who had told me the same thing over and over again. I'm like, meh meh meh, yeah, whatever. But like I couldn't deny the reality and the facts in front of me that like they were living a life and they had definitely been through some of the same, same things I'd been through, and they had been just as fucked as me. So it was um really just like it started with just like kind of like a mustard seed of willingness. Um, and it and it grew from there. And and I also found myself looking outside of myself, like, oh, if I get the job, then I'll be okay. If I lose 10 pounds, then I'll be okay. If I have a really nice uh partner or like a hot boyfriend, then I'll be okay, or like if I have the new car and if my credit score gets up, and all these things actually like started to happen. You know, I started to get these things. That's not true for everybody, but and I still didn't feel connected to this power. It was always the next thing I was looking for. And what I like missed the entire time was that this idea of like God or spirituality is not outside of me either. Just like the problem, like I like the problem is within, the solution was is within and always has been. I had just been like my my spiritual like mentor calls it a pipe, right? She says, like, we have this pipe, it's like inside of us. And what happens is like the fear, the resentment, the things, the money, the credit score, the the all these things, the jobs, they like plug this pipe, all these things that I'm dealing with, these life things. And and the only way that I can connect to this power that's actually already within me, not outside of me, is by clearing out this pipe um with all the things that have been blocking me. And that doesn't mean I don't have to like strive to have goals and and have a good life, but it means that that's not actually the solution to what I suffer from. Um, and so if I can connect to this power that's within me, and for me it's just a vibe, man, it's an energy. It's there's a big difference between belief and reliance. And I got to a place where there was reliance on this energy that I believed that was within me, because when I sought out this power and made took the actions to really like make a connection when I was suffering, like things were okay, and it really grew from there. And every time I had a little bit more evidence that this idea of like spiritual connection worked, it just furthered my connection to this power, but it just started like like this. It was tiny. You got to believe to receive.

SPEAKER_04 32:19

Believe to receive. So I uh there's I love everybody in the comments. Tracy's here, love you, Tracy. Carly's here. Uh, our boy Kindle Ray, who you met, and he's here. He was well, he wasn't here, he's he's walking right now for mental health, and uh, we love Kindle. Nikki is here, our friend Nikki from Arizona is here. Uh Belle Lang, as of uh today. I have 22 years clean and sober. Belle, congratulations on double deuces. Um uh, but there was a comment by by Ray. Ray said, We're we're talking about higher power, we're talking about spirituality, and uh he says service work in one comment. So it's a it's a job, right? Service work is a job. I have a higher power I can do business with now. Man, what is I love that I love that. I'm telling you, give me a good analogy all day long, and now I'm thinking of God as God's the boss, God's the boss.

SPEAKER_00 33:15

We like that analogy.

SPEAKER_04 33:16

She's talking about the pipe and the pipe, the pipe, and uh now we got God's my plumber. No, that one went weird. We we're not gonna make I love her, I love her. We might have to make a meme to that too.

SPEAKER_01 33:34

That's what the title should be.

SPEAKER_04 33:36

God is my plumber, God is my plumber and the prison uh pocket. Um so and Matthew Thompson is here. Oh, Kindle is here. Kindle, uh, we can all say hi to Kindle. Mandy's here, Mandy Gigi's here. Um, and Jojo says Glennis is my favorite. She says that to everybody, though, Glennis. Don't don't believe it where she says.

SPEAKER_03 33:58

I don't believe in that.

SPEAKER_04 34:00

Um I saw so when we initially started before we started talking, uh, we were talking to Glennis about what we were going to talk about, and you know, we have a whole list of things, but then uh, you know, these good comments came in, and you know, of course, we have to digress and move all over the place. Nicole and our friend Nikki from Arizona has three and a half years today feeling like slipping in a place, but don't want to be. So Nikki, you are right where you're supposed to be right now. And you know, we've all been there, we've all been at this emotional relapse, you know, where our mind is going places that we don't want to go. And this is where, you know, it's it's times like this where I'm having a bad day, and all of a sudden I'll hear something like somebody else saying they had an emotional relapse. Damn, why are you hitting so hard today, God? That's just what the way it works. Um, but I want to talk more about uh about what it is you're doing now. So, Glenn, you've got six and a half years, so we've got seven years coming up in September, and your company that you own is Peak Path Health, PPH. Um, talk, let's talk about that.

SPEAKER_02 35:11

Yeah, a lot of P's. So um we came up with the name Peak Path Health. We tried a lot of different peaks, okay? But everything was taken or it wasn't available. And um Peak Path Health, we're uh an inpatient detoxin residential program. Um, really comfortable. It's like a luxury facility, but we do accept health insurance. Um and and it's on the peak, like on the map, it says the peak of Runyan Canyon, which is like this famous mountain and hiking area in in the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles. And so we really wanted to like have the word peak in it because it had meaning behind it. And we also really like the idea of like peak experiences, like how can we get people to a place of of like pain and suffering to you know, hitting their peak, you know, like and what is their peak? Peak in recovery, peak performance. I mean, all of these things and and having these like really profound experiences. Um, and you know, I I started this after working in, you know, the addiction treatment industry for years um with, you know, my my business partner and and close friend also in recovery, Dustin. And um yeah, we built this like really beautiful, phenomenal facility where we really believe that um you can go to a nice, comfortable setting that's like in a home. It doesn't have to feel like a hospital or a psych ward um and also get quality treatment at the same time. It doesn't have to be one or the other because there's a lot of fancy places and the treatment is shit. And then there's a lot of really shitty looking places that offer really good treatment. Um, and so we wanted to marry both of those. Yeah, well, for me, I was going in and out of hospital-like places and I couldn't stay sober. And I don't know if it was because I wasn't willing to do the work that was required, or if it was because like I wasn't really bought into the place I was at. But um, we we really wanted to just create an environment that was healing and surrounded by mountains and the canyons, um, beautiful location and just really clinically centered care. And and we're just the first step in the road. So we're really just like building a foundation for people and setting them up for success in their next next step once they leave. 30 days is the blink of an eye, although it feels like the rest of your life when you're like detoxing. But the beautiful thing about detox is like generally speaking, you know about how long it's gonna last and when it's gonna end. The real work starts when when the detox is over. How do you stay sober, not just get sober? Um, so uh yeah, the the peak has been uh a really trying, uh stressful, exciting, powerful journey to start. And and we're really proud of what we've built. So um, yeah, you can look us up at peakpathhealth.com.

SPEAKER_04 38:17

Uh Megan, if you could put in peakpath health for us in the comments so people can actually look it up. And this is located in California.

SPEAKER_02 38:24

Yeah. People come from all over the country to get support though.

SPEAKER_04 38:29

This is really interesting because you said it we're at our peak, you know, and our peak just keeps going up. That's I love I love social media and I love on like Facebook or whatever, and people put uh you know their anniversary dates, and they'll tell us, hey, today I have X amount of years, and you know, and and and my comment is always just keep going, just keeps getting better because right when you think you're at your peak, man, you get it goes higher and it goes higher and it goes higher. Um, you know, we don't know when we're gonna hit our peak because you know that's all in God's time, and and you know, people in recovery just need to understand that God has big plans for you. They He has big plans for you. And if you want to do like Glennis and want to do like Krista and recover out loud, you know, and share your story, share your experience, strength, and hope, help some people find some hope. I'm telling you, God rewards, God rewards, and and that that peace, that serenity, that joy, that laughter. I'm telling you, Glennis, you've made me laugh so hard today already. You know, we're having a good time here today, and uh this is just it, it's just it's just getting better and better. And this is it's so motivational and so inspirational to to hear your story and see what you're doing, you know. Um, and you're also a podcaster, and so you do this all the time, you know. Uh tell us about your podcast.

SPEAKER_02 39:56

Yeah, so also Peak, because they're kind of sisters but not twins. The Peak of Possibility podcast is uh uh a podcast that I created and host where we talk about really all things recovery, addiction, mental health related. So sometimes we're interviewing people about their recovery stories. Um sometimes it's therapists, dietitians, nutritionists. Um, I mean, it's it's really just kind of a a plethora of anything, um, health, wellness, and recovery related. And and uh it's been really cool. I I will say I like doing my podcast but I like doing other people. I like everything I guess. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But it's it's all good. I'm really grateful to be here. And you guys have been super easygoing.

SPEAKER_04 40:49

So yeah, we haven't gotten we haven't gotten to the tough questions yet. Um we don't do tough questions around here.

SPEAKER_02 40:57

Well, the sub questions sometimes are, but uh that's uh I like this format, I think, but because um usually when I do like other people's podcasts, they're like asking me about my like story, and my story stays the same, and I just get sick of hearing my own voice and telling my own story.

SPEAKER_00 41:11

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 41:12

Just like, aren't you guys sick of this yet? It's the same story.

SPEAKER_04 41:16

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've uh I you know I've done a lot of leads and I do a lot of leads in the same place, and uh there's one place in particular here where I do a lead every December for the last I think I've been doing it for 16 years, and and trying to change it up. One day, I think I went in there this past uh year and I said I'm Krista and I'm an alcoholic. So I was just gonna tell Krista's story. That's the way to do it.

SPEAKER_02 41:40

Yeah, smart, smart.

SPEAKER_04 41:42

No, it's it's difficult, you know. Um, so I love the fact that we've got comments and people are actually talking, and and Jojo's in there right now making fun of me. Uh said Johnny loves hearing himself talk, and uh that's uh that's incorrect. But Ray, our friend Ray, is in Washington State, various recovery certificates. Would love to work with anyone that needs it, sponsorship, whatever anyone needs for nonprofit. Uh so if anybody's looking for uh uh someone with recovery certificates, we have Ray in the comments. Go check him out. Look at we get to make friends too. We're making friends today and everything. Okay, so so uh, you know, we're we're coming up on 45 minutes, but uh, but I got what is your I got a couple of last high-level fun questions. What is your favorite thing about recovery? And Krista, you're gonna have to answer this too. So tell tell children to uh that's a hard question.

SPEAKER_02 42:42

Um, what is my favorite thing about recovery? Um I mean everything I would it's it's kind of a hard question to answer. I wasn't really experiencing life until I was in recovery. I was like miserable and everything is a blur and I couldn't remember anything and I had no meaningful relationships and all of my all of my relationships were transactional and I couldn't hold a job and like you know, like I was always struggling financially or doing weird shit to get money. Like, so like I remember when I was newly sober, how excited I was when I got my first job and I got my first check with my actual bank account that had my name on it and I had to pay my first cell phone bill. It sounds really silly, right? But like I felt so fulfilled, like it built self-esteem. So like I like paying bills. I uh I'm a huge runner. I run marathons now. Like I get to do that, and I've convinced my husband finally to do it. So he's running his first marathon with me. I have like a community of like amazing women and men, um, but but like girl, like women that I'm like really close with and I get to show up for. I I'm a felon who owns a business. I mean, that's crazy. Know what I mean? Like uh I just get to experience all the things in life, and and that's my favorite thing about recovery is just being present for the journey.

SPEAKER_04 44:09

Being present for the journey. What an amazing answer, Glennis. Crystal, what's your favorite thing about recovery?

SPEAKER_00 44:15

I think it's the the network, the compassion that's in these people and the uncon like it is an unconditional love. Like I know what conditional love looks like, and it's hurt, it hurts. And um, just to know these people love me for hearing my worst mistakes ever that I used to hide and be shamed, felt shame for, and um just they love me for my mistakes, and um, someone's always got a suggestion to be better or to help me get out of a sticky situation, or um, you know, and I'm I'm really grateful. I a lot of people can't say this, but I got to become a mom after I quit drinking. So my kids have never seen mommy drunk or have to be around that toxic stuff, or like and they're being raised in recovery, like that we we help people. Um we make it better when we mess up. We we try to fix it. And like I don't they don't say they're sorry. I don't force them to say they're sorry. They go and try like if they beat each other up, they go and they like try to make it right. And um, because the actions more than the words, you know, sorry without change is manipulation, and they know that four and six years old. So um I look for the silver lining in all of it, and I think it's really bottom line, love.

SPEAKER_04 45:42

That's so it's so amazing. You know, my favorite, my favorite thing about recovery is getting to help people, you know, being as selfish and self-centered as I was before, you know, being uh able to see the the the light come back in people's eyes, seeing the the pain, you know, diminish, uh, even if only temporarily, because a lot of people they go come in and then they go back out, but at least they had that little bit and we planted that seed. But uh it was uh it was a Wednesday night about a dozen years ago, and uh a woman came in and she says, I'm just having trouble finding my higher power. And uh that Friday night I was opening my meeting, she came early, and we're I'm making coffee, we're setting things up, and uh, I said, I said, let's talk about this higher power thing, and uh, you know, and talked about it. And then the next week, you know, she came early again. We talked about it for a little bit, and then a year later, she's helping somebody else find their higher power, dude. You want to talk about powerful, you want to talk about God working. It was just it's just so amazing, you know. Uh, I was introduced to a higher power that I lean on and I love and I trust that uh and it took me a long time to find it, but uh once I found it, man, I'm not letting go, you know. And seeing someone else get that, so you know, watching other people and seeing other people recover is just so instrumental to my recovery and the enthusiasm that we get from from other people is uh it's it's amazing, you know. When some when I get a new guy who wants to work the steps, wants to go to meetings, and I want to go to meetings, I want to work the steps again, and uh, and it's so crucial, so crucial.

SPEAKER_00 47:22

Contagious.

SPEAKER_04 47:23

It really, really is. Um, look, I see now you got we got going on tangents again. So Glynnis, dude, this has been so fantastic, and uh, I know you're very busy, and I just want to thank you for coming out and uh and sharing with us. Uh, do you have anything that you want to talk to our uh the the people that are gonna watch this video? What what would you want to tell them?

SPEAKER_02 47:47

Um two things if you're still out and you can't get sober and you think it can't get worse, it can. Now, the other side of it is is if you're either new in recovery or even if you've had a long time sober and um and things don't feel like they used to feel, it can get a hundred times better. And um, I do really believe that recovery and getting sober is possible for anyone and everyone, that not a single person is um is not included in in that opportunity. Um it just requires it requires um some pretty um profound shifts in how we live and how we think and what we're willing to do, and and there's work that's required. But um if you're willing to do it, then it's possible for you. Um and uh that's been my experience, you know. I was a hopeless gutter junkie, you know. Nobody thought that I would get sober. And I just got a call from a girl that I was in high school with that I used to get loaded with, and you did not like me, and she just called me from detox. We haven't talked in 10 years.

SPEAKER_00 49:07

I just had that same thing happen to me last night.

SPEAKER_02 49:11

Yeah, yeah. She called me from detox. I mean, yeah, she was not a fan of me and never has been, but she's struggling, you know, and and uh and seeing someone who was once hopeless like recover and have a life is inspiring to other people, um, and getting the opportunity to put your hand out. So uh recovery is possible for anyone and everyone. And um I'm just grateful to be here and and uh appreciate you guys asking me to come and share some of my my stories.

SPEAKER_04 49:38

So awesome. Glennis is gonna have to come back. You're gonna have to come back more often. We're gonna have to because I mean this is you know, we it's we call it interviews and stuff like that, but it's just conversations, and these are the conversations that you know need to be had. And uh if we can have a if we have a forum to talk about them, and anybody if you know we have people in the comments right now saying that this was uh this helped them today, so that's why we do this, that's what we're here for. And uh, I want to thank everybody for coming out and listening to us today. And uh Glynnis, thank you again for coming and sharing with us. Uh, God loves you guys, and so do we. And uh, we will see you next week.

SPEAKER_01 50:18

Yes, thank you. Bye, everyone.