My guest for this episode is my friend and colleague in youth prevention, Laura Stack! For 30 years, Laura Stack was best known in the business world as "The Productivity Pro." Her career as a keynote speaker, bestselling author of eight books, and corporate spokesperson came to a screeching halt on November 20, 2019, when her 19-year-old son, Johnny, died by suicide after becoming psychotic from dabbing high-THC marijuana concentrates. Laura responded by forming the nonprofit, Johnny's Ambassadors, to educate parents, teens, and communities about the dangers of today's high-THC marijuana on adolescent brain development, psychosis, and suicide. Her platform now brings prevention education to drug prevention conferences, community groups, and schools to stop youth marijuana use. Laura also published a book, The Dangerous Truth About Today's Marijuana: Johnny Stack's Life and Death Story, which weaves together the story of Johnny’s decline with scientific data to help other families avoid experiencing the same pain and loss .  Laura has told Johnny's story and been featured by numerous media outlets, including People Magazine, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Ingraham Angle, PBS, and Dr. Phil. Laura is the recipient of the Drug-Free America Foundation's Moxie Award for protecting youth from substances, the Leadership in Advocacy Award from the National Speakers Association, and the American Association of Suicidology's Loss Survivor of the Year Award.

My guest for this episode is Dr. Michael Rich!  Dr. Rich is one of the foremost authorities on Problematic Interactive Media Use (PIMU) in teens, which includes behavioral concerns related to all types of interactive media including online gaming, social media, streaming video, and others.  Dr. Rich is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, Director of the Digital Wellness Lab, and practices Adolescent Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Rich is the Founding Director of the first evidence-based medical program addressing physical, mental, and social health issues associated with digital technology, the Clinic for Interactive Media and Internet Disorders​ (CIMAID). As The Mediatrician®, Dr. Rich offers research-based, balanced, and practical answers to parents’, teachers’, and clinicians’ questions about children’s media use and the positive and negative implications for their health and development. Understanding the power of screens to engage, connect, and change us all, he is bringing together pediatricians and software engineers, educators and designers, psychologists and screenwriters in the Digital Wellness Lab to synergize in researching, responding to, and innovating a digital environment in which we can raise healthy, smart, productive, and kind children.

My guest for this episode is my friend and colleague, Libby Moser!  Libby is a Registered Dietitian, and the owner of Piece of Nutrition in Chicago, IL.  She is certified in Eating Disorders and Obesity (EDOC) treatment, and works with clients from the perspectives of intuitive eating, mindful eating, and health at every size.  Libby is a wizard in the kitchen, and helps you change your relationship with food to enhance your health and wellness.

My guest for this episode is my friend and colleague, Ashleigh Nowakowski! Ashleigh is a preventionist and the past Executive Director of Your Choice to Live, a non-profit organization specializing in drug and alcohol prevention education. She has a Masters in Public Administration, and recently published her first book entitled "The Shadow Child," in which she tells a deeply personal story about how she and her family coped with her brother's addiction and what she learned from the process. 

My guest for this episode is Dr. Roneet Lev!  Dr. Lev is board certified in emergency and addiction medicine, and was the first Chief Medical Officer of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. She currently chairs the San Diego Community Response to Drug Overdose (CReDO) Task Force, is the current executive director of the Independent Emergency Physicians Consortium, and is founder and Vice President of IASIC, the International Academy on the Science and Impact of Cannabis.  Dr. Lev also hosts her own fantastic podcast, High Truths on Drugs and Addiction.

My guest for this episode is Dr. Carl Erik Fisher!  Dr. Fisher is an addiction physician and bioethicist, and the author of the recently published book The Urge: Our History of Addiction - an intellectual and cultural history of addiction, which is interwoven with his own experiences as an addiction psychiatrist at Columbia and as an individual in recovery.  His academic writing has been published in numerous prestigious medical and ethics journals, and his essays have been widely published, including recently in The New York Times.  Dr. Fisher is a fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, and he is an appointed member of the American Psychiatric Association’s Council on Psychiatry and Law.

My guest for this episode is investigative journalist Sam Quinones!  Sam is a veteran journalist and author, whose most recent books, Dreamland and The Least of Us, have taken a deep look into both the personal and system-level side of the opioid epidemic in America.   Dreamland was heralded as one of the Best Books of 2015 by numerous national outlets, and was named one of the “50 Best Books of Literary Journalism of the 21st Century” by GQ in 2021.  Quinones published The Least of Us in October 2021, focusing on the linkages between meth, fentanyl, and the current overdose crisis in America.  Having read it myself, I have no doubt it will earn similar accolades to Dreamland in the years to come. 

My guest for this episode is my friend and colleague, Dr. Shawn Hondorp!  Dr. Hondorp is a board-certified clinical health psychologist living in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She has a private practice, and a podcast called Motivation Made Easy: Body Respect, True Health, where she explores how our common approaches to weight loss and health often run counter to what we know about motivation science.  Dr. Hondorp has many years of experience working in healthcare settings, and is passionate about getting science-based information into the hands of people who can use it! 

My guest for this episode is my friend and colleague, Michelle Magida!  Michelle is a licensed therapist, the owner of the counseling practice Therapy Etc, and a specialist in treating children. She has extensive experience as a special education teacher prior to beginning her career as a therapist and business owner, and is in the process of earning a doctorate in Counseling Education and Supervision.  

My guest for this episode Dr. Greg Teas; an absolute fount of knowledge and the Chief Medical Officer of Behavioral Medicine at AMITA Health.  Dr. Teas is the former President of the American Academy of Clinical Psychiatrists and presently serves on their board of directors.  He is a member of the American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association and the American Society of Addiction Medicine, and will be discussing modern approaches and changes in psychiatric treatment.