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Jay is in quarantine with Covid in a hotel room on Daniel Island outside Charleston, SC. Luckily he had one of his backup mics with him so you get a quick update on this week off.
Discussing issues of Mental Health, Substance Misuse and Recovery, and Drug Use & Policy with host Jay Shifman, Speaker, Storyteller, and Advocate.
Each week Jay chats with interesting guests as they seek to destroy stigma and advocate for honest, educational conversations that motivate positive change.
You can learn more at https://jay.campsite.bio/.
Choose Your Struggle has been streamed in over thirty-five countries and is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever else you get your podcasts.
Leave a review! https://ReviewThisPodcast.com/Choose-Your-Struggle
*** Transcripts are not edited for clarity.
Hey everyone. I . I know I said I'd be off this week and I am, there is no interview this week. I did want to give a quick, uh, message about a couple of different things. I'm recording this on Thursday, the 16th, the day before it drops from a hotel room on Daniel island, outside of Charleston, South Carolina.
And if that sounds familiar to some of y'all who've been listening since season one, it is because yes, this is where I lived for the first, uh, season and a half of this show. Oh man. What a cruel cruel, cruel joke that I'm back here. So , as I predicted now, as I said was probably gonna happen. My wonderful stepfather, William.
Nope. My wonderful my wonderful step. Father-in-law William passed away Friday night. Uh, for those of you who remember, who have been listening to this show since season one, the reason my wife and I moved to Charleston, South Carolina, was to live near him and my mother-in-law and my brother-in-law the whole family Lauren side as, uh, William wrestled with.
And, uh, he, he sadly lost that battle on Friday night. Uh, I arrived here in Charles since Monday. Um, Before I get to that actually. So Friday night he, he passed away and, uh, that was also game. Uh, would've been what, four game five, uh, five of this, of the NBA finals. Um, I wrote a piece for on medium. It's on medium.
I'm dropping it in the show notes, uh, about sort of those two things. William was not a Celtics fan. He used to watch games with me. Because, uh, I loved this Celtics and, you know, he, he always wanted to see them, some see them win for, for my sake. Um, and so I, I wrote a quick reflection on sort of what it was like, uh, uh, our relationship as, as his health deteriorated and what it was like this Celtics were finally doing well, um, and in the finals and, and, and he couldn't, um, appreciate that.
So, uh, that's in the show notes, please check it. Uh, and, um, I get down here Monday to, to participate in, in just being with the family and sort of the lead up to the Memorial service. Uh, and I start not feeling great Sunday. Um, And I had a cough and I was tired and I thought, you know what? I've been so stressed since Lauren left town and obviously everything that's going on, like who, of course I'm not feeling great, but I get off the plane Monday and I'm, I'm feeling so bad on Monday, right before I get on the plane.
I honestly felt like there is a chance I'm going to need a wheelchair to get off this plane. Like I felt so. I, I haven't felt that bad. I couldn't remember when and I'm I sleep the whole flight and I'm feeling a little better when I get down to Charleston, but I tell Lauren when she picks me up, please have some COVID tests ready for me.
And of course immediately I, I test double positive. I, I. Like I was the poster child for somebody with COVID. So she takes me, we go searching for hotel rooms, which is really difficult because this is tourist season in Charleston. And the only one we can find is on Daniel fucking island and literally down the street from where we used to live.
It's it's just so ironic. So, um, In this, this, uh, time in lockdown, I've done a couple of things. Uh, in the show notes, you'll find links to not one, but two, uh, podcast reviews that I've been doing for great pods. As a reminder, I, I started doing that about six weeks ago, doing a review a week for my buddy, the captain Iran on med over at great pods.
Uh, check that out. Um, you can find them on my website, J shiftman.com. They're also on my medium, uh, which I'm adding to the show notes as well. Uh, but please check him out on great pods. That would make me really happy support Iran, because he's great. And, um, it's been fun writing those reviews, uh, just doing general work, you know, um, been doing a lot of reading.
Um, shout out to my books. Those are on my Instagram right now, but, uh, . You know, it's really just been, it hasn't been the quarantine. Hasn't been hard in that respect. Obviously. I wish I was near Lauren in the family, but, um, it is, you know, I, I've not gone stir crazy. I've had a lot of books and, uh, you know, that kind of thing.
So it is ironic. I will say this. So I am in Charleston Carolina. Um, one of the reasons we left is how this area dealt with COVID. It was very eye opening, but there was a almost Twilight zone moment this morning. As I, as I had my mask on, uh, I have a, I have a surgical mask, uh, not a surgical, uh, one of the ones they recommend peanut, whatever it's.
And I've been using that to go get breakfast in the morning, cuz there's a, a breakfast bar, uh, and, and Lauren, and has been very kind to bring me some food, the rest of the, the, the days. But, um, I walk into the room to get my breakfast. And there's two TVs tuned to Fox news. Every, I mean, there's probably 30 people in this room.
No one's wearing masks. And it was super Twilight zoning that here I am with, COVID doing my absolute best to protect everybody around me and nobody else there cared. It was a really weird moment. And, and, and, uh, it's one, I'll be, I'll be thinking about for a long time. But, uh, the other thing I did while I've been lockdown, two things.
Number one, I had a meeting yesterday with Google. Um, pretty cool. Uh, when I say yesterday, I mean Wednesday, so a couple months ago I applied to be part of their, their podcast podcast cohort. I I'll be honest. I did it on a LA I, I thought I had no chance. Um, And it turns out not only did I have a chance, I made the top 20 out of hundreds of applicants and I got turned down for two reasons.
She, the, the woman was very kind. Um, I, I asked for, when I found out that I didn't make the cut at first, I was, I was like, well, I kind of wish I just had been told, like I wasn't even closed. Right. I mean, to be told that you're in the top 20 out of hundreds. They picked eight or seven or something. It's seven.
I'm gonna put the link in the show notes to their announcement of who they. Um, I wish I had just had been like way down the list. So it was kind of, you know, this silver metal was a little bit worse. Um, but she was very kind to meet with me and sort of explain why. And there was two reasons the first of which was on me completely my fault.
She told me that it was very clear from the application that I hadn't taken this that seriously. And it divided the room because people like her Kaba, others really wanted to choose me anyways, cuz they thought, and this was her words. My podcast needs to exist. It's amazing to hear someone in recovery who works with drug users, talking about this subject, uh, People like her who do this are so tired of the same BS.
And so they love the show. They love the concept. And even though I didn't take out that seriously, they wanted to select me. On the other side, it was people going. This guy is a joke. Like clearly this podcast is great, but if he doesn't care enough to really fill out the application, we can't choose him.
So apparently it created a bit of a stir. Um, and. In her defense, she's not wrong. I didn't take it that seriously because I didn't think I had much of a chance. Um, as a joke, my, my cover letter was I wrote a, a couple of verses, like I wrote, I wrote some rap , um, which is the first time I'd done that a long time.
Uh, but the, the, it says, I guess the Testament to, to this show, I mean, the, the what, how important it can be that even with all that ILO made the top. So that's on me. I need to take things more seriously, even if I don't think I have much of a chance. Uh, and I will take that lesson to heart. The other part she said, the other reason was that I didn't know my audience.
And that is, that is true. I can see that you all are out there. I occasionally get emails from you and those are so meaningful. Um, but you know, when I did that survey back in season one, I think that many responses, um, when I asked people to reach out like on, uh, the, the, um, Pot in box people don't really use it and, and y'all are amazing, but I, I quite frankly don't know who you are.
Um, so that would help me out a lot. Um, again, I, I am, I am so sorry to keep harping on this, but what she told me was that even if I had taken it seriously, it was, I was gonna be like, probably top 10, but I would be like one of the last cuts because I didn't know who my audience was. So, um, Please, uh, reach out on PI inbox.
You can send me an email at J Shiftman, J J shiftman.com or just go to J shiftman.com. And there's a contact me page. Reach out, let me know who you are, let me know who that you're listening. Um, the people who have done. So, you know, I thank you. I, I, I really appreciate those. Uh, so please keep doing so in whatever capacity works, find me on social media, all those links from the show notes.
Uh, you can find everything@jshiftmandotcomorchooseyourstruggle.com. And just let me know who you are. Um, I can see some general information on my podcast host page, but that's super general. So really getting. Are from you, why you listen, what this show means to you? That would mean so much. And it would help me so much in, in future endeavors like that Google application.
So thank you for that in advance. Please reach out final thing. Um, I've been working with T public who does my, my merch. Uh, they've been so kind, very supportive. Uh, they're giving me some money to run some, uh, promotions on my Instagram. Uh, that is gonna be up as you hear this drop or as this. As you hear this show, uh, there will be a promotion or of a post on Instagram paid for by T public.
Uh, so go to my Instagram, uh, which is I'll link in the show notes, but it's always in the show notes and you can always find it my website, or just go on Instagram and search for choose your struggle or J shift minutes, both. Um, and you'll find the link. Their, what they're looking for from this promotion.
Obviously they want people to buy my merch and support them, which is the number one reason, but they're looking to see that it converts. So if you find me on Instagram, just click on the link, that would mean so much. It would show T public that they should continue to work with me in this capacity. Um, work out a better deal for my merch, that kind of stuff.
If people are converting, if people are going to the Instagram and clicking on my link, It would mean a lot and it would show T public that they should keep doing this. So please do that. Um, but without further ado is always, uh, thank you for listening. This isn't an official episode, but I'll finish the, the same way as I always do.
Be vulnerable. Show your empathy, spread your love and choose your struggle.