Having Had a Spiritual Awakening

In this episode of Having Had a Spiritual Awakening, Sarah and Suzanne sit down with Don R. who shares what it was like getting clean in a small Montana town, and how he found a way to build a strong foundation in recovery despite limited resources. We also talk about one of recovery's more challenging adventures—dating. Don reflects on what it was like to navigate relationships for the first time under the guidance of a trusted sponsor and the lessons he learned along the way.
Today, Don serves as the Executive Director of NARSS (Never Alone Recovery Support Services), a thriving, life-saving Recovery Community Center in Ronan, Montana for individuals and families affected by addiction. Together they explore why long-term, community-based recovery matters and how ongoing connection and support are essential. 
Hosted & Written by Suzanne Garcia Pino
Co-Hosted & Produced by Sarah Grobel Bolstad
Music: I'll Tell You by Sarah Grobel Bolstad & Ian Ford
narssmontana.org
Support the 4th D Club through the Freedom Circle to keep a safe, drug- and alcohol-free space. Learn more: The Fourth D Club, Missoula, MT, 4thdmissoula.org
Serenity Scramble: July 10, 2026: Register Here
 

What happens after you get sober… and your mind doesn’t?
In this episode, Suzanne and Sarah sit down with Kristal and Matt to talk about when you’ve got some sober time under your belt, but your obsessive nature starts popping up in new ways, like a relentless game of whac-a-mole.
From control and perfectionism to new flavors of ego and fear, the conversation explores how character defects sometimes don’t disappear—they just change. And more importantly, what we can actually do about it.
Hosted & Written by Suzanne Garcia Pino
Co-Hosted & Produced by Sarah Grobel Bolstad
Music: I'll Tell You by Sarah Grobel Bolstad & Ian Ford
A candid, low-key conversation about what happens after the last substance: obsession, loneliness, and the surprising spiritual work of recovery.
Support the 4th D Club through the Freedom Circle to keep a safe, drug- and alcohol-free space. Learn more: The Fourth D Club, Missoula, MT, www.4thdmissoula.org
 

In this episode of Having Had A Spiritual Awakening, Suzanne and Sarah sit down with Dawn. Dawn speaks about the deep gratitude for what she has survived, a gratitude that has come from her lived experience, and how her past has shaped her ability to show up for others today. The episode becomes a meditation on survival itself—how a spiritual awakening can come from understanding that recovery is about transformation, not perfection. 
The Fourth D Club, Missoula, MT, www.4thdmissoula.org
Hosted & Written by Suzanne Garcia Pino
Co-Hosted & Produced by Sarah Grobel Bolstad
Music: I'll Tell You by Sarah Grobel Bolstad & Ian Ford

Do all addicts in recovery become nerds? Or were we, in our using days, simply suppressing our supernatural curiosity and next-level research skills?
Suzanne and Sarah sit down with their guest, Irish, to explore these questions and more. Tune in to hear Irish casually drop one life-changing metaphor after another — and to discover what might actually be hiding beneath the surface of addiction and recovery.
The Fourth D Club, Missoula, MT, www.4thdmissoula.org
Hosted & Written by Suzanne Garcia Pino
Co-Hosted & Produced by Sarah Grobel Bolstad
Music: I'll Tell You by Sarah Grobel Bolstad & Ian Ford

Suzanne and Sarah do their best to keep up with Gaaby, who has 29 years of recovery in Al-Anon. Gaaby shares what life was like when her solution was trying to control everything and everyone around her, how she found her way into recovery, and how—after nearly three decades of working a program—she sticks around to deepen her practice of acceptance because, as she says, “reality is where the power lives.”
The Fourth D Club, Missoula, MT, www.4thdmissoula.org
Hosted & Written by Suzanne Garcia Pino
Co-Hosted & Produced by Sarah Grobel Bolstad
Music: I'll Tell You by Sarah Grobel Bolstad & Ian Ford

In this episode of Having Had a Spiritual Awakening, we talk with Stephen Ferguson, Executive Director of Crosswinds Recovery, about what constitutes “real” trauma and why comparing levels of trauma can hinder healing. Stephen shares insights from his work and experience in recovery. Stephen, Suzanne and Sarah consider whether spiritual awakenings are inherently turbulent, why transformation often feels disorienting, and the paradox of surrender; how giving up control can sometimes become another attempt to hold onto it. 
 
The Fourth D Club, Missoula, MT, www.4thdmissoula.org
Hosted & Written by Suzanne Garcia Pino
Co-Hosted & Produced by Sarah Grobel Bolstad
Music: I'll Tell You by Sarah Grobel Bolstad & Ian Ford

Suzanne and Sarah talk with Zac C. about how spiritual awakenings sometimes happen in reflection rather than in real time—and sometimes they happen right in front of the TV, while watching Wheel of Fortune. Zac also shares about the important and inspiring work his recovery nonprofit, Beautiful Minds Recovery (www.beautifulmindsrecovery.com), is doing to provide peer support training within the community.
In the last ten minutes, Suzanne and Sarah discuss, with instructor Kathy Mangan, the mindfulness meditation classes that Red Willow Learning Center (www.redwillowlearning.org) will soon be offering at the Fourth D Club, free of charge. Everyone will benefit, and everyone is welcome!
The Fourth D Club, Missoula, MT, www.4thdmissoula.org
Hosted & Written by Suzanne Garcia Pino
Co-Hosted & Produced by Sarah Grobel Bolstad
Music: I'll Tell You by Sarah Grobel Bolstad & Ian Ford
 

Is it possible to be constitutionally incapable of being honest? Suzanne and Sarah sit down with Justin D. to unpack how AA and NA answer this question. Justin shares practical pro-tips for staying clean and sober, along with fascinating observations he made just a year into recovery—after being hit by a car and facing the challenge of healing without pain prescriptions. Justin also shares how this only became possible when he became willing to ditch any lingering victim mentality. 
 
The Fourth D Club, Missoula, MT, www.4thdmissoula.org
Hosted & Written by Suzanne Garcia Pino
Co-Hosted & Produced by Sarah Grobel Bolstad
Music: I'll Tell You by Sarah Grobel Bolstad & Ian Ford
 

Suzanne and Sarah talk with Kate L. about the dreaded “outside topics” and wonder if, in the end, everything is an outside topic. They discuss black-and-white thinking, what “economic insecurity” might mean in the Ninth Step promises, and Kate’s love of wild AA meetings.
The Fourth D Club, Missoula, MT, www.4thdmissoula.org
Hosted & Written by Suzanne Garcia Pino
Co-Hosted & Produced by Sarah Grobel Bolstad
Music: I'll Tell You by Sarah Grobel Bolstad & Ian Ford
 
 

Suzanne, Dan, and Sarah talk about hitting a sufficient bottom, choosing to surrender, and the tough– yet often fascinating– work of recovering from alcoholism.
 
Written and Produced by Suzanne Garcia Pino & Sarah Grobel Bolstad
Music: I’ll Tell You - Sarah Grobel Bolstad & Ian Ford
The Fourth D Club, Missoula, MT - https://www.4thdmissoula.org