Hope takes center stage at the Healing Utah Success Summit

For those impacted by addiction, the journey to recovery can seem overwhelming. People experiencing substance misuse often feel hopeless, as well as the family members and friends trying to help them.

The Healing Utah Success Summit is a safe space where individuals in recovery can share their stories. HUSS co-founder Al Richards said being open and vulnerable fosters a sense of community, resilience, purpose and hope. 

“We bring in so many different people to share their stories,” Richards said. “We talk about mental health and we talk about those on the other side of addiction. We talk to family members and the event helps them understand a little bit more about addiction and what their loved one is going through, because it affects everyone.”

Richards and co-founder Malory Jacob will host the fifth HUSS on Saturday, Oct. 4, from 10:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. at the Miller Free Enterprise Center (9740 S. 300 West) in Sandy.

Featured speakers include Joe Valentine, Manny Lopez, Alan Fahringer, Cap Summerhays, Brooke Rushton, Tina Erdmann and Amber Kay. They each will share experiences to help break the stigma of addiction and provide a lifeline for those who are struggling. 

Kay spent years living on the streets before starting her journey to recovery. She will share her story at HUSS for the first time in the hope it will encourage others to get the assistance they need. 

“Being part of this community helped me begin to see my worth, even when I couldn't feel it,” Kay wrote on her Facebook page. “It pushed me to face my fears, to lean into the uncomfortable spaces and to believe that healing was possible, not just for others, but for me too.

“I’ll be speaking at the Summit, sharing a part of my story I’ve never spoken out loud. It’s terrifying. It’s freeing. It’s real. And for the first time, I’m walking in my whole truth, without shame, just raw, honest hope.”

Each speaker will discuss the life changes that took them through addiction into long-term recovery. Many speakers were involved with gangs, spent time in prison, endured the foster care system and carried the shame of those experiences. Richards said HUSS is about releasing the shame and regaining power by showing up.

“You will get something out of it, you will have an aha moment somewhere in that event with possibly more than one aha moment,” he said. “If we could just change one person’s life, just one, the ripple effect will be so huge.”

Richards, who hosts The Other Side of Addiction Podcast, understands that substance misuse recovery can feel overwhelming. He advises baby steps for those looking to regain control of their lives. Taking life one moment at a time, breaking it into achievable steps, makes the process achievable and long-lasting.

“When you find yourself where you’re struggling, there are so many people you can call,” he said. “It’s just putting your mind in a different mindset and then learning how to fire stronger, better neurons and get involved in the community and have good people around you. That’s what makes a big difference.”

Family members are invited to attend the summit to help gain an understanding of the battles their loved ones face in recovery. Enabling behaviors can keep someone dealing with substance misuse from facing consequences or accepting accountability. Families and friends are given resources and tools to help their loved ones work through difficult issues that lead to healing.

Richards said a lot of recovery is learning to feel emotions. Using numbing tools, like drugs or alcohol, can keep a person from fully engaging in life. HUSS encourages honesty, emotional intelligence and compassion to build a community focused on healing, recovery and second chances. 

“Life’s not always great,” he said. “Life hits us and it’s one of the hardest fights we have ahead of us. But you learn certain skills and certain habits to allow yourself to feel those emotions.”

HUSS tickets are $25 and can be purchased at healingsuccesssummit.com. Group discounts are available for groups from recovery centers. For more information, email [email protected]

“I’ve interviewed over 300 people on my podcast,” Richards said. “So many of them have said, ‘When I started my recovery, I didn’t think I was going to make it’…They all said, ‘You know, it was a struggle, but it was worth it.’”