Rooted Recovery Stories

Love, Loss, and Resilience (ft. Donna Adams) | Rooted Recovery Stories 207

Together, Patrick and Donna explore:-The pivotal turning points that shifted her path toward recovery-The role of faith and community in rebuilding her life-How facing the truth about herself became the foundation for lasting change-The courage it took to break free from the same relationship patterns she’d been repeating for decades-Why hope is possible even in the darkest seasonsThis is a story about redemption, resilience, and the courage it takes to start over not just once, but as many times as it takes._________________Watch/Listen/Subscribe to the Show: ↳ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠↳ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠↳ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠↳ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠↳ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tiktok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠↳ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠__________________Patrick Custer - Host↳ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thepatrickcuster⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠↳ TikTok:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @thepatrickcuster⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠↳ YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thepatrickcuster⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠↳ Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thepatrickcuster⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠↳ Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠linktr.ee/patrickcuster⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donna Adams - Guest↳ Insta: @50shadesofdonna↳Facebook: @donnamusto__________________Get Help: Promises Behavioral Health – Treatment for addiction, mental health/trauma↳ Admissions: (888) 648-4098↳ Insta: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@promises_bh⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠↳ URL: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.promisesbehavioralhealth.com⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mental Health America:↳ URL: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.mhanational.org⁠⁠⁠________________00:00 - Introduction to Rooted Recovery Stories05:20 - Reflecting on Early Life and Home Environment13:02 - Navigating Sensitivity in a Chaotic Environment19:39 - Compartmentalizing Childhood Trauma25:43 - The Lasting Effects of Abuse35:34 - The Cycle of Abuse and Generational Trauma43:10 - Creating a Safe Environment for Children55:17 - Recognizing Patterns in Relationships

From Chaos To The Canvas (ft. Ryan Rado) | Rooted Recovery Stories 206

“I didn’t know how to express the pain. So I turned it into art.” What happens when survival becomes silence and silence becomes a scream on canvas? Join us for an enlightening episode of Rooted Recovery Stories as host Patrick Custer sits down with artist Ryan Rado. In this candid conversation, Ryan shares his journey through childhood trauma, the challenges of living with Tourette's syndrome, and the healing power of art.From navigating a chaotic home life to the struggles of bullying in school, Ryan opens up about the emotional scars that shaped his understanding of love and self-worth. He discusses the complexities of codependency, the impact of validation, and how he learned to embrace his creative expression as a form of therapy. In this episode: How Tourette’s shaped Ryan’s relationship with identity, self-expression, and stigma The long-term effects of emotional abuse and violence in childhood Why art became Ryan’s form of communication, healing, and survival The unseen weight of codependency and internalized pain How Ryan reclaimed power through storytelling, art, and self-awareness Discover how Ryan transforms pain into art, the importance of vulnerability, and the journey toward self-acceptance. This episode is a powerful reminder that scars can become searchlight beacons for others on their healing journeys.__________________Watch/Listen/Subscribe to the Show: ↳ ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠↳ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠↳ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠↳ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠↳ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Tiktok⁠⁠⁠⁠↳ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠__________________Patrick Custer - Host↳ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@thepatrickcuster⁠⁠⁠⁠↳ TikTok:⁠⁠⁠⁠ @thepatrickcuster⁠⁠⁠⁠↳ YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@thepatrickcuster⁠⁠⁠⁠↳ Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@thepatrickcuster⁠⁠⁠⁠↳ Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠linktr.ee/patrickcuster⁠⁠⁠⁠Ryan Rado - Guest↳ Insta: @ryan_rado↳ Insta: @makeitperfectshow↳ YouTube: ⁠@MakeItPerfect⁠↳ Website: www.ryanrado.com__________________Get Help: Promises Behavioral Health – Treatment for addiction, mental health/trauma↳ Admissions: (888) 648-4098↳ Insta: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@promises_bh⁠⁠⁠⁠↳ URL: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.promisesbehavioralhealth.com⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Mental Health America:↳ URL: ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.mhanational.org⁠⁠__________________About Ryan Rado: Ryan Rado is a Nashville based multidisciplinary artist, curator, musician, and ontological coach whose abstract paintings explore memory, healing, identity, and the tension between control and surrender. Originally from Michigan, he began creating art in early adolescence as a way to process trauma and make sense of chaos within his home life. After spending years in Nashville’s music industry, he shifted his focus to painting in 2014, finding in visual art a more honest and immediate form of emotional expression.His signature works are often painted on red velvet and feature somber color palettes, bold gestures, and layered textures that invite deep introspection. Rado intentionally chooses materials that challenge artistic conventions, using them to confront ideas about value, imperfection, and personal truth. He views the creative process as a dialogue with emotion, allowing his work to emerge from a space of vulnerability rather than control. In addition to his studio practice, Rado is the founder and curator of Rock Wall Gallery, a space dedicated to showcasing raw and emotionally resonant art. He also leads therapeutic workshops that blend creative expression with ontological coaching, guiding others toward self-awareness and healing through the act of making. Living with Tourette’s Syndrome, he openly shares how the condition influences his perspective, embracing it as an essential part of his identity and artistic voice.

The Last Bet: Grief And Gambling Addiction (ft. Patrick Casale) | Rooted Recovery Stories 205

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of suicide, grief, addiction, mental health challenges, and other sensitive topics. Listener discretion is advised.He didn’t think he’d make it to 26. By then, Patrick Casale had already lost his stepmother to cancer, his best friend to suicide and himself to gambling addiction, shame, and emotional paralysis. But rock bottom didn’t end his story, it unraveled the one he’d been trying to survive: the story where masking pain and pretending to be “fine” was the only way to belong.In this unflinching episode, Patrick shares the moments that nearly ended him and the ones that slowly rebuilt him. From devastating loss to the weight of silence, we explore how grief, addiction, and years of emotional shutdown intersected with a late-in-life AuDHD (Autism + ADHD) diagnosis that finally explained what nothing else could.For the first time, he began to see his struggles not as personal failures, but misunderstood wiring in a world that never made room for difference. This isn’t just a recovery story it’s a blueprint for self-acceptance, for healing without shame, and for creating a life that doesn’t require an escape plan.In This Episode We Cover:Grief, trauma & emotional collapse after losing his stepmom and best friendGambling addiction and the illusion of controlLiving undiagnosed: the cost of masking with late-in-life AuDHDReframing “brokenness” as misunderstood neurodivergenceHow therapy, community, and radical honesty saved his life__________________Watch/Listen/Subscribe to the Show: ↳ ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠↳ ⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcast⁠⁠⁠↳ ⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠↳ ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠↳ ⁠⁠⁠Tiktok⁠⁠⁠↳ ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠__________________Patrick Custer - Host↳ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@thepatrickcuster⁠⁠⁠↳ TikTok:⁠⁠⁠ @thepatrickcuster⁠⁠⁠↳ YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠@thepatrickcuster⁠⁠⁠↳ Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠@thepatrickcuster⁠⁠⁠↳ Website: ⁠⁠⁠linktr.ee/patrickcuster⁠⁠⁠Patrick Casale - Guest↳ Insta: @patrick.casale↳ Facebook: @CasaleCoaching↳ Tiktok:⁠ @patrickcasale↳ Website: www.allthingspractice.com__________________Promises Behavioral Health – Treatment for addiction, mental health/trauma:↳ Admissions: (888) 648-4098↳ Insta: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@promises_bh⁠⁠⁠↳ URL: ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.promisesbehavioralhealth.com⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Mental Health America:↳ URL: ⁠⁠⁠www.mhanational.org⁠__________________About Patrick Casale: Patrick Casale is not only an AuDHD licensed Mental Health & Addiction Therapist and a group practice owner but also a Entrepreneur Coach & Strategist for Neurodivergent Business Owners. With experience in both the clinical mental health world and the business world, he has helped thousands of mental health therapists around the United States leave their agencies behind and create their ideal private practices. "I’ve worked in the helping profession since 2008, and, like many therapists, I started my career in a community mental health job where instead of feeling fulfilled, I felt overworked, burnt out, taken for granted, and underappreciated. I knew I wanted out but feared the uncertainty of private practice, because, at the time, I had no fucking clue how to start a business. After all, most people who go into the helping profession don’t have a lot of business training, if any at all. After a lot of work, some struggles, and trial-and-error, I successfully launched my private practice. Then a couple of years after that, I launched a thriving group practice. I am truly passionate about empowering therapists to take the steps they need to create more successful lives and careers while working flexible hours, taking more vacations, and using their precious clinical skills effectively. When it comes to being a successful private practice and small business owner, I’ve already been there and done that, so now I help other therapists all over the United States save time, skip the guesswork, and start seeing clients sooner with their own private practices."

Raised In The Fire: Breaking Cycles Building Truth (ft. David Hawkins) | Rooted Recovery Stories 204

What happens when the people who raised you were also the ones you had to survive? In this powerful Pride Month episode of Rooted Recovery Stories, media entrepreneur and LGBTQ+ advocate David Hawkins joins host Patrick Custer to share his journey of growing up queer and deeply misunderstood in rural South Carolina.From the emotional toll of being an effeminate boy in a culture steeped in toxic masculinity to navigating faith, family, and identity in a world that demanded silence, David opens up about the trauma that shaped him, and the radical healing that followed.He reflects on the complexity of his relationship with his parents, including a poignant final dinner with his father, and the burden of being “the strong one” in a family still learning how to love fully. Through it all, David’s story is a testament to queer resilience, the power of self-advocacy, and the lifelong journey of becoming.This is Part 1 of a two-part series, an unflinching, redemptive reflection on surviving rejection, reclaiming truth, and celebrating LGBTQ+ pride in every step of healing.__________________Watch/Listen/Subscribe to the Show: ↳ ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠↳ ⁠⁠Apple Podcast⁠⁠↳ ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠↳ ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠↳ ⁠⁠Tiktok⁠⁠↳ ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠__________________Patrick Custer - Host↳ Instagram: ⁠⁠@thepatrickcuster⁠⁠↳ TikTok:⁠⁠ @thepatrickcuster⁠⁠↳ YouTube: ⁠⁠@thepatrickcuster⁠⁠↳ Facebook: ⁠⁠@thepatrickcuster⁠⁠↳ Website: ⁠⁠linktr.ee/patrickcuster⁠⁠David Hawkins - Guest↳ Insta: ⁠⁠@davidmichaelhawkins↳ Threads: @davidmichaelhawkins↳ Tiktok: @davidmichaelhawkins↳ Website: www.mypr-lab.com__________________Promises Behavioral Health – Treatment for addiction, mental health/trauma:↳ Admissions: (888) 648-4098↳ Insta: ⁠⁠⁠@promises_bh⁠⁠↳ URL: ⁠⁠⁠www.promisesbehavioralhealth.com⁠ ⁠⁠Mental Health America:↳ URL: ⁠⁠www.mhanational.org__________________About David Hawkins:David Michael, the first and only publicly HIV-positive, gay country music entertainer, has released two singles, “He’s Got You” and “A Poor Man’s Roses,” from his six-song Patsy Cline tribute EP, recorded at the famous OmniSound Studios on Music Row. “Openly gay and openly HIV-positive, David Michael represents the change of what it means to be an authentic country music entertainer,” Denny Patterson comments about Michael’s contributions to the industry in his interview for OutFront Magazine. David Michael's most recent recording, “Pretty Boy,” written by country charting star Hailey Whitters, was released to the public on June 1st, in honor of Pride Month. Beyond his role as a performer, David Michael is the founder and CEO of MY PR Lab and served as the primary event coordinator for Music City's First-Ever CMgAys.

Coming Out Country: From Hiding To Healing (ft. Ty Herndon) | Rooted Recovery Stories #203

What if telling the truth about who you are meant risking everything you’ve worked for? In this deeply personal episode of Rooted Recovery Stories, country music icon, Ty Herndon, returns to reflect on the cost of hiding, the power of coming out, and the kind of healing that only comes when you stop performing and start living. Ty opens up about the weight of being one of the first openly gay artists in mainstream country music and what it took to finally choose authenticity over approval. From internalized shame to spiritual transformation, this conversation is a raw, redemptive look at reclaiming your voice and rewriting your story. He also shares the latest chapter of his career, including his upcoming single with LeAnn Rimes and a new album honoring 30 years of music, advocacy, and hard-won self-love.This episode is about more than music, it's about survival, reinvention, and the freedom that comes from being fully seen.__________________Watch/Listen/Subscribe to the Show: ↳ ⁠YouTube⁠↳ ⁠Apple Podcast⁠↳ ⁠Spotify⁠↳ ⁠Instagram⁠↳ ⁠Tiktok⁠↳ ⁠Facebook⁠__________________Patrick Custer - Host↳ Instagram: ⁠@thepatrickcuster⁠↳ TikTok:⁠ @thepatrickcuster⁠↳ YouTube: ⁠@thepatrickcuster⁠↳ Facebook: ⁠@thepatrickcuster⁠↳ Website: ⁠linktr.ee/patrickcuster⁠Ty Herndon - Guest↳ Insta: ⁠@tyherndonofficial↳ Website: www.tyherndon.com↳ Tiktok: ⁠@tyherndonofficial↳ Facebook: @tyherndonofficial__________________Promises Behavioral Health – Treatment for addiction, mental health/trauma:↳ Admissions: (888) 648-4098↳ Insta: ⁠⁠@promises_bh⁠↳ URL: ⁠⁠www.promisesbehavioralhealth.com⁠ ⁠Mental Health America:↳ URL: ⁠www.mhanational.orgAbout Ty Herndon:Ty Herndon has lived a life and career of extreme highs and lows and celebrates a critical milestone in country music as his record-breaking debut single “What Mattered Most” turns thirty in 2025. Between 1995 and 2002, Herndon charted 17 singles, including his three number ones and seventeen top 10 hits, such as “I Want My Goodbye Back,” “Loved Too Much,” “A Man Holding On,” and “Hands of a Working Man.” He topped the charts in 1996 with the single “Living in a Moment” and again in 1998 with “It Must Be Love.” Ty continued to break new ground throughout the next decade, releasing a Greatest Hits collection, as well as the albums "Right About Now," "Lies I Told Myself" and the Grammy-nominated "Journey On." In 2015 he became the first major male country music artist to come out as gay and released the critically acclaimed albums "House on Fire" and "Got It Covered" and launched the annual Concert For Love & Acceptance. Ty made a triumphant comeback beginning in 2020 with the release of “Orphans of God,” a duet with Kristin Chenoweth that peaked at number one on the iTunes charts. That was quickly followed by the release of JACOB and JACOB (Deluxe Edition) in 2022 and 2023 respectively, for the first time bringing his full journey from darkness to light and back again to his music. The album touched on highly personal themes ranging from addiction, recovery, and mental fitness to lost love, self-discovery and personal freedom. It spawned the country radio hits “Till You Get There” and “Dents on a Chevy,” a duet with Terri Clark that spent 7 weeks atop the independent country radio charts, becoming the number one independent country single of 2023. Grammy-nominated and Dove Award winning, Ty’s voice is stronger than ever, and he’s using it to make a difference. In 2020, he created the Foundation For Love & Acceptance to further his work on behalf of mental health, addiction and trauma recovery, and building a more inclusive country music community.