Hey there,

This summer when I dropped off our daughters at kids camp, I had a knot in my stomach. It was their first week-long summer camp away from home. What if they have a horrible experience? What if they need something? I wouldn’t even find out until the end of the week! Can you relate to this type of fear? When you are forced to entrust something of value to someone else.

Your life, your story, your struggles - these have value! When deciding to join a support group it often comes with a mountain of fear. You fear having to share the REAL you with a group of strangers. Just like my kids would not have had a BLAST at camp if I had not dropped them off, you CANNOT experience the freedom you were made for until you are willing to entrust the REAL you to a group of supportive men.

Do you have a group that holds you accountable and helps you grow into the man you were created to be, one day at a time - one small victory at a time? We were designed for real, authentic relationship with other people. I know it is hard to find, but I challenge you to never give up seeking it. I believe God will honor our faithfulness in seeking out healthy friendships and lead us to the right people and groups we need most.

Rooting for you,

Dustin

This past week felt like a pressure cooker. Between the relentless pace at work, the desire to be fully present with Rylee and Aubree, a growing list of house projects staring me down, and the exciting but demanding work of building Transparent Recovery, I felt stretched thin. Every commitment seemed to be compounding the stress, and honestly, I wasn't sure how I was going to make it through.

It all came to a head during a simple car ride to the store with Amy. As we drove, I found myself verbalizing what had been churning inside: “Amy,” I said, “I think the stress from one area of life is revealing to me the limited time I have for the other areas in life, and I feel like the stress was just compounding." Just saying those words out loud, giving voice to the swirling anxieties, felt good. It was like releasing a valve.

But what truly sealed the moment, what truly helped those stressors lose their power, was Amy’s response. She didn't try to fix it, or offer solutions right away. Instead, she simply listened, and then offered incredible empathy. To hear her echo back, “I understand, that sounds incredibly tough,” was profoundly encouraging. In that moment, her empathy didn't just validate what I was feeling; it helped disarm the overwhelming power those feelings had held over me."

This wasn't a grand breakthrough, or a moment of dramatic spiritual revelation. It was a simple, real-time recovery win in the messy middle of a busy week. Overcoming isn't always about conquering huge mountains, but often about the small, intentional acts of vulnerability and connection that keep us grounded when life gets loud.

This week, my 'win' wasn't about magically eliminating all the stress. It was about choosing a healthy coping mechanism – vulnerability and connection – to actively navigate my chaos. This is where real recovery often happens: not just in the big milestones, but in the small, intentional choices we make when life gets loud.

What does it look like to actively 'make it through' in those real-time moments?

These aren't grand gestures; they are the micro-victories that build true resilience. Every time you choose to confide, to pray, to journal, to call a friend instead of numbing out, you are actively 'making it through' and strengthening your recovery muscle. These are the unsung triumphs that prevent relapse and build genuine freedom.