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 Check out our SECOND Episode:

The Story behind Fire Mountain - How Aaron Huey turned his own experiences with addiction and recovery into a successful program for teens and families.

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In this Second Episode of “This BADASS Sober LIFE” Podcast, Beau Chilson who is a high school student in Boulder, CO is interviewing Aaron Huey about his personal past which led him to his founding of Fire Mountain Treatment Center. You will learn about Aaron's struggle with drug abuse and how he turned his life around to escape the addiction and help others do the same. 

 

Your Host in this Episode:

Beau Chilson is a Natural Highs Peer Mentor and high school student in Boulder, CO. He works with Natural Highs because he thinks that it is incredibly important to help his peers realize the repercussions of drug use on their brains. “I love working with Natural Highs and it has taught me a lot about myself.” He started a weekly teen run club called “First Step” that helps teens realize their habits and gives them reliable support as they try to change.

Your Guest in this Episode:

Aaron Huey: Aaron has been working with children, teens, and parents for over 18 years. After ten years directing camps and empowerment programs around the world, Aaron opened Fire Mountain because he wanted to work with kids and families on a deeper level. Over the first few years of running programs like Teen Rites of Passage The Warrior Phoenix Challenge, and numerous cries for help from parents, Aaron realized the need to turn his efforts towards teens struggling with drugs, alcohol and the behaviors and issues related to addiction. An addict in recovery since 2000, he felt a calling to put together an expert team and open Fire Mountain. His mission is to awaken confidence and leadership. “It‘s not about being better, it‘s about giving up the struggle to be different from who you are.”

Aaron’s formal educational background is in acting. He graduated from the top acting school in the US, The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1990. His skills in comedy and drama make him an influential speaker and presenter, and a favorite among the kids. His confidence, compassion, and humor set the tone for deep healing, and fun.

Aaron is also trained as an EMT, a Wilderness Survival Instructor and Martial Arts teacher, all of which he weaves into the Fire Mountain RTC curriculum


 

In this Episode of “The BADASS Sober LIFE” Podcast you will learn:

  • Beau and Aaron’s personal connection

  • Aarons personal history and relationship with drugs that caused him to start the Fire Mountain Residential Center and his parenting podcast, Beyond Risk and Back

  • Aaron’s idea for why he started using, and his opinion on the question of Why people start using

  • The origins of Fire Mountain Treatment Center and Aarons goal with Fire Mountain, keeping kids out of recovery and helping parents

  • What Aaron and his counselors actually do at Fire Mountain. 

  • Aaron’s base advice for parenting

  • The five basic human needs 

  • Accepting your responsibility in a situation rather than blaming a sibling or child for being the “bad” guy

  • The importance of allowing your kid to fail

  • Aaron’s connection to Natural Highs

  • Aaron’s First Message to the world: Nobody thinks their the bad guy, don’t try and convince people that they are, you can’t hate the world or yourself into something you love, separation causes pain

  • Aaron’s Second Message to the world: Everybody takes a shit sitting down. 

  • Life is all about giving up the struggle to be different from who you are

More Resources & Next Steps for you:

 

 

 

Want to connect with Natural Highs?

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In this FIRST “This BADASS Sober LIFE” Podcast Episode, Beau Chilson who is a high school student in Boulder, CO is interviewing Avani Dilger about the story behind the “Natural Highs” nonprofit program. You will find out what personal experiences led Avani to start this grassroots movement involving teens as leaders and what the groundbreaking elements of Natural Highs are. Get the inside view from a Natural Highs Teen Peer Mentor and the founder of the Natural Highs Program, Avani Dilger.

 

Your Host in this Episode: Beau Chilson is a Natural Highs Peer Mentor and high school student in Boulder, CO. He works with Natural Highs because he thinks that it is incredibly important to help his peers realize the repercussions of drug use on their brains. “I love working with Natural Highs and it has taught me a lot about myself.” He started a weekly teen run club called “First Step” that helps teens realize their habits and gives them reliable support as they try to change.

 

 

Your Guest in this Episode: Avani G. Dilger, MEd, MA, LPC, BC-DMT, CAC III, ADS, is a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Certified Addiction Counselor, a Somatic Psychotherapist, an Acupuncture Detoxification Specialist and a Motivational Interviewing Trainer (MINT), who specializes in substance abuse prevention and treatment with adults, teens and their families. She is the founder and Executive Director of the “Natural Highs – Healthy Alternatives to Drugs & Alcohol” nonprofit program, an innovative, grassroots substance abuse prevention and intervention program that empowers teens and adults to become leaders around healthier lifestyles and positive peer culture. In addition to teaching the Natural Highs program in high schools in Boulder and at Naropa University, Avani works as a psychotherapist with teens, families and adults with issues around substance abuse, addiction and trauma using cutting-edge approaches such as Somatic Psychotherapy, Brainspotting and Systemic Constellationwork. She is a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) and trains Motivational Interviewing for criminal justice, mental health, and substance abuse professionals.

 

In this Episode of “The BADASS Sober LIFE” Podcast you will learn:

• An Introduction to the Natural Highs Program

• Learn about Beau who is a Natural Highs Teen Peer Mentor

• Avani’s life experiences that led to starting Natural Highs

• The origins of Natural Highs

• The potential in trauma, pain, loss and hardship

• The role of non-judgment in Natural Highs

• Natural Highs for Adults

• The Role of the Yerba Mate Ritual in Natural Highs

• The social dynamic in substance use and in sobriety

• A Vision for the future of Natural Highs

• The Online Natural Highs Resources that are going international now

• How to get your FREE Natural Highs Care Packets of inspiration wherever you are in the world

• How to access FREE Natural Highs Online Groups for TEENS

• How to become a Peer Mentor with Natural Highs

• Avani’s message for the world: “Turn your pain into a resource to help others”

• Beau’s message to the world: “Be yourself”

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How you can be part of the Natural Highs Movement More Resources & Next Steps for you:

• To get involved with the Natural Highs Community: www.naturalhighs.org

• To get your FREE Natural Highs Care Packets by email: Sign up at www.naturalhighs.org

• To support Natural Highs: https://www.naturalhighs.org/support-us

• Christine Caldwell (1996). Getting Our Bodies Back: Recovery, Healing, and Transformation through Body-Centered Psychotherapy

• William Miller, Stephen Rollnick (2012): Motivational Interviewing. Helping People Change

• Rona Wilensky, Founder of New Vista High School, at https://passageworks.org/author/ronawilensky Want to connect with Natural Highs?

• Get connected at www.naturalhighs.org

• Sign up for FREE emails for current groups & events: naturalhighs.org

• Connect with us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/naturalhighsofficial/

• Connect with us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naturalhighsofficial/

• Questions? Get in touch with Avani – avani@naropa.edu

• Want to be a guest or have a guest recommendation for “This BADASS Sober LIFE” Podcast? Get in touch with Avani – avani@naropa.edu

• We would love to hear your FEEDBACK: avani@naropa.edu

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Be well and live your BEST “BADASS Sober Life”!!!

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