Broken-ish

by Roman Braly, Christopher Bennett

Self-Improvement Mental Health

Season 1

Hope Hurts

Homelessness is one of the most talked-about issues in America. But how much do we actually understand about it? In this episode of Inside Ava Health, we sit down with leaders working directly on the front lines in Grand Junction, Colorado to unpack what’s really happening behind the scenes. No politics. No headlines. Just real conversations. Here’s what we explore: • Why 75 to 90 percent of people living on the streets do not actually want to be there • The real barriers beyond “mental health and addiction” • Why “housing first” isn’t the full solution • What happens when hope gets crushed over and over • Why funding structures are creating unintended barriers • The loss of resource centers and what that means for communities • How innovative models like “Stand Down” changed lives • What communities must understand if we want real change One powerful truth from this conversation: “Hope hurts.” When people try, and try, and try again only to hit closed doors, long waitlists, rising rents, and shifting funding priorities, eventually they stop believing anything will change. And that’s when we lose them. This episode is about restoring dignity, rebuilding trust, and rethinking how communities show up for the people who need us most. If you care about homelessness, mental health, addiction, or the future of your community, this is a conversation you need to hear. — Guests this episode include Chris Masters with Homeward Bound of Grand Valley and Philip Masters with United Way Mesa County. Ava Health is a full continuum behavioral health and addiction treatment provider serving Colorado. If you or someone you love needs help, call us. Recovery is possible. 📞 Learn more: www.HelloAvaHealth.com 📍 Grand Junction, Colorado Subscribe for more real conversations from the front lines of behavioral health and recovery.

I was a failure: I felt so ashamed I couldn't tell anyone

Most people only show the highlight reel. This episode is about everything they hide. In this raw, unfiltered conversation, Chris sits down with David Purinton, CFO, partner, and one of the most quietly resilient humans he knows, to talk about what success actually looks like when you zoom out. Not the wins. The failures. The shame. The jobs you never put on your resume. The moments where you’re convinced you are the failure. From working in plastic factories and picking up dog shit… To eviction notices, food banks, addiction, and starting over from nothing… To building companies, losing them, and learning how to survive the collapse. This episode is for: • Anyone who’s been laid off and feels lost • Anyone stuck in a job that’s slowly crushing them • Anyone who thinks they’ve fallen too far to come back • Anyone quietly carrying shame they never talk about We talk about: • Failing your way forward • The long-term damage of shame • Why failure feels personal even when it isn’t • Addiction, recovery, and rebuilding trust with yourself • Losing a company you poured your soul into • How hope actually comes back, slowly and imperfectly No fake motivation. No hustle culture nonsense. No “10 steps to success.” Just two humans telling the truth about what it really costs to keep going. If you’re in a heavy season, this one’s for you. 👇 Drop a comment if this hit close to home 👍 Like if you believe failure isn’t the end 🔔 Subscribe for more Broken-ish conversations about real life, recovery, and becoming human again

The Healthcare Lie

What if the biggest problem in behavioral health isn’t lack of care, but monetized chaos? In this episode of Inside Ava Health, we have an unfiltered conversation about how confusion, vague timelines, hidden rules, and “clinical complexity” are often built into the structure of treatment systems and how that chaos dysregulates families before care even begins. We explore why transparency is not a marketing tactic, but a form of care. This episode dives into: How families and clients are harmed by unclear expectations and moving goalposts Why “30 days” so often turns into 45 and what that says about integrity The difference between simplicity and oversimplification in treatment How fear and urgency get monetized in admissions and marketing What ethical profit margins actually look like in behavioral health Why clients and families must be treated as the experts on themselves How reinvesting into staff, culture, food, facilities, and people changes outcomes What behavioral health care should have been from the beginning We also share the lived experience, burnout, mistakes, and hard-earned wisdom that brought us together to build Ava Health. Not to disrupt an industry for attention, but to create a model rooted in dignity, choice, transparency, and trust. If you are a family member trying to help someone you love, a clinician who feels disillusioned by broken systems, or a professional who knows this field can do better, this conversation is for you. This isn’t a pitch. It’s a philosophy of care. Inside Ava Health is about telling the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable, and building something better because of it.

Is Communication Actually Bullshit

In this episode of Brokenish, we ask a question a lot of men quietly feel but rarely say out loud. What if communication isn’t the problem… but expectations are? We dig into why so many men struggle with communication, especially in relationships, and why “just talk more” completely misses the point. From avoiding emotional conversations, to assuming our partners don’t care, to believing we’re supposed to carry everything alone, this episode goes straight at the modern male identity crisis. We talk about: • Why communication is really about what lands, not what you think you said • The hidden ways men unintentionally withhold, protect, or shut down • How childhood patterns shape how we show up as partners and fathers • Why many men don’t know what they need when they’re finally asked • The shift from “provider” to true partnership and why it’s so uncomfortable • What has to die in order for men to actually grow up This is an honest, unfiltered conversation about masculinity, emotional responsibility, relationships, and what it actually means to be a man today. If you’ve ever thought: “I don’t need that much communication.” “Why would anyone want to hear this?” “I don’t want to burden anyone.” or “I don’t even know what I need.” This episode is for you. 🎙 Brokenish is where we sit in the uncomfortable middle of growth, healing, and becoming something better without pretending we have it all figured out.

Sobriety isn't enough

What does recovery really look like when it’s rooted in connection, service, and meeting people exactly where they are? In this episode of Broken-ish, we sit down with Angie, Executive Director of Peer 180, the largest recovery community organization on Colorado’s Western Slope, to talk about the long road from survival to service. Angie’s story starts far from where she is today. At 19 years old, newly sober and running from guns, gangs, and chaos in Detroit, she believed staying clean was enough. What she learned instead was that recovery is about far more than abstinence. It’s about relationships, purpose, and belonging. Through gang involvement, cross-country moves, near-misses, and relentless internal battles, Angie never picked up a drink or a drug. What carried her through was service. Showing up for others when her own life felt unsteady became the foundation of her recovery and eventually her life’s work. In this conversation, we explore: Why sobriety alone isn’t always enough The power and limits of traditional 12-step recovery What “meeting people where they’re at” actually looks like in real life Peer-led recovery and why hierarchy can get in the way of healing How Peer 180 grew from a volunteer effort into a thriving community hub Why dignity, choice, and inclusion save lives And how connection, not correction, creates lasting change This episode is honest, nuanced, and deeply human. It challenges rigid ideas about recovery while honoring what works. It’s about walking with people instead of telling them where they should be. Whether you’re in recovery, love someone who is, or work in mental health or addiction treatment, this conversation will change the way you think about healing, community, and hope

Passion Meets Purpose

In this episode of Broken-ish, we move out of the heaviness and into the hope. Not the fake, motivational quote kind. The real kind that comes from doing hard things, telling the truth, and staying in the work long enough to see something take shape. Using Tupac’s The Rose That Grew from Concrete as a backdrop, we get into what happens when passion and purpose finally line up, and why most people don’t “find” their passion at all. They build it through service, skill, relationships, and repetition. We talk about: Why living only in self-reflection can keep you stuck How helping one person can turn into helping thousands The role ambition plays without turning into ego Why relationships matter more than credentials or modalities What it really means to build trust, culture, and impact And how meaningful work often grows out of uncomfortable seasons This is a raw conversation about leadership, growth, helping others, and building something that actually matters. In life, in business, and in recovery. If you have ever felt stuck in the concrete If you are questioning your purpose If you want to help people but also want more for your life If you are building something and feeling the weight of it This episode is for you. We are not broken. We are broken-ish. And something real is growing.

2026 Ruthless Execution

What happens when an idea turns into something real? When comfort disappears and growth takes its place? In this end-of-year episode of Broken-ish, we sit down to reflect on everything 2025 brought, both personally and professionally. We start light with a surprisingly passionate debate about The Nightmare Before Christmas, then move into deeper conversations about fantasy vs realism, creativity, and how those same themes show up in real life. From there, we unpack what it actually looked like to build Ava Health from the ground up in one year. The wins, the chaos, the late nights, the lessons, and the moments where everything felt uncertain. In this episode, we talk about: • Going from an idea to a fully functioning organization • Building culture, trust, and alignment without traditional recruiting • Leadership, identity, and learning to stay present • Fatherhood, relationships, sobriety, and personal growth • Letting go of routine and learning how to adapt in real time This isn’t a highlight reel or a motivational speech. It’s an honest reflection on building while becoming, and what growth actually costs when you’re in it. If you’re building something, navigating change, or trying to figure out your next chapter, this conversation will resonate. Drop a comment and tell us if you’re more Tim Burton or Christopher Nolan. Like, subscribe, and share if this episode hit for you.

Hope is real: from Rap music to serving the homeless

What happens when the spotlight fades—and purpose shows up? In this unforgettable episode of Broken-ish, we sit down with a man whose life reads like a movie script: from touring as a rapper inspired by 8 Mile, to jail, to rebuilding his life—and now leading frontline outreach for the unhoused. This isn’t a “feel-good” story. It’s a real one. You’ll hear what the music industry doesn’t prepare you for. What jail can take from you—and what it can give you. And why listening might be the most powerful tool we have to change lives. Our guest shares how losing everything forced him to ask one honest question: “If there’s more to life than this… show me.” What happened next changed not only his life—but the lives of hundreds of others. This episode will challenge how you think about: Homelessness Recovery Success And what it actually means to make a difference If you’ve ever felt broken, stuck, or unsure if change is possible—this conversation is for you. Most people look away from homelessness. This episode looks straight at it—with honesty, compassion, and lived experience. You’ll walk away with: A deeper understanding A shifted perspective And a reminder that hope isn’t abstract—it’s built through people Guest info: Philip Masters (Homeless Outreach Coordinator), United Way Mesa County

Fatherless Generation

In this powerful and brutally honest episode of Broken-ish, we dive into the silent crisis shaping an entire generation of men. From abandonment to emotional abuse, from addiction to incarceration, from chasing approval to losing ourselves completely, we speak the truth that so many men live but never talk about. 🎙 In this episode: • What really happens to boys who grow up without strong male role models • How distorted masculinity forms and destroys lives • The deep need for approval that can never be filled • Why gangs, addiction, and crime feel like masculinity to fatherless boys • Generational trauma and the men who choose to break the cycle • Redefining manhood with strength that looks nothing like what we were taught This is not a pity party. This is a wake up call and a roadmap for men who want to do better, be better, and raise better. If you grew up fatherless, If you are a father trying to get it right, Or if you are healing from what you never received, This episode will hit deep. 👉 Like, comment, and share your story below. Let’s open the conversation men have avoided for far too long. Subscribe for more real, unfiltered conversations on growth, healing, and becoming the man you were meant to be.

The Problem Isn’t the Program

Families don’t come to treatment looking for education — they come looking for answers. But what if the most ethical thing we can say is: there is no single answer? In this episode of Inside Ava Health, a panel of experienced therapeutic consultants challenges long-held assumptions about treatment, cost, outcomes, and control. From private-pay vs. community care to data transparency and long-term wellness, this conversation asks the harder questions the industry often avoids. You’ll hear real insights on: Why expectations often become premeditated resentments How rigidity and “the way it’s always been done” are failing families The limits of outcome data and completion rates Why collaboration beats competition in behavioral health What true long-term care should actually optimize for This episode is not about selling certainty — it’s about building sustainable, human-centered care in an uncertain system. Meet Our Guests Joanna Lilley, M.A., NCC (She/Hers), Lilley Consulting Website: www.lilleyconsulting.com Email: joanna@lilleyconsulting.com Phone: 970-218-9958 Shayna Abraham, M.A. (She/Her), Prepare To Bloom, LLC Website: PrepareToBloom.com Cell: 650-888-4575 Conference: 925-291-7007 John Conway, LCSW, CADC (He/Him/His), Conway Therapeutic Consulting Website: www.conwaytherapeuticconsulting.com Email: john@conwaytherapeuticconsulting.com Office: 847-242-1978 Cell: 815-814-1469

3 of 4