The Reduce The Stigma podcast brought to you by Straight Up Care, the telehealth app redefining peer support services. Reduce The Stigma’s mission is to reduce the stigma that surrounds addiction, mental health, substance use, incarceration, and other challenging life experiences. Too often, stigma creates barriers and restricts access to services. Our hope is that by spreading the stories of individuals with lived/living experience, raising awareness of organizations, and discussing often avoided topics we can break down barriers and build bridges. Reduce The Stigma has three series:
Meet the Peer is a special series where we shine the spotlight on peer specialists on Straight Up Care. Peer specialists are individuals with mental health, substance use or other impactful lived experience who have received special training to support others along their journey. Meet the Peer uses the term peer specialists to cover the various titles and certifications that can be held by an individual with lived experience helping others, such as Certified Recovery Specialist (CRS), Certified Peer Specialist (CPS), Certified Family Recovery Specialist (CFRS), Certified Peer Counselor (CPC), Peer Support Specialist (PSS), Recovery Coach (RC), and more! Meet The Peer airs on select Mondays at 12pm eastern.
All peers interviewed on Meet the Peer are providing peer support services through the Straight Up Care Platform. Click here to find a peer specialist for you.
Recovery Conversations is a series of discussions with people and organizations who are serving individuals with lived and living substance use and/or mental health experience. Through Recovery Conversations, we hope to spread awareness of the numerous resources, initatives, and programs available to support individuals with substance use and/or mental health needs.
Recovery Conversations is a series of discussions with people and organizations who are serving individuals with lived and living substance use, mental health, or other impactful experience. Through Recovery Conversations, we hope to spread awareness of the resources, initiatives, and programs available to support individuals who are having a difficult time. Recovery Conversations airs every Friday at 12pm eastern.
Unfiltered is our newest addition to the Reduce The Stigma Family and dives headfirst into the tough topics we often avoid. No subject is off-limits as we tackle the things that make most people squirm. Join us for honest conversations that break down stigma and bring about real change. Each episode features at least one peer specialist working on Straight Up Care. Unfiltered is a once-a-month show live streamed on YouTube the last Tuesday of the month at 8pm eastern.
Reduce The Stigma is a Straight Up Care production. Straight Up Care is a comprehensive platform ecosystem that provides all the administrative, compliance, and marketing tools for peer specialists to work for themselves. Our hope is that by eliminating the barriers peer specialists encounter we can accelerate the connection between peers and the individuals who seek their services.
Whitney Menarcheck
she/her
Host | Producer
Whitney Menarcheck is the Chief Innovation Officer for Straight Up Care, and Syndicate12 Co-Founder. Whitney is a trained professional counselor who recently completed training as a peer specialist. With over 12 years of experience serving individuals with substance use and/or mental health needs, among other impactful life events, Whitney is passionate about reducing stigma and elevating the voices of those with lived experience. Whitney’s personal lived experience is with depression, ADHD, grief, and trauma. Watch Dr. Mo interview Whitney.
Melissa Dittberner, PhD – “Dr. Mo”
she/her
Co-Host
Dr. Mo is an award-winning faculty at the University of South Dakota. She is a TEDx speaker, prevention specialist and peer specialist. Dr. Mo is Co-Founder and CEO of Straight Up Care, Co-Founder of Syndicate12, and Co-Founder and Executive Director of Midwest Street Medicine. She is the co-author of The Alcohol Reset. Dr. Mo has lived experience with substances, process addictions, dyslexia, ADHD, trauma, and abuse. Watch Whitney interview Dr. Mo.
Interested in being a guest on the show? Complete this form.
Season 1
Episode 1 – Recovery Conversations
Melissa Dittberner, “Dr. Mo”
Co-Founder and CEO, Straight Up Care
Episode 2 – Meet The Peer
Mel Saady
Certified Peer Recovery Specialist, Virginia
Episode 3 – Meet The Peer
Angel Fuller
Certified Peer Support Specialist, North Carolina
Episode 4 – Meet The Peer
Matthew Thompson
Synopsis
Episode 5 – Meet The Peer
Mickayla Hanzlik
Peer Support Specialist, South Dakota
Episode 6 – Meet The Peer
Amanda Bosley
Certified Peer Specialist, Ohio
Episode 7 – Meet The Peer
Rodney Hough
Certified Peer Specialist, New York
Episode 8 – Recovery Conversations
Kevin Hyer
Founder & CEO, The Hyer Calling Foundation
Episode 9 – Meet The Peer
Christma Rusch
Certified Peer Support Specialist and Recovery Coach, Wisconsin
Episode 10 – Recovery Conversations
Denise Bertin-Epp, CEO & Mary Beth Collins, Director of Programs
National Association for Children of Addiction (NACoA)
Episode 11 – Meet The Peer
Roger Crouell, Jr.
Certified Peer Specialist, North Carolina
Episode 12 – Recovery Conversations
Amory Mowrey
Episode 13 – Meet The Peer
Vanessa Needles
Peer Support Specialist, South Dakota
Episode 14 – Recovery Conversations
Rachel Shuster
Episode 15 – Meet The Peer
Taylor Roberts
Peer Support Specialist, South Dakota
Episode 16 – Recovery Conversations
Whitney Menarcheck
Host, Reduce The Stigma; CIO, Straight Up Care
Episode 17 – Meet The Peer
Tim Reck
Peer Support Specialist
Episode 18 – Recovery Conversations
Adam Martin
Founder & Executive Director
Episode 19 – Meet The Peer
Ryan Spillane
Peer Specialist & Recovery Coach, Hawaii
Episode 20 – Recovery Conversations
Anna Meredith
Education & Survivor Services Supervisor, River City Domestic Violence Center
Episode 21 – Meet The Peer
Jennifer Lazarus
Certified Peer Support Specialist, North Carolina & South Carolina
Episode 22 – Recovery Conversations
Mary Beth O’Connor
Author, “From Junkie to Judge”
Episode 23 – Meet The Peer
Sam Mason
Peer Support Specialist, South Dakota
Episode 24 – Recovery Conversations
Alicia Nolan
Owner, Choose to L;ve
Episode 25 – Meet The Peer
Belinda Ennis
Peer In Training, Arkansas
Episode 26 – Recovery Conversations
RL Kramer
Author, “Hocus Focus: Coming of Age with ADD and its Medications”
Episode 27 – Meet The Peer
Ken Dunn
Certified Peer Support Specialist and Recovery Coach
Episode 28 – Mel Saady Episode Revisit
Episode 29 – Recovery Conversations
Jonathan Lewis
Co-Founder, Syndicate12; Co-Founder & CTO, Straight Up Care
Episode 30 – Meet The Peer
Toni Morrison
Peer Support Specialist, South Dakota
Episode 31 – Announcement
Episode 32 – Recovery Conversations
Dr. Danielle Dick
Author, “The Child Code”
Episode 33 – Meet The Peer
Tom DeCoteau
Peer Support Specialist, South Dakota
Episode 34 – Recovery Conversations
Elizabeth Kipp
Author, “The Way Through Chronic Pain: Tools to Reclaim Your Healing Power“
Episode 35 – Angel Fuller Episode Revisit
Episode 36 – Recovery Conversations
Joe Soel
Author, “The Broken Mirror of Memory, Iraq and Other Tales”
Episode 37 – Meet The Peer
Brandi Eastman
Peer Support Specialist, South Dakota
Episode 38 – Recovery Conversations
Claire Jones & Amaranthia Sepia
Sista Creatives Uprising
Episode 39 – Unfiltered
Whitney Menarcheck, Dr. Mo, Roger Crouell, and Angel Fuller
Episode 40 – Recovery Conversations
Raven Ariola
Co-Creator, Advocacy Against Stigma Conference
Episode 41 – Mickayla Hanzlik Episode Revisit
Episode 42 – Recovery Conversations
Kathleen Totemoff
iExist
Episode 43 – Announcement: 7/30/24 Live stream – Culture
Episode 44 – Recovery Conversations
Dr. Angela Colistra
Founder, Aligned Coaching & Consulting
Episode 45 – Recovery Conversations
David Whitesock
Founder & CEO, CommonlyWell
Episode 22
“From Junkie to Judge”
by Mary Beth O’Connor
Episode 26
“Hocus Focus: Coming of Age With ADD and Its Medications”
by RL Kramer
Episode 32
“The Child Code”
by Danielle Dick
Episode 34
“The Way Through Chronic Pain: Tools to Reclaim Your Healing Power”
by Elizabeth Kipp
Episode 36
“The Broken Mirror of Memory: Iraq and Other Tales”
by Joseph “Joe” Soel
In addition to being available to watch here on reducethestigma.com, our show is also available on all podcasts directories, including: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, and more!
