Episode 350: From Hong Kong to Addiction Treatment - How Human Connection Shaped a 38-Year Career with Brian Coon

Success is Subjective: Real People. Raw Stories. Embracing a Non-Linear Life!

Success is Subjective: Real People. Raw Stories. Embracing a Non-Linear Life!
Episode 350: From Hong Kong to Addiction Treatment - How Human Connection Shaped a 38-Year Career with Brian Coon
May 26, 2026 Season 4 Episode 350
Joanna Lilley, MA, NCC

In this episode of Success is Subjective, Joanna sits down with Brian Coon, Chief Clinical Officer at Pavilion, for a thoughtful conversation about identity, purpose, and redefining success on your own terms. Brian shares what it was like growing up overseas in Hong Kong before moving to rural Illinois as a teenager, how his early love of marine biology unexpectedly led him into psychology and addiction treatment, and why he has remained in the field for nearly four decades despite the high burnout rate in the profession.

Together, Joanna and Brian explore the pressure many young adults face to follow a predetermined path, the value of learning through mistakes, and the importance of finding trusted mentors and allies outside the family system. Brian’s perspective as both a clinician and storyteller offers a grounded, deeply human conversation about curiosity, growth, and building a life that reflects your own values instead of someone else’s expectations. 

Brian's Resources:
Pavilion Treatment Center
Pavilion Admissions
Pavilion on Facebook

Connect with Joanna Lilley  

Therapeutic Consulting Association

Lilley Consulting Website

Lilley Consulting on Facebook 

Lilley Consulting on YouTube
Email: joanna@lilleyconsulting.com

#TherapeuticConsulting #LilleyConsulting #Successful #TherapeuticPrograms #Therapy #MentalHealthMatters #MentalHealthAwareness #Podcast #PodcastCommunity #TheJourney #SuccessIsSubjectivePodcast #TheUnpavedRoad #PFCAudioVideo #PavilionRecovery #TraumaInformedCare #PavilionTreatmentCenter #AddictionCounseling 

Episode Artwork Episode 350: From Hong Kong to Addiction Treatment - How Human Connection Shaped a 38-Year Career with Brian Coon 25:57 Episode Artwork Episode 349: When the Ship Is Sinking - Addiction, Chronic Illness, and the Brave Decision to Pursue Recovery with Madison Burke 27:31 Episode Artwork Episode 348: From Side Passions to Purpose - Cultivating Self-Trust Through Creativity with Aideen Ni Riada 24:36 Episode Artwork Episode 347: Beyond Traditional ABA - Supporting Neurodivergent Families Through Connection and Regulation with Jerrod Zertuche 28:43 Episode Artwork Episode 346: Running on Empty - Burnout, Boundaries, and a More Sustainable Way Forward with Dana Skaggs 27:08 Episode Artwork Episode 345: Chasing Money, Finding Meaning: A Different Kind of Return with Rebecca Guez 20:58 Episode Artwork Episode 344: Running, Numbing, Rebuilding: The Life I Didn’t Plan with Clay Cross 29:22 Episode Artwork Episode 343: 30 Years in Death Care: What Grief Taught Me About Living and Listening with Dr. Chris Putnam 21:29 Episode Artwork Episode 342: Beyond Motivation - Why Regulation Is the Key to Lasting Change with Jennifer Loehding 25:38 Episode Artwork Episode 341: Delayed Independence - Understanding the Patterns That Keep Young Adults Stuck with Dr. Eric Beaudoin 27:18 Episode Artwork Episode 340: Tough Love in Recovery - The Boundary That Changed Everything with Neill Timmons 23:27 Episode Artwork Episode 339: From the Field to the Front Lines - Turning Personal Adversity Into Purpose with Brian McDonald 27:04 Episode Artwork Episode 338: Felony to Faculty - How Tom Bannard Built Recovery Support on a College Campus 30:52 Episode Artwork Episode 337: The Value of Connection: From Memphis to Mountain Bikes to Mental Health with Dr. Jack Hinman 23:55 Episode Artwork Episode 336: My ADHD: Condemned, Praised, and the Life I Built Anyway with Allan Capp 29:57 Episode Artwork Episode 335: Learning to Accept Myself, Uncertainty, and the Winding Journey To and Through Recovery with Samantha Meyer 24:05 Episode Artwork Episode 334: Beyond Achievement: What Actually Creates a Meaningful Life with Daniel Barrasso 26:46 Episode Artwork Episode 333: Rethinking Success as Life and Priorities Change with Rick & Clancy Denton 50:08 Episode Artwork Episode 332: Martin Naffziger on Choosing the Next Step Based on Values, Not Timelines 26:02 Episode Artwork Episode 331: Wraparound Support - The Missing Link in Long-Term Recovery with Dave Herz 23:56 Episode Artwork Episode 330: Out with the Old, In with the New - The Identity Crisis That Led Me to Myself w/ Dr. Max Doshay 30:18 Episode Artwork Episode 329: From the Slopes to Sobriety - Arch Wright’s Journey of Healing 31:46 Episode Artwork Former Program Participant Series - Episode 328: When One More Try Changed Everything - Jaysa’s Journey 31:54 Episode Artwork Episode 327: Playing the Hand You’re Dealt - Brian Sacks on Survival, Stewardship, and Success 23:54 Episode Artwork Episode 326: Parenting from Fear to Understanding - A Conversation with Ann Coleman 26:57