The Living Clean Podcast

Wild Recovery is more than just a group — it’s a recovery experience built around movement, nature, and shared adventure. In this episode, we sit down with several members of Wild Recovery to talk about what it’s been like to live clean while hiking trails, pushing limits, and reconnecting with themselves, others, and the world around them. They share how challenge, discomfort, and community have become powerful tools in their recovery, and why this outdoor-based approach has resonated with people who may not have found their place in more traditional spaces. This is an honest conversation about growth, freedom, and discovering new ways to experience recovery. We’re excited to share this unique experience with you.

Last year, Francis traveled to the North Alabama Convention—home of Bill Brooks, a founding member of Narcotics Anonymous in Alabama and the author of the powerful Basic Text story “If You Want What We Have.”
While there, Francis went beyond the convention floor. He visited Bill Brooks’ home, paid his respects at his gravesite, and had a meaningful phone conversation with Bill’s widow, Bettie, who shared personal reflections on Bill’s life, service, and legacy in Narcotics Anonymous.
Francis also attended Open Minds and Miracles, the NA meeting Bill Brooks started in 1978—a living piece of NA history that continues to carry the message today.
This episode also marks a milestone: Francis’s first time presenting on an author whose story appears in the Basic Text. Upon returning to the North Alabama Convention, he was invited to present on Bill Brooks, honoring both the man and the message behind one of NA’s most enduring stories.
This is a heartfelt episode about history, humility, service, and the living legacy of recovery—reminding us that what was freely given to us is meant to be passed on.

Mason and Francis are back with a reflection on their experience at Out of the Darkness Into the Light 28, held February 4–9, 2026 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Decatur, Alabama. In this episode, they share their personal takeaways from the convention, the fellowship, and the spirit of recovery that filled the event.
Francis offers his perspective coming from Northern California to the South for the second time, comparing and contrasting this year’s experience with his first visit. Mason reflects on what it meant to serve as Chair of the convention—an honor that carried both responsibility and deep gratitude—and how that role shaped his experience of the week.
Beyond the convention itself, they also dive into what’s been happening in their lives outside of NA, and how those experiences intersect with the themes of the event. It’s an honest, heartfelt, and uplifting conversation about service, connection, and recovery in action.
We hope you enjoy listening as much as they enjoyed sharing it.

For this second episode in our 12-month journey through the 12 Steps, we dive into Step Two: "We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity." Our panel regulars—Douglas, Archer, and Pete—are joined by Bronwyn and Dan. Together, we explore what "coming to believe" means, how sanity is restored, and how this step builds the foundation for hope in recovery. Join us as we unpack the belief in something greater!

In August of 2025, Francis and Mason traveled to Tupelo, Mississippi for a Narcotics Anonymous convention—and what turned out to be a meaningful milestone for the Living Clean Podcast.
This was our first time presenting Narcotics Anonymous history at a convention, and while we did run out of time for our full PowerPoint presentation, it was a powerful and encouraging test run. We were warmly welcomed, supported, and reminded just how hungry our fellowship is for its history.
Francis was also asked to serve as the Sunday morning speaker, an experience that carried a beautiful irony. Coming from Northern California, he found himself speaking at a Grateful Dead–themed convention—not Elvis-themed, even though Tupelo is famously the birthplace of Elvis Presley. That theme opened the door for Francis to share honestly about his own experience with addiction, the Grateful Dead culture, and how recovery eventually found him after that chapter of his life.
Whenever Francis visits a new place in Narcotics Anonymous, he makes a point to explore the local NA history—and Tupelo did not disappoint. This episode includes an interview with Billy Y., a longtime member who was present at the very first Narcotics Anonymous meeting in Tupelo. His firsthand account offers a rare and valuable glimpse into how NA took root in this community.
Beyond the interview, Francis also went on a local NA history adventure with J.W., visiting several former meeting locations—including the very first spot where the Tupelo group met: an old beauty salon, where members famously sat in the dryer chairs during meetings. It’s a reminder that NA has always grown wherever addicts were willing to gather, no matter how humble the setting.
We hope you enjoy this episode, the stories, the laughter, and the deep sense of connection that comes from remembering where we came from.
Thanks for listening—and thank you for helping us keep NA history alive.
God loves you, and so do we. 💙