Posts tagged hope
Revisiting Addiction Recovery with Jim Geckler

Jim Geckler joined 12 Geniuses back in Season One to bravely and candidly share his personal story of addiction and recovery. This week, Jim and Don catch up to discuss how the treatment field has changed over the last three years. In that time, virtual health care has quickly become instrumental in providing treatment services. They also talk about the effect that the pandemic has had on drug and alcohol abuse, and about how you can spot the signs that someone you care about might be suffering from addiction.

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The Future of Faith with Krista Tippett

In this episode of 12 Geniuses, Don MacPherson speaks with writer, founder, and host of On Being, Krista Tippett. Together they dive into the way we practice faith, what it means to be human, and the dichotomy between good and evil. They also discuss how religion will animate the 21st century, including the next religious reformation, the relationship between science and religion, and the rise of the religious "nones."

Since the mid-1990s, Krista Tippett has studied the religious, spiritual, and moral aspects of human life. Krista is a Peabody Award-winning broadcaster, a New York Times Bestselling Author, and a National Humanities Medalist. She is also the CEO, Founder, and Host of On Being.

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Leadership Moment - Extraordinary Acts of Heroism from Ordinary People

The last few weeks have rocked the world in ways that most of us have never experienced. We are self-quarantined, restaurants and shops are closed, school children have been sent home, events we have held sacred are canceled. Whatever normal was seems like a distant memory. Our souls are being tried.

Times of uncertainty have a way of unifying us. They also create extraordinary acts of heroism from ordinary people. Bill MacDonald and Richard Seale are two of those heroes. When Hurricane Sandy rocked their community in 2012, they decided to step up. This is their story.

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Making Sense of the Future: An Interview with Cecily Sommers

Over the last decade, technology has transformed life as we know it and innovation continues to accelerate. To help us understand how to get comfortable with the uncomfortable, we spoke with widely acclaimed futurist Cecily Sommers.

In this interview, podcast host Don MacPherson and Cecily look ahead at the forces shaping our future and identify some trends that will disrupt the way we live and work over the next decade. We touch on the impact of climate change, migration, changing birth rates, and more. We also discuss how we can be best prepared to embrace the changes to come and lean into new technology that makes us uncomfortable.

Cecily Sommers is a futurist and innovation expert. She speaks, write and consults on emerging trends, markets, and technologies shaping business and society.

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Leadership Moment - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Have you ever had someone tell you about their hopes and dreams? Can you remember the passion in their eyes? Can you remember the conviction in their voice? This is the story of a dream and more importantly the vision of that dreamer.

Fifty-six years ago, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered one of the most important speeches in the history of the United States…and it almost didn’t happen. That’s not completely true. It almost didn’t happen in the way we know it.

Here is the little-known secret about that speech. For most of it, Dr. King was ordinary. He was somber. He spoke of the past. He preached. He scolded the powers in America. The crowd that had traveled so far and waited so long to hear him grew restless.

But then a voice cried out. A friend of Dr. King shouted…

Hear his story here.

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From Active Addiction to CEO - Jim Geckler’s Story of Recovery

Since overcoming his own addiction, Jim Geckler has spent his life helping others battle drug and alcohol abuse. There are tens of millions of people in the United States alone who struggle with addiction. They, along with their families and friends, can listen to this interview and walk away with a sense of hope.

Part One - Jim’s Personal Journey Through Recovery

At the age of 13, Jim Geckler drank beer and used marijuana for the first time. From that moment and for 20 more years, he was crippled by drug and alcohol addiction until he hit rock bottom. For Jim, rock bottom was an arrest that proved to be the catalyst to help him overcome his addiction. From there, Jim got a job in a coffee shop and has risen through the recovery community to become CEO of Harmony Foundation in Estes Park, CO. This incredible story will give hope to people struggling with addiction, in recovery, or supporting someone who needs help.

Part Two - Advice for People Struggling with Addiction…The Addicts, Their Friends, and Families

In this part of the interview, Jim discusses:

  • The root causes behind the opioid epidemic in the United States

  • What people struggling with addiction can do to find help

  • How families and friends can provide support to people with a history of alcohol and drug abuse

  • The difference between pain and discomfort and why understanding this is important

  • Technology advances that are assisting in successful recoveries

Organizations, people, and resources mentioned: Dr. Christopher Reveley, Jeff and Debra Jay, Love First, The Way Out, Soberlink, Dr. Mel Pohl, The Intervention Show, The Minnesota Model, Harmony Foundation

“What we don’t always look at is the effect it has on the family, the effect it has on society, on the workplace, on safety in general.”

Jim Geckler, CEO of Harmony Foundation, discussing the ripple effects of addiction.

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