Artist Recovery Podcast

Artist Recovery Podcast S2 Ep. 25: James Walters: Joyful Rebellion & Reinventing Your Creative Life

What happens when hard-earned success starts to feel empty?  This deeply honest conversation of the Artist Recovery Podcast, host Rich Wright sits down with accomplished wedding photographer turned storyteller James Walters to explore three-plus decades behind the camera, the slow unraveling that comes with life's hard resets, and the path back to joy, creativity, and authentic self-expression. James is the author of the memoir "Accessory to Marriage: Chronicles of Outrageousness from My Life as a Wedding Photographer," host of the Joyful Rebellion podcast, and a creative mentor helping others tell their stories through photography, video, and audio. A self-described INFP innovator, dad, and educator, James blends humor, southern roots, and deep introspection into a conversation every sensitive, heart-centered creative needs to hear. From a sleepy 1970s beach town in Wilmington, North Carolina to the windowless commercial studios of High Point, James shares how a kid who rode his bike everywhere and observed the world from the corner of the room became a master of light and story. He opens up about the moment a high school guidance counselor changed his life, why he learned to advocate for himself early, and how he discovered that the camera matters far less than the human relationships in front of it. This conversation goes far beyond photography. James and Rich dig into the cost of "robot mode," the trauma response many creatives recognize when life demands we hold it all together. James shares his journey through loss, the end of a marriage, a late ADD diagnosis at 40, and the systems he built to reclaim his life. Together they explore the courage it takes, especially for men, to sit down with a therapist and let the guard down. You will hear powerful, practical wisdom for creatives at every stage: Why saying no protects your creative journey, and why "no" feels scary for different reasons early and late in your career. ~How to problem-solve in impossible moments and turn a hard situation into something beautiful. ~Why work that captures people increases in value over time, while commercial work fades. ~How to ramp up complexity and challenge yourself so your craft keeps growing. ~The Steve Miller "greatest hits" lesson that reshaped how James thinks about creativity and meeting your audience where they are. This is a conversation about personal reinvention, self-discovery, and using art to author your own life. If you have ever done all the things you were told would make you happy and still felt empty, James offers a roadmap for the joyful rebellion that follows. Connect with James: Website: https://jameswalters.com Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-walters-57136326 Join Podmatch: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/artistrecovery Dyslexia Classes: https://www.skool.com/dyslexia-classes #JamesWalters #ArtistRecoveryPodcast #richwrightartist  #JoyfulRebellion #CreativeReinvention #WeddingPhotography #photographers  #CreativeBurnout #FindingJoy #PersonalReinvention #MentalHealthForCreatives #ADDDiagnosis #TherapyForMen #SayingNo #AuthenticExpression #HeartCenteredCreatives #SensitiveSoul #StorytellingThroughPhotography #CreativeMentor #INFP #LifeHardResets #RobotMode #CreativeJourney #PhotographyCareer #ObserverMindset #SelfAdvocacy #CommercialPhotography #Memoir #AccessoryToMarriage #ReclaimingCreativity #richwrightunlimited #richwrightunltd #beaguest #podmatchguest  ⁨@PodMatch_com⁩ [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UC4DJzxAgjypfUeS-mNgi-Jg]  Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2457939/support] Always remember, Listen to your Heart and Be Kind to Your Mind! -Rich Wright Follow us here: https://www.theartistrecovery.com [https://www.theartistrecovery.com] Join the Community: https://www,artrecroom.com [https://www,artrecroom.com] Listen Weekly at: https://www.artistrecoverypodcast.com [https://www.artistrecoverypodcast.com] Connect: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/theartrec] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/theartrec] X [https://www.x.com/TheArtistRec] TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@theartrec] Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/richwrightunltd]

Artist Recovery Podcast S2 Ep. 24: Courtney Barriger, Eco-Fashion Designer, Artist and Author

What happens when a homeschooled girl from suburban Florida follows the spark of creativity across continents, careers, and a complete reinvention of the fashion industry? This conversation of the Artist Recovery Podcast revolves around the life of Courtney Barriger, author, eco-fashion designer, filmmaker, and founder of the sustainable clothing label Holding Court. Courtney shares the full arc of her creative journey, from making weekend movies at her aunt and uncle's house as a kid, to being discovered at 16 for an MTV music video, to walking London Fashion Week and winning awards on the film festival circuit. Along the way she opens up about the lessons that shaped her: learning that finishing a project does not always bring the recognition you imagine, releasing the grip of ego, and discovering that you can do everything you love, just not all at the same time. This conversation goes deep into the heart of what it means to be a multi-passionate creative. Courtney and Rich explore the difference between chasing outcomes and honoring the experience of making art, the strange and humbling world of casting calls and reality television, and the moment a car accident and a long recovery led Courtney to commit fully to a life as an artist. We also dig into the work that ties it all together: sustainable fashion. Courtney explains how a reality show called America's It Girl, prizes that evaporated and all, ultimately pointed her toward a mission of healing the planet through ethical design. She breaks down the three pillars of Holding Court: information on sustainability, the sustainable clothing itself, and storytelling. That storytelling now includes Refashion Workshop, her book that is being used in design school curriculums, and The Royal Robe, an environmental fable for children that is being developed into an animated film. Courtney and Rich return to a theme close to every sensitive soul and heart-centered creative: Where do ideas come from? Courtney describes inspiration as something that falls from the sky, pieces of information clicking into place, and the artist's obligation to honor that fleeting spark before it disappears. They talk honestly about the darkness that can take root when creativity goes unexpressed, and the freedom that comes from finally putting your work out into the world. Connect with Coutney: Website: https://www.courtneybarriger.com Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtney-barriger-4764402a Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/courtneybarriger Connect with Rich: Artist Rich Wright’s WOW Essential Spirit Paintings: ⁠https://www.theartistrecovery.com/white-owl-wisdom-1 Join Podmatch: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/artistrecovery Dyslexia Classes: https://www.skool.com/dyslexia-classes #CourtneyBarriger #ArtistRecoveryPodcast #EcoFashion #SustainableFashion #EthicalFashion #HoldingCourt #RefashionWorkshop #TheRoyalRobe #CreativeJourney #MultiPassionate #ArtistInterview #FashionDesigner #AmericasItGirl #CreativePath #CreativeInspiration #ArtistMindset #SustainableClothing #HeartCenteredCreative #CreativeEntrepreneur #AuthorInterview #AnimatedFilm #FollowYourCreativity #richwrightartist #richwrightunltd #richwrightunlimited #beaguest #podmatchguest  ⁨@PodMatch_com⁩ [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UC4DJzxAgjypfUeS-mNgi-Jg]  Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2457939/support] Always remember, Listen to your Heart and Be Kind to Your Mind! -Rich Wright Follow us here: https://www.theartistrecovery.com [https://www.theartistrecovery.com] Join the Community: https://www,artrecroom.com [https://www,artrecroom.com] Listen Weekly at: https://www.artistrecoverypodcast.com [https://www.artistrecoverypodcast.com] Connect: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/theartrec] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/theartrec] X [https://www.x.com/TheArtistRec] TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@theartrec] Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/richwrightunltd]

Artist Recovery Podcast S2 Ep. 23 | Scott Wells: Marked by the Ouija, Rosa Parks & Healing in Nature

What happens when a Ouija board becomes a doorway you never meant to open? Best-selling thriller and horror author Scott Wells joins Rich Wright on the Artist Recovery Podcast to share the true, spine-chilling experience behind his book "Marked by the Ouija," a story so haunting it includes a death threat that came true exactly two years later, to the date. But this conversation goes far deeper than the paranormal. Scott opens up about growing up Mormon in small-town Idaho, the internalized shame of hiding who he was, and the years of inner turmoil that eventually led to homelessness, living out of a white Geo Metro with everything he owned in the trunk. He shares the pivotal moments and people who pulled him back: a brother who tossed him a book, a teacher who told him he only got "two bad days a year," and an unforgettable friendship with Rosa Parks during his mission in Detroit, complete with chased-down ice cream trucks and a kindness he still carries today. Rich and Scott explore the threads that connect creativity, spirituality, and survival. They talk about the soul staying the same even as the shell changes, incarnation and the eternal nature of consciousness, and why nature is one of the most powerful tools for mental clarity, healing, and reclaiming your sense of self. Scott also reveals the chilling true story behind his upcoming novel "Phantom Ranch," a real-life encounter in the Grand Canyon with a man he later recognized at a murder trial. This is a conversation about not judging a book by its cover, about facing fear by understanding it, and about how our hardest experiences can become the very thing that helps someone else feel less alone. WHAT WE COVER IN THIS EPISODE: The true story behind "Marked by the Ouija" and the threat that came true ~Growing up Mormon, internalized homophobia, and the long road to self-acceptance ~An extraordinary friendship with Rosa Parks in Detroit ~Surviving homelessness and the book that changed everything ~Incarnation, the soul, and connecting with loved ones on the other side ~The chilling real events behind the upcoming novel "Phantom Ranch" ~Why nature is medicine for mental clarity, anxiety, and creative burnout ~How storytelling creates safe spaces for healing paranormal and personal trauma Connect with Scott: Website: https://www.scottwellsauthor.com Insta: https://www.instagram.com/explorelife_outside Youtube:  @explorelifeoutside7138 [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCnjmIVRz2boDWxfjh2S2pSg] Join Podmatch: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/artistrecovery Dyslexia Classes: https://www.skool.com/dyslexia-classes #ArtistRecoveryPodcast #ScottWells #MarkedByTheOuija #OuijaBoard #ParanormalStories #TrueParanormal #RealGhostStory #PhantomRanch #RobertDurst #TrueCrime #SerialKiller #RosaParks #ComingOut #LGBTQStories #OvercomingHomelessness #MagicOfThinkingBig #MentalHealth #CreativeBurnout #HealingInNature #Grounding #NatureTherapy #Spirituality #Reincarnation #LifeAfterDeath #ThrillerAuthor #HorrorAuthor #Storytelling #SelfAcceptance #PersonalGrowth #SoulForward #richwrightartist #richwrightunlimited #richwrightunltd #beaguest #podmatchguest  @PodMatch_com [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UC4DJzxAgjypfUeS-mNgi-Jg] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2457939/support] Always remember, Listen to your Heart and Be Kind to Your Mind! -Rich Wright Follow us here: https://www.theartistrecovery.com [https://www.theartistrecovery.com] Join the Community: https://www,artrecroom.com [https://www,artrecroom.com] Listen Weekly at: https://www.artistrecoverypodcast.com [https://www.artistrecoverypodcast.com] Connect: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/theartrec] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/theartrec] X [https://www.x.com/TheArtistRec] TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@theartrec] Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/richwrightunltd]

Artist Recovery Podcast S2 Ep. 22 | From Boxed In to Breaking Out: Cathelina Duvert's Story

What happens when the people who are supposed to guide you tell you that you don't belong? For author and educator Cathelina Duvert, that question became the seed of a lifetime of creative recovery, deep self-discovery, and ultimately, a debut novel born from the pain she refused to keep carrying alone. In this episode of the Artist Recovery Podcast, Rich Wright sits down with Cathelina Duvert, a Hofstra University graduate, award-winning author, mental health advocate, and seventh and ninth grade ELA teacher from Queens, New York. Her debut novel, The Box, explores identity, depression, and resilience, and it carries the weight of everything she once kept hidden. Cathelina opens up about growing up Haitian American in a strict Queens household, being a twin who felt perpetually in the shadow of her sister's social world, and discovering early on that writing was the one place she felt truly herself. From stapling together handmade books for her father to read, to carrying a green notebook filled with forced rhymes and secret poems, her creative life was always burning underneath the surface, even when no one around her could see it. A guidance counselor told her she was wasting her money applying to Hofstra University. She got in anyway, and in her very first semester, earned straight A's for the first time in her life. This episode goes deep into the moments that shaped her: the childhood anxiety that went unnamed for years, the sexual trauma at age twelve that became the hidden root of her depression, the sister who ultimately saw her struggling and pushed her toward therapy, the Manhattan publishing world that lit her up creatively and socially, and the slow, deliberate process of transferring her pain onto the page by giving it all to her main character. Cathelina also shares the story of founding a creative writing club at her school, applying for a grant, and guiding her students through publishing their own book, Masquerade of Lies, and what it felt like to watch their faces the moment they saw their names in print. This is a conversation about the audacity to create when the world has told you not to, the healing that lives inside the writing, and what it means to finally give your story permission to exist. Topics Covered: ~Growing up in a strict Haitian American household in Queens, NY ~Early signs of creativity, anxiety, and introversion ~Being told by educators you don't belong, and proving them wrong ~Discovering a new way to study and earning straight A's at Hofstra ~Childhood sexual trauma and its connection to lifelong depression ~Writing as therapy, healing, and identity ~Self-publishing The Box and navigating the indie literary world ~Founding a student creative writing club and publishing Masquerade of Lies ~The audacity creatives need to share their work with the world Connect with Cathelina: Website: https://cathelinaduvert.com Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathelina-duvert-b95b97304 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cathelinaduvert FB: https://www.facebook.com/TheBoxTheBook TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@UCmXCJwm_yFyx-bumAZh1J7g Youtube:  @CathelinaDuvert [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCmXCJwm_yFyx-bumAZh1J7g]  Join Podmatch:  https://www.joinpodmatch.com/artistre... Dyslexia Classes: https://www.skool.com/dyslexia-classes #ArtistRecoveryPodcast #CreativeRecovery #CreativeBurnout #DepressionAndCreativity #WritingAsHealing #BlackAuthors #IndiePublishing #SelfPublishing #HaitianAmericanAuthor #WomenWriters #MentalHealthAndCreativity #IntrovertCreator #AnxietyAndCreativity #DebutNovel #TheBoxNovel #CreativeWritingTeacher #LiteraryFiction #CreativeWritingClub #ChildhoodTraumaAndCreativity #OvercomingSelfDoubt #CreativeConfidence #ImposterSyndrome #SensitiveCreative #WritingPoetry #FindingYourVoice #FirstGenerationCollegeStudent #Storytelling #AuthorsWhoTeach #WomenInLiterature #CreativeHealingJourney #BlackWomenWriters #InnerChildCreativity #richwrightartist #richwrightunlimited #richwrightunltd #beaguest #podmatchguest  @PodMatch_com [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UC4DJzxAgjypfUeS-mNgi-Jg] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2457939/support] Always remember, Listen to your Heart and Be Kind to Your Mind! -Rich Wright Follow us here: https://www.theartistrecovery.com [https://www.theartistrecovery.com] Join the Community: https://www,artrecroom.com [https://www,artrecroom.com] Listen Weekly at: https://www.artistrecoverypodcast.com [https://www.artistrecoverypodcast.com] Connect: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/theartrec] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/theartrec] X [https://www.x.com/TheArtistRec] TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@theartrec] Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/richwrightunltd]

Artist Recovery Podcast S2 Ep. 21 | From CNN to Fiction: John DeDakis on Writing, Grief & Healing

What happens when a 25-year CNN veteran, a former White House correspondent who interviewed both Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter, a decorated thriller novelist, and a grief-through-writing advocate all walk into the same conversation? You get John DeDakis — and one of the most unexpectedly profound episodes of this entire season. John is the creator of the acclaimed Lark Chadwick mystery suspense series, a six-novel run with his latest, Enemies Domestic, taking the grand prize at the Chanticleer International Book Awards. He's also a highly sought-after writing coach, manuscript editor, and workshop leader — but none of that is the real story. The real story is how a shy, self-described "scaredy-cat" kid from La Crosse, Wisconsin became someone who has spent his life excavating the human condition — one story, one question, one grief at a time. In this episode, Rich and John go deep — not just on craft, but on what it means to be a man who listens, feels, and heals. In this conversation: ~Growing up in La Crosse — a stable, love-anchored childhood and why John says he was "born on second base" ~How the Vietnam War, the draft, and a campus radio station at the University of Wisconsin set his entire trajectory ~Enlisting to avoid the draft — and landing in Germany where his very first interview was with Alfred Hitchcock ~ 25 years at CNN and what it really felt like inside The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer ~ Why journalism was the perfect fit for a man who didn't want to pick a side — and why that matters more now than ever ~ The origin of Lark Chadwick — a 20-something female protagonist written by a man, and what writing her revealed about gender, safety, and emotional intelligence ~ What men get wrong about women — in relationships, in the room, and in conversation ~ The powerful truth that "women are always playing defense" — and why every man needs to sit with that ~ Grief as a creative catalyst — from witnessing a fatal car-train collision at age nine, to his sister's suicide, to losing his son to a heroin overdose ~ Why writing is not just craft — it's catharsis, and how mining your pain produces your most authentic work ~ The memoir — Plot Twists: A Memoir on Writing and Living — coming later in 2026 Connect with John: Website: https://johndedakis.com Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-dedakis-4b09a34 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dedakisjohn FB: https://www.facebook.com/john.dedakis Join Podmatch:  https://www.joinpodmatch.com/artistrecovery Dyslexia Classes: https://www.skool.com/dyslexia-classes #ArtistRecoveryPodcast #CreativeRecovery #MentalHealthForCreatives #JohnDeDakis #CNN #ThrillerAuthor #WritingCoach #LarkChadwick #GriefAndWriting #WritingTherapy #MensMentalHealth #MenAndGrief #MaleEmotionalHealth #EmpathyForMen #FemalePOV #WritingFiction #CreativeHealing #GriefProcessing #BeYourOwnAdvocate #TherapyForMen #SuicideSurvivor #CreativePivot #TransferableSkills #PlotTwistsMemoiir #JournalingForHealth #SubconsciousWriting #StorytellingTherapy #CNNInsider #WolfBlitzer #richwrightartist #richwrightunlimited #richwrightunltd #artistrecoverypodcast #beaguest #podmatchguest #WhiteHouseCorrespondent #ReaganInterview #AlfredHitchcock #VietnamWarDraft #ArmyJournalism #EnemiesDomestic #ThrillerWriting #WritingAcrossGender  ⁨@PodMatch_com⁩ [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UC4DJzxAgjypfUeS-mNgi-Jg]  #WomenAndSafety #RelationshipsAndListening #LoveIsAChoice Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2457939/support] Always remember, Listen to your Heart and Be Kind to Your Mind! -Rich Wright Follow us here: https://www.theartistrecovery.com [https://www.theartistrecovery.com] Join the Community: https://www,artrecroom.com [https://www,artrecroom.com] Listen Weekly at: https://www.artistrecoverypodcast.com [https://www.artistrecoverypodcast.com] Connect: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/theartrec] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/theartrec] X [https://www.x.com/TheArtistRec] TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@theartrec] Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/richwrightunltd]