BRN Podcast: Buddhist Recovery Network

⚠️Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussion of suicidal ideation
In this episode of the BRN podcast, host Beth Herzig speaks with Chris Warner, a therapist and board member of the Buddhist Recovery Network. Chris shares her personal journey of recovery from addiction, emphasizing the importance of mindfulness, trauma awareness, and community support. She discusses how her spiritual practices have intertwined with her recovery process and the role of compassion in therapy. Chris encourages listeners to explore their own sacred paths and take actionable steps towards healing and connection.
Chris Warner Chris Warner, M.Ed., CYT, ISTT, works as an international trauma therapist and addiction recovery specialist and is a longtime dharma, meditation, breathwork, and yoga teacher. Chris is also an adoptee and a recovered person, thriving on a lifelong path of discovery, and her daily life, her practice, her teaching and service work, and her professional psychotherapeutic efforts are all grounded in compassionately upholding the innate dignity and rights of all people, in guarding the preciousness of this planet, and with the deep wish that all beings be protected and safe, that all beings know contentment, and well-being, that all beings live in peace, with ease.
In private practice, Chris offers adult individual, couples, and group trauma therapy worldwide online, and she also facilitates mindfulness-based psychoeducational, skills, and processing groups open to the public, as well as in residential addiction treatment facilities and with incarcerated persons in corrections facilities. Additionally, Chris leads a weekly Sangha for mindful recovery on select Sunday mornings, offers online sitting groups at various times throughout the year, teaches meditation, breathwork, and yoga classes, and hosts a variety of recovery meetings. She is also a wife, a Japanese Chin mama, a sister and aunt, a cousin and niece, a daughter and a granddaughter, a friend and neighbor, an art-lover, a chef, gardener, poet, writer, beach-walker, nonviolent activist, and an avid reader and lifelong learner.
Chris’s Buddhist trainings include taking Refuge and the Mindfulness Trainings from her root teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, in 2009, as well as participating in retreats and working with beloved teachers Pema Chödrön, Sylvia Boorstein, Jack Kornfield, Sharon Salzberg, Larry Rosenberg, Matthew Daniel, Matthew Brensilver, and Kevin Griffin. Chris is not a lineage holder, and, while she has no current ordination plans, etc., she open-heartedly awaits further unfolding and continues her studies and daily practice. In addition to serving as a current BRN board member, Chris also serves on the Ethics Council for EK (Evolving Kundalini), and she continues to serve as an intern for a variety of Compassionate Inquiry© groups dedicated to bringing compassionate practice to the world scaffolded by the work of Dr. Gabor Matѐ. Chris offers complimentary Consult & Connection calls for anyone considering therapy, and she can be reached through her website, where you’ll also find Zoom links for Sunday Sangha and information on other public offerings: ⁠https://www.chriswarnertherapy.com/⁠

In this episode of the Buddhist Recovery Network podcast, host Beth Herzig speaks with Walt Opie, the board president of the Buddhist Recovery Network. Walt shares his journey through recovery, his introduction to Buddhism and meditation, and his experiences teaching in prisons. The conversation explores the intersection of Buddhist teachings and recovery, the importance of community, and the upcoming summit focused on Buddhist tools for real recovery. Walt emphasizes the significance of mindfulness, self-love, and the role of gratitude in the recovery process.

Walt's journey into recovery began at a young age with alcohol and marijuana.
He discovered meditation during a period of grounding in high school.
Walt's first encounter with Buddhism was through literature and music.
He moved to California seeking a broader experience and community.
Walt's teaching journey began after he recognized the need for more Buddhist recovery support.
Mindfulness is a core teaching that helps prevent relapse in recovery.
Walt emphasizes the importance of community in recovery settings.
Teaching in prisons provided profound insights and connections for Walt.
The upcoming summit will explore various types of addiction and recovery.
Walt's current practice focuses on being present and reducing self-centeredness.

Connect with Walt Opie via his website

Read more and Register for the BRN SUMMIT : Facing Our Inner Demons: Tools for Real Recovery October 18-19, 2025

Insight Recovery Sangha

Join Kevin Griffin and Claude AnShin Thomas as they delve into the profound intersections of sobriety and spirituality. In this episode, Claude shares his transformative journey from a Vietnam veteran to a Zen Buddhist monk, highlighting the essential role of spiritual practice in recovery. Discover how the teachings of the Dharma and the 12-step program intertwine to offer healing and growth, and explore the power of mindfulness in overcoming personal struggles. Tune in for an inspiring conversation about finding peace amidst life's challenges.

To Connect With Claude AnShin Thomas: https://www.zaltho.org/

Read At Hell's Gate and Claude AnShin Thomas' books.

Claude AnShin will be a keynote speaker at our Summit happening October 18-19, 2025.

Join us for a weekend of deep Dharma, honest recovery, and transformative practice—at our 2025 Buddhist Recovery Network Online Gathering.

✨ It all begins Saturday, October 18th, with a grounding morning meditation led by Dalila Bothwell, followed by a keynote that will stay with you long after the weekend ends.
Zen monk and Vietnam veteran Claude AnShin Thomas will offer “At Hell’s Gate: Meeting Mara on the Path of Recovery.” He speaks from real, lived experience—war, addiction, homelessness, and awakening. Through Buddhist insight and raw personal truth, Claude will show us how to meet our inner demons—not with fear, but with compassion and mindfulness.
We’ll continue throughout the weekend with rich panels, honest dialogue, and a closing keynote conversation on Sunday with two of the most respected names in Buddhist recovery: Kevin Griffin and Vimalasara (Dr. Valerie Mason-John).
They’ll share the tools that have carried them—and can carry you—through the hardest moments on the path of recovery.
🧘‍♀️ Whether you’re new to recovery, deep in practice, or simply seeking support, this event is for you.
Read the full schedule and register now 2025 BRN Online Summit Facing Our Inner Demons: Tools for Real Recovery
Let’s meet Mara with awareness. Let’s recover together.

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Cathryn Jacob—retired doctor, meditation teacher, and co-founder of Raft to Recovery. Cathryn shares her personal recovery journey and how Buddhist practice, psychology, and neuroscience come together in her work supporting others on the path of healing. A board member of the Buddhist Recovery Network, Cathryn brings both professional insight and lived experience to her teaching. We explore the importance of wise connection, compassionate community, and the role of mindfulness in transforming addictive patterns.
Cathryn will also be leading the upcoming BRN Academy event on August 3, 2025, titled "Building a RAFT: From Addicted Doctor to Freedom"This session offers an experiential exploration of how authentic relationships can support recovery and awakening. Offered on a dana basis, registration is open now.
Learn more and register at: https://givebutter.com/AUG2025

To find our more about Raft to Freedom visit the website here: https://raft2freedom.org/

⚠️ Trigger Warning:This episode contains discussion of suicide, grief, and traumatic loss. Please listen with care.
In this powerful and unflinchingly honest episode, Buddhist teacher and punk rocker Mikey Livid shares his journey from bar fights and blackout nights to Buddhist practice, pastoral counseling, and teaching on death row. Mikey speaks with raw compassion about grief, addiction, and the punk scene that first gave him permission to scream about suffering—and the Dharma that taught him how to sit with it.
He and host Beth Herzig explore the transformative potential of loving-kindness meditation, the value of authentic service in recovery, and Mikey’s upcoming book Blood, Guts and Buddhism. From horror movies to heartbreak, this conversation covers the full spectrum of what it means to be human—and to meet it all with love.

More about Mikey:
Mikey Livid (he/him) is a Buddhist teacher, author, and counselor. Mikey is the guiding teacher at Wild Heart Meditation Center in Nashville, TN. He regularly brings Buddhist meditation classes into addiction treatment centers, prisons, and a variety of settings. Mikey is the author of his upcoming book Blood, Guts, & Buddhism: The Dharma of Horror Movies, Heartbreak, and The Nature of Suffering. Mikey is the co-host of the punk rock, mental health podcast Punks On Hope and is the singer for the punk band The Rip Taylors.
LINKS:
https://linktr.ee/MikeyLivid
https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org

Join Us for the BRN JULY ACADEMY WITH MIKEY LIVID
https://givebutter.com/JULY25